Snowfree ~ Our World Trip

Connor is still and will be in Buenos Aires for the next 3 weeks

Recently we all have started Spanish lessons and they are going very well.  We are all learning lots.  Yesterday we went on a city tour on a tour bus with about 20 other people.  We saw most of the city monuments and Universidads (Universities) we also La Boca, the poorest neighborhood in Buenos Aires.  The part we visited had the coloured houses that you see in all the brochures.  Unfortunatly all the shops are selling fridge magnets, T-shirts and snowglobes.  On the way back to the starting point the photographer who had mounted the bus earlier and took our pictures got on and presented to us our heads on the bodies of tango dancers.  We could not resisit and got it.  It is hilarious. 1 hour ago

Connor is in Buenos Aires, Argentina

After the gruelling plane trip over the Atlantic Ocean we finally touched down in Buenos Aires after spending a night over in Madrid, Spain.  Our apartment in Buenos Aires has never been lived in before and everything looks new.  The purpose for going to Buenos Aires was to take Spanish lessons. We start on Monday.  Today we visited a market in Downtown Buenos Aires (BA).  There was not a “Made in China” sticker in sight.  Everything was hand made and Alannah bought a poncho.  As it turned out there is a large supermarket close to our place so we often by groceries.  What a treat!  We will be here for about a month. Today I finally got to swim at the local sports club.  Getting to use the pool is not as easy as one might think.  First, before you even get to be in the building you have to buy a monthly pass.  You then have to give that pass to the “boy” or the security guard who lets you through the turnstile.  You then  walk up a flight of stairs to the changing rooms.  Most of the lockers are already locked and you are quite sure that there cannot be that many people already there before you.  Anyway you find a locker and get changed.  You look around for an entrance for the pool.  There is no obvious way in.  As it turned out the door masquerades as a fire exit. Joy!  Once down at the deck I was asked for my ID, in Spanish.  “Habla solomente Inglese!”  I say with gusto.  He says it again in broken English.  I go get my card and I come back.  I am then told to by a man in a grey lab coat to put my feet on a stool.  He then proceeded to check my feet for some alien life-forms. Next he looked at my underarms.  He did not find what he was looking for whether that was a good thing or not.  The next thing he looked at was not surprising, my hair.  After the O.K for the doc I then proceeded to the pool thinking that my ordeal was finished, it was not.  Since I clearly was a gringo and did not speak a peep of Spanish the pool staff had called over probably the only person in the building who spoke English.  She tried to explain that I could swim  either in a class or by myself.  I chose the second option.  The swim itself was uneventful compared to the preparation! 5 days ago

The unknown airlines.

We get around many different ways.  We use inter-city buses; we love the train; have crossed rivers in dug-out canoes; have been on ferries both large and small; and on the occasion have hired a driver to get us from A to B.  Sometimes we just have to use air … either it´s over ocean, it´s too far or the cost is too low to refuse.  Here is a list of the air carriers that we have used since leaving Ottawa.  Some you will recognize.  Many you will not.

• United (Washington DC to Beijing, China)
• Hainan Air (China)
• Air China  (China)
• Dragon Air
• Air Asia
• Tiger Airways
• Kingfisher (yes the brewery runs an airline)
• Royal Jordanian
• Egypt Air
• Ryan Air
• Air Europa

5 days ago