November 2019 - March 2020

As I reflect on my time in Argentina from a stormy winters day in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia, the somewhat fading memory of this period seems very disconnected from the short time elapsed since leaving Argentina - not much more than three months has gone by but it feels like it could be quite easily several times that. Indeed, it has been a strange time in the world with the events of 2020 that brought my stay in Buenos Aires to a quick and unexpected end.

Far from a blow-by-blow of my time in one of my favourite countries, this is a quick account of a quieter period that finished off my traverse across the Americas and a year and a half of overlanding from Alaska to to the southern tip of Latin America. Much closer to ‘life’ than ‘travel’, Argentina was a time to learn a culture more intimately, rest, work, reconnect with the world and fulfil a long-time goal to call Argentina home (for at least a little while).

A brief stint of tourism

The arrival in Buenos Aires was at the conclusion of a two week road trip with a good friend, restauranteur extraordinaire Fabrizio. I’d picked him up in Ushuaia and we’d been great company for each other on a ~5,000km winding route from the southernmost city on the continent and our sights set on Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires). We were ready for some big city life, culture, food, wine, people and warm weather. And there aren’t many places better in the world for all of these things.

And so our time together for two weeks in Buenos Aires before his return trip to Italy was much more along the lines of two tourists reacquainting themselves with a city from past travels, seeing the sights and enjoying its delicacies. For him, it was a last splash before return to his homeland and restarting ‘normal life’ (which didn’t ultimately happen for him returning to Italy and one of the early outbreak spots of coronavirus). For me, a fact-finding mission to narrow in on my preferred suburbs and orient myself for at least six months in my temporary home.

The main thoroughfare passing through the suburb of Recoleta, adjacent to the art galleries, parks and law faculty of the Universidad de Buenos Aires

The Sunday markets of San Telmo. A perfect place to find food, local antiques and soak up the atmosphere of the city

A common sight in Buenos Aires were the dog walkers and at times I would count up to 13 dogs per walker

A cityscape on one of many evenings out walking through the central suburb of Puerto Madero

Boca

While not one of my usual stomping grounds, the suburb of Boca oozes charm and though there are many foreigners walking the streets with their big DSLRs and maps in hand, it is still a very charming suburb. The area is home to the Boca Junior stadium (Estadio Alberto J. Armando) and the blue and yellow colours of the team permeate the suburb, as do statues and murals of their hero Maradona.

The restaurants and bars in the shadow of the Boca stadium

Some locals chat amongst the brightly painted buildings of the barrio

A cliche photo opportunity that I simply couldn’t say no to

River Plate

With Fabrizio hailing from Torino (Turin) in Italy, a visit to the stadium and museum of the River Plate Football Club was a must. World’s apart, his local football club and that of River Plate in Buenos Aires have an unusual and intimate bond. When the entire football club of Grande Torino was killed in 1949 as a plane carrying the entire football squad crashed into a hillside after a friendly match, River Plate flew to Italy for benefit match to raise money for the bereaved families. The amistad (friendship) went further with River offering up players to rebuild the decimated Turin squad and, from that point forward, the teams have enjoyed a beautiful camaraderie built on the generosity River Plate showed after the tragic crash.

In a somber moment, Fabrizio was moved to tears as he read the plaques commemorating the beautiful history between the teams and I excused myself to give him a moment in peace to reflect on the darkest moments of his cherished football club.

River Plate home stadium (Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti)

The team museum within the River Plate stadium

Fabri reflecting on the history of Grande Torino and River Plate

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Much time on the road, cheap hostels and the expanses of Patagonia inclined us more than usually to visit some museums upon arriving in Buenos Aires and take in some culture in what is surely the most European of capital cities in Latin America. The National Museum of Bellas Artes in Recoleta is almost certainly the best art gallery by world standards in all of South America.

The highlight (not shown) were the many sleeping security guards who were scattered around the museum sleeping on the job.

Fitting sculptures for a very romantic city

Fabri bemused at this piece. We caught the security guard throwing us a knowing look as if to say ‘I don’t get it either’. Full disclosure: the sides of the painting are actually painted which is what qualifies it as art (I suppose)

Parting ways

In the context of my total time in Buenos Aires, Fabri and I were not together long in the city. But our friendship was forged across multiple encounters across Colombia, Chile and Argentina and many adventures and stories together. It’s difficult to think of many people with whom I was better suited to traveling and it was a sad moment I dropped him off at the airport to return home to Italy.

