Day 94: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Today was "drop the bike off at the airport" day.  The process was actually quite efficient, which is very out of character for South America.  I was in and out in under two hours, and they were processing another bike to Houston during the same time period.  I must admit, it was a bit sad watching the bike go on the pallet,  I will be without the bike until I fly on the 9th.  Tomorrow I pay the bill, and then I am free to wander around for a while.  Contemplating a trip to Uruguay.

Trip Summary

Today's Leg: 20 miles (32 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,922 miles (19,229 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  21/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34

Day 93: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Port of Buenos Aires

Started processing my motorcycle for its flight back to the United States.  Met with DakarMotos and they will be preparing all of the paperwork and shipping documentation.  The bike is due at the airport tomorrow morning, and will fly with United Airlines, hopefully, on October 7th and arrive in Miami on Oct 9th. The bike flies space available as a second priority to perishable items (ie, fruits, vegetable, etc.). as the fruit can rot, and the bike cannot.  To hedge my schedule, l be arriving in Miami on October 10th via Mexico Airlines (Delta code share), as it is much cheaper to stay here than in the US in case the bike is delayed. Another issue at hand are the inevitable delays to previous cargo shipments that will need to be absorbed as a result of Hurricane Mathew.  It will all work out I'm sure.

Trip Summary

Today's Leg: 30 miles (48 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,902 miles (19,954 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  21/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34

Day 92: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Spent the day in Buenos Aires, just wandering around and checking the place out.  They have a beautiful park/nature preserve along the waterfront.  Again, I am amazed at what a wonderful job they did planning this City.  There are over 13 million inhabitants, and there is very little difficulty getting around.  The roads, buses, trains, and subways are all very accessible.  The main promenade is 15 lanes wide, but since it is broken by parks, bus lanes and an occasional building, there is not a feeling of being overwhelmed by asphalt.  

Main Promenade

Trip Summary

Today's Leg: 0 miles (0 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,872 miles (19,906 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  21/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34

Day 91: Rosario, Argentina to Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rolled into Buenos Aires around 1:00 pm today.  I was quite surprised with what I saw,  the City is absolutely gorgeous.  Very clean, well maintained, and the City planners that laid out Buenos Aires did an absolutely phenomenal job.  The streets are very efficient, bus lines and subways are centrally located, and there is adequate walking space without feeling lost in the sidewalk. From what I have seen so far, this City rivals Madrid as one of the nicest cities in the world.  I will be here for a few days and will have plenty of time to explore.

Trip Summary

Today's Leg: 191 miles (308 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,872 miles (19,906 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  21/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34

Day 90: Cordoba, Argentina to Rosario, Argentina

Entre Rios, Rosario, Argentina

Another big day in the saddle.  All "interstate" driving again, though very windy and quite cold today. It looks and feels like I am back in the States, same signage, road construction and road layout.  The primary issue is that gas stations are difficult to find. There are no stations at the entrance/exit ramps, one has to get off the interstate and venture into nearby towns to buy gas.  

I completed my day in Rosario, Argentina, home of Lionel Messi, the top rated footballer in the world and perennial tax cheat (really Lionel, you made 40 million USD last year and you can't afford to pay your taxes).  The town, is clean, bright, beautiful and situated along the waterline.  

Tomorrow a three-hour run to Buenos Aires.  

Trip Summary

Today's Leg: 251 miles (405 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,681 miles (19,598 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  21/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34

Day 89: Cordoba, Argentina

Spent the day relaxing and wandering around this wonderful City.  It is very upscale when compared to some of the previous cities I have been wandering though as of late.  They speak a different dialect of Spanish here, called Castilian.  I was just getting to the point where I could converse in Spanish, and now a plethora of new words are creeping into the vernacular, or to be more accurate, I am creeping into theirs.  Regardless. I am excited to see this level of society here, modern, educated, first world, and very very interesting.  Seems like a time travel from just two days ago when I was in the Andes and people had no heat, windows, running water, etc.  Amazing what a well formed, non-corrupt, government is capable of achieving.

Today's Leg: 0 miles (0 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,430 miles (19,193 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  17/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34

Day 88: San Miguel de Tucman, Argentina to Cordoba, Argentina

Long haul today, second longest of the trip.  Central Argentina is a quite a bit like Central Florida. Long straight two-lane highways running through the middle of nowhere, it makes for boring, but very easy riding.

I pulled in to Cordoba about 2:00 pm and the town is very quaint.  I would best describe it as being very similar to a couple of neighborhoods in Manhattan, older buildings, but kept up nicely. with the infrastructure modernized without loosing its charm. After six riding days in a row, the last two being very long, I will be taking a day here to rest before the final push to Buenos Aires. Cordoba looks like a nice place to explore, and I am looking forward to it.

Today's Leg: 351 miles (566 km)

Total Distance Traveled: 11,430 miles (19,193 km)

Total Borders Crossed: 12

Total Countries Visited: 13

Total Times Stopped by the Police/Tickets Issued:  17/0

Shaken Down by the Police/Total Times Paid: 5/1

Visits to a Holding Cell: 1

Countries Following this Blog: 34