One is always a tad nervous getting swabbed for any travel related antigen test. The prospect of testing positive when you are about to cross one border and only 10 days out from crossing another ( the latter involving a pre-booked international flight ) is definitely nerve-wracking. The mere thought of it and the ensuing complications for getting to the US in time to get our truck admittedly did cause us some stress. So, how to deal with that ? Our plan was to be extraordinarily careful in our final week in BA ( as we have been most of the time in Argentina ), avoid crowds, mask up always, social distance and sanitize aggressively. Seems it paid off as our antigen tests in BA ( happily ) came back negative – thus no problems getting into Uruguay.
Could not resist the sweets. On our last day in BA we visited ” Rapanui” famed for having the best gelato in the city. We’d agree – the pistachio was divine !
There are countless ways to get to Uruguay from BA but most convenient is the “Buquebus” ( a high speed ferry ) across the River Plate to the historic town of Colonia del Sacramento. On a cloudy but warm autumn day, with just 2 days left on our visa, we bid farewell to Argentina and sailed for Uruguay. A moment of anticipation for the delights of Uruguay but real sadness about leaving an amazing country that we had truly enjoyed immensely 😔.
The Buquebus ”Atlantic III”, which crosses the River Plate from BA to Colonia in Uruguay.
Colonia is one of the oldest settlements in Uruguay ( founded in 1680 ) and due to its proximity to BA a popular starting point for any Uruguayan exploring. The town itself is pretty, set on as scenic bay with tree-lined boulevards, and every sight is walkable. It’s real appeal though, lies in the many well-preserved historic colonial-era buildings that still stand. Its famous historic quarter is so well preserved, in fact, it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of the buildings ( in some cases now, ruins ) date from the original Portuguese period in the late 1600’s. It was nice to wander these old back streets and imagine life here as it was when the Europeans first arrived.
Typical tree-lined cobblestone Colonia street.”Casa de Palacios”, a restored building from the 1750’s, Colonia, Old Town.Plaque on Casa de PalaciosSomewhat original, somewhat restored, building in Colonia, Old TownAn image that caught our eye, Colonia, Old Town.Laneway scene, Colonia Old Town, looking across the River Plate.Not sure how the cars passed on this street – Colonia, Old Town.Even the newer buildings are made to look old in some cases. Restaurant in Colonia.
With our time in Uruguay limited we moved on to the capital of Montevideo. I think I mentioned a few posts back that fully 1 in 3 Argentines called their capital city home ( a highly uncommon level of urban centralization). I had forgotten about Uruguay – here almost half the population lives in Montevideo ! It’s an easy drive from Colonia to Montevideo ( Uruguay is flat….like, Holland flat ! ) and the road follows the shoreline of the River Plate along largely agricultural lands. Uruguay is known for its rich agricultural land and coastal beaches, most famously those around Punta del Este, to the east of Montevideo.
Montevideo sign overlooking Pocitos beach, Montevideo.
One has to do a fundamental reset, though, when crossing from Argentina to Uruguay, and I offer the following valuable tip for anyone planning to travel in these parts. In Argentina a tourist does not dare use a credit card – ever. Due to bizarre government rules there, cards get the ’official’ exchange rate whereas cash US dollars ( or Western Union transfers ) get the ‘real’ rate, which is twice as good. So, one way or another, in Argentina you are always, always, using lots of cash. We did not use a credit card in 3 months. No one does. In Uruguay it’s the complete opposite – you effectively get penalized for using cash. Tourists do not pay the IVA ( sales tax ) in Uruguay but you must use a credit card to get the exemption. Their systems recognize any non-Uruguayan card and immediately strip the embedded 20% IVA out of the price – nice ! Simple, fast and easy and no carrying mounds of cash. Very tourist friendly !
Montevideo very kindly put on a display of excellent weather while we were there. The forecast had been a bit mixed but as luck would have it the clouds and rain mostly stayed away providing us ideal weather to wander round and explore the sights of the city. Like Buenos Aires, no hills, so it’s easy on foot ( fortunately for us, not quite as many tempting ice cream shops, cake shops and bakeries, the likes of which we had often submitted to in BA ! ). Lots of history here, grand buildings, nice parks, sea front promenades and monuments to iconic independence heroes – Jose Artigas being the big name in Uruguay.
