The flight I had feared for a long time due to its duration wasn't that bad in the end. I slept 8 out of the 12.5h. The sunrise above Brazil - well above the clouds - was unbelievable! Those are the advantages of an overnight flight. In any case you can see the sun rise. :) Maybe worth becoming a pilot.
Enought of praising the sun, The forecasted temperature for Buenos Aires is a freezing but sunny 50F/ 10C. Just like summer in Germany this year.
In the end I don't care. I bought my ferry ticket to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay a couple of days ago and am therefore not only leaving Buenos Aires again today but also Argentina. Of course I will be back once Yvonne gets here in a couple of days.
But first I will fulfill another dream, which is to see Montevideo. On the way there I am stopping in Colonia.
Back to the plane. We are landing after a spectacular view of Buenos Aires. What a big city!
Our parking position next to a jumbo from Lufthansa leaves me smiling. The engraving is: "Fanhansa" - not very nice of us to be flying exactly that plane to Argentina, but also nothing we can do about it now. :)
Immigration passes with no issues and I am grateful for free Wifi. After cleaning up a little in the bathroom I am ready to enter South Anerica once more. I have a couple of hours to kill in Buenos Aires before my ferry to Uruguay. But all my thinking about what to do with my luggage in the city for a couple of hours were useless. In Argentina it is not the immigration that leads to huge queues, it is the customs control. Every piece of luggage is being scanned before leaving the secured area. This takes time. The queue goes back and forth through the whole baggage hall and I estimate about 1.5h until I can possibly reach the scanners. Another issue is that my "active queuing" skills are basically gone and tons of Latinos pass me this way. I remember fast and so I just turn around and move a little to the left which gets me into the queue that is coming back from the end of the hall. The huge family doesn't even notice and so I safe at least 30min. :)
Considering that they don't even look at the scan, the effort they have with the scanning is immense.
Just before the exit I see some bus booths and get myself a ticket to the ferry terminal without having to get cash.
The outside is as cold as I feared and I am glad that I didn't forget my softshell jacket on the plane this time, I desperately need it.
Queueing for the bus - this will turn out to be my favorite activity in Argentina today - I start a conversation with a Spanish guy who wants to take me to Bariloche for skiing. Tempting but it would totally ruin my plan for this week, the only plan I actually have for the whole trip so far. And also I am a bit scared to get back on the skis for the first time after I broke my ankle in someone else's boots. I'd rather try with my own in the Alps when I am back. I refuse the offer and exit the bus at the brandnew ferry terminal where I am greeted with something familiar: a Milka stand.
On the second floor my Argentina entry stamp gets its brother the Exit stamp and their neighbor an Uruguay entry stamp right away. So my first visit to Argentina lasted less than 2h, but I will be back.
And here we go, the next long queue. My chances for a window seat are so small that I don't even bother queueing for so long and take a seat in the comfy chairs until most people are on the boat. 1h of boat sleep is almost as good as on the plane and is only being disturbed by German honeymooners discussing their travel plans for everyone to hear but for sure nobody to understand except for me.
The hostel is only 5 min from the terminal. My body is longing for some movement and so I carry my stuff there, the big backpack on the back, the small one in the front.
I have a room to myself for about 3 min before Sarah enters. She is from California and traveling SA since about 5 months. We have a lot in common. :) My travel companion for today! I am glad. We start our common time with Chivito, the Uruguayan national dish.
The city walk after is finished fast. Colonia is very tiny and within 1h we've seen most of it. From the lighthouse we have a great view and can even spot Buenos Aires in the far distant. We find the Street of Sighs, don't know the story that goes with it, but we got the picture now.
Armed with homemade icecream we look for a spot to watch the sunset.
Brrrr, cold. As soon as the sun is gone we go back to the hostel to get our jackets. Back on the street we notice that this tiny town is completely deserted now, noone is on the streets and it is hard to find an open bar to get a drink. It is much easier to find a smoke, the weed smell is everywhere.
One sangria, a nice conversation and here I am in bed. The shower can wait until the morning. It is way too cold.
Stop2: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
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