Following
an emotional end to 7 years in Malaysia, over 14 years in Asia, a couple of
fraught days trying to sort out the last of the paper work and rattling round
an empty flat you’ll not be surprised to hear that we were ready to get this
year out started. First objective was to
get the looonngg journey over with. The
first 7 hour leg from KL to Dubai was fine as we actually managed to sleep most
of the way and besides which we’ve done that route before. The connecting 19-hour flight to Buenos Aires
was the one we were wondering how we’d manage.
Hang on a minute – the flight goes to Rio de Janeiro first.
At
least that meant we only had to sit in the same seat for 14 hours instead! In fact it went by reasonably quickly by the
time we’d watched a couple of films, chuckled at some comedy and played the
in-flight quiz game. We’re not used to
the luxury of entertainment having used Air Asia for years on end. Being fed for free was a bonus but the
highlight was on asking for a glass of wine – they gave us a small bottle of
Puilley Fume each. We couldn’t resist
tucking into a couple of those and before you know it there’s Rio. It was very cloudy when we landed so we
couldn’t see the wonder.
Unfortunately
we had to disembark for over an hour while they cleaned the plane. Most people seemed to be changing here but we
found it a bit annoying since we were getting back on in the same seats. Luckily this next leg was short of 3 hours
and we actually reached Buenos Aires slightly ahead of schedule. Things were looking good until we turned a
corner to be faced with a mass of humanity stuck in a narrow passageway trying
to make their way to immigration. There
was a queuing system in place but there were too many people and not enough
space for it to work. We spent well over
an hour shuffling our way to the front of the line. Not a great introduction to a country but we
weren’t asked any complicated questions and once we were photographed and thumb
printed we were finally stamped in and on Argentinian soil.
From
there things improved considerably.
Deigo the owner of our guesthouse Elefante Rosa http://www.elefanterosahostel.com/england.htm was there to meet us as
planned. We were soon on our way and
within an hour had dumped our bags in our room which was to be our new home for
the next 4 nights. The guesthouse is in
a 100-year old house and has been very nicely restored with the original
brickwork exposed giving it a homely yet rustic feel. Deigo and his brother proved to be very
friendly and informative and if you’re ever through this way we’d recommend you
stay. At only US$50 a night B&B in a
capital city it’s a great deal in a good location. Not right in the city but close enough to walk
and there are nearby stops for 2 of the underground lines.
The
room is so high-ceilinged that they’ve put in a mezzanine floor to accommodate
the bedroom and bathroom. For us it
feels like we have our own little flat again but it has furniture in it! There is also a kitchen to use so we’re being
self-sufficient right from the off for 2 meals a day. With a comfortable place to sit and wine in
the shop at only a couple of quid a bottle it’d be daft to blow our budget
early doors. That’s not to say we’ve not
been out and about exploring so check in again soon for our first forays in
South America.
Jumpa lagi Malaysia & Hola South America!
