A fortuitous end to our trip occurred when--for no reason we can figure--LAN transferred us to the nonstop to D.C. out of BA! Our original flight would have required a 3-hour layover in Miami. The UAL flight was leaving in an hour. We could not believe our luck! We and bags arrived at Dulles 11 hours later, seven hours sooner than planned. We're thrilled to be home--greeted by gorgeous cherry blossoms!
POSTSCRIPT
1. The Argentine people are simply great! Ours was the most delightful of vacations because they made us feel at home.
2. One should absolutely NOT travel without an iPhone and IPad. Though we switched off roaming and new data, we accessed our mail and sent photos in places with WiFi, which most hotels offer for free. I used my iPhone at other times for picture-taking, making notes on the trip, currency exchange, flashlight, crosswords and Angry Birds. I had plenty of downloaded books on my iPad, plus Bridge Baron. It's easy to download my Canon photos onto the iPad for sharing.
3. Fodor's was disappointing as a guide to Argentina generally and Patagonia specifically. Incomplete, confusing layout, bad maps.
4. It was easy for Richard to organize this trip, using Expedia, hotels.com and trip advisor. He confirmed most arrangements by email, and by phone in a couple of cases. We had no complications. Organizing activities was easy to do on site, and we got some good tips (and gave some)from other travelers.
5. Best Restaurants: La Cabrera in BA for steak, La Tablita in El Calafate for mixed grill, La Cassis in Bariloche for food, location, atmosphere, price!, Sottevocce in BA for Italian, Cafe Tortoni in BA for coffee and atmosphere. For dinner, make reservations!
6. Best Hotel: Charming, in Bariloche, for location, service, food, price, everything!
7. Best Experiences: hard to choose but we think it was our day to Upsala Glacier, organized by Estancia Cristina--$150 each and worth every penny!
8. Books on Patagonia: Chris Moss (better than Bruce Chatwin), Darwin (annotated diary noteson Beagle voyage available), W. H. Hudson, Sylvia Iparrequire, Antoine Saint-Exupery, Paul Theroux.
9. Reading on Argentina: V.S. Naipaul's The Return of Eva Peron, Francisco Goldman's New Yorker piece "Children of the Dirty War," on 3/19/12, Scott Metcalf's NYT piece in 2009 on BA bodegons, online site Good Morning Buenos Aires, online CIA World Factbook.
10. Money: you get better deals paying cash. Crisp dollars always welcome. Avoid credit because of the fees. ATMs give good rates but often have lines in small towns. Bank tellers are hard to find--hours are limited, and locals line up to use them to pay bills.
11. Best Shopping: Prices are like the U.S., but there are sales everywhere. We did not shop so much but recommend Tramando at Rodriguez Pena 1973 for very cute clothes by designer Martin Churba, Plata Nativa for silver, antiques and textiles in Galleria del Sol at 860 Florida, and the family-owned leather store right across the hall. Malls off Alvear are great. Great shoe and handbag stores are easy to find.
12. Wine was excellent almost everywhere. You can get a very nice bottle in a restaurantfor $30. Mostly, it's 100% malbec, which complements steak so well.
A fun trip!
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