zitsky
Jan 19, 09, 10:51 pm
I thought for my 500th post on FT, I'd post a trip report about my trip to Argentina for Christmas and New Year's. It's my first trip report, so be kind. I was going to post a few days ago but then wondered why anyone would want to read my ramblings. Fortunately for you, I changed my mind.
Most of this covers the flight to Argentina. I haven't written much about my time in Buenos Aires yet.
On this trip I:
had food poisoning that was treated with Cipro
had my wallet stolen
had two women try to pick up me and my partner
My partner and I decided to spend Christmas and New Year's in Argentina. This trip would be my first opportunity to try out United's new international config in C on the IAD-EZE segment. But first, I had to get to Washington.
1. UA 100 SFO-IAD
We were flying in F on a two class UA flight.
Favorite FlyerTalk pet peeve
During the flight I noticed that the row 1A & B pax committed two of the FlyerTalk "no-no's". Not only did the husband put his feet on the bulkhead but his wife changed their baby's diaper right on the seat! Tsk, tsk.
Departure
Pre flight drink was the standard OJ or water. We got off the ground quickly. The captain said no delays into Washington, and expected to get us in early. I felt more fortunate than all the sad looking folks I passed at SFO who were stuck because of severe weather that day.
Meal Service
Very wrinkled UA linens were put out. Don't ask me why I noticed or cared, but I did. The napkins had buttonholes.
Food
Nuts served in ramekin, but weren't warm. The hot towels were not really hot.
Lunch was yakatori salad or roast beef sandwich, both with tomato bisque. My partner told me not to have the roast beef sandwich, although later he wouldn't listen to me when I advised him about dinner.
I ordered the chicken which came with yellow and red peppers and what looked like edimame. The chicken was rather dry but tasty. Bread was brought out later, but no butter. The salad was edible, much better than I'd get for dinner later flying out of IAD.
Wine
The wines served on the flight were:
Bushman's Gully Shiraz
Red Tree California Chardonnay
I didn't care too much for the Shiraz, which is usually my favorite. The alcohol was overpowering and the wine had little character. I know in the air your taste buds aren't the same, but I think that doesn't completely explain my disdain for it. Maybe it was served too cold?
The Chardonnay was not bad. Buttery but not over done. It tasted more like sauvignon blanc, with some grapefruit, lemon, strawberry?
The flight attendant said no champagne on domestic flights. I expected this since it's been discussed on FT. Still, it's disappointing.
Entertainment
The movie was Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman and Eliza Dushku
In Flight Service
As expected, the service was mixed but one FA did such a great job that I decided to write a note. I didn't have the official UA comment cards so she had me write a note on some blank paper that she would turn in.
2. IAD RCC
While waiting for the flight to EZE we went to the RCC near gate C5. The matron was a little huffy when my 1K partner asked for drink coupons before she offered them. (She had offered them right away to the people in front of us but not to him. After asking, she did give us 2 each. I had to explain to "my" 1K to always ask for the drink chits regardless of whether he wanted to use them.
The lounge was pretty empty and very quiet. There were no TVs going that I could see.
Miss Manners at the RCC
In the lounge that was only about 1/3 full, we had the rather bizarre announcement to: 'Please put bags on the floor so your fellow passengers can sit.' I had my briefcase on the seat next to me, and didn't feel like moving it for an imaginary pax.
3. UA 847 IAD-EZE
First time with new 'C' configuration
This was my first trip on the new United configuration in C. The seats felt a little narrow for me and I found it difficult to bend my legs when lying down which made it a little uncomfortable.
I spoke to one of the flight attendants who said they hated it for working, because it was too difficult to get around people when they are waiting in the aisles or by the galley.
Upgrade on Board
We were traveling on a UA standard award ticket in C. We couldn't get Saver awards. Once on board, my 1K partner was offered an upgrade to First, which he shockingly considered for a very long time. Trying to beg for another upgrade for this lowly 3P didn't work, and we declined the upgrade. We found out later that another couple had the same option but one of them chose to upgrade and leave their partner behind in C.
Entertainment System
My favorite features were:
Being able to start watching a movie before the aircraft door was even closed.
Being able to watch the boot up screen when the system was reset. (I'm a techie.)
My least favorite features:
My system occasionally had glitches where the sound wasn't working. Also, the system kept pausing as if waiting for a PA announcement when there was none. This happened enough that it wasn't just someone canceling an announcement.
