This trip was solely based on Linna’s 40^th birthday on February 28^th; we wanted to celebrate her special day in a warm country and a new place we have never been before.  I flew in from Sao Paulo on Friday and Linna flew in the next day, February 25^th.  I warned Linna about a $140 entry fee for first time foreigners; this payment is like a Visa expense, but you pay it right before you step in-line to customs.  We both had to take a taxi from airport to Hilton and I waited for Linna outside the hotel for her to show up.  What are the chances for Linna and I to have the same taxi driver on two separate days…well it happened.  She was charged 180 pesos and I was charged 170 pesos.

First day out we headed to the world’s widest avenue “Avenida 9 de Julio” with 18 automobile lanes.  At the center of the avenue is a mini Washington Monument called “Obelisco”.  Still on foot we headed to the outdoor market in Recoleta and purchased a few items.  We wanted to visit the Recoleta Cemetery which was in the same area, but….it was closed by the time we got there.  We stopped by a couple of outdoor cafés before we made it home that night. 

Next day was off to another market, Feria de Mataderos….Linna thought there would be a small parade and a huge market, but we had the wrong date.  It was pretty much empty streets with a few low scale vendors; we ended up having lunch in the neighborhood at cute outdoor café “Los Campeones”.  Since we missed the Recoleta Cemetery, we taxied back and looked for the famous Eva Perón tomb.  We probably walked around 45 minutes before we decided to head to the entrance and look at the map for Eva; even after looking at the map it still took us 10 minutes to find her tomb.  That night Linna booked us a tango show at El Viejo Almacen, I recommend at least seeing one show….now that I have, I am good for a while.

Fourth Day: Like most people, Linna and I decided to take one day excursion to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay via a speedy ferry boat which took one hour. This is more of a tourist town then anything, but…still worth the visit. We decided to walk through-out the city and we really regret not renting a car or even a golf-cart that are available. We were so tired of walking in the heat….it took all the fun out of the day (now we know!). Within a short walk you can check out some really old architect in the historic quarter like the city gate and wooden drawbridge and lighthouse nearby. The Basilica of the Holy Sacrament is really cool, it was built by stone in 1808 by the Portuguese. After a few more historical sites we stopped for lunch before we decided to walk to the Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos. It was built in 1909 for bullfighting, but it only had 8 fights before the country banned bullfighting in 1912. The building is fenced in due to the decomposing structure, but Linna and I found a hole in the fence and checked it out. It was this attraction that we walked over two miles in the hot sun to see that did us in for the day. The ferry ride back was up in the VIP seating which I highly recommend. The seats are much bigger and they start you off with a complimentary glass of Champagne.

Fifth Day: After a few days in Buenos Aires, we wanted to adventure out to the countryside, so we found an Estancia (large ranch) about 60 miles outside of Buenos Aires in the Pampa’s region called La Bamba www.labambadeareco.com Linna and I took a taxi back to the airport to pick up a rental car from Avis. I find that you really can’t explore a city or country without driving through it. Of course, without navigation it would be almost impossible so I always get a TomTom or Garmin to help me along. From the airport we winded through neighborhoods before we finally hit a highway. The road from the highway to the estancia was a dirt road, but…since it had rained days before, it was a mud road.