An interesting first week in South America

Well, all journeys abroad have their own stories to accompany them, and this one is no exception. After a quick, easy commute from Bellingham to L.A. we stumbled across our first snag. A very long line at the LAN Airlines service desk, with many angry people. Our LA to Lima, Peru leg was scheduled to leave at 8 pm. Problem was, it wouldn't actually leave until 11:30 the next day. 15+ hours. Now, that's a delay. This turned out just fine, as Scott Ellis was in town, and took us out for a great dinner at a Chinese bistro. A great chance to catch up with our brother.
Lima to Buenos Aires was no problem. Arriving in B.A. we caught a taxi to the hotel. Now let's set the record straight. We have seen our share of scary traffic. Driving a van in NZ, where fender-benders are commonplace. Insane one-eyed tuk-tuk drivers in Chang Mai. Buses taking blind corners in the mountains. Navigating the mind-numbing ebb and flow of traffic in Bangkok on a motorcycle. Nothing could prepare us for the fear encountered while walking in downtown B.A. Cars take corners at 40mph with people EVERYWHERE. In our short time, we have seen about two dozen very near misses with pedestrians. They NEVER have the right of way.
We spent our first day getting a taste of the city. We had our first vino tinto (Argentine red wine), bife lomo con papas fritas (beef tenderloin with french fries), and alfajores (dolce de leche sandwiched between shortbread cookies covered in chocolate). Mmmm.

We spent the next day exploring. The heat was oppressive, and walking the city required many stops for agua sin gas, bottled H2O without carbonation. We visited an amazing cemetery. Cementerio de la Recoleta is a marvel, housing the mortal remains of some of Argentina's elite, including the grave of Evita, as well as past presidents and military heroes. Plaza Indendente sits just outside, and hold's the city's largest crafts fair. This was a real treat for us.

The following day was our scheduled flight from B.A. to Santiago, Chile to pick up our campervan rental, named 'Brian'. A quick 2 hour flight turned into a nightmare at the airport, with a frightening storm shutting down multiple flights and keeping many people stranded. We thought we would witness a riot at the gate, as employees fled the angry mob, leaving us with no information about a possible new flight or the whereabouts of our bags. We spent 11 hours at the airport, but finally got a flight that brought us into Chile. We awoke the manager at our hostel at about 2 am, and poured a stiff drink, finally decompressing from the incredibly difficult day.
Only problem was, our luggage was not with us to celebrate. Aerolineas Argentinas is on our hit list. We have a fantastic hostel, 'Rio Amazonas' in Barrio Brasila. Very kind and helpful people, and we have already enjoyed a quick trip into the city. Santiago has a much different feel than B.A. so far. More relaxed. Guess it's just the west coast v. east coast feel, regardless of continent.
So that's where we leave it, playing with 'Pancho' the house kitten, drinking a cervasa and waiting for our luggage to arrive. Chandler (the brains behind this operation) has a change of clothes with her, as always. I, on the other hand, boldly stated this keeper "It's a 2 hour flight with no other stops, why would I need a change of clothes?"

Tomorrow we meet Pablo and pick up the campervan, unless we have nothing to travel with, in which case, who knows?

-mc