Getting to Mendoza

Nothing could have ever prepared me for overwhelming beauty of Anarctica. What a trip, what an experience. When I get back, I´ll follow up on the experience more with pictures. There is nothing like seeing 6000 penguins swim on to shore at once (and I captured it in glorious HD 1080i). Antarctica is vast, grand, and more beautiful than I ever had dreamed. Being able to kayak around icebergs and have penguins swim up to me will forever leave it´s mark on me. Antarctica, truely enchanting.

So the Russian ice breaker docked on time at Ushuaia and my flight was on LAN Chile at 11:40a that day. I had plenty of time. What they don´t tell you is that they post the departure times in Buenos Aires time and not Ushuaia time (-1). So really the flight was at 10:40a. How nice of them to mention that on the receipt... I guess I take time zone conversion for granted in the US. Next Argentinian airlines have a vague sense of time meaning departure time is a vague guess. I had 1.5 hours inbetween my Ushuaia flight and connecting Mendoza flight. Plenty of time in the US and most of the world. The plane arrives late, no big deal. The flight crew doesn´t hurry, instead they hang out with the arriving crew. They talk, they kiss, and enjoy some good conversation. An hour later we take off. Yep, there is no way I´m making my connecting flight. When I get on the plane they take my second carry on too, I guess in argentina you can have only one carry on. The plot thickens.

So I land in Buenos Aires and we get on this bus to the baggage terminal. We wait about 5 minutes for everyone to board. It drives about 50 feet and drops us off at the terminal. I laughed so hard because I could have walked to the baggage terminal with 4 minutes to spare. Next my luggage comes out, but not the carry on bag they took from me. 10 minutes later after the last piece of luggage comes out, they put the carry on luggage on the conveyor belt. I head to the Aerolenous ticket counter hoping to switch my flight. Good news, there is a 10:45pm flight tonight. Bad news it´s 4:15p. I´m having flash backs to my Asian trip where I had to kill 8 hours in Phuket airport because I missed my flight due to the taxi breaking down. What to do in Buenos Aires domestic airport for 6 hours? Drink of course. So we start downing red bull and vodka. She eventually has to leave for her flight. I decide to go upstairs to the food court. What catches my attention? In the land of meat, ¨sushi argentina.¨Yes that´s right, I had a Philly roll in the airport... in argentina and two small bottles of Malbec to wash it down. I´m completely loaded by now. The red bulls and vodka, and malbec is catching up with me. I caught my 10:45p flight to Mendoza, how I´m not really sure.

So I arrive in Mendoza very late. Catch a cab to my apartment which is very NYC sheek. Sleep off my buzz and now I´m walking around Mendoza. At 3p today, I´m heading to the ¨Vines of mendoza¨, which I saw on one of my favorite shows ¨three sheets.¨ Tomorrow I´m heading to the country side and will be hiring a driver to take me around a couple vineyards. Chao

--Dan