Video menu was in other languages, but descriptions were in English. Movies in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Thai, Japanese, but no Chinese! TV episodes had Chinese subtitles but no movies. I was trying to practice my Chinese by changing the menus to Chinese characters and watching some programming in Chinese.
Meal Service
Food
Nuts were warm this time, but towel still wasn't hot.
There were three food options:
Trotter grilled bacon wrapped strip loin
Pecan crusted chicken breast
Cheese tortellacci
Bread was served with butter this time.
The smell of the Trotter option coming from the galley was so disgusting that I had no interest in trying it. The chicken breast was just OK. Nothing to get excited about. On this segment the salad that came with dinner was really pathetic and almost inedible. The greens were not fresh. The ranch dressing had the consistency of glue and tasted absolutely disgusting.
Wine
Pol Roger Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck Champagne
Jaboulet Le Paradou 2006 Beaumes-de-Venise (Grenache)
Aquinas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
They ran out of Pol Roger early in flight, they served it before takeoff. It was nice but a little too sweet. Later I had the Piper-Heidsieck. That was drier and more to my liking.
The Jaboulet was dry, hint of pepper, not very fruity, a little lifeless maybe served too cold, or could be my airplane palate.
The Aquinas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was good, with black plum and spice.
They didn't have the Malbec which seemed a shame at the time but later maybe was a good thing. I didn't have any great wine while I was in Argentina.
In Flight Service
Later in the flight, one of the FA's decided to lock the Business class bathrooms because passengers from Y were coming up to use them. It was nice they paid attention to it but it was pain to go ask the flight attendant to unlock the door.
Water service was not very frequent. I had to refill our water glasses during the flight by going back to the galley. There was no flight attendant in sight.
4. Buenos Aires, bus transfer from EZE to AEP
Manuel Tienda Leon is a popular bus/car service that provides transfers to downtown and the airport across town. You will see their booth/office after going through customs. You can find them next to Banco de la Nacion near baggage claim.
When I got there, they didn't know what to do with my online reservation. I don't know if it was it because we were early, because I forgot to print tickets or because they don't get online reservations often? The agent finally let us on the bus because the driver had already taken our bags and they didn't have time to take them off again.
AEP is nicer than I expected. The bus transfer takes about 20 minutes. I learned not to order coffee from La Madeleine. I ordered cappuccino, but it tasted like some kind of instant, really awful.
5. LAN airlines flight AEP to IGR
Check in was quick and professional. I didn't talk with them much but the agents seemed friendly and professional. Once I was onboard I didn't think it was anything special. They had a light snack which turned out to be saltine crackers, and two different kinds of chocolate cookies. I expected the typical peanuts or something.
I guess I paid a lot of money so that my flight wouldn't be canceled. I'm not sure it was worth the extra cost over Aerolineas.
Before the flight a few people wanted to move to better seats. The FA was very polite, but didn't let them move. I had tried to book the exit row, but couldn't find seat maps on seatguru that matched the A320 we had for the flight. I booked row 10 and it turned out that row 11 was the exit row.
6. Iguazu Falls
Airport Transfer to Hotel
Airport transfers are expensive, about 50 pesos. Taxis from town to hotel were 12 to 15 pesos. We also paid 50 pesos to go from Puerto Iguazu to Iguazu Falls.
Rio Tropic Hotel
We stayed at Rio Tropic hotel, which was good. The wooden and brick building was a nice change from the concrete slabs of other hotels I saw. The host was a Frenchman who had married a local. He is very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a laptop with internet access, with the system configured to delete your browsing history.
The location is not as remote as I thought, there are neighbors around the hotel but it feels private. Breakfast was ok, with juice, strong coffee, great bread and pastries, sliced fruit and yogurt. Breakfast is the same everyday, which gets tiring after 3 days. It would be nice to have cold cereal as option.
Iguazu Park
The park and falls are truly amazing. I'd highly recommend it. It's impossible to capture the feeling. We were there for two days. The first day was seeing the falls, the river and enjoying the greenery. The second day we say many wild animals from coati, to monkeys, and a cayman.
Restaurants
We were advised to try El Patio, which is an open air BBQ place. People were friendly, but wine was not good. Chicken and sausage were the best things. The beef wasn't so great.
The next night we went to the restaurant at the Sheraton with folks we met at the hotel. The buffet included cold dishes, soups, and different types of grilled meat. It was good but not great. There was some confusion about the price for two people in our party who wanted the buffet but not the meat. I ordered a bottle of Malbec but it was so unexciting, that I didn't even bother to write down the name.