As we parted ways, we closed the chapter on our respective travels from the top of the continent to the bottom. It also demarcated a new period for me as I now turned my attention away from the road and an overland adventure to finding meaning and a life for myself during my extended time in Buenos Aires. It was equal parts exciting and daunting to know that I was alone in a new city and that next six months or so and some uncertainty about what life would bring me during my time here.

Goodbyes at Ezeiza International Airport

Settling in - Palermo

With Fabrizio gone, it was time to find an apartment and place to park the car long-term. I could make it sound like a hard decision choosing between the many barrios (neighbourhoods) of Buenos Aires but the reality was that I’d made that decision ten years earlier on my last visit. Over the past decade I had often contemplated escaping the fast-paced life I’d created for myself in Melbourne, renting an apartment in Palermo and spending my days at outdoor tables of cafes and bars in Plaza Serrano (aka Plazoleta Julio Cortázar) drinking coffees and beers and watching the world go by.

The suburb is affluent and definitely has a very hipster element to it. It is filled with cafes, restaurants, bars, gourmet delicatessens filled with cheeses and cured meats, a few nightclubs and pretty much everything else I needed and craved. It even had Australian-style breakfast spots for avocado toast and flat whites which I now realise is pretty much Australia’s only decent culinary export - we know how to do a good breakfast.

The only departure from the way I had envisaged it over the years was that rather than take an apartment right on the plaza, I would select a leafy street above what would become my regular and favourite restaurant in the country - Don Julio, renowned around the world for its top quality food and service and at a price which allowed me to head there near on every single week I was there.

A Sunday morning in Palermo before the bars opened

The intersection nearest my apartment and also the corner where Argentines and tourists alike loitered for a table at the world famous Don Julio (centre frame)

A candid snap by Fabrizio in Palermo Soho as he strolled the streets with his camera

50 metres down the leafy street and up four stories on the right was where I could be found most days of November ‘19 through March ‘20

I met a friendly parking lot attendant who gladly accommodated my car at a reasonable long-term rate. I even enjoyed added benefits such as running water, plenty of light, privacy and space to work on the car. And when I went home for Christmas back… — I met a friendly parking lot attendant who gladly accommodated my car at a reasonable long-term rate. I even enjoyed added benefits such as running water, plenty of light, privacy and space to work on the car. And when I went home for Christmas back to Australia, the attendant offered to connect with with his sobrina (niece) who was living there

Temple Bar, Palermo Soho. I could be found here many afternoons and evenings taking full advantage of the perfect weather that seems to be a constant during the Argentinian summers

No shortage of friends and visitors

Having met many people on my travels, for many it was only a matter of time before many eventually came to Buenos Aires and looked me up again. So it was that I had a steady stream of visitors during my stay there and many were friends that I had travelled with previously at length. So while some weeks were quieter than others, the next visitor was never far away.

Beyond the stream of travellers passing through, it didn’t take much time before I began dating a local girl named Cati. She didn’t speak any English which was my preference and forced me into both the language and also into local culture. We were together for the majority of my time in Buenos Aires and she would accompany me on a road trip around the country, passing through her hometown and Mendoza.

And then there was Tim, a veteran of Silicon Valley who also happened to be wandering the world in a Land Rover just as I was. Like others before, we met via the Land Rover community on Instagram. We would become good friends for the second half of my stint in Argentina, meeting regularly at bars and cafes to discuss all manner of topics from our businesses back home, to engines and Land Rovers and car modifications, through politics and world events and past and future adventures. It was very grounding to be able to have intellectual conversations and balance out my oftentimes simple conversations in Spanish. That we were both somewhat a fish out of water in Buenos Aires and many common experiences made him a good companion and drinking buddy.

Sanne, Gabe, Jack and I. Nearly universally, most people wanted to meet for a steak at Don Julio shortly after arriving. At times, I would even run across some travellers unintentionally who I’d met previously sitting at an outdoor table as I meande… — Sanne, Gabe, Jack and I. Nearly universally, most people wanted to meet for a steak at Don Julio shortly after arriving. At times, I would even run across some travellers unintentionally who I’d met previously sitting at an outdoor table as I meandered back and forth from the bars and restaurants to my apartment

Gonzalo, a BsAs local, whom I had met while crossing from Panama to Colombia via sailboat. He was working as the chef on board and we had stayed in touch committed to catching up once I had landed in his city.

