20250224 Buenos Aires Monday
We're here where the cruise ends, but we have today and tomorrow before our late flight departs..
Here, we've booked a Viator tour by boat to the Tigre river section, continuing on canals by boat, with stop for lunch.
We canceled this tour yesterday afternoon after feeling the heat in Montevideo and recognizing it will be as hot here. Further, the tour river turned red a few days ago due to pollution, but the authorities don't know why. We'll stay aboard today.
We're docked in an industrial location; our view is of shipping containers.
D still coughing, maybe due to cough medicine.
We went to Patio for lunch. While finishing, the rains came. The usual buffer thing had to be placed between the pool deck and the Patio area. It didn't last long, but the ship's list (loading oil) routed it all into Patio.
We returned to cabin to organize and begin packing. Found everything. O packed 90% by 1430, standing by to finish this evening.
We played more trivia and finished packing. Set the suitcases into the passageway before the 2000 deadline. Loafed, to bed early.
20250225 Tuesday
Today, the voyage ends. We added another line to our Ocean Cruise Map below. Our RV and River Cruise maps are not shown, nor are our two trips to Australia. Owen's submarine voyages cannot be shown; the two trips to the North Pole can't be placed on the map.
We disembarked into a bus tour that cruised the city. We bussed through downtown and the embassy district. Nice, clean city in those areas but dismal in the poverty areas.
We stopped at one of the oldest coffee-houses in BA named La Biela (the Connecting Rod). It has a motor racing motif. Good coffee.
We walked the cemetery to view the place Eva Peron is buried and learned more about her.
We toured some more, easing into the old harbor area, now very much yuppiefied to stop for lunch at Rodizio, a lovely modern room on the old harbor. We were served wine or beer, and cokes, then the lavish buffet of salad goodies. Then the Argentine beef servers came around each with a vertical stick with meat on it; they sliced off sections that one selected and put it on the plate. Nobody went hungry.
The owner told us we could brag about being in the Pampas region of Argentina, where there are cows and cowboys, since BA is in the Pampas region.
The bus then took 45 minutes to go the 16 miles to the airport in what the guide called "normal" traffic. Hmmm.
We arrived about 1530 and had to wait on metal chairs until 1700 when American opened their counter. O had a Patagonia IPA he pronounced satisfactory while D had a large Malbec; together they cost $16. Great prices.
We checked in and went to the gate area to wait. More comfortable chairs and some power bars. AA runs three evening flights to MIA; all three were full. Our 787-8 was ok but on the cold side. We didn't notice a whole lot - we skipped dinner and slept. Breakfast was yoghurt, fruit and a croissant. Landed about 0730 2/26/2025.
Incoming through MIA is always a PIA. It helped to have the Global Entry. But one still has to claim luggage, go thru Gobal Entry and re-check your baggage. Then make your way out a very long wing to the next gate. D had a hard time of it.
But we got to the gate and pre-boarded. A zillion youngsters speaking Spanish came on as well. The young lady next to O said they were going to Camp Blanding for training. Blanding was a huge WW2 training base for the Army, now it does Florida National Guard and others.
Bill grabbed us at the curb and brought us home, sweet home.
And that's the end. Thanks for coming along.
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