The third night went to Gallo Negro for fish. The food was alright, but the service was *really* slow. The Spanish or local group next to us had a problem with their order getting mixed up. We both didn't like our food so swapped and were happy until the next day. I had fish with some kind of sauce, which turned out to be a big mistake. I thought because I was in a nice restaurant that I wouldn't have to worry about food poisoning. I was wrong.
Food poisoning
By the next day I wasn't feeling so well. I can't be totally sure but I blame the sauce on the fish I had the night before. We were scheduled to fly from IGR back to AEP. By the time I got back to Buenos Aires, I was in bad shape. I was shaking from chills and feeling pretty bad. My partner put me to bed once we got to the hotel, stuck a bucket next to me and went out for some Cipro. It was a rough couple of days! I couldn't even eat for about 2 or 3 days after that. I had to cancel brunch at the Four Seasons, which I was really looking forward to. Having a formal brunch in different cities is one of my favorite activities when I travel.
7. Buenos Aires
We spent a week in Buenos Aires, which I decided was too much. We stayed at the Abasto Plaza Hotel, right across from the Abasto Shopping Center. It was a good place to stay, not inconvenient at all, and perfectly safe. We had a subway entrance a block away. We had coffee and a few meals at the shopping center. A large grocery store was also a block away.
We walked around most of the inner city, saw the main Art museum, Evita Museum, went to see a tango show at Carlos Gardel, saw the Recoleta Cemetary and many other sites. We enjoyed our trip until the last day when my wallet was stolen. Fortunately I had cleaned it out before going on the trip so I didn't lose too much.
On New Years Eve we went to an Armenian restaurant. The food was great, with a mix of Armenian and Argentine dishes. The deserts unfortunately were all Argentine. No baklava or other goodies. I can't understand why you can taste some of the best bread in the world in Argentina, but they don't know how to make cake or desserts?
The best (worst) part of the evening was when two women tried to pick up me and my partner. Sorry ladies.
8. Flight EZE to IAD
The flight back was pretty uneventful so I won't write it up. Coming into Washington we had just enough time to get something to eat and wash up a bit before our next flight. It was good to be back in the US. I avoided any SPOT type of questions at immigration by telling the agent my sob story of having my wallet stolen on the subway.
Most of this covers the flight to Argentina. I haven't written much about my time in Buenos Aires yet.
On this trip I:
had food poisoning that was treated with Cipro
had my wallet stolen
had two women try to pick up me and my partner
My partner and I decided to spend Christmas and New Year's in Argentina. This trip would be my first opportunity to try out United's new international config in C on the IAD-EZE segment. But first, I had to get to Washington.
1. UA 100 SFO-IAD
We were flying in F on a two class UA flight.
Favorite FlyerTalk pet peeve
During the flight I noticed that the row 1A & B pax committed two of the FlyerTalk "no-no's". Not only did the husband put his feet on the bulkhead but his wife changed their baby's diaper right on the seat! Tsk, tsk.
Departure
Pre flight drink was the standard OJ or water. We got off the ground quickly. The captain said no delays into Washington, and expected to get us in early. I felt more fortunate than all the sad looking folks I passed at SFO who were stuck because of severe weather that day.
Meal Service
Very wrinkled UA linens were put out. Don't ask me why I noticed or cared, but I did. The napkins had buttonholes.
Food
Nuts served in ramekin, but weren't warm. The hot towels were not really hot.
Lunch was yakatori salad or roast beef sandwich, both with tomato bisque. My partner told me not to have the roast beef sandwich, although later he wouldn't listen to me when I advised him about dinner.
I ordered the chicken which came with yellow and red peppers and what looked like edimame. The chicken was rather dry but tasty. Bread was brought out later, but no butter. The salad was edible, much better than I'd get for dinner later flying out of IAD.
Wine
The wines served on the flight were:
Bushman's Gully Shiraz
Red Tree California Chardonnay
I didn't care too much for the Shiraz, which is usually my favorite. The alcohol was overpowering and the wine had little character. I know in the air your taste buds aren't the same, but I think that doesn't completely explain my disdain for it. Maybe it was served too cold?
The Chardonnay was not bad. Buttery but not over done. It tasted more like sauvignon blanc, with some grapefruit, lemon, strawberry?
The flight attendant said no champagne on domestic flights. I expected this since it's been discussed on FT. Still, it's disappointing.
