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Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, January 31, 2022

After I blogged last night, I made my way to the actual gate from where my flight was leaving from.  I wondered how many people on this flight were going to be in our group.  As I approached the gate I saw somebody in a Marathon Tours t-shirt.  I approached him and quickly made friends with him (Rich) and his son (Jordan).  We counted at least four other runners, for a total of seven that we could see.  We all bonded over the experience we were about to embark on.

After boarding the plane, there were some routine maintenance issues.  I do not know the details, but the end result was that we were delayed by about 90 minutes.  At the beginning of the delay, I queued up Terminator, Genisys.  I had never seen it (or Terminator Salvation).  I made it through a good portion of the movie before we were cleared for takeoff.  We pushed back and were on our way for the nine hour flight south to Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires.  I finished the movie just in time for dinner (at 1am!!)  After dinner, I dozed off and woke up just in time to get the above picture of the rising sun over the Atlantic Ocean.

Breakfast on the Buenos Aires Flight

I went back to sleep until they started to serve breakfast.  It was strawberry yogurt, fresh fruit, a small cinnamon bun, and some orange juice.  I thought this was a perfect breakfast – not too much, and it kept the hunger pangs at bay.

After de-planing, I texted my contingent of followers that I had landed, then made my way to Passport Control.  The lady asked to see my passport, entry document, COVID vaccination card, and negative PCR test.  After she confirmed all of that, she asked me how long I was going to stay.  I told her four days (Monday – Thursday).  She said, “two”, and I said, “No, four” and held up 4 fingers.  She again said “two days”.  At this point (not that I was impatient, I just did not want to try to get my point across with a person who we might have been on two different wavelengths), I just shook my head and said, “yes, two”.  She nodded, stamped my passport, and I was through.  Next was immigrations.  I had nothing to declare, so I went into that line.  I put my two suitcases and backpack on an x-ray machine, picked them up on the other side, and that was it!  I was through customs within ten minutes.

On the other side of the customs doors, several runners were standing there waiting for our comrades to get through customer.  After a bit we decided to move outside where it was warm – to the tune of 75 degrees!  This was quite a difference from New England as well as from what I will be experiencing in 6 days 🙂 .  As it turned out, there were eleven runners on that flight from Miami.  Soon, the Marathon Tours bus picked us up and off we were to the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Madero .

I got checked in, went to my room, showered, and took a nap.  I set my alarm for 3pm, which gave me a 90 minute nap.  I woke up just before my alarm went off and ate the chicken salad that I bought in Miami.  I got dressed for the optional 4pm run and met about 80 other runners downstairs.  We did a small three mile run – basically a rectangle around city blocks.  We were supposed to run in the Playa Reserva Ecológica Buenos Aires near the hotel, but it was closed because it was “Monday”.  We should be able to run in there tomorrow.

Temple Craft, Buenos Aires

After the run, I showered again, then went downstairs to see if anybody was going to dinner.  I saw one guy in a Boston Marathon t-shirt so I asked him.  He and one other person were going to go out to get something.  I asked if I could tag along, and he said that it was no problem.  I also asked him if he knew Spanish, because I did not!  He said that he was born in the Dominican and spoke fluent Spanish.  WHEW!  So, I made two new friends (Sam and Cindy) in the lobby.  We walked a little bit and settled on a casual place called Temple Craft Madero.  We all ordered a burger and fries, and my two counterparts each got a beer.  The check came, and it was for 4,200 pesos.  Sam asked the waitress what the exchange rate for US dollars were.  Now, mind you, at the time, the official exchange rate offered by any currency converter was about 105 Argentina Peso for 1 US Dollar – about 100:1.  They actually said if we paid in US dollars, the total would be $22 – ABOUT 200:1!  So three of us ate dinner (3 burgers, 2 beers, and a bottle of water) for $25 – and the waitress was thrilled with the $3 tip!  Sam told me that since I did not have beer, to give him $5 and that would be fine.  I only had four $1 bills, but he said that was close enough.  He also pointed out that this was a good lesson for tomorrow – ALWAYS ask for the exchange rate.  Businesses would much rather have you pay in US Dollars rather than in Argentine Peso.  GOOD TO KNOW for when I shop for trinkets.

While we were walking back to the hotel, I mentioned that everybody at home told me to get a steak in Argentina and that we should do that before we left Buenos Aires.  Both Sam and Cindy thought that was a good idea and we should do it on Wednesday evening because there were no formal dinner plans.  Plus, it allowed us to ask around to see who else might want to go.  Sam gave me the task of researching what place we should go to.  As we arrived back at the hotel, I asked the concierge.  There were two places that he recommended:  La Cabana and Cabana Las Lilas.  The concierge said that BOTH places required reservations and that he would be happy to make them for us!

