I've bought a ticket on the Tren Patagonica !!

Hello everybody,

Is it already over 6 months since my last visit to Argentina...

So I am spending Xmas in France with my elder son and family, then I fly Lufthansa to BA, taking the plane to Posadas,

and on to Obera to my younger son and family for the New Year.

I saw the Trans Patagonian (Bariloche to Viedma) on Youtube, made enquiries, and booked on line.

Although I was on line 1 day after booking opened, all the 8 sleeper cabins were taken..

So after a nice break with the family...and a cruise around on my Zanella shopper

I will be coaching from Posadas to Cordoba, then on to Bariloche where I will stay a few days, hopefully hiring a car to cross into Chile and see the Pacific ocean..

Bariloche to Viedma by slow train across the Patagonian steppes, then back up to BA by coach again, leaving for France that evening.

I will be in Buenos Aires (Liniers) from 08:00 until 15:00 (Ezeiza) on the Tues 24th January..if you fancy a beer..

Cordialement,

Hello everybody,

Here is the latest version of my itinerary for Jan 2023.

I will be returning via Dellepiane to Ezeiza..

So if you are on my route... come by and I'll buy you a beer

So the air tickets are 1200 euros, the coach travel about 600 and the train 50.

The only part not paid for yet is the hotel/hostel accommodation, but I will pay that in cash pesos.

I have been advised against hiring a car to go to Chile.. so another bus to go see the Pacific ocean..

We are getting close to Winter now, my birthday is next week, and we may well have a precocious snow fall before the end of the month. Where I live cars must have snow tyres from All Saints to Easter..

So perhaps a visit to the ski resort (90 mins away) before Xmas, Xmas with nr 1 son and family in France and then New Year with nr 2 son and family in Obera Misiones..

I will be visiting the newly refurbished tea factory in Campo Grande.. by far the biggest in Misiones.

See you soon...

Hello,

I've drawn this up in Google maps...

So over 6000 kms on public transport for 650 euros/dollars @ about 10 cents per kilometer

Or if you like, roughly the distance from my house in Central France to the Equator...

or 1/2 of a flight from Paris to Buenos Aires @ about 10 cents per kilometer..

or in my diesel peugeot @ 5 litres/100 km about 615 euros/dollars. (2eu/litre in France)

Cordialement,

Hello,

Here is the weather forcast for Obera in January 2023:

I was here in Jan/February this year, during the heatwave...41 Celcius for 2 weeks and a UV index of 11.

Here are the results:

Normally it is hot and humid at this time, with heavy rains. This year there was such a drought that the tea crop failed, and was only useable as colouring material for Coca Cola and Iced Tea drinks.

Here in Sarran we will have a fine sunny day with clear skies and approaching frost in the mornings.

Cordialement,

Hello and good evening from a cold mountain....

1 month to go...

I have booked and paid all the transport in euros.

The hotels I will pay in pesos.

I've got the dollars, with the bank certificate to prove provenance..

Orange (France Telecom) has an arrangement with certain countries, Argentina included, to pay 39 euros for 1 month of calls SMS and data..... so that is the phone and banking (hopefully) sorted.

I intend to get another stamp on my passport, as one of my students is taking me from Posadas (Arg)

to Encarnacion (Par)..maybe on the 8 minute 'Tren Internacionale'.. for a day trip.

I've also got a good visit planned to the newly enlarged/rebuilt tea processing plant at Campo Grande with another English student who happens to be their chief mechanical engineer.

I have booked a family break to the Mocona falls and river...2 nights 2 bungalows 400 dollars..

I am informed that to get the best falls trips... go directly to the Tourist Office in Soberbo.

As you may know, I use the strategy of not booking my seat beforehand when I fly Lufthansa, so on my flight out they are offering to upgrade from tourist to business class for $380, normally 980... I'll wait and see..

Here at home we are in the last days of Autumn, the best of the golden leaves have fallen, we have had a week of rain

and my water spring has re-started. Last week end I was putting the snow tyres on the vehicles and yesterday I was tuning the diesel heater on my VW camper. There is some snow at the ski stations, but I do not expect an early start to the season..

Maybe like this before Xmas...

and then....

for the New Year..

Will it be Brahma or Quilmes first????

Cordialement,

Hello everybody,

A snapshot from out of my window...I think the snow plough will pass tomorrow morning.

This is why I have snow tyres..

So just a bit of an update on the Lufthansa upgrade prices.

I have left it until nearly the last minute to book , here is the result:

I have got the best deal I'm going to get for my budget. So full recliner on the way out with a nicer meal in economy plus, business class on the way back with bed seat. There is the added advantage of being able to use the Lounge at Ezeiza airport for free, normally 50 $, with showers and free buffet...

Wow.. so no free baggage allowance and the price has shot up. I will be able to reserve my seat only 23 hours before flying at on line check in.

If I had bought this grade of ticket on 20 09 22 it would have cost me 1300$ more.

If you intend to take hold baggage (23kg) it is cheapest to get when you first purchase your ticket (30$ each way)

My first flight to BA was 1300 $ in 2019 (economy) so this is not bad..

Cordialement,

Hello,

Quote from Rice

I didn’t know Lufthansa maintained a club room at EZE, Sarran1955 . Or is it in partnership with Delta et alia, or another alliance?

The star alliance lounge... terminal B.

It is after booking in and there is easy access to terminal A.

Cordialement,

Hello everybody,

Happy New Year..

Well I´ve made it to Misiones....38·C yesterday in Posadas.

We had a choripan evening with a lot of family.

Quilmes and Brahma beers with champagne at midnight to see in 2023

This morning here we Skyped the rest of the family in Europe..Isn´t technology great.

The new house and garden are magnificent with citrus and avocado trees, plus the biggest bananier I have ever seen.

It is on the edge of a smaller town, so it is much more tranquil.

The trip was uneventful, everything on time with smooth connections, I lucked out on a free business class seat Toulouse to Frankfurt, so a nice meal and free drinks before the longish wait for the BA connection.

It is so nice to see all the airport shops and restaurants open, the controls more fluid and almost no masks.

Cordialement,

Well hello again,

2 weeks in Leandro N alem is passing very fast.

I have just pootled down to the bus station on the Zanella to check on bus times on Saturday.

This will be the start of the big trip. I am staying 2 nights in Posadas with friends in a posh hotel with roof top pool..

With my luck it will be thunder lightning and hail....

So I'm going to 'do' the sights and go to Encarnation by bus on Sunday, and then maybe again by 'el tren internacionale' (all 8 minutes of it) on Monday morning to make a little video... I am looking forward to renting 'free' bikes to cruise the Costanera..

My last visit:

This whole Dolar MEP thing is a great attraction for tourists. Just a couple of points... petrol stations and supermarkets have the usual sort of card readers where I enter my PIN, but smaller shops that have a separate card reader require an ID number. What I have come up with is to have noted down the last 8 digits of my passport, this seems acceptable, followed by a screen signature.

Cordialement,