A summary of my time in South America

I sit here in a cafe in Los Angeles, pondering over what's transpired over the last four months or so whilst in South America and amongst other things, it's given me a totally new perspective on life, my resilience, my strengths and best of all a renewed enthusiasm for taking on the world.... In other words, I will be coming home in a couple of weeks time, feeling completely reinvigorated and with  the ability to take on and overcome any challenge that comes my way.

As a result, I'll be looking to:

• Find and work for an employer that's got great ambitions, a prosperous future and one on which I can have an impact, either on it's bottom line, the way it operates or otherwise.
• Have an impact wherever I go and with whomever I am liaising.
• Learn some new skills of both a professional & personal nature!
• Increase my network of friends, professional & social.

If nothing else, I've got to take advantage of my good fortune being born into a middle class family in Australia, as opposed to in some poverty stricken or war torn country, where hope and the opportunity to grow, learn and prosper are so severely diminished.

Los Angeles

Well I managed to check in at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires without too many problems. I mean sure the combined weight of my bag and box were over the limit, a situation which was easily overcome.

I just had to hope none of my fellow traveller's or the Customs people wanted to check the little bag I'd removed from my larger North Face bag cause it contained nothing but my dirty laundry! Given the fun and games I'd had on my way to Quito months ago I sorted of figured if they were going to confiscate anything it could be my smelly socks!

What was pleasing though, was that I got through the whole process / bureaucracy of checking in, negotiating the Customs rigmarole so quickly that I ended up at the Departure Gate a whole two hours early. That's a bit of a first me actually being somewhere early or on time. Pity it's such a boring airport with not a lot to look at or buy......

I did however find a little restaurant that was open, so was able to grab a Cafe con Leche, but once I'd finished that I found myself a sit in the boarding area, quietly humming to myself the well known song by Andrew Lloyd Webber - "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"!

Why, cause as much as I've enjoyed some of my time in the country, it's certainly not the easiest of places to get around!!!! I mean, fix the banking system so that withdrawing cash from ATMs is easier (and more of it would be great as well), get rid of the siesta break, so much of the bureaucracy, spend a little bit of money maintaining things and we might be right! Aggh, hopefully you'll have got it better by the next time I head over...... Okay, Okay, I'll get off my soap box now....

Eventually the boarding gate began to fill up and shortly thereafter we were allowed to board the plane! Whilst Lan Chile aren't ever going to win any awards for "Service Excellence" they did manage to leave the terminal on time, even if the plane lacked an in-flight entertainment system.... At any rate, we got to Lima several hours later and without any drama.... 

Transiting through their airport was quick and easy and provided me with the perfect opportunity to peruse the shops, not that I'd have had the ability to buy anything. Not cause they wouldn't accept my $USD currency, but rather I didn't have the physical ability to carry another thing.

Finally arriving in LAX several hours later, you possibly heard the audible sigh of relief when both my goodies appeared on the luggage carousel, but better than that though, was finally being able to catch up with my dear friend - Betsy!

Now I've just got to get my head around being on another continent and enjoying a totally different type of holiday now!

Buenos Aires

I had a great day today wandering around the city of Buenos Aires in the morning, my camera in hand when the opportunity presented itself. I then found my way to one of the outer suburbs of the city, to join a Street Art tour where I have got to say I gained a lot more appreciation of what I would previously have just titled graffiti!

We saw work, painted frequently with the permission of the land owner that certainly made a considerable impact on the local landscape. We were also shown the difference between the different styles of work and told the reason certain types of paint were used. 

It would seem that there's more to it that just coming along with a spray can. 

We were given a bit of an explanation of how the "artists" applied the paint because there's seemingly a variety of techniques needed to make their art "work". As a consequence, well aside from the fact I can't draw / paint to save myself, I won't be coming home to OZ, grabbing a few tins of spray paint and heading out to "decorate" a train, the lane way down the road or what have you, but I will be looking at "graffiti" in a new light!

At any rate, once the tour concluded, I headed home to my hotel, to pack and get ready for my flights tomorrow morning! 

It's funny but as much as this country, frustrates the day lights out of me at times, Buenos Aires is a city I could stay in for another week or so to explore! Ah well, next time!

In saying that though, I'm looking forward to heading to Los Angeles, with one of the things I'm most looking forward to being (and its probably one of those things one shouldn't reveal on a blog site such as this is) is the cuddle or hug I receive from Betsy when I stumble through the "Arrivals" door at the airport.

Buenos Aires

Finally after wandering around most of the city for the better part of a couple of hours, I found a Post Office that not only was able / willing to accept a 1.75KG parcel of cycling gear but also sold boxes in which to send it home.... Being clever (or so I thought) I bought a box which is seemingly capable (authorised) to hold up to 5KG.... well that's according to what's written on it. 

Having made my purchase I subsequently went back to my hotel in order to fill it and thus lighten my load just that little bit more..... Okay, it's not really the way I wanted to spend the day cause I'd much rather have been out and about exploring the city, but I needed to do it in order to get a bit of peace of mind.

At any rate, once I'd filled the box with what I calculated as being 4KG of surplus gear, I headed back to the Post Office, in order to send off my goodies and thus allow me to begin enjoying the day.

