OH MY GOD! So, I have been tracking tickets to Buenos Aires for a couple of months. And they have been cheap. I have enough travel points to buy a ticket up to $2000 (not including taxes). If I buy a ticket to South America, I use 100 000 points whether the ticket is $900 or $2000. So obviously, start big and work down is my 'flight search' policy.
 |
| happening! |
Business class tickets to Buenos Aires on my dates: $2179 (give or take $20 depending on the day). I had to wait until my return date was finally available. It seemed too good to be true. I went in to see if it was true and got far enough into the booking process to see that the seats available were not in the business class section. Oh, well, as I suspected. I was at work, trying to research/book during lunch so I abandoned the process because I wanted to read the fine print (so unlike me but there are new 'cancellation' considerations these days).
Today, I went in and started the process again. This time, I think I chose the Air Canada version of the flight instead of the United version. Same flight, different flight numbers. I know this because the first time I was in the booking part, I could not choose my AC seats but I could choose the United seats and they were in the deepest, darkest, back of the bus, economy section. But this time, oh glory be to the gods of wide seats and free booze, I choose the Air Canada flights (despite my well documented issues with Air Canada). I could see the AC seat selection were Business, front of the plane. I choose my seats. But I couldn't choose the United seats. Those are the important ones. Flight down is 9 hrs, 50 minutes. Flight back is 10 hrs, 25 minutes. It told me to go to United's website. I got my confirmation email with my booking numbers. I signed onto United and it let me choose my seats, which I figured was a miracle in itself. Seats available: BUSINESS CLASS! No seriously: BUSINESS CLASS!!!!! Is it wrong to be this excited about my seats! I don't think so.
 |
| This literally makes me want to cry with happiness |
All told, $200 bucks for my BUSINESS CLASS tickets (just the taxes). Lie-Flat seating! With bedding and sleep themed amenities. (I don't even know what that means, but I'm going to find out!) Chef designed onboard dining experience! Access to United lounge! Two closets! So many coffee stations!
So, there you go, it is getting harder to say this might not happen. Let's all hope and pray that Omicron (which we are not talking about) is quick and gone and no new, even worse, Covid variant shows up before November, 2022. I was saying to Amy, if we had gone this year, we would have been in a bit of a safety bubble, mostly post-Delta and pre-Omicron. Let's hope Oct/Nov 2022 is even better!
Less exciting but still trip related, I have started doing a bit of research on Buenos Aires. As in, I googled 'which area is the best to stay in...'. Palermo is top of the one list I looked at. Okey Dokey. Booking.com, my old and trusted booking friend. I found a two bedroom apartment in Palermo. Not in the super-trendy Palermo Hollywood or Palermo Soho sub-neighbourhoods, but not too far (and about $1000 cheaper, thank you very much). It is in Alto Palermo. I can walk for trendy.
 |
| The cool kids are in pink or aqua, we are in blue (with the smart-with-their-money kids). |
I booked this without consulting Amy. We haven't even really talked about what we want to do in our week in Argentina before the cruise. Do we want to stay in the city (which seems huge and diverse) or travel around a bit? Staying in one place seems like to wise thing to do right now, but who knows in 10 months. My booking.com reservation is cancellable until end of Sept so we have lots of time to consider our options.
I have since has a one minute conversation with Amy to tell her I was sending her the flight info (so she can book with her travel money) and the apartment info and she said "if someone else wants to plan, I am all for whatever that plan might be'. I am writing that down as a contract. I may have completely changed the wording but the thought is probably, mostly (somewhat, maybe) right.
Then I read the second paragraph in that one 'where to stay in Buenos Aires' site. It says Palermo is not close to the 'sights'. Next research: how to get around Buenos Aires. Super-duper subway system is how. Called the Subte.
 |
| Way up in the top left, by the green D, is Palermo station. |
Some cross referencing with a Subte map with some streets on it and the Booking.com map, I can see the place I booked is three blocks from the Bulnes stop on Linea D. Linea D takes up to the Cathedral where we can catch Linea E with goes through San Telmo, where the touristy sights are (or some of them). So, boom and Bob's your uncle. I have started planning! I'm sure there will be lots of Subte'ing! Lineas H & F might get us to some good spots too. Oh dear, now I am looking at San Telmo neighbourhood apartments. Never read the second paragraph, it just complicates decisions.
In shopping news. It is snowing in Victoria right now so I have had to shovel my walk a couple of times and the weak point in my cold weather gear is my hands. I ordered some expensive gloves (50% off boxing day sale and $10 bonus discount, so not too bad). They should arrive in a couple of weeks, hopefully too late to test them in frigid weather (because I am done with Victoria having frigid weather!).
 |
| We don't like the snow but we do like the live bird show |