If the Palacio Salvo ( an iconic Montevideo landmark ) looks familiar, thats because it is. The same Italian designer gave Buenos Aires its Palacio Barolo back in the 1930’s.
Downtown Montevideo.
The waterfront ”Rambla”.In Uruguay, Jose Artigas is revered. A general, a statesman, and generally acknowledged as the father of the nationDowntown park, Montevideo.Only after taking this picture (a typical pedestrian mall in the downtown area) did we notice the store name on the left…………yes, really, there is a store by this name in Montevideo – a ladies clothing store no less !
Uruguay is the kind of country that rarely makes international headlines ( I suspect they like their relative anonymity here ) but a tragic plane crash in the 1970’s put the country in the global spotlight. Actually, not so much the crash, but the events that followed it. Those events are recounted in one of the most impressive museums we have visited – The 1972 Andes Crash Memorial.
The easy to miss entrance to the “Andes crash Museum”, Montevideo.
The crash in the Andes in 1972 involved a Uruguayan rugby team that was headed to Chile for a friendly match against the Chileans. The crash (in which only 16 of 45 passengers survived ) was followed by an extensive search but when the plane could not be located the search was called off with all passengers presumed dead. Fully 72 days later the world was shocked to learn that 16 passengers had in fact survived – but had managed to do so only after resorting to eating flesh from the deceased passengers when they ran out of food. The museum is amazing and tells their incredible story of survival in intricate detail, with many personal accounts recorded, and remnants of the plane on display. If these facts sound familiar you’ve likely seen the 1993 move ”Alive” which tells story.
We’ve seen many museums in our travels but few that left us in as much awe as this one did. Its an unbelievable testimony to the spirit of human endurance , creativity and the simple will to survive. A must if you ever come to Montevideo !
Model of the plane involved.Pieces of wreckage from the crash. Many parts were used to aid the survivors who endured 72 days in freezing temperatures high in the Andes..They made clothing from seat fabric.Window frames from the wreckage.Jorg, the mixed Danish/German/Spanish/ Uruguayan whose tenacity and fascination with the story made this museum possible. A very interesting guy.
The last few weeks have certainly been a new experience for us. Being in one place for such an extended period of time, having essentially no time restrictions, and being able to spend pretty much as long as we needed to do whatever it is we wanted here in BA. Novel indeed ! It’s not that we couldn’t have done this at any earlier stage of this journey – we simply haven’t chosen to. Right now though, the vehicle shipping time frame has forced our hand. Relaxing ? Absolutely !! Would we want to stay this long in any one place normally ? Probably not, but that is as much because we simply would never complete all the other things we hope to if we did.
Our ”local” coffee shop. Lois determined they made the best cappuccino in the neighbourhood !
Most of our time here has been spent at what they call an ”Apart-Hotel”. The Arenales Suites has been excellent – the unit is large, well equipped, has a rooftop pool, a kitchen and is centrally located in the Recoleta neighbourhood. One of the nice things about having had this stability is the feeling that you almost start to belong in the neighborhood. The little store on the corner knows us by name, the café across the street prepares our morning hot drinks as soon as they see me in line and the bakery beside it has our baked goods order down pat. Even the guy at the little liquor store up the street knows our preference in beer and wine. We will certainly miss that when we move on !
Spreading out our “things to do in BA” over the month we will have spent here has meant we’ve still found much to do in the past week – we’ve walked more parks, seen more shops, sampled ever more cafe’s, explored three more museums, enjoyed relaxing pool time ( the weather has been amazing ), been in to have our Covid tests ( Uruguay requires them still ) and, like most people around the world we have ( very nervously ) been glued to news of the unfolding developments in Ukraine. Here are some images of our last week in Buenos Aires.
Museum of Latin American Art, Buenos Aires ( MALBA ). Lots of abstract stuff here and it also includes the work of internationally recognized artists like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera among many others.One of Malba’s most popular exhibits. I did say “abstract” !More art – here in the Manzana de las Luces, a restored historical buildingBanner, outside the Evita Museum. She is practically worshipped in Argentina and the museum tells her life story with excellent displays. Lots of focus on her fashion sense with many of her outfits displayed.The Evita Museum from outside.
