My trip to South America begins in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, which is widely regarded as the ideal starting point for exploring the continent. After the pandemic dampened my appetite for adventure, I chose to ease my way in.
I arrived in the early morning following a 14-hour flight from Amsterdam, and fortunately, everything went smoothly. I promptly located a shuttle bus from the airport, albeit a bit pricey at 10 USD. However, at 7 am, with minimal sleep, in a foreign country without internet access, I didn’t feel up to navigating the public transportation system to reach the city center and my hostel.
Once I checked in at the hostel and dropped off my bags, I took a stroll around the city. It quickly became evident that English wasn’t widely spoken in Argentina. Apart from the hostel staff, I don’t recall encountering any English-speaking service personnel at restaurants or coffee shops in Buenos Aires.
First things first, I loved the weather! Having departed South Africa at the end of winter 2021, only to be greeted by the European winter and leaving Europe just as summer began to beckon, I had certainly had my fill of winter. Therefore, I warmly (pun intended) welcomed the sunny days with temperatures ranging from the low to mid-20s in Buenos Aires. After a whole year, I joyfully embraced the opportunity to wear shorts again!
I booked a hostel called America del Sur. Besides briefly glimpsing the perpetually drowsy third person, whom I never truly had the chance to meet, I got along well with the other occupants. We were just four in total: Arielle, a vibrant 22-year-old Israeli with a mix of American background; a friendly Spanish guy; myself; and the enigmatic sleepy vampire who remained a mystery to us all.
Following a day of exploration, I had dinner with the Spanish guy. It was helpful to have a Spanish-speaking companion to assist with deciphering menus and navigating routine interactions at restaurants. We opted for a pizza place, but having recently come from Italy, I found the pizza somewhat uninspiring. It leaned more towards American style rather than the Italian flavours I had in mind. Not that it was bad by any means, just not what I had anticipated.
The next day, Arielle and I engaged in captivating discussions spanning a wide range of topics, from politics to travel. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. She planned to head to Patagonia, and although I initially believed it would be too cold for extensive hiking that far south, she convinced me otherwise. In a spontaneous moment, I decided to reduce my intended five-day stay in Buenos Aires and purchased a flight ticket to El Calafate after just two days in the city. Taking a bus would have been my preference, but considering the vast distance of around 3,000 km to the south, the cost and duration would have been exorbitant. It’s astonishing to contemplate the immense length of this country, spanning approximately 5,000 km from north to south.
Our flight was scheduled for 5:20 am, necessitating a 2 am wake-up call to ensure we arrived at the airport two hours prior to departure. It was shaping up to be one of those travel days where you simply zombie your way through various modes of transportation, and by the end of the day, you find yourself amazed that you somehow made it to where you needed to be, given how exhausted you were.