Lastly, I would like to give a shout out to the Marathon Tour staff (and support staff – who are not listed on the previous page:  Paul, Will, Gillian, and anybody else I missed).  For a trip to Antarctica, you must be open-minded and have to go with the flow.  I can only IMAGINE how many things Jeff Adams has to take into account.  Jeff brought it to out attention that if anybody changed their mind about staying with another runner in Buenos Aires due to COVID concerns, they had contracted with the hotel to allow ANYBODY to switch from a shared room to a single room at $90/night.  Additionally, if anybody tests positive for COVID and is not able to make the trip to Ushuaia, the same offer is in place.  If you test positive before boarding the ship in Ushuaia, they have secured houses and apartments there JUST IN CASE.  The entire staff goes above and beyond when it comes to anything to do with trips.  This is my fifth trip with Marathon Tours (London, Tokyo, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, and now Antarctica), and I have had NOTHING but good experiences.  I HIGHLY recommend them.  Yes, you can do a trip on your own for less money, but they take the worrying and planning out of EVERYTHING.  On a scale of 1-10, they don’t even get the proverbial 11, they get a 12!

Tomorrow we have a 3-1/2 hour city tour from 9am – 12:30 or so.  The rest of the afternoon is free time, but with another optional run at 4pm.  The welcome banquet/dinner is at 7pm.

Miami International Airport

Well, today is the day things start happening, albeit at the end of the day.  My flight from Miami to Buenos Aires leaves at 11pm, and arrives at 10am local time.  Buenos Aires is 2 hours ahead of eastern time, so the flight is nine hours, not the eleven like the departure/arrival times might suggest.  This is not too bad when comparing it to some of the long haul flights I have taken to Brisbane, Australia and  Tokyo, Japan.

When I got up this morning, I was greeted by an email from American Airlines stating that I should check in for my flight.  “Great idea!”, I thought.  I proceeded to their website, filled in all of my information, clicked “Check-In”.. I stared at the spinning wheel of death.  Five, ten, then fifteen seconds pass.  Is this a website problem?  Is there something wrong with my ticket?  My mind starts racing.  Well, if there is something wrong, I at least I am in the US and not abroad.  “STOP IT EVIL DEMONS!“, I think.  Then, I am greeted with this:

Cannot Check In Online, See Agent

Really?  What gives?  You tell me to check in online, and give me this?  My best is that since there are COVID protocols in place for entry into Argentina (i.e. I must show a negative PCR test), you cannot check in online and attempt to bypass that requirement.  This will not be a huge problem since I will have upwards of 8 hours to kill in the airport!

While eating breakfast, an email from Jeff at Marathon Tours arrived.  They said that they were in Buenos Aires, preparing for us, and had a couple of itinerary changes.  The biggest was that their normal cocktail reception was canceled because they wanted to minimize the chance for the spread of COVID (but dinner was still on).  Additionally, I saw this quote:

On the first Voyage there were several positive cases before and during their travels.  We want to avoid this with our group at all costs.  I strongly encourage you to remain isolated from others prior to traveling, at the airport use all necessary precautions (wash your hands thoroughly, wear a mask at all times, avoid crowds/people whenever possible), and practice the same ritual upon arriving in Buenos Aires.

I feel bad for those people who contracted COVID while there.  Apparently four people tested positive before leaving Buenos Aires and could not even make the trip to Ushuaia / Antarctica.  I am not sure if they lost all of their money or not, but still – it is something that I am mildly anxious about.

I brought changes of clothes for 4-5 days.  Sticking to my laundry plan, I did a load of laundry at the hotel (and will do one or two on the ship).  All my clothes are clean, and I should be able to make it to the Ocean Victory in Ushuaia before having to do another load on the ship.

When I checked into the hotel, I asked the receptionist what the latest checkout was that I could get without them getting in trouble (I have had 4pm checkouts at Atlantic City hotels before).  She said that the latest checkout was 2pm, so I got that one.  I hopped on the 3pm shuttle and arrived at the airport 5 minutes later.  I went in, found my check in location, showed all of the required docs (COVID vaccination card, negative COVID test, and Argentina entry documents) to the screening person.  I then got in line to be checked in (8 hours early), got my boarding pass, chatted with the check in lady for several minutes about the Antarctica Marathon, went through the TSA Precheck line and was through security by 3:25!  WOW!  From the hotel to post-security for an international flight in under 30 minutes.  A new record.  I do not even think that do it that fast for domestic.  My watch said that I needed a couple thousand more steps for the day, so I walked up and down terminal D until I hit my goal.