The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes has one of the most impressive collections of European masters ( among others ) in all of South America. We are certainly not art buffs but even we recognized many of the famous names on the walls in this museum. It was interesting to see the distinctive changes in artistic styles over the centuries. Below is a selection of just a few:
”Los amantes”, Marc Chagall, 1959“Femme allongee”, Pablo Picasso, 1931 ”Retrato de mujer joven”, Rembrandt, 1634“Le Moulin de la Galette”, Vincent Van Gogh, 1886“Mujer Del Mar”, Paul Gauguin, 1892Guards entering the Metropolitan Cathedral which houses the mausoleum of legendary Argentine independence hero, San Martin.Wandering around downtown we came across a name that is internationally recognized. ”Harrods”, the famous British department store did have a branch in Buenos Aires . Founded in 1914, closed in 1998, but the building still stands. For many years it was Harrods’ only store outside London ( a little bit of trivia we did not know ! )We’d read much about the famous San Telmo market so decided to check it out. The neighbourhood was a bit sketchy………and mixed in with what were described as “antiques” was a lot of good old fashioned junk ! We had looked forward to eating at a traditional Argentine parrilla ( grill ) so went out to “La Estancia” on our way to a Tango show. The meat was divine !Tango Porteno was excellent !Managed to get seats just a couple of rows back from the stage but photography was difficult with so much movement on stage and no flash permitted.The show is held in a completely renovated old MGM art deco theatre. Very 1920’ish.While out for the Tango show we explored BA at night………..and the lighting on some of the classic old buildings was impressive.During the day we often wandered the back streets – it’s mostly office buildings and high rise apartments but occasionally you would come across some of the older parts of the city – more tradition low rise buildings and cobblestone streets.
As we near the end of our time here and out of nothing more than sheer curiosity ( did I mention we had time on our hands ? ) we did a Google search of “South America’s Most Popular Tourist Destinations”. It pulled an article from TripAdvisor of a few years back and actually went on to list a “Top 10”. Having now travelled fairly extensively down here we were curious if the survey results would align with our own experiences ( read about the survey here ). The broad answer, yes, pretty much (although I’d change up the order a bit ). Buenos Aires topped the poll, Cartagena was there too as were Rio de Janeiro, Cusco, and Bariloche, all of which matched our own experiences. Santiago ( Chile ) and Bogota ( Colombia ) certainly do have their attractions but their inclusion in a Top 10 surprised us. For the survey “Destination” seems to have been interpreted as city or country – how else would one explain the absence of Iguazu Falls, the Salar de Uyuni, the Carretera Austral, Moreno Glacier, or Torres Del Paine to name just a few iconic South American attractions ? It all comes down to personal taste I suppose.
BA has been an awesome place to spend this extended time but we do have plans to wander around southern Uruguay before flying on to the US, so it’s now time to move on; by the time this blog goes out we’ll be ready to sail across the River Plate to Montevideo. We look forward to doing a little exploring there before bidding a final ’adios’ to South America.
It’s been a bit of a balancing act for us here in Buenos Aires. The plethora of delightful cafeterias, panaderias, pastelerias, heladerias, chocolaterias, authentic pizzerias and simply countless great restaurants ( for which the city is renowned ) represent a constant ( and I mean constant ! ) temptation. And, with no truck camper, well, we just had to eat out all the time. Every which way you turn there is one or more of these tantalizing food options- but how to keep it all from adding pounds ( or kilos ) in precisely the wrong places, all the while staying fit to explore the city ?
Sidewalk cafe’s are everywhere, and served not only coffee/tea and the like. A cold beer or wine could be had whenever !Cake display at “London City” one of BA’s well known cafeterias on Avenida de Mayo. Very decadent ! We’ve never eaten as much of it as we have here.
Simple, we decided. We’d enjoy Buenos Aires’ edible temptations daily, though in moderation, and we’d walk everywhere we possibly could when sightseeing. Not only was walking good for us but it gave us a close up view of the city that one sometimes misses in a taxi, bus, subway or an Uber. Excuse the pun but perhaps we really could ( quite literally ) have our “cake” and eat it too !
The sweet biscuits were very popular.Even breakfast had a ”sweet” emphasis. Here, breakfast at London City. This was the Americano and included ( incredibly ) an extremely generous portion of strawberry covered cheesecake. First time we have eaten cheesecake for breakfast !One of the great things about Recoleta is the abundance of great little ”boutique” restaurants. This one, ”ToriTori”, was a favourite of ours. Best beef brochettes we’ve ever had !
