Journey to Patagonia Pt. 1: Getting there is half the fun

Last week I left the hot and sticky city of Buenos Aires behind and traveled with three other girls (Rubie and Jackie, pictured, and Julia) to a small city called Puerto Madryn in Patagonia.  After visiting the hospital because of my stomach virus, I was champing at the bit to get away.  Flying to Ushuaia— the southernmost city in the world— proved too expensive a trip, but Patagonia was an excellent alternative.

Traveling in Argentina is nothing like traveling inEurope where a two-hour train ride can take you to another country and short flight costs less than $100.  Argentina is huge and boasts one of the most varied landscapes in the world, so train travel is limited and flights are expensive, especially for non-nationals.  As a result, the Argentines have perfected the art of bus travel.  Forget what you know about Greyhound and the sketchy Chinatown buses in the States: riding on a bus here is much akin to flying business or first-class.  They serve food and drinks (including wine); they play movies; each seat has its own pillow and blanket; and best of all, the bus is air-conditioned!  Most companies offer three types of seats (similar to coach, business and first class), which are the basic Semi Cama (cama meaning bed), the Execu Cama and the full-bed Suite.

For the equivalent of just $30 more, we upgraded to the Execu Cama.  And since we were on the bus from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 2:30 p.m. Thursday, I think it was money well spent.  Of course, this being me, there were a few bumps along the way.  My two-liter water bottle ruptured at the bottom, so I had to stow it upside down on the bus and flip it quickly whenever I wanted a sip (think hamster with a water bottle).  Needless to say, this ritual was a bit messy so when I first started feeling water drip on me, I thought nothing of it.  Twenty minutes later I realized that my wonderful window seat at the back of the bus had a leak, and it was literally raining on my parade.  I moved to a drier seat farther up, only to discover that in place of its headphone plug-in (for the movie audio) was a piece of paper, so  I moved again, this time next to a Chinese man in the row in front of my friends.  The man was not the most genteel eater: he woofed down his dinner in under five minutes while loudly clearing his throat in between each bite.

At the end of the meal, relief was in site as I prepared to plug my headphones in and watch the movie only to discover that my third seat lacked a plug-in too. Que lastima!  I will spare you all the details of how the bus toilet nearly flipped me into the wall like a fried egg; suffice it to say that 20-hour voyage to Puerto Madryn was certainly an adventure.

Thankfully my luck improved upon arrival...