First Glimpse of Buenos Aires 布宜诺斯艾利斯的第一眼
Auguster 20-21, 2025
Our journey to Argentina began with a nerve-racking twist. The flight to Atlanta was diverted to Nashville due to weather-related airport closures. After refueling, the plane returned to Atlanta with a two-hour delay, leaving us just 15 minutes to make our connection to Buenos Aires. We sprinted off the plane at the far end of Concourse A and raced toward the train stop. Deep down, we doubted we would make it — the flight was even listed as departing five minutes early — but we refused to give up.
Just as we reached the train, an update came through: the Buenos Aires flight was delayed, first by 15 minutes, then by 40. Hope returned. By the time we reached the gate, we found many other passengers waiting; like us, several had been diverted to other cities before making it back. In hindsight, we realized a simple check — whether boarding had actually begun — could have saved some stress. In the end, the flight departed two hours late. Relieved, we finally boarded and set off for Argentina.
Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we grabbed a quick $10 lunch for the six of us before walking toward the National Congress. Just as we approached, our tour guide sent a WhatsApp message warning of a demonstration in front of the building and asked us to meet three blocks away. Passing by, we caught sight of a large but peaceful protest under heavy police presence.
To our surprise, we turned out to be the only group on the walking tour, which made the experience feel personal. The guide led us through some of the city’s most iconic landmarks: the Barolo Palace, Avenida de Mayo, Café Tortoni, the Pink House, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
That evening, we returned to Café Tortoni for dinner, sharing a ham-and-cheese board, salads, and sandwiches. While enjoying the simple food, we watched tango dancers glide across the café floor — our first taste of Argentina’s vibrant culture. Then we tried to figure out how to buy a SUBE card so we could take the bus back to our rental.
Buenos Aires has a very extensive and affordable public bus system. Since we were a group of six, taking the bus was actually more convenient than splitting into two separate ride-sharing cars, such as Uber. To use the bus, however, a physical SUBE card is required.
After our tour, we tried to withdraw local currency from Western Union as planned, but without success. While searching for other options to exchange money, we unexpectedly ran into our tour guide on the street again. Realizing our situation, he later called to check if we still needed cash and eventually took us to a small flower shop. Our brave friend went inside alone with the shop owner and successfully exchanged money at a fairly good rate.
With pesos finally in hand, we stopped at a convenience store and bought a SUBE card for the group — which can only be purchased with cash — and then happily rode the bus for the first time.
2025年8月20-21日
我们的阿根廷 (Argentina) 之旅一开始就充满波折。飞往亚特兰大 (Atlanta) 的航班因天气改降到纳什维尔 (Nashville)，达美甚至改签我们到第二天。幸运的是，飞机最终回到亚特兰大，但只剩15分钟转机时间。我们拖着行李从 A 航站楼狂奔至最远的 F 航站楼，在小火车上收到航班延误的消息，终于赶上了飞往布宜诺斯艾利斯 (Buenos Aires) 的飞机。虽然再次延误两个小时，但我们总算顺利启程。
抵达布市后，预订的出租车接我们到民宿，我们六个人只花了10美元就解决了一顿简单的午餐。随后参加始于国会大厦 (National Congress) 附近的”南美巴黎＂徒步游，却因示威临时改在三条街外集合。游行虽然规模不小，但气氛平和，警力密集。这次历时二小时的徒步之旅 (walking tour) 就我们六个人，变成私人导游了。导游带我们走过巴罗洛宫 (Barolo Palace)、五月大道 (Avenida de Mayo)、托托尼咖啡馆 (Café Tortoni)、粉红宫 (Pink House) 和大教堂 (Metropolitan Cathedral)。
夜晚，我们回到托托尼咖啡馆 (Café Tortoni)，点了火腿芝士拼盘、沙拉和三明治。在悠扬乐声中欣赏舞者的探戈 (tango)，第一次亲身感受阿根廷文化的魅力。
布宜诺斯艾利斯拥有非常广泛且价格低廉的公交系统。由于我们一行六人，乘坐公交反而比分乘两辆共享单车（如 Uber）更方便。不过，要乘坐公交，必须先办一张实体的 SUBE 卡。
因为行程之前就被告知最好不要在阿根廷从ATM上取现金，昨天观光结束后，我们原本打算去西联汇款取现金，可惜折腾了二次都没有成功。当我们在街头继续四处寻找兑换现金的地方时，竟意外再次遇见了下午的导游。得知我们的困境后，说可以帮忙并带我们走进了一家不起眼的花店。我们那位勇敢的朋友独自跟店主进了后面的小屋，把美元换成了厚厚的一叠比索，且拿到了一个相当不错的汇率。有了现金，我们随即前往一家便利店，顺利买到 SUBE 卡——这卡只能用现金购买，可以多人共享。拿到卡的那一刻，仿佛打开了通往城市的新大门。很快我们六人就兴奋地刷卡上了公交车，虽然语言不通，却满怀新鲜与喜悦跟着当地人一起穿梭在布宜诺斯艾利斯的大街小巷。