Argentina is a HUGE country. Look at a map and you will be able to see that it is right up there with the largest countries in the world. I knew before I got here that I was not going to be able to travel everywhere I would have wanted to go, but at the same time I can’t believe how little I have seen in 5 weeks. It is like going to the USA and trying to hit all the major tourist destinations in one trip… impossible.
I do, however, feel like my trips out of Buenos Aires (to Mendoza, Iguazú, and Salta) have made me an expert in Argentine air travel. When I first arrived in June, I flew into Ezeiza, which is Buenos Aires’ large international airport. To be honest, after nearly 15 hours of traveling since leaving Chicago the day before, I was not paying too much attention to my surroundings. So Ezeiza might actually be a pretty nice place to fly in and out of. Kind of doubtful, given my experience in Argentina’s other airports, but let’s leave that door open for now.
After a few weeks of getting settled in B.A., our planned trips to other parts of the country began. First, we flew to Mendoza for 4 days, and my eyes were opened to the wonderful world of air travel around a country that ISN’T the United States. We arrived at the airport (Aeroparque, the smaller airport in Buenos Aires for domestic travel) only about an hour before our flight and checked in. We needed to use our passports to get tickets at the counter, but that is THE ONLY TIME. But surely you would have to show your ID at the security checkpoint? Why would I lie to you about this? I promise that in the 6 flights I’ve taken in the past 2 weeks I have never had to prove my identity more than once. The security checkpoints are even more lax in that you are allowed to basically carry on anything you could possibly imagine. And my shoes stayed on! Here I was, arriving for my first domestic Argentine flight, with my 3oz liquids in a Ziploc baggie, certainly no razors or (Gasp!) bottles of wine. I was informed to take off my coat and put that on the conveyor, but I am half-convinced that was just so that I wouldn’t have to carry it through the metal detector, because it shot through the x-ray machine so quickly that it would make a TSA supervisor keel over. Needless to say, on our way home from beautiful Mendoza, I had both olive oil and wine in my carry on to bring home as presents, and as I imagine, the only thing that gave the security personnel pause was to find out what bodega the wine came from.
The plane rides themselves are like being transported to another world. Especially if that other world was going through its version of the 1970s… The two major airlines in Argentina are LAN and Aerolineas. I have flown both and had issues with tickets/flight delays/cancellations with both carriers, but I have heard from others that LAN tends to be the better airline. On the way to Mendoza, and on the way home yesterday from Salta, I flew Aerolineas. We were seated in rows 32-34, which we knew would be the back of the plane, but what awaited us there was like a cruel joke. 34, MY row, was the last row of the plane, right in front of the lavatory. Also there were no windows in the back of the plane. None whatsoever. The second to last row had the window shades down and when we pulled them up we discovered the startling blue… of the engine. Why would you even put a window there when you are building that plane, Airbus? It’s just cruel. I had no idea what Mendoza would look like until we landed and got off the plane. In case you are wondering, Mendoza is beautifully situated right on the Andes mountain range.
However, once in the air, the airlines of Argentina really know how to take care of their customers. Each plane ride I took was around two hours, and while only 2 flights had TV, every single one had a snack box containing at minimum 2 different items, as well as free flowing coffee, tea, and gaseosas (water and pop).
Last week’s trip to Iguazú was the vacation that almost didn’t happen, since a LAN workers’ strike wrought massive havoc at Aeroparque on the day of our flight out of Buenos Aires. After arriving at the airport at 7:15am for an 8:30 flight, we joined a few hundred other stranded travelers in the endless snaking lines toward the check-in counter. At some points, I wasn’t sure if it was possible for us to ever get out of there, but finally, we got our tickets switched and said good riddance to that airport at about 4pm. Everyone we spoke to was very pleasant and helpful, but it did not relieve the stress of sitting all day in an airport when we would only have one day to enjoy the Iguazú waterfalls, one of the most beautiful wonders of the world. There were a few times when I thought about how much more comfortable I would be if I was stranded in an airport in the U.S. It is probably just because I feel like I have more power because I know the rules and the language (the FAA does not control Argentina, remember?) and I would probably be on the phone with my best friend complaining about my delays. Here, we really did have the same power, it just seems so far away because we really can’t just call our families for help, we have to be clever and figure things out on our own.
Mendoza was amazing as a long weekend out of Buenos Aires, but Iguazú and Salta really are two of the most spectacular places in the world. If you could only do one trip, I would say Salta, but I really hope no one has to make that compromise and can visit all three. Iguazú, right on the borders of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, is a jungle town with insane humidity (yes, even in Argentine winter!) and a very tropical, laid back feel. The national park itself, where the waterfalls are located, is a really well-made succession of catwalks through the jungle and practically into the falls from every angle. We arrived at the park by public bus ($0.35USD and a 30 minute ride) and paid the $80 peso entry fee for the day. We didn’t end up leaving until the park’s closing time of 6pm, because we tried to do everything that was available. There are about 3 different boat/jeep ride packages that are offered, and we chose to do only the “Nautical Adventure” which was a speedboat ride UNDER the falls. Bring an extra change of clothes, because no matter what, if you want to get up close and personal with waterfalls, you will get wet. Unfortunately, it felt like as soon as we landed in Iguazú, we had to leave again, so we said goodbye to tropical paradise and headed back to cold and blustery Buenos Aires.
Salta changed my life. The eco-diversity of the northwest region of Argentina is amazing. One day, we were in a van traveling down dirt roads through a mountainous desert, and the next day we were rafting and zip-lining through green canyons over a gorgeous lake. I wish we could have spent a whole week in Salta, and I know that I will go back if I ever get the chance, because it is the kind of place that could never get old. I highly recommend looking into “Salta Rafting and Canopy” which is the company we did our rafting with, and they have a little farmhouse and business right on the water, with asado (barbecue) included after a long day of outdoor activities. The city of Salta is still inspired by its colonial roots, and spending time in town is a must if you are interested, like me, in Argentine history.
And finally, the anecdote that demonstrates how small the world really is:
When we were making one of about ten stops along the road in Salta on Friday, we got out of the van to peruse the pueblito (really small town)’s bazaar for souvenirs, and I noticed a girl walking around wearing a Georgetown sweatshirt. We stopped her and asked if she was a student, and as it turns out her name is Liz and she is not only a 2010 School of Foreign Service (SFS) alum, but she also did the summer trip that I am on right now! Here’s where it gets really weird.. It was only after talking to her for a few minutes that I realized she must have been one of the girls that had stayed with my homestay family in the past, because I felt like I had heard about her. Pipa, my homestay mom, had told me about a girl who came for the summer program like me, fell in love with Argentina, and ended up coming back for a full year program. Well, she definitely is the same girl, and now Liz is living in Cordoba, another city, and loving every second of it. I can’t even think of the likelihood of that meeting taking place, especially when taking into account all of the coincidences that brought us all to that place at that time. Don’t freak out yet, Mom, but I’m definitely thinking about coming back before I graduate…
