El Chalten - El Calafate - Buenos Aires

Later that day we left El Chalten by a regular bus line, endured another four hours of gravel joyride, and returned once again to El Calafate.

Wide gravel roads going through south Patagonia	Looks familiar? It did to us, too

After spending the third and last night in the well familiar hostel, some free time was available for last shopping and sightseeing in El Calafate. In the afternoon, we are driving to the airport and boarding a plane to Buenos Aires.

Having completed shopping, I walked down to the other side of El Calafate and took some photos off the beach road

El Calafate airport is on an idilic location	MD-80 landing and being guided to the parking spot. We've arrived in one of these old crates		Our much fancier Boeing 737 is being refueled	Don't you loose our luggage

El Calafate tower and terminal while taxiing for takeoff	I was very lucky to get a window seat this time, and the weather was phenomenal for flying. I grabbed the opportunity and put my camera to a good use. Window has had a few smudges though

Above is a collection of some of the better photos taken during the three hours of flight over Argentina's landscape

Reaching Buenos Aires, the airport is on the other side of the city, so we are flying over it

Descending and turning to final approach, time to turn off the camera

Buenos Aires

The first group arrived in Buenos Aires in late afternoon, the rest followed with separate flights a few hours later in the evening. As I was in the first group, after settling in the hostel for the last night in Argentina, we had time to go out into the city.

First real impressions of Buenos Aires city are from a minibus, taking us to our selected hostel

In the evening, we went out to a well known shopping street, Calle Florida, to feel the beat of the city, South American temperament, and enjoy street performances

Busy Buenos Aires streets in the evening	Crossing Av.9 de Julio, the widest city street in the world (10 lanes each way). The obelisk is one of the Buenos Aires' landmarks			Av. de Mayo was closed down for carnival preparations

We spent the last night in South America, and will be leaving for Europe in the afternoon. Since we didn't get to see much of Buenos Aires on arrival due to the commotion with Air France, we used up the remaining few hours to go sightseeing around the city. It's a hot, sunny summer day in Buenos Aires, the thermometer stopped at 34°C. It's hard to imagine there will be snow and winter again in 24 hours.

St. Nicholas Youth Hostel	Buenos Aires cabs, falling apart yet driving like mad	Our first stop is in La Boca, perhaps the most colorful area in Buenos Aires. The main street is Caminito, a home to many artisans and painters, and open air tango shows.

Many artists display their paintings on the street	The famous Caminito tango school	Lots of Italian style cantinas	Get a photo with a tango professional for a few pesos	This graffiti is a kind of a landmark, too

Visiting one of many artists shops on the Caminito street		A view from above	It's Sunday, little kids are playing, cheering, stealing cameras...	Truck under repairs

Just a street away, it's a normal, lazy Sunday morning	The next stop on the city tour is the Sunday Flea Market in San Telmo, with plenty of antique shops and tango bars			Street performers hoping for a peso

On Sundays, professional tango dancers take to the streets				A signer promoting her CD live. She's rather good, too

Flea Market itself is crowded, mostly with tourists		The last stop is on Calle Florida	I stroll around to make a few more city shots

Obelisk in the distance	Time is up, we need to get going to the airport

Buenos Aires - Paris - Ljubljana

The rest of the trip was fairly routine and uneventful. Checking on flights, waiting in lines, clearing controls; a long, almost 14 hours overnight flight on B-777 to Paris, a couple of hours on the Charles de Gaulle, and a quick two hours flight from Paris to Ljubljana. No major delays this time, and the adventure ends smoothly back at home.

Waiting for our plane in Paris, after nearly three weeks of traveling, our minds are already half at home

Photographs contributed by other group members

Ljubo:

Barbara:

Alenka:

Mišo: