9-9 (Tuesday)

We had a 3:30 wake up to meet the taxi at 4:00. Our flight to Buenos Aires didn´t leave until 7:15 but they say you have to be there three hours early and the airport can be a long way depending on traffic. We didn´t expect traffic at that time of morning and there wasn´t a lot. We also didn´t expect that the driver was going to have to stop for gas! The said, "just a little, just a little" but the station was closed. Barbara saw his gauge and said it was way below empty. Wouldn´t you think that´s something you would take care of before picking up your clientsÇ Somehow we made it (I guess it was the fumes.)

We checked our luggage, paid our departure fee ($30.25), ate breakfast at McDonalds and still had time to shop!

The bus we took out to the plane wound through all kinds of cargo. It was like going through a maze. Barbara and I had seats together on the exit but we jumped into empty middle rows so we could lie down. I swear no one was in their assigned seat by the time we landed. They, like we, were moving all over the plane. We landed in Buenos Aires at 11:15. Some guy right near me had on his headphones and sang at the top of his lungs for a great deal of the flight. The rough landing shut him up.

We took a cab from the airport to our hotel, the Gran Hispano, in town ($35.) A real sour puss checked us in. We didn´t like our room because it didn´t have a window even though it had three beds. We changed rooms to one with a balacony and a better bathroom.

Someone at the hotel directed us to a travel agency on Florida Street. We didn´t go to the suggested one because it was so fare away but found another. A great girl who spoke excellent English (rare) helped us arrange a trip to Iguazu Falls for Thursday. I was so out of it from lack of sleep I hardly knew what she was talking about.

We ate dinner (Burger King) and then went back to the hotel. I took a shower and a sleeping pill and passed out.

Okay, a couple of you commented about me saying we went to China. That is just an expression meaning we traveled a long way. I said that when we went to the Nazca Lines. Something about going to China and back. I did not go to China, I just meant it was a loooooong way.