With Covid trending significantly lower here as it is in most countries (but still a threat), more walking ( masked up of course ) would also minimize the risk of any possible infection. In fact, and perhaps we are a bit paranoid about it, we have not taken a bus or subway (which are generally very crowded ) since we came back in November. So far so good on that count…..fingers crossed. Gastronomic temptations aside there has been no shortage of sights and attractions in this enormous city. Below are some of the places of interest we’ve been exploring of late.
Puerto Madero, a redeveloped riverside neighborhood in BA. Some good shopping, a great park and good eateries in this part of town.Caminito, a colorful street in La Boca ( literally, ”the mouth” ), a gritty neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Famous not only for the colorful buildings, La Boca’s eponymous football club ( Boca Juniors ) claims legendary Argentine player Diego Maradona as its favorite son.Maradona, Eva Peron, and Carlos Gardel ( who significantly influenced the tango ), La Boca.Another street in La Boca.Puente de la Mujer ( Woman’s Bridge ), Puerto Madero. It’s angled design was intended to evoke an image of tango BA has one of the nicest Japanese gardens we have seen anywhere – a place of solitude and quiet contemplation in the middle of a busy city.BA also has a beautiful botanical garden not far away. Some very exotic………and very colorful…..and both colorful and exotic plants could be seen in the Jardin Botanico ( Botanical Garden ) !Many statues too. Some like this, in the garden……….and others, evoking the struggle for independence, such as this on Avenida LibertadorAvenida 9 de Julio is wider ( but runs both ways ). We counted 12 lanes ( just one way ) on Avenida Libertador !Often when sitting at an outdoors cafe we would be entertained just watching people park. Often bumper to bumper ( sometimes at both ends ). Seemingly little thought is given as to how people would get out !
The sights of BA have been enjoyable and there are many more still to see. In the background, meanwhile, we are keeping a close eye on the “Toledo” as it steams north to the US. As of the close of this blog it appears not to have fallen any further behind in its schedule and seems to be making steady progress up the coast of Brazil en route to Panama.
Here’s hoping for continued smooth sailing over the next few weeks.
Port congestion seems to be the main reason for shipping delays. Our ship made two stops in Brazil ( at Rio Grande and Santos ) and in this image ( at Santos ) you can see how many ships are waiting to berth. Typical these days.Forever watching over the nation – a giant mural of Evita on the side of a high rise overlooking the massive Avenida 9 de Julio.
I want to begin this week’s blog by saying its wonderful to have ALL our “@gmail.com” subscribers back with us effective last week’s blog. For some reason, known only to the technical gurus at Google, for several weeks in February many subscribers with Gmail accounts saw our www.OneEndlessRoad.com blog go directly to their junk/trash folders ( if you are a Gmail subscriber and missed the last few week’s blogs, that’s where they went ). In any case, all seems to be well again as of the last blog – just wanted to assure folks it was nothing we did at our end. Thanks to all the gmail subscribers who pointed this out to us.
Downtown Buenos Aires
It’s been surprisingly easy to adjust to life with no “wheels” due largely to the fact that we are very comfortably ensconced here in beautiful Buenos Aires, in the heart of downtown and with everything we need literally at our fingertips. Someone else makes the bed each day, cleans the room, and generally attends to anything we need – feels totally luxurious and we are enjoying being just little a bit spoilt….!
Plaza de Mayo, downtown Buenos Aires – the bright white building in the background is the restored Cabildo ( town hall )Cabildo at night
Buenos Aires must be one of very few cities where the cemetery is a major tourist attraction in itself. There are many famous Argentines buried in “La Recoleta Cemetario” but surely none more globally recognized than Eva Peron – better known as “Evita” and Argentina’s one time First Lady. Revered here, she died young, at just 33, and ( after a somewhat tortuous journey to her final resting place ) is now buried in the Duarte family crypt in Recoleta. Beyond Evita’s grave the cemetery is like a mini city within a city with some of the most ornate resting places imaginable – perhaps appropriate given that Recoleta itself is probably the most desirable suburb in Buenos Aires – there is no shortage of wealth here.