Entertainment
The movie was Bottle Shock with Alan Rickman and Eliza Dushku
In Flight Service
As expected, the service was mixed but one FA did such a great job that I decided to write a note. I didn't have the official UA comment cards so she had me write a note on some blank paper that she would turn in.
2. IAD RCC
While waiting for the flight to EZE we went to the RCC near gate C5. The matron was a little huffy when my 1K partner asked for drink coupons before she offered them. (She had offered them right away to the people in front of us but not to him. After asking, she did give us 2 each. I had to explain to "my" 1K to always ask for the drink chits regardless of whether he wanted to use them.
The lounge was pretty empty and very quiet. There were no TVs going that I could see.
Miss Manners at the RCC
In the lounge that was only about 1/3 full, we had the rather bizarre announcement to: 'Please put bags on the floor so your fellow passengers can sit.' I had my briefcase on the seat next to me, and didn't feel like moving it for an imaginary pax.
3. UA 847 IAD-EZE
First time with new 'C' configuration
This was my first trip on the new United configuration in C. The seats felt a little narrow for me and I found it difficult to bend my legs when lying down which made it a little uncomfortable.
I spoke to one of the flight attendants who said they hated it for working, because it was too difficult to get around people when they are waiting in the aisles or by the galley.
Upgrade on Board
We were traveling on a UA standard award ticket in C. We couldn't get Saver awards. Once on board, my 1K partner was offered an upgrade to First, which he shockingly considered for a very long time. Trying to beg for another upgrade for this lowly 3P didn't work, and we declined the upgrade. We found out later that another couple had the same option but one of them chose to upgrade and leave their partner behind in C.
Entertainment System
My favorite features were:
Being able to start watching a movie before the aircraft door was even closed.
Being able to watch the boot up screen when the system was reset. (I'm a techie.)
My least favorite features:
My system occasionally had glitches where the sound wasn't working. Also, the system kept pausing as if waiting for a PA announcement when there was none. This happened enough that it wasn't just someone canceling an announcement.
Video menu was in other languages, but descriptions were in English. Movies in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Thai, Japanese, but no Chinese! TV episodes had Chinese subtitles but no movies. I was trying to practice my Chinese by changing the menus to Chinese characters and watching some programming in Chinese.
Meal Service
Food
Nuts were warm this time, but towel still wasn't hot.
There were three food options:
Trotter grilled bacon wrapped strip loin
Pecan crusted chicken breast
Cheese tortellacci
Bread was served with butter this time.
The smell of the Trotter option coming from the galley was so disgusting that I had no interest in trying it. The chicken breast was just OK. Nothing to get excited about. On this segment the salad that came with dinner was really pathetic and almost inedible. The greens were not fresh. The ranch dressing had the consistency of glue and tasted absolutely disgusting.
Wine
Pol Roger Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck Champagne
Jaboulet Le Paradou 2006 Beaumes-de-Venise (Grenache)
Aquinas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
They ran out of Pol Roger early in flight, they served it before takeoff. It was nice but a little too sweet. Later I had the Piper-Heidsieck. That was drier and more to my liking.
The Jaboulet was dry, hint of pepper, not very fruity, a little lifeless maybe served too cold, or could be my airplane palate.
The Aquinas Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 was good, with black plum and spice.
They didn't have the Malbec which seemed a shame at the time but later maybe was a good thing. I didn't have any great wine while I was in Argentina.
In Flight Service
Later in the flight, one of the FA's decided to lock the Business class bathrooms because passengers from Y were coming up to use them. It was nice they paid attention to it but it was pain to go ask the flight attendant to unlock the door.
Water service was not very frequent. I had to refill our water glasses during the flight by going back to the galley. There was no flight attendant in sight.
4. Buenos Aires, bus transfer from EZE to AEP
Manuel Tienda Leon is a popular bus/car service that provides transfers to downtown and the airport across town. You will see their booth/office after going through customs. You can find them next to Banco de la Nacion near baggage claim.
When I got there, they didn't know what to do with my online reservation. I don't know if it was it because we were early, because I forgot to print tickets or because they don't get online reservations often? The agent finally let us on the bus because the driver had already taken our bags and they didn't have time to take them off again.
AEP is nicer than I expected. The bus transfer takes about 20 minutes. I learned not to order coffee from La Madeleine. I ordered cappuccino, but it tasted like some kind of instant, really awful.