About six months ago, I applied for (and received) a Chase Sapphire Reserve card.  One of the free perks you get with the Sapphire Reserver is the Priority Pass.  That lets you get into a lot of airport lounges all over the world, as well as giving you food credit a many restaurants across the world.  In Miami, you have access to the Turkish Airlines lounge, so I decided to try it out.  I walked up to the receptionist and she said that it was too busy and that they were not accepting Priority Pass members at this time, but I could check back later.  I was starting to get hungry, and found out that the Corona Beach House offered a $30 meal credit to Priority Pass members.  I went there and put my name on the list.  I was seated about 15 minutes later, and I ordered a lemonade, buffalo wings, and fish tacos.  All items were pretty good, and the total was $30 exactly.

Fish Tacos at The Corona Beach House Miami

Buffalo Wings at The Corona Beach House Miami

The waiter said that my Priority Pass covered everything and that I owed nothing!  Pretty cool perk. I left him and tip and I went back to the Turkish Airlines Lounge to try to my luck again.  When I arrived, I got the same story – they were full and not taking Priority Pass members.  Oh well, there is a lounge in Buenos Aires and I will try my luck there.

As of right now, I have about one hour until we start boarding the flight.  American Airlines offered me a deal to upgrade to Premium Economy for $20 more, so I hopped on it. Hopefully, it will be a peaceful fight with no issues.

The Magic City Casino is about 1.5 miles from my hotel

Today and tomorrow are going to be B-O-R-I-N-G.  I want to go outside and do something to pass the time.  As I mentioned yesterday, the Magic City Casino is only about 1.5 miles from the Sheraton.  It is taking all of my willpower not to go play poker.   I also looked into playing golf at the International Links Melreese Country Club since it is right next door.  However, greens fees are upwards of $200, plus I need to rent clubs, so I decided against that idea.  I do have a small task that I can do for work, and I can go to the workout room and get in a run.  It is VERY windy here today.

On another note, I got a text from CVS saying that my PCR test result was ready.  All I had to do was click the link.  I was kind of surprised by this because CVS had been saying that results were backed up by 2-3 days.  However, the CVS guy said that I would have my results the next day.  I was skeptical, but he was right!  I had taken a home test and it was negative, so I was not overly worried.  However, I felt the anxiety build as I clicked the link in the text to see the result.  The website was making me confirm my identity.  More tension built.  Finally, the result was displayed.  I scoured the page, scrolled down, and could not find the result!  Tension and anxiety were still building. I was going MAD!  I scrolled back to the top, and after SLOWLY reading everything, I found it!  NEGATIVE!  WOO HOO!  I should be clear to depart for Argentina on Sunday.  Hurdle one has been navigated.

My good friend and business partner Patrick, let me borrow his GoPro Hero 8 for this adventure.  However, he removed the microSD card from it.  He told me that a 32GB card would do nothing for me and it held less than 1 hour of video.  So, this afternoon, I found a Best Buy that had a 512 GB microSD card in stock.  I ordered it, took a Lyft to the store, and it was waiting for me when I arrived.  There was also a Target there, so I picked up some dehydrated fruit – mangos, bananas, and dark chocolate covered freeze-dried strawberries.  Wow the strawberries were good!

When I got back to the hotel, I found a Youtube Video about the GoPro Hero8 camera, watched it and got familiar with all of the buttons (and more importantly, how to use it)!

View from Sheraton

9:00 am

I am staying at the Sheraton Hotel about a mile from the Miami International Airport.  This is not the Sheraton that I am accustomed to.  It feels more like a different brand that has been converted and rebranded.  Don’t get me wrong, it is clean and there is nothing wrong.  However, in the past when I have stayed at a Sheraton, I LOVED their beds, and this is not the same bed as before.  Perhaps they have changed their mattresses, or perhaps this hotel has been rebranded.  Either way, there are no issues.

I have an appointment at CVS this morning to take a COVID test.  I need a negative PCR result to get into Argentina.  If I test positive, I want it to be here so I can just hop on a plane home, rather than having to quarantine in Argentina for 10 days!  I took a home test on Thursday, and it was negative.  I have been playing it safe, so hopefully, I am good to go.