Sanne and I had travelled most of Peru together after meeting on a sailing tour of the Galapagos

Late nights with red wine and friends on my apartment balcony

Food was central to most social occasions and there was no shortage of great places to eat

While I had many international visitors, I also made local friends. In fact, it was generally my preference to avoid English speakers as much as possible

Sandra, who worked in the same building as me in Melbourne, visited briefly as part of a quick summer tour of South America

And, of course, before long I had met an Argentinian girl. I met Cati shortly after Fabrizio left and we dated for most of the time I was in Argentina

Highlights

Other than eating, drinking, working and a quiet routine, there were a few highlights of Argentina.

A weekend at the farm

Per usual, the Land Rover community welcomed me with open arms. One of my first weekends alone there was spent at a new friend’s farm which reminded me a lot of weekends at home in Australia where I would also try to regularly escape to the country and the fresh air. And the same as at home, this meant being put to work - much of the weekend involved mending broken gates and fences.

At least they fed me before I was put to work

A random collection of guys invited up for the weekend for food, drinks, banter and manual labour

Recoleta

When I wasn’t in Palermo, I could usually be found in wandering the bars, restaurants and sites of Recoleta, a central suburb of Buenos Aires known for its famous cemetery. It is also home to universities and museums and a vibrant nightlife.

Recoleta cemetery. While I never actually got around to going inside this time, I could frequently be found at one of the various brew pubs that looked over this iconic attraction

Maté

A local Argentinian custom is maté. They show the same dedication to it as many western cultures (like Melbourne, Australia) do to coffee. It’s like a tea, called ‘yerba’, which they fill in a little container called the maté which has a metal reusable straw in it. Pour 80C water into it and sip away continuously over the course of the day.

One of the favourite past times of Argentines is to meet in public plazas and parks with a thermos and chat over a maté, which they ceremonially share with each other. It’s a local custom I really came to love.

The fact that there’s a setting on the kettles for maté says it all

Nightlife

The Argentinian way is to start late. Pre-dinner drinks were frequently set for 9pm or 10pm and dinner often not coming until 11pm or midnight. My days started late and finished late and mornings were for sleeping. There were no shortages of places to eat and drink in Buenos Aires. From the brewpubs of Palermo to the traditional cozy restaurants of San Telmo to the rooftop open air bars of Recoleta and to the high end restaurants and cocktail bars of Puerto Madero, I was constantly working my way through a long list of venues.

Cocktails at one of several high-end rooftop hotel bars

The popular Trade Sky Bar perched above Puerto Madero

A day at the Polo

We couldn’t miss an opportunity to take in a popular Argentinian past time and attend at a day at the polo. Three other Australians, an American and I spent a full-day in the very posh and subdued ambience of the polo crowd at the local grounds.

In what seems like a crazy coincidence, we found ourselves sat next to a US & Canadian couple Kasey and Leighton. It didn’t take long to get to talking and for me to realise that we shared a lot in common - they had driven their van from North America all the way down to Patagonia and then up to Buenos Aires. It was unreal how similar our paths and the experiences we’d shared separately had been. From both breaking down and needing new transmissions to many shared camp sites and small villages we’d independently visited, it was remarkable how many times we’d weaved back and forth across each others tracks. I took a shine to them instantly and we fast became friends for the short remainder of their time in Argentina.

Four brash Australians and an American at the polo. We did struggle a little in our enthusiasm to observe the decorum of the other attendees showed at the stadium

While we weren’t acquainted with the rules of the sport, it was a very pleasant sport to watch

Teatro Colón

It’s one thing to wander past a historic theatre but another to experience it as intended during a performance. In my meanderings through various countries, I’ve made a concerted effort to find tickets to operas, ballets and symphony orchestras to experience a grand old theatre in the best way possible. The Star Wars orchestra performance was an excellent way to take in the majesty of Teatro Colón.

“Star Wars: A New Hope in concert for the first time at the Colón Theatre. The movie with live orchestra”

Being fond of the Star Wars movies, it was an excellent way to experience Teatro Colón and the orchestra playing the musical score

Fiestas

There were various occasions where street parties would cause areas to be cordoned off and filled with people, music, drinks and festivities. Half the time I wouldn’t even know why or what for but it nevertheless added to the vibrancy of the city and my experience of it.

On this particular day, I heard music from my apartment and simply wandered towards it to find out what was happening.

