Writes of Passage

^{Two of 24 stops are at their store front.}
Buenos Aires

… more pix on Google Maps: here GL City Bus & here GL Argentina. My apology: couldn’t tell one from another.

Due to Antarctic cruise, we came to Buenos Aires.

This is my first time taking a hop on and off double decker city bus tour, because Buenos Aires’ public transportation is difficult to use, starting from buying the metro card. I don’t have feelings for the city due to my own ignorance – didn’t read any books on it, so it’s a lazy and easy way to spend a few days here.

For the same tour bus line, there are different rate on different site. So do your homework. We got ours on TripAdvisor: 24 hours $30 and 48 hours $35. 72 hours ticket isn’t available when we looked today.

Gray Line, reported, is the largest. It has 24 stops, runs every 20 minutes, from 10am to 6pm, BUT each stop starts and ends slightly different BE SURE to check the ending time at the stop you intend to get on at day’s end. The site offers English, Spanish and Portuguese languages. It has 24 stops with little sign and area, so you won’t miss it. At some stops, the line is very long. So be prepared to wait for the next bus.

We got on in the morning at 10:30am. We walked a little before decided to get on at that stop when we saw a few people waiting with their phones out – an easy sign that it’s the stop. We didn’t time it, but the bus came within two minutes. It was pretty full but everyone got on and have a seat. Some has paper code and we’ve digital. After scanning, each couple was given a map, and each was issued ear bud to listen to the recorded guide. Language it offers in English, Spanish, probably more, I didn’t check.

Passengers are mostly kept to themselves, except the couple behind us. As it turned out, we’re from the same state -:) and he asked early on if we’re here for the Antarctic cruise. They just landed in BA, and will sail on Celebrity, out of Ushuaia this Saturday.

Av. Sta. Fe 750, C1059 CABA
Buenos Aires, Argintine

… more pix on Google Maps &

This review is for their garden cafe. Won’t return – low food quality.

Walking out of our hotel we saw the Circulo Militar compound. Then the third floor restaurant with blue chairs. It’s around noon, so we decided to lunch there.

There is a female guard by the gate. But it’s easy to gain entrance.

Once inside, I didn’t see the entrance to the third floor and gut feeling it’s probably for dinner only (?). It’s comfortable outside, at noon on a 80 degree January day. Breeze. Birds. Flowed. Trees. Plants. Good presentation of the food but the quality could have been better. So we have our lunch here – outdoor, on the ground level.

We got into Buenos Aires at 9am and it’s the first South America country for us. First thing first: not many people speak English. I get it: Argentine is huge and Spanish is a major language, spoken by 7%+ of the world population. No need…

They’ve English menu tho. The service is average. Presentation is good but quality is poor.

A beautiful young lady in a white sheath made my day. Thanks

Argentine is A big meaty country – their salmon and prosciutto are super thick, which are kind of unappetizing.

The building is cool.

La Plaza General San Martín in Buenos Aires.

… more pix on Google Maps.

Who was General San Martín?

José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (1778–1850), known simply as José de San Martín (or “the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru”) was an Argentine general who led the successful struggle against the Spanish Empire. He was born in Yapeyú, Corrientes, in modern-day Argentina, and studied in Málaga, Spain.

Plaza General San Martín is small. It has a tiny police station on stilts on the southern end; the Circulo Militar is across the street. It’s the Retiro neighborhood’s main green space. The statue has bullring. It was inaugurated in 1862, and declared a National Historic Site in 1942.