5. LAN airlines flight AEP to IGR
Check in was quick and professional. I didn't talk with them much but the agents seemed friendly and professional. Once I was onboard I didn't think it was anything special. They had a light snack which turned out to be saltine crackers, and two different kinds of chocolate cookies. I expected the typical peanuts or something.
I guess I paid a lot of money so that my flight wouldn't be canceled. I'm not sure it was worth the extra cost over Aerolineas.
Before the flight a few people wanted to move to better seats. The FA was very polite, but didn't let them move. I had tried to book the exit row, but couldn't find seat maps on seatguru that matched the A320 we had for the flight. I booked row 10 and it turned out that row 11 was the exit row.
6. Iguazu Falls
Airport Transfer to Hotel
Airport transfers are expensive, about 50 pesos. Taxis from town to hotel were 12 to 15 pesos. We also paid 50 pesos to go from Puerto Iguazu to Iguazu Falls.
Rio Tropic Hotel
We stayed at Rio Tropic hotel, which was good. The wooden and brick building was a nice change from the concrete slabs of other hotels I saw. The host was a Frenchman who had married a local. He is very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a laptop with internet access, with the system configured to delete your browsing history.
The location is not as remote as I thought, there are neighbors around the hotel but it feels private. Breakfast was ok, with juice, strong coffee, great bread and pastries, sliced fruit and yogurt. Breakfast is the same everyday, which gets tiring after 3 days. It would be nice to have cold cereal as option.
Iguazu Park
The park and falls are truly amazing. I'd highly recommend it. It's impossible to capture the feeling. We were there for two days. The first day was seeing the falls, the river and enjoying the greenery. The second day we say many wild animals from coati, to monkeys, and a cayman.
Restaurants
We were advised to try El Patio, which is an open air BBQ place. People were friendly, but wine was not good. Chicken and sausage were the best things. The beef wasn't so great.
The next night we went to the restaurant at the Sheraton with folks we met at the hotel. The buffet included cold dishes, soups, and different types of grilled meat. It was good but not great. There was some confusion about the price for two people in our party who wanted the buffet but not the meat. I ordered a bottle of Malbec but it was so unexciting, that I didn't even bother to write down the name.
The third night went to Gallo Negro for fish. The food was alright, but the service was *really* slow. The Spanish or local group next to us had a problem with their order getting mixed up. We both didn't like our food so swapped and were happy until the next day. I had fish with some kind of sauce, which turned out to be a big mistake. I thought because I was in a nice restaurant that I wouldn't have to worry about food poisoning. I was wrong.
Food poisoning
By the next day I wasn't feeling so well. I can't be totally sure but I blame the sauce on the fish I had the night before. We were scheduled to fly from IGR back to AEP. By the time I got back to Buenos Aires, I was in bad shape. I was shaking from chills and feeling pretty bad. My partner put me to bed once we got to the hotel, stuck a bucket next to me and went out for some Cipro. It was a rough couple of days! I couldn't even eat for about 2 or 3 days after that. I had to cancel brunch at the Four Seasons, which I was really looking forward to. Having a formal brunch in different cities is one of my favorite activities when I travel.
7. Buenos Aires
We spent a week in Buenos Aires, which I decided was too much. We stayed at the Abasto Plaza Hotel, right across from the Abasto Shopping Center. It was a good place to stay, not inconvenient at all, and perfectly safe. We had a subway entrance a block away. We had coffee and a few meals at the shopping center. A large grocery store was also a block away.
We walked around most of the inner city, saw the main Art museum, Evita Museum, went to see a tango show at Carlos Gardel, saw the Recoleta Cemetary and many other sites. We enjoyed our trip until the last day when my wallet was stolen. Fortunately I had cleaned it out before going on the trip so I didn't lose too much.
On New Years Eve we went to an Armenian restaurant. The food was great, with a mix of Armenian and Argentine dishes. The deserts unfortunately were all Argentine. No baklava or other goodies. I can't understand why you can taste some of the best bread in the world in Argentina, but they don't know how to make cake or desserts?
The best (worst) part of the evening was when two women tried to pick up me and my partner. Sorry ladies.
8. Flight EZE to IAD
The flight back was pretty uneventful so I won't write it up. Coming into Washington we had just enough time to get something to eat and wash up a bit before our next flight. It was good to be back in the US. I avoided any SPOT type of questions at immigration by telling the agent my sob story of having my wallet stolen on the subway.