11:02 am

The CVS where I have a COVID test is about 2 miles from the hotel.  I thought about walking, but I am unfamiliar with the neighborhood and roads, so I decided to take a Lyft instead.  I have never used Lyft, so this would be fun (albeit probably the same experience as Uber). My driver, Sharon, was very personable.  She talked up a storm.  After dropping me off, I went inside to do my PCR test.  The lady informed me, in broken English, that they do not do them inside and that I had to go through the drive-through.  I told her that I did not have a car and asked if I should walk through the drive-through.  She said that, yes, I had to.  On my way out, another guy told me that he had the same issue, and had to walk through the drive-through as well!  When I was a teenager I used to ride my bike and walk through fast-food drive-throughs, but that was in the 80s and I figured that was against regulations due to legal liability.

Anyway, we both walked to the drive-through and I rang the bell.  The guy inside gave me instructions on how to do the test.  I followed the instructions and dropped the sample in the collection box.  While at CVS, I picked up a few snacks and then took a Lyft back to the hotel.

4:45 pm

I am more or less done with work.  I had a great Cuban sandwich for lunch at the restaurant in the Sheraton.

9:48pm

The Magic City Casino is a mere mile from the hotel and I want to go rip up the poker room.  However, I should exercise restraint and NOT go because I will regret it if I catch COVID.  I will be disciplined and stay in the room and do nothing.  Five years of waiting would be gone in an instant if I caught COVID.  As a side note, I am glad that I came down early, as there is a HUGE storm brewing in New England right now!

Sheraton Hotel

My plan for today is pretty straightforward.  Finish packing, work until about 3 pm, then have Ashley will drop me at the airport.  I will fly to Miami, where I will spend 3 days before hopping on my flight to Buenos Aires.

Why go to Miami so early and have to spend extra money on a hotel?  Great question!  When planning this shindig, Ashley actually suggested that I leave a few days early.  That way, if any sort of winter storm hits New England, I will either already be gone, or I will have a couple of days to reschedule my flight to Miami.  The last thing I wanted to do was to miss the flight to Buenos Aires and have another situation like I had when I went to Brazil for the Rio de Janeiro marathon!

I finished the lion’s share of packing last night.  When I say “packing” I actually mean gathering everything up.  Marathon Tours staff strongly suggest only taking ONE large suitcase because checking two bags on an airline can get interesting in South America.  I was planning to check one and then carry on the dry pack that I need to carry race gear on marathon day.  However, I was unsure whether everything would fit into one large suitcase + and a 30-liter backpack.  I put everything on the floor in my office and started meticulously packing.  To my surprise, everything fit in one suitcase and a carry-on!  It was tight, but it worked.  Then I got a great idea.  If everything fits into two bags, then why not take three?  WHAT?!?!?  Have you lost your mind, Bob?  Allow me to explain.  I get two free checked bags on Southwest to and from Miami, and I get two free checked bags to and from Buenos Aires from Miami on American Airlines because I booked Premium Economy.  That only leaves the charter flight to Ushuaia, which is where it can get interesting by checking two bags.  Since everything fits into two, I will just put my backpack into one of the other suitcases, then use my small suitcase as the carry-on for the charter flight to Ushuaia!  When I get back to Buenos Aires from Ushuaia, I can spread out over three pieces of baggage and will have a place to carry my gifts.  I hope it works (and will let you know whether I hit a homerun or crashed and burned in the appropriate blog post in a few days).

By 2:45, I was ready to depart.  I had my two suitcases and 30-liter dry bag as my carry-on.  Ashley dropped me off at 4:10 pm for a 6:25 pm flight to Miami.  I zoomed through check-in/security and had TONS of time to wait.  I took two more work calls then got some late lunch / early dinner at D’Angelo’s.  I got a small steak number 9 (without mushrooms) and a small tuna sub.  I have traveled enough to know that I would be hungry when I get to Miami, and there would probably be nothing to eat.  I ate the Number 9 and stashed the tuna in my dry bag for later.

My flight from Hartford to Miami went via Nashville.  Everything was more or less on time, and I arrived in Miami at 12:10 am.  When I arrived at baggage claim, my two bags were one of the first on the belt!  How often does that happen?  Like N-E-V-E-R!  Actually, once my bags were the second off the plane, so I have hit the baggage lottery at least one other time in my life.

I exited the airport and hopped on the shuttle to the Sheraton Hotel.  Within 15 minutes I was in my room eating a tuna sub that was made 1,500 miles away – which brings me to where I am now – writing my blog update for today!

Tomorrow, I have to go to a CVS that is 1.2 miles from here for a COVID PCR test.  After that, I will work the rest of the day.