Archive for January 28th, 2008

Argentina here we come! What stinkin’ cold ‘n snow? Que pasa?

Three weeks from today I will be winging my way to Argentina. Just a brief (30 day) respite from the cold and snow. So I have been buried in some work as well as preparation for the trip. (hey I am still an engineer so its all about the details and execution)

The location I owe to Tim Ferris (4 hour work week guy) . He is also a resource on travelling light and assorted ways of enjoying yourself. The bookings were arranged with my agency , which I joined a few years ago (ask me how to do this) money well spent. Airfares selected from lots of sites- but this is a good one. For tips on travel just about anywhere and a great one -stop resource Bootsnall.

For research I have been really lucky. Thanks to Lonely Planet, Footprint Books and Rough Guides ( great waterproof maps) . On ITunes there is Rick Steves and Lonely Planet podcasts. The BBC DVD One Planet series is mind blowing.

I need Spanish but that’s not a problem. Spanishpod to the rescue. Tips on Argentina abound but I like Argentina travel a lot. In Buenas Aires I needed an apartment. Tomas at Ba4u has a whole host of them in toney areas like Recoleta and Palermo. While there I have hooked up with bloggers like Maya Frost to have dinner with!

To really lighten our pack we picked up a NokiaN800 tablet from Tigerdirect.ca Awesome wireless tablet with Skype.
To ensure I have a wireless connection I grabbed an Apple Airport Express . It works anywhere! Plus it is awesome for movie watching. For DVDs I am using Plato DVD Ripper Pro.

And just to round it out we are taking a 16 day cruise down to – wait for it Antarctica ( and other places of note). I will be the first Nordman to retrace ( in more comfort) my Grandfather’s sail in the late 1890’s in what was at the time the smallest sailing vessel ( 45 T) to make it around the Cape.

So now you know why my posts have slowed down. But I will pack a mess of books on the trip so prepare for a flurry. Its a cloudy in Buenas Aires today (24 C) but nearby Montevideo is sunny and 29. Gotta love it! Must run. Spanish lesson is up and then tango practice. Buena suerta!