Unfortunately however this is where the stupid Argentinian bureaucracy kicked in for whilst the box was okay to be packaged with 5KG of goods, in order for Correo Argentino to actually process it and put it aboard a plane / ship or what have you, they firstly needed it "approved" by a Customs Official. Of course the Customs folk operate out of a different location to the Post Office and on different business hours....

Problem is easily solved however, as was pointed out by the postal clerk, just buy another box and split the contents into two approximately equal weights! As I say, the bureaucracy in this country often defies logic, even to the locals!

One way and another it's probably not cost me a great deal of money just time, which I could have put to better use, but it's done now and at least it gives me the belief and I might be being delusional / naive about it, but hopefully I've made things a little easier and less likely to get charged for excess luggage for when I get to the airport on Sunday morning!

For now though, I think it's time I knocked back a few samples of their amber liquid!

Buenos Aires

Well its funny, but today I started my sightseeing tour of Buenos Aires in a cemetery, Recoleta Cemeteryto be precise.

They're probably not on everybody's hit list of places to visit (they're not mine normally either) but I went because although I'd spent a few minutes there yesterday, ostensibly to see Eva Perron's crypt whilst on my cycling tour of the city, I didn't have the opportunity to explore or photograph the place properly.... I'm so glad I revisited, it's a fascinating place!

From there I wandered downtown to see Puente de la Mujer which is Spanish for "Women's Bridge", a bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava and which supposedly was fashioned to represent, the arch of a woman's back during a Tango dance....

That said however, I think you'll find the same "design" has also been used in Dublin, Ireland and Redding, California as well.

Continuing my wander through the area it quickly became apparent that this area / suburb is where the "new" rich now reside. 

Things just looked ultra modern & sleek and to top it off there's also some great art galleries in the area as well.

Buenos Aires

What does a cyclist do when he arrives in a new and very large city?

Check out what's on offer as far as bike rentals opportunities are concerned and sign up to do a cycling sightseeing tour of course. I've just got to say I'm just so glad I did. It was a brilliant way of getting a bit of an orientation of what to see & do in Buenos Aires, and where things are relative to one another.

I'm just disappointed that my Garmin bike computer is safely packed away in the bike box and that in order to directly record a day's activities into Strava using a smart phone requires an operational SIM card cause I'd love to be able to see exactly where I'd been, tomorrow for sightseeing planning purposes and down the track, as a way of reliving my trip. Ah well, shit happens!

I had a very memorable time regardless and amongst other things saw the stadium used by Bocca Juniors, probably one of the best known football clubs in all of South America (Maradona played for them).

At the conclusion of my little tour and on my way back to my hotel, admittedly I did find a cafe that sold Empanadas so I had to buy a few, along with a cold Cerveza which I subsequently enjoyed in the park above. A very fitting end to a wonderful day's sightseeing.

My Team Tourist colleagues would be proud!

Buenos Aires

Well it was with a sigh of relief that I managed to get all my bags checked in at Bariloche Airport this afternoon and once again I owe a big Thank You to Daniel of Cordillera Bike Rentals who not only gave me some tips on things to see and do on my bike in the Bariloche area, who minded my stuff whilst I headed to Puerto Varas, Chile and then again when I headed down to El Cafalate, but who also helped me get all my gear to the airport. 

Seriously folks he was a god send! I couldn't recommend him or his services highly enough!

Anyhow getting back to this afternoon's adventures, I was rather fortunate when I checked my luggage  in, cause I only had to pay a minor surcharge of 190 Argentinian Pesos ($AUD 25.00) which given the extent to which I was overweight, was a bargain. Having said that and because I'm not necessarily expecting to be so lucky for the next leg of my trip, I will have to have a look as to what, if anything, I can get rid of in Buenos Aires. I figure it's better to be safe than sorry, though having said that, I'm not overly optimistic as to what I'll be able to offload. A situation which isn't helped by the fact that there probably isn't too much chance of my being able to post things home from B.A, though who knows....

Fortunately and surprisingly to a certain extent, the flight wasn't to bad and more importantly both my bag and my bike box, showed up on the carousel when I / we got in to Buenos Aires a couple of hours later....

Now all that's left to do is to explore the city a little, grab a bite to eat and see if I can come up with a plan for tomorrow's activities.

San Carlos de Bariloche

When you are start thinking about what your going to do when you get home, organizing your diary for the months ahead and start reviewing your budget / finances for what lies ahead, I somehow think that might be a sign that your over your holiday or at the very least bored by your present surroundings.

I mean Bariloche is a pleasant enough little city, but it's the area around it where it's appeal really lies and that's not something I was able to do today, having packed my bags and more importantly my bike into its box for the homeward journey. 

I'm not too sure whether the Troll will get to explore Los Angeles or whether I'll just hire a road bike instead for a couple of days so as to keep the legs turning and to get around a bit.

Either way though, I'm looking forward to what lies ahead, both in terms of Buenos Aries and Los Angeles, particularly the later cause I'll be catching up with a friend, Betsy, I haven't seen in years. I can't wait and believe it or not, it'll be the first time I've been to America (other than for a three hour stop over at LAX) and I get to do it over the Xmas - New Year period. Yeah!