Argentines line up for a close up view of Evita’s family mausoleumEvita was born Maria Eva Duarte to a poor family in the Argentine Pampas. She left home for the city to study theatre and it was at a performance where she met her future husband, Juan Peron. Her continuous support for the working class and particularly her support for women endeared to all Argentines. Almost 3 million attended her funeral.Nowhere on her gravesite could we see reference to her birth date – she was rumoured to have have had it changed.This picture is not of the Duarte family mausoleum but it does show that in some Recoleta mausoleums the coffins remain exposed and set above ground. We found this a bit creepy.
For the first few days in the city we’ve been tending to some administrative matters that were overdue, catching up with other travellers we’d recently met and simply ambling around and starting to explore this vast city. Coincidentally, as I was typing this sentence, a note popped up in my email – from the shipping company – advising us that “Your vehicle was successfully loaded on the ship”. At least we now know it’s on its way.
Our ship, the Toledo, getting ready to load in Zarate ( port of Buenos Aires )Our ship leaving port – with this app we can track the ”Toledo” as it makes its way to the US.Lunch with Vincent, who is shipping his Sprinter on the Toledo with us.Out for dinner with Peter and Nicole from Switzerland. Lois a bit unwell on this day so just the 3 of us.
There were a few places of note that we visited this first week in the city ( beyond the Recoleta cemetery). Just as the US has the “White House” and the South Koreans have the “Blue House”, the Argentines have the “Pink House”, or Casa Rosada. We may even have caught the President coming and going since a very official looking blue and white (the national colors) helicopter landed and then later took off from the helipad adjacent to the Casa Rosada while we were walking by – lots of police in the area and protesters nearby, so something significant was going on at least. Our hotel is located close to the “Obelisk” a giant BA landmark, located in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio, generally considered the widest street in the world. With dedicated bus lanes in the middle I think there are 20 lanes on this crazy wide street – there are 3 or 4 pedestrian traffic lights sequentially timed just so you can cross it but almost always with a significant wait in the middle. As grand boulevards go this one is indeed impressive. Wandering around the city there are countless historic buildings, chic neighborhoods, leafy parks, and famous restaurants so we are trying to spread our visits to them all over the time we are here.
The Casa Rosada, or Pink House, home of the Argentine president.The Obelisk, shot from the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio. The Obelisk was built over 73 days in 1936 to commemorate the 400 year anniversary of the founding of BA.Palacio Barolo, an eclectic mix of gothic and hindu influences built in 1923 – then the tallest building in South America.Lois, in the park at Puerto Madero, a river-side suburb of BA.Cafe Tortoni – a Buenos Aires landmark, hugely popular attraction, and the oldest cafe in the city. We tried several times to get in but there was always a long line up.On the third attempt we saw no line up, so went inside. Enjoyed a cappucino, tea ( served, of course, the old fashioned way ) and a few medialunas ( Argentine style croissants ).A display in the foyer shows pictures of both Argentine and foreign luminaries who have graced its tables; Hilary Clinton, Albert Einstein, Robert Duvall, and more recently Katy Perry among them.The Cafe Tortoni decor evokes feelings of a bygone era. It’s been ranked among the 10 most beautiful cafes in the world.
I’ve mentioned before that for most people who travel extensively in South America, BA is easily the most popular big city. It certainly is ours. The impressive architecture, the distinctly European feel, it’s vibrant cafe culture, a very pleasant year round climate, relative affordability, it’s ease of getting around …..one could go on and on. One thing is certain – with 15 million out of 45 million calling BA home, the city dominates the rest of the country like no other in South America. More than 1in 3 Argentines live right here.
Like all big cities though, it does have its dark side and you don’t need to be here long to come face to face with it. Argentines we’d met before coming to BA warned us about crime in general and to be wary of specific parts of the city and walking at certain times of the day – warnings we have obviously heeded. Two things so far though have stood out – graffiti and homelessness. The graffiti is everywhere and sadly it’s not just contained to the usual political messaging spray painted on a blank wall ( that, tragically, exists in many countries ). We’ve also seen many of their grand buildings vandalized with it and even centuries old iconic statues of heroic independence figures ( of which there are many ) are not left unscathed. Absolutely heart-breaking.
Even the revered General Roca was not spared the stain of graffiti-artists. Tragically, both paint and ( now erased ) slogans can be seen on this beautiful monument. As with many others it is now fenced off.Wonderful to see the Argentines were joining in the global condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here a TV crew was filming police installing some barricades to manage a planned protest.A protest we passed on Avenida de Mayo. Apparently there is almost one every week.