Carnaval de Buenos Aires. Not as big an event as the nearby version in Brazil but there were various dedicated blocks around the city filled with dancers, costumes and party goers

Carnaval in Buenos Aires was less of the drink-fuelled variety and more of a family affair that embraced tradition and was, in all, a very wholesome affair

Boca Junior match

One can’t spend as much time as I did in Buenos Aires without heading along to a football match. Tickets are not the easiest to source. As a foreigner and non-member, I found an online ticket vendor who would provide his member card and a complex list of instructions about entry and exit. We met him at a bar in the suburb of Boca outside the stadium and he gave us the passes and the details of the seats and how to deal with security and where to meet him afterwards to return the card. I imagine this would have been even more difficult without some grasp of the language.

What was memorable about the match was how much the stadium itself would move and sway with the energy of the chanting fans.

Boca Junior stadium from the outside by day

A brilliant experience to share a match with the fanatical Boca fans

The yellow and blue palette of Boca Junior football club can be seen inside the stadium and across the whole of the suburb of Boca

Some rest and TLC for the car

The downtime in Buenos Aires would give me some time to have some basic maintenance done on the car and make some slight improvements. It is a continual project to modify and improve my travel companion and the work is never finished. I found a very affable and competent mechanic in an adjacent suburb that helped with a regular service and made a few modifications that I’d been planning for several months.

‘Taller World’ in Buenos Aires was recommended to me by the local Land Rover community and I, in turn, would certainly recommend them to anyone else in need of a good mechanic in the area

My long-term car park gave me space and time to do a stock take of my growing collection of spares and tools

Food of Buenos Aires

The Argentinians excel when it comes to food and wine and there are few better cities in the world to find affordable world class restaurants. The staple is steak paired with the local favourite red variety of Malbec served at the cities countless ‘parillas’ (grills). As far as steak restaurants go, Don Julio has to be one of the world’s best - in fact the world’s 34th ranked restaurant by the 2019 list. I purposefully rented my apartment so that I was a short 50 metre walk away and frequented it almost weekly. By late morning each day, the aromas from the grill would waft up the street and through my window and remind me that I was in the steak capital of the world.

Beyond the parillas, many of Latin Americas best restraurants are located in the city. Tegui a short walk away in Palermo ranks number 86 in the world. And of the Top 50 restaurants in Latin America, six of them are located in Buenos Aires. I worked my way through a good portion of them and my list of places to try would grow quicker than I could visit them.

Fabri and I enjoying some morcilla (blood sausage, a local specialty) on our first night in BsAs

I had followed these plaques across the majority of Latin America

La Cabrera. A decade ago on my last visit, La Cabrera was the place to be. Fast forward to 2020, it had fallen away somewhat and been overtaken by a new generation of restaurants and restauranteurs

Chila in Puerto Madero. Not on the Top 50 list but this ended up being one of my favourites and deserving of a ranking in the Latin charts

You know you’re in a place that prizes its meats when you are offered a selection of steak knives

Sanne and I continuing our search for the best restaurants of Latin America. Our first hatted restaurant together was at Astrid y Gaston in Lima (world #67). She had worked Michelin star restaurants back at home in the Netherlands and, as such, had … — Sanne and I continuing our search for the best restaurants of Latin America. Our first hatted restaurant together was at Astrid y Gaston in Lima (world #67). She had worked Michelin star restaurants back at home in the Netherlands and, as such, had both a professional and personal interest in fine dining

It wasn’t always about the finest restaurants - all the food in Argentina was brilliant. Some other highlights included street vendors selling chorizo, restaurants accompanied by traditional live music, outdoor BBQs on open fires and a genuine Italian-style pizza place which had nailed every little detail - right down to their genuine imported Italian hand soap which put a huge smile on Fabri’s face as memories of the fragrance transported him back to his home in Torino.

Dining & traditional Argentine folk music

This outdoor BBQ caused the street outside of my apartment to be blockaded to traffic

Siamo nel Forno. Genuine Italian-style pizza fully approved by a genuine Italian restauranteur. I had many people give me their list of best pizzas in the city which, in turn, I tried. But this was the clear standout

Allen

Just after Christmas, I would be invited to visit Cati’s family in the town of Allen in Rio Negro which is located in the central south of the country in Patagonia. Her entire family are involved in the family orchard which grows and exports peaches and apples. I was welcomed into their home, shown through the orchard and sheds of machinery for sorting and packaging the fruit and, of course, fed well.

Strolling through the family orchard with Cati and her mum

The family’s factory for sorting and packaging the apples and peaches

Family dinner complete with slight crazy and racist grandmother. A true test of my language skills

There’s not much to the mostly agricultural town of Allen

Fishing with the cousins on the Rio Negro

Mendoza

Following Allen, we drove up to Mendoza which centred mostly on wine and wineries. Being early January and with everyone still enjoying their Christmas break, it was a fine way to relax, indulge and learn about the local winemaking scene.

