Early
morning call at 07.45am. We are getting
a bit blasé with the two hour check in and starting to cut it a bit fine. Paul decided he was going to nip down the
road to get a McCafe coffee, but came back empty handed as they were shut. We had used all the powdered milk up
yesterday, and not enough time now to order some more and put the filter
machine on. Oh well – we will have to
get one at the airport.
We checked
out and ordered a taxi from the front desk.
They organised a hotel car for 134 pesos – we got 11.4 to the dollar
yesterday, so well under £20. When we
came from the airport, the taxi charged us 280 pesos. I somehow think we had been “done”. Probably less than £10 extra, but it was the
principle that sticks in the throat. It
was a metered taxi, so we probably were taken on a lovely loop around the city
to get to the hotel. This time the roads
were empty as it was a Sunday morning.
Didn’t stop the driver going as fast as he possibly could in between red
traffic lights – and there were a few. I
am surprised we haven’t had any scratches or scrapes so far, they all seem to
think they are Fernando Alonso. We are
leaving from the same airport we came in to – but the domestic bit instead of
the international. Must have been where
our illustrious guide was waiting for us when we arrived a couple of days
ago. Still can’t believe that!
The queue
to check in for our flight to Trelew was enormous – all domestic flights with
Aerolineas Argentinas were using the same check in desks. This is why you need to be there two hours
before!! I was heartened by the fact that
when one of the flights was closing and there were people on it in the queue,
they pulled them out to the front to check them in. They wouldn’t leave us behind – would they? We got to the front of the queue no problem
though. For some reason, domestic
flights only allow 15kg of luggage. Not
going to happen with us – Paul was dead on the 23kg we had for most of our
flights, but mine was 27kg. He had
dutifully weighed it for me before we left home, and told me I had to unpack
4kg worth. That wasn’t going to
happen. What I need is what I need. One of us sticks to the rules, and one of us
flies by the seat of our pants!! I was
prepared to hand over my credit card for the oodles of excess baggage costs,
but the check in guy just smiled and told us to have a good flight. Good man!
It was
plain sailing from here, through security and up to a lovely coffee shop where
a latte was a latte, and a muffin was a muffin.
Things were looking up! The
flight boarded a few minutes later, and we actually took off early. A very pleasant flight of just under two
hours. The snack was a box of bags – one
biscuit bits and two biscuits. Filled a
hole! As we made our way South, the
scenery dramatically changed. The water
got a whole lot bluer, and the towns and cities disappeared. The land was so flat!
We arrived
in a beautifully clean and tidy little airport.
There was one baggage carousel that started almost immediately, and we
collected the bags ten minutes before we were due to have landed. Result!
Phillipe from Eurotur was duly waiting for us, sign in hand, and we
loaded the bags into his four wheel drive and off we went for the 40 or so
kilometres to Puerto Madryn. The road
from the airport is one long road from Buenes Aires in the North to Ushuaia in
the South – virtually the length of the country. There were no turn offs before Puerto Madryn,
so it seems it is very difficult to get lost here. There was a dead cow by the side of the road
– it had been hit by a car or truck.
Looking to the left and right there is nothing but flat grazing land as
far as the eye can see – and only the one road we are on. How stupid can cows be? Phillippe did say
that one of the volcanoes in Chile Buenos Aires
The weather
is again glorious – around 25 degrees.
There are a few sunbeds overlooking the bay – one of them had my name on
for a couple of hours. Paul went to
sleep for the afternoon – just can’t understand it. Anyone would think that I have organised a
packed itinerary! Phillipe said that it
may rain this afternoon – it hasn’t actually rained in Puerto Madryn since last
October. It had rained in Trelew, but
didn’t get as far as here. Didn’t get as
far as here today either.
We went
into town for dinner tonight – and decided to walk. Well I did, and Paul just followed. He would have preferred to take a taxi. It
was a beautiful evening, and the beach was virtually deserted. There were a few people walking their dogs,
and a lady cycling along the sand, but apart from that very few people. The tide was on its way out, and seemed to be
going out in front of our eyes. Just left
birds paddling in the pools that it left.
There was a stage set up on the edge of town, and a band was just
starting to play. It got better the
further we walked from it! There were
football pitches set up along the edge of the beach, and loads of local
children were playing. There was an area
where teenagers were skateboarding and body popping. This place really does have a good
atmosphere. It took around an hour to
walk to the restaurant that Paul had his eye on from earlier – Ambigo. They did good prawns apparently. I did say that the walk was a lot better than
getting the taxi – not sure if the answer I received was a positive or a
negative!! The menu was all in Spanish
so it was going to be hit and miss what we actually had. They didn’t open until
7.30pm – we arrived at 7.25pm from our walk so perfect timing. They had free wifi so I thought it might be a
good idea to use google translate from my phone, But the wifi needed a password – and that was
just a step too far! We just guessed.
The food
was good – and including all the drinks came to 330 pesos – around £22. Very good value for money. The sunset was lovely – red sky at night and
all that. Should be a good day tomorrow
then. The taxi office was right across
the road – no-one here speaks English!
Paul put a Spanish twang onto the name of the hotel, and she immediately
understood where we wanted to go.
Result. The taxi fare was 35
pesos - £2. This country is certainly
good value for money!
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