Homelessness seems more visible here than elsewhere in the country but I am sure its an issue everywhere. It’s tragic to see and more so when you see young kids sleeping in the street as we sometimes did. With the homelessness comes begging and it was unusual not to be accosted while eating dinner ( restaurant seating here often flows on to the sidewalk and we often sit outside to reduce the risk of a Covid infection ). Most are polite and leave when their overtures are declined. But, I have to give credit to one particularly creative woman who approached us one evening while we were sitting in an outdoor cafe with our Swiss friends. She’d gotten declined by all the Argentines she’d approached and then spotted us. Either she couldn’t speak or just preferred to hand out a crumpled note describing her plight – written, of course, in Spanish. We’ve often handed over a small donation in such cases but we don’t always. Having made a donation to another such cause earlier in the day I decided to politely decline this one and when asked for a donation, responded with our stock ”Solo Ingles” – very abbreviated, and deliberately grammatically incorrect, meaning we only speak, ( and thus only read ) English. No sooner had the words left my lips than she smiled and turned over the scrap of paper…………..there, in perfect English, was a translated version of her tale of woe. Trapped now, as they realized I obviously was, our Swiss friends could not contain their laughter ( I thought it was pretty funny myself).
Needless to say I made a second donation that day ……😊
In the time remaining until we put our vehicle on a ship in Buenos Aires ( BA ) we decided some relaxing beach time was in order. We had not seen a lot of the ocean in the last 4 months, and the beaches in Mar Del Plata had sadly disappointed, so we decided to give it another shot and check out a couple of the smaller beach communities up the coast between Mar Del and BA. In short, we failed miserably on the first but “scored” on the second.
It was fun to watch the kite surfers at Villa Gesell but the motor bikes and quads on the beach ( till all hours ) made for a difficult night of sleep at the campground.
Villa Gesell is a somewhat upscale weekend getaway spot for affluent folks from BA so we expected a nice campsite, a peaceful evening and some nice local cafes. On the latter issue we did fine, on the former – well, it was more of a train wreck ! El Pucara Camping was well recommended and indeed the location was fine right by a nice beach. What we had not counted on was the trail bike/dune buggy/quad convention that seemed to be going on at the time…! That and the usual Friday night shenanigans made for one of the worst nights we have encountered on the trip. The noise ran late – till almost midnight, and then started up again at 4.00 am ! Worse, our immediate camping neighbours ( who had 5 quads ) were some of the worst offenders. We have often surmised that the Argentines either have an incredible tolerance for noise or a basic unwillingness to complain. Surprisingly the campground owners did absolutely nothing about it. Needless to say we beat a hasty retreat the next morning.
Camping neighbour at Villa Gesell and his ”fleet” of noisy quads.
Further up the coast however ( La Costa ), we scored – the campground was excellent, facilities awesome and it was even closer to the ( uncrowded ) beach. Peaceful, with great neighbours, and good privacy – exactly what we had expected. What a difference 50 kms makes. A very pleasant way to spend our last days before heading the Buenos Aires to put our truck on the ship.
A nicer, quieter beach at La Costa just to the north. The water was warm – could even do a little body surfing.Campground Nueva Atlantis, La Costa – right on the beach and one of the nicest, most peaceful we stayed at.
Before getting to BA though we had a few major “chores” as it were – start unpacking the vehicle, give the truck a final thorough wash ( including the rather filthy engine bay ) and purge the propane tank. The former two were quite easy, the latter item took some doing – no one seemed willing to purge it and state in writing that it was purged. Finally we came upon one that would do it, and that happened to have a North American compatible purge valve fitting to actually get the job done. Phew !
