En route to Antarctica - First stop: Buenos Aires

Overnight flight from Atlanta, got into Buenos Aires this morning. It’s hot here - and I’m dressed for something closer to Antarctica weather.

We arranged a tour of BA, since we have time before our afternoon flight to Ushuaia. Our guide, Matias, and his driver picked us up from EZE airport and showed us around some of the highlights of central BA. We learned some Argentine history, both past and recent and, in face, Matias warned us that our drive into central BA would take longer than expected. Demonstrators have taken to blocking the busy highways lately to protest power outages that left residents sweltering in the record heat. In the 100 degree temps lately, people were understandably upset.

Argentina seems to have had more than its share of political unrest over the past couple of centuries, and its ongoing. Inflation here is nearing 60%, with some predicting it to go as high as 90%! Matias says inflation has been a part of everyday life since he can remember. Government corruption and widespread mistrust of the government in general seems to be a problem with no end in sight.

We made a few stops including the Boca neighborhood, with its heavy Italian and artsy influence, walked around the central plaza and popped into the cathedral that the current Pope, Pope Francis, resided as archbishop. We finished our tour at a famous must-see cemetary, where the mausoleums created streets like cities of the dead. Lots of Argentina history buried here, including Eva Perone. 

We asked Matias a lot of questions about life in BA, and tourism and if this is what he does for a living. He admitted he was also a musician, and we made him stop at a local park to give us a sample of his musical talent. For a quick 3 hours to spend here, we had a very interesting and satisfying mini-tour!

Our tour ended at the AEP airport, where we will board our flight to the southernmost tip of Argentina, Ushuaia. We’ll spend a couple of night in Ushuaia before boarding our ship to the Antarctic peninsula on Friday.