Tastings that usually involved multiple variants of Malbec

A tour of a traditional-style sparkling wine producer

Sabrage: A favourite trick of mine and a good use of the machete which hadn’t seen much action since being put to work on the coconuts of the northern beaches of Colombia

Beautiful water tower on a winery grounds

When we tired of wineries, Mendoza’s outskirts offered many opportunities to explore including the Cachueta thermal baths, the old Hotel Villavicencio and natural reserve, a drive out to Lake Potrerillos and horse riding with gauchos (cowboys) through the vineyards.

The road to Uspallarta from Hotel Villavicencio

Horse riding through the vineyards of Mendoza

And then, as I detailed in my last post, the fun of Mendoza came crashing to a halt when I accidentally turned over the car on a secluded trail to Uspallarta. We were two hours drive in either direction from the nearest populations but thankfully, as has been the case previously, the Land Rover community rallied to my side again and Jorge and Emilio of the local Land Rover club came to the rescue. After nine hours stuck on my side in the desert with no way to right myself, the guys helped me back onto my feet and I limped the car back into Mendoza in convoy with them and would spend the next week waiting for repairs.

With Cati gone, having had to return to classes at the University of Buenos Aires, I would be adopted by a local family that had learned of my misfortune and invited me into their home and to their vineyard and made sure I felt welcome for the remainder of my time in Mendoza.

The grandson of this family learned of my accident on Instagram and invited me to their house for dinner. Their son ran motorbike tours in the area and their family friend ran a nearby winery. They would make me feel at home for my remaining days in… — The grandson of this family learned of my accident on Instagram and invited me to their house for dinner. Their son ran motorbike tours in the area and their family friend ran a nearby winery. They would make me feel at home for my remaining days in Mendoza.

Hacienda del Plata winery in Mendoza: A private tasting with the winemaker

A lively little bar in the outskirts of Mendoza at Chacra de Coria

Cordoba

While I was there just under a week, the city of Cordoba would become my second favourite city in Argentina (behind Buenos Aires) and I could happily have spent months there. The majority of my time in the city would be consumed overseeing the sale of one of my businesses back in Australia to a US acquirer and I was hotel-bound for the majority of my time. But when I found quieter moments to venture out, the city was filled with charm and character.

One fo the many picturesque churches of the city

A ‘perro’ finding some shade on a hot summer’s day

I very much enjoyed the architecture of Cordoba and was pleased to get away from the hotel for long walks by myself around the city

I evidently intrigued the girl at the front desk of my hotel. A day or so into my stay, she sends me a message asking me if I’d like to come out for dinner and a drink. Travelling alone at this stage and happy to be distracted from my work back home, I gladly agreed. So for my week in Cordoba, I had found a new friend who would show me around, tell me about her city and share many conversations about travel and life.

The Rooftop overlooking Paseo de Las Artes

Argentina, quite strangely, has a love affair with Fernet Branca which is an Italian digestif. In fact, more than 75% of the global production of the Italian drink goes to Argentina. The bitter drink is not my favourite but the taste always reminds … — Argentina, quite strangely, has a love affair with Fernet Branca which is an Italian digestif. In fact, more than 75% of the global production of the Italian drink goes to Argentina. The bitter drink is not my favourite but the taste always reminds me of the country

Natalia invited me out for a day hiking in the countryside outside of Cordoba to a waterfall and a day of lounging in the sun on the rocks

Feeling blessed that Natalia had reached out and offering her friendship during a lovely day at a local waterfall

Hiking the countryside outside of Cordoba with some locals

Even got an invite to drinks with the girls, most of whom were English teachers and translators in Cordoba

Life

So while there were travels and events and things to do in Argentina, really it was a time of routine, quietly living in the suburb of Palermo where I would spend 90% of my time for almost five months. I would work most days, catch up on my writing, spend some of my time planning my onward trip to Africa and stay in touch with my various friends and family scattered around the world in all manner of time zones.

The few images below typify my daily life and how I recall the time in Argentina for the most part. It was a good life; relaxed, calm, full, content.

Temple Bar, a few blocks from my apartment, was my second home and I would frequently stop in for a quiet beer before afternoon siesta. Or meet my friend Tm and his girlfriend Sheila in the evening there before headed out for a late dinner and casua… — Temple Bar, a few blocks from my apartment, was my second home and I would frequently stop in for a quiet beer before afternoon siesta. Or meet my friend Tm and his girlfriend Sheila in the evening there before headed out for a late dinner and casually bouncing between a few favourite watering holes in Palermo.