Started to think about cleaning the truck, including the engine bay ( quite dirty after almost 3 years without a clean ). Apparently a clean vehicle is appreciated when clearing the agricultural inspections in the US. So, we took it to ”a guy”…..…..who got it looking almost like new ( and washed our truck one final time as well ).Another ”project” prior to getting to BA (and shipping the truck ) was to purge the propane tank. Found these helpful guys in the small town of Monte, just south of BA from an iOverlander recommendation.After some initial confusion ( he could not understand why I wanted NO PROPANE in the tank and at first tried to fill it ) I watched ( and filmed ) as he purged every last drop from the tank.From La Costa, Google Maps presented a few route options to Buenos Aires, the shortest, curiously, suggesting right through the heart of BA would be quickest. It’s a city of 15,000,000 people – we went the slower back way and dodged the worst of it !Saw this interesting highway signage en route. It says ”Use Your Lane”, and yes, supposedly you pick the speed you expect to travel and stay in that lane. Good in theory – but no one stayed in the same lane for long !
Buenos Aires is big. Actually, 15,000,000 people big… ! That’s about 3 times the size of Sydney or Toronto and ranks right up there with some of Asia’s biggest. Needless to say the thought of driving right through the heart of it (which was the route to our campground suggested by Google Maps ) was, I’ll admit, just a tad intimidating. We‘d handled some of Latin America’s big cities before ( Lima, Guadalajara and La Paz were some of the toughest ) but none this size. Was there possibly an alternate route ? Fortunately yes. Naturally it was somewhat more circuitous, but we managed to safely navigate our way to the Andean Roads campground in Tigre ( a BA suburb ) without any fuss at all. Not even a single wrong turn ( Lois suggested it was all in the navigating 😊).
During our shipping enquires we had crossed ( virtual ) paths with Vincent, a young German, also with a vehicle, who tipped us off to the shipping company that ultimately managed to get us passage for our truck to the US. He had already reached BA and was preparing his rig ( a Sprinter ) for shipping. Our rigs would depart Buenos Aires at the same time ( Feb 28 ), on the same ship, but his would be going all the way to Baltimore whereas we would be meeting our truck in Brunswick, Georgia ( just north of Jacksonville, Florida ).
At Andean Roads we connected with Vincent from Germany who would be putting his Sprinter on the same ship to the USA.Vincent made the mistake of leaving too much diesel in his tank ( the shipping company insisted it be no more than a 1/4 full ). The mechanic at Andean Roads helped siphon some out, but it was all for nought – in the end no one checked at the port.
Our time at the Andean Roads campground was enjoyable – it was our last few days with our vehicle and we shared it with Vincent and a Swiss couple, both of whom had actually spent much of the pandemic stuck in South America. Interesting to hear of their experiences here during that time ( we were glad we left ! ).
Our last night camping in Buenos Aires. With our food all tossed out, our propane tanks dry, and our vehicles cleaned spotlessly for shipping the next day, our friendly Swiss neighbors put on a memorable risotto dinner for us all.We had carried a small 1lb emergency propane tank for almost 3 years. Came in handy on the last few days after we had purged the main tank. Andean Roads campground in Tigre ( between BA and the port of Zarate ). They are the ”go to” campground in BA and somewhat of an Overlander crossroads. They also rent nice motorhomes for those who want to travel around Argentina but are not staying long enough to justify the cost of shipping their own vehicles in and out.During the pandemic they stored dozens of vehicles for stranded Overlanders.Many of the vehicles are still there, some now not worth the current high cost of shipping back home.Much of our time at Andean Roads involved packing, unpacking and repacking the vehicle, splitting what we would need with us for a month with no vehicle and what could go in the truck on the ship.
Having spent days unpacking, sorting and re-packing the camper it was finally time to leave Andean Roads and drive to Zarate, the port of Buenos Aires. A good hour’s drive west of BA, the port is massive and is actually on the Parana River, not on the harbor of BA. We’d been warned it would be a long day and indeed it was. Arriving at 10.00 am, we did not leave the port till 4.30. The paperwork, the long waits, the X raying of the vehicles, the customs searches, the dog sniffers….we had it all. Our shipping agent, Francisco, was an invaluable help – could not have navigated the labyrinthine maze of Argentine export procedures without him. It was tedious though all fairly logical- and finally when it was all done we left the port with our customs clearance certificates, and most importantly our amended “TIP” ( temporary import permit ); that’s a document that we will need when we fly out in a few weeks and tells the folks at the airport that the vehicle we brought INTO the country has actually already gone OUT of the country. We were advised not to lose it.
