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Author Archives: Ian

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It is no coincidence that we ended up spending more time in Buenos Aires than in any other destination. With history and architecture and arts and parks and cafes and tango and futbol and protests and medialunas and beef and wine, it’s a truly world class city. From afar you might mistake it for one … Read more

Brazilian Visa in Buenos Aires

US passport holders require a visa to enter Brazil. They should be valid for 10 years, 90 days at a time, up to 180 days per year. You can get one pretty easily in Buenos Aires. Here is how to theoretically go about doing this (details about our experience are below): Reserve an appointment at … Read more

Food and Dining in Buenos Aires

March 17th, 2014 | Posted by Ian in Argentina | Food | The Places We've Been - (4 Comments)
San Telmo, Buenos Aires ice cream parlor

Oops. We haven’t written a blog post in 26 days. That might be a new record. Anyway… Disclaimer: Buenos Aires is a huge and cosmopolitan city. As such, what is written below is not in any way trying to pass itself off as a definitive guide to BA dining, only to give you an idea … Read more

Tierra del Fuego National Park

February 17th, 2014 | Posted by Ian in Argentina | Parks - (3 Comments)
Tierra del Fuego National Park

Here are some things you absolutely need to know about Tierra del Fuego National Park: The entrance is 11 kilometers west of Ushuaia, meaning it is the southernmost national park on the planet. The park was founded in 1960, bordering Chile and running south to the Beagle Channel. This land of beech forests, mountains, glaciers, … Read more

Ushuaia

There’s really no ambiguity when it comes to naming the reason why Ushuaia, Argentina is a popular destination for travelers. Sure, it’s in a beautiful location nestled between the Beagle Channel and snow-capped peaks. Sure, it’s the capital of the famous wild lands of Tierra del Fuego province. Sure, it’s been designated as a tax-free … Read more

Dollars and pesos

Argentina has historically had some problems with inflation. Official government estimates, for example, put the most recent 12 month period at a rate of 10.9%. Independent estimates say that number is likely closer to 30%. In short, this means that a trip to the grocery store that cost $100 a year ago costs $130 today. … Read more

Caminito, Buenos Aires

We recently had our second set of visitors join us for a segment of our journey. My dad and stepmom, Randy and Jane, made the long trip south from the Kansas City winter to enjoy some Buenos Aires summertime. So exciting! Here is how our week went down. Monday (January 6th) On Monday morning we … Read more

Buenos Aires, Argentina

I’m fairly positive any “introduction” to Buenos Aires is destined to fall woefully short. Argentina’s buzzing capital of 13 million (making it the second largest metro area in South America after São Paulo and, by most measures, one of the twenty largest cities in the world) is one of the most culturally rich and complex … Read more

Córdoba, Argentina

January 6th, 2014 | Posted by Ian in Argentina | The Places We've Been - (9 Comments)
On La Cañada in Córdoba, Argentina

We arrived in Córdoba having done tragically little research on the city. Besides knowing it had a million and half residents (making it Argentina’s second largest city), and that it was located in the geographic center of the country on the fertile Pampas, we were pretty in the dark about what to expect. Alas, that … Read more

Salar de Uyuni

December 31st, 2013 | Posted by Ian in Bolivia | Parks | The Places We've Been - (12 Comments)
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

The star of Bolivia’s famous Southwest Circuit, Salar de Uyuni is, quite simply, the world’s largest salt flat and by far Bolivia’s most important tourist attraction. Located 11,995 feet above sea level, it is over 4,000 square miles of pure flat whiteness, punctuated in only a few places by “islands” of rock and cacti. Formed … Read more