Many evenings I would dine alone at any one of the several quiet restaurants within a block or two of my apartment and be present in the moment, considering how lucky I was to be living this life. I was happy for this quiet break. And happy for a st… — Many evenings I would dine alone at any one of the several quiet restaurants within a block or two of my apartment and be present in the moment, considering how lucky I was to be living this life. I was happy for this quiet break. And happy for a steak, some blood sausage and a bottle of wine as my company for the night.

Every day, I would walk passed the kitchen of Don Julio and smell the delicious grill and watch the diners waiting for their table with a glass of complimentary sparkling wine in hand. I would exchange a knowing nod with the hostesses at the front o… — Every day, I would walk passed the kitchen of Don Julio and smell the delicious grill and watch the diners waiting for their table with a glass of complimentary sparkling wine in hand. I would exchange a knowing nod with the hostesses at the front of the restaurant as I passed by yet again.

I passed many hours sitting on my balcony on the tree-lined Palermo street, frequently with a glass of wine or can of Patagonia beer in hand. During the days, I would appreciate the nearly ubiquitous cloudless blue skies. Sunset would come and go, o… — I passed many hours sitting on my balcony on the tree-lined Palermo street, frequently with a glass of wine or can of Patagonia beer in hand. During the days, I would appreciate the nearly ubiquitous cloudless blue skies. Sunset would come and go, often many hours before I would head out to a late drink or dinner

An unexpected departure

Eventually, the growing threat of a worldwide pandemic began to impact my time in Argentina. My chats over coffees and beers with Tim became more and more focussed on the likely trajectory of coronavirus spread. We discussed the likely health impacts and policy responses of the various countries that we had friends and family and places that represented a viable escape.

As we watched the growing impact around the world and looked at the lack of local response, we considered whether Argentina was the right place weather the storm. Should we stay? Would the government have the resources and commitment to lock down despite its precarious financial situation (keep in mind Argentina is near on a bankrupt country and the possibility of a default again in the next year or two is very real)? Was the local healthcare system up for the challenge? Could we navigate the hospital system here if we needed to?

Funnily enough, eventually the turning point for me was watching a video of a first fight erupting in a grocery store in Australia that convinced me to leave. No so much for my own sake but I considered the health and safety of my parents and the potential for social disorder back in Australia. The urge to head home to make sure they were safe and looked after was the deciding factor to leave.

At this stage, my car was in a sea container bound Africa, my personal possessions were only the two bags that I had with me in the apartment and I had nothing holding me in Argentina that I couldn’t leave behind.

So after consulting with my parents in Australia and my sister in Canada that it was the right thing to do, I hastily booked a flight out via Brazil and the Middle East back to Perth in Australia. The booking was in two days time and I would watch the news on an hourly basis looking for any information I could find about whether flights would be cancelled, if airports would stay open and if Australia would accept me when I eventually landed.

The timing turned out to be impeccable and I’m thankful I didn’t leave it any longer than I did. Within 48 hours, borders around the world were slamming shut. I would have two weeks of quarantine in Perth upon landing and cross my fingers that I’d taken the appropriate precautions in my series of flights back to Australia.

Now, months later, and with the benefit of hindsight, it was objectively and clearly the right decision to take and I’m thankful that I did. It was an abrupt and unexpected end to my time in Argentina but it was the correct course of action.

I’m grateful for my time in Latin America and the many adventures I had. And I’m even more grateful to be back home and secure in Australia. My thoughts are with everyone facing the challenges of this strange and terrible year that is 2020.

My regular haunt, Temple Bar in Palermo in the time immediately proceeding my departure - closed for the pandemic. At the time I left, Buenos Aires was at the very beginning of their city-wide lockdown

The day of my departure: Don Julio was still open and I ceremoniously toasted to my time in Argentina with a send-off meal alone at my favourite parilla

I had spare room in my bags and an a few extra rolls of toilet paper - which apparently was in short supply back in Australia the day I left

Thank you to Tim for providing me an N-95 mask and some hand sanitiser for my series of flights back home - items that I wasn’t able to procure myself before in my final weeks. The flight home was a non-event and went smoothly in the end. But I’m gl… — Thank you to Tim for providing me an N-95 mask and some hand sanitiser for my series of flights back home - items that I wasn’t able to procure myself before in my final weeks. The flight home was a non-event and went smoothly in the end. But I’m glad I didn’t leave it any longer than I did.

Hi.

Jul 5 Life in Argentina