Driving into Zarate port it was hard to gauge how big it was. Once inside we realized it was massive, with thousands of containers, cars and trucks on the way into and out of Argentina. Security was tight, we could only take photos when expressly permitted ( so did not get many ).Parked just inside the port waiting for our agent to meet us.We’d been told to remove the license plates prior to shipping – they tend to disappear en route if left on, being very popular as ”souvenirs”. Not something we had to worry about when using a container. We will carry them with us to the US.Administration office kitted us both up with ”high viz” vests. That, we could live with…..……but the ”Ronald McDonald”- style hard toe caps for our shoes looked ridiculous !After the rigorous customs inspection ( with sniffer dog ), one of the inspectors allowed us a photo but only from behind . No photos of port infrastructure allowed ( inside the port ).And the dog even left us a little souvenir………
A few observations about the shipping process.
One is supposed to leave with no more than a 1/4 full tank of fuel – both Vincent and I obsessed a bit about this given it’s hard to exactly estimate how much fuel you will use driving to the port. We need not have bothered – no one checked at any point ( so we both lamented not filling up on one last full tank ). We will sorely miss Argentine fuel at less than 50 cents a litre !
One is also sometimes asked to leave portable / removable propane tanks behind and I was very worried about this. If ours was a normal 9kg ( 20lb ) vertical tank that would not have been an issue – they are cheap and widely available in the US. Ours, however, is a rather less common ( and vastly more expensive ) ‘horizontal’ tank which is now, due to COVID supply chain challenges, virtually irreplaceable. Not something we wanted to give up. I’d gone to extraordinary lengths to empty it prior to shipping and to getting certification of such, both of which proved more problematic than I expected. I had finally found a propane guy that could empty it ( it’s otherwise incredibly slow to just burn it off ) and who was willing to give me a receipt saying he had done it – somewhat short of a professional certification but it would suffice. Our tank also had a gauge ( many don’t ) which now showed it as empty and I had filmed and photographed the gas guy doing his thing lest there was any doubt it was totally empty. Turned out that the shipping rep from Wallenius ( who usually checks for dangerous goods and potentially explosive materials ) never appeared at the port but instead accepted the customs folks’ verification that there was nothing dangerous in the camper ( they had looked, seen the tank was totally empty and were happy with that).
The floor area was left clear. Anyone poking their nose around the truck would see an ostensibly ”empty” vehicle. It stops in 7 ports between Zarate and Brunswick and it is in port stops en route that most thefts can occur. No guarantees but we did all we could to reduce the risk of it.When it was all said and done we handed the key ( to the vehicle only ) to the port staff to move it to a waiting area for the ship ( which had not yet arrived in Zarate ). It would sail 5 days later.
The shipping cost has three components : port charges in Argentina, the shipping ( freight ) cost itself, and then port charges in the US where we pick up the camper. Following the port process on Wednesday we visited the Argentine agent’s offices in downtown BA the next day to pay them. All went smoothly. Once the ship is underway our global shipping agent ( from Germany ) will bill us for the freight component. We pay the US fees when the ship docks in the US before we get the truck back. Curiously, you pay nothing up front – no deposit even. Different than shipping by container. That said, It’s a pretty watertight process for these guys – you don’t pay, you don’t get your cargo !
The ”Toledo” , of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen line, a large vehicle carrier, was our ship. Hoping it delivers both our rigs safely to the USA. I say that because only days before we loaded our vehicles just such a vehicle carrier caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic with some very precious cargo ( many exotic European cars ) on board. Rare, but it happens. And yes, we are insured !
So now we have a few weeks to enjoy Buenos Aires ( and hopefully Uruguay ) before we leave for the USA ourselves. Following a little separation anxiety as they drove our truck away at the port, we checked into a nice downtown Buenos Aires hotel. We’ll certainly miss the freedom of having ‘wheels’ but will also appreciate the comforts of a hotel – the simple things like bathrooms WITH toilet paper, toilets WITH toilet seats, and showers that run CONSISTENTLY hot ( none of which can be assumed in a South American campground ! ). Of course we’ll still have to throw used toilet paper in the waste bins provided ( a standard process in EVERY Latin American country) – one of the things here I think we’ll just never get used to !
We are Lois and Jeff, of Kelowna, BC, Canada. Recently retired with a serious overlanding travel bug, we hit the road in our truck camper in May 2019, initially tackling the Pan American highway. The PanAm completed in April 2022, and truck camper sold, we plan to continue exploring again later in 2022 in our Sprinter 4×4!
