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.
Good luck sorting out what to jettison! Friend of mine posted a whole bike in separate packages from Milan. He had to lose the bike b4 heading to Croatia bfir a holiday! Everything got home ok but then there was the job of putting it back together.
ReplyDeleteAs chaotic as Italy may be, it's got nothing on Argentina and as a result I'm not overly confident about sending some of my stuff home! Dealing with Correo Argentino is a nightmare, in terms of the cost and the processes involved. Everything over 2Kg needs to be sighted and approved by a custom's officer within the post office, so you can't just wander in with a sealed up box / envelope, etc.
DeleteOf course the whole scenario is not aided by the fact that my Spanish still ain't all that good - OK at ordering food in the restaurant, getting a few directions (some of it goes over my head, particularly when they talk quickly)!
No I think, the bin in the hotel might get a bit of a workout and the stuff that I do send home will probably be in small 1.9Kg parcels and of stuff that I'm not overly anxious as to when it'll turn up, so long as it turn's up!