Week 192 · 17-Hour Bus · Puerto Madero · Recoleta Cemetery · Santos 4040
Buenos
The trip to Buenos Aires starts at the Brazilian-Argentinian border town of Puerto Iguazu where we caught the bus for the scheduled 17-hour trip. A little perspective: Rio is at the same latitude as Havana, Iguazu Falls at Fort Lauderdale, and Buenos Aires at Charlotte. So although the roads were not great in the north, the 17 hours is mostly because of the distance.
We didn't have any Argentine Pesos and the only ATM near the bus station didn't work. Seats were great and nearly fully reclined — but no power or WiFi. After 3 hours we stopped to pick up people. We tried to get off the bus to buy something to drink but they wouldn't let us off. We stopped at 5 hours into the trip. People were getting on and off so we went into a store — it didn't take credit cards. While trying to convince the guy to take $20 for water and a sandwich, the bus pulled out. I ran and caught it (everything we had was on the bus except my wallet) — without the water or sandwich, as the $20 had handwriting on it so he wouldn't take it. Then the bus driver's helper chastised us for getting off. I said we need agua. About 10 minutes later we stopped to refuel and we could see boxes of bottled water but they wouldn't let us off. Ultimately they fed us and gave us water at 11pm.
Buenos Aires is a beautiful city — elegantly designed with wide boulevards, parks, monuments, and palaces/mansions with a European feel. But it doesn't have the one iconic tourist spot that gives the city more recognition (like the Eiffel Tower) — which is maybe why it isn't seen as a top-tier destination when it really should be.
Travel tip: Uber does not officially operate in Buenos Aires — BUT if your account is linked to a USA credit card it works. Found out too late in the trip to use it.
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina with approximately 15 million people in the greater metro area. The city's European character reflects mass immigration: between 1880 and 1930, Argentina received approximately 6 million immigrants, predominantly from Italy and Spain, and became the world's fifth-largest agricultural exporter. Much of the grand architecture — wide boulevards, palatial mansions, ornate public buildings — dates from this golden age. The 50 years of various dictators from the 1930s onward, including the Peron era and the brutal military junta of 1976–1983, significantly reversed the country's economic trajectory. Argentina returned to democracy in 1983. Recoleta Cemetery is the resting place of Eva Peron and many of Argentina's most prominent families; its ornate above-ground mausoleums are considered among the finest examples of funerary architecture in the world.
Our AirBnB host was great and we ended up meeting her and her boyfriend and friends out at a music club — a jazz-samba fusion jam session with very talented musicians improvising. Between sets: "What is up with the kneeling?", "How did Trump get elected?", "Is he crazy and going to start a nuclear war or does he have a grand plan?" They were also disappointed that we had heard warnings on crime — they never had an issue. Alexandra stayed up with the younger group and went out in Palermo while I headed back.
In our walking tour, our guide provided the "unofficial" history from 1880 to 1983 — the first fifty years the golden age with mass immigration and huge growth in agricultural exports (becoming the 5th largest exporter); much of the beauty of the city comes from 1880–1930. Then the Great Depression brought 50 years of various dictators which regressed the nation. But since 1983, it has been a democracy and has improved.
Last stop: Recoleta Cemetery — highly recommended by many people. Very unique as it is really an outdoor church/mausoleum with the wealthy families of the city trying to outdo each other one last time.
"Buenos Aires doesn't have the one iconic tourist spot that gives the city more recognition — which is maybe why it isn't seen as a top-tier destination when it really should be."