Buenos Aires - Back to where it all Began

We flew from Salta to Buenos Aires, and with that our adventure had come full circle. Or perhaps I should more accurately describe the journey as a four-pointed star with Ushuaia in Tierre del Fuego as its most southerly point; the remote Easter Island, isolated over 2000 miles to the West in the Pacific Ocean; Salta in the Atacama Desert in the North; and Punta del Este in Uruguay at the Eastern extremity. It was so nice to walk back in to the familiar Hotel Duque in Palermo Soho, dump our bags, and head for the garden with free coffee and pastries. The staff recognised and greeted us like the returning travellers we were, genuinely eager to hear about our experiences. I had emailed them to ask a favour, and when check-in opened for our long haul flight to London, they had been able to sign in and change our seat allocation to the bulkhead seats, all whilst we were in the air over Salta. This was just so typical of the great standard of service this hotel provides.

We went window shopping in Palermo Soho where footballer's wives and film stars like to buy their clothes. Anni drooled over the shoes on display in the shop windows. We enjoyed our last meal in Calden del Soho restaurant, steaks, Lomo Pampa and Lomo Al Champignon, washed down with a bottle of Reserva Malbec from Del Fin Del Mundo vineyard, Argentina's most southerly vineyard located deep in Patagonia. We indulged ourselves with a shared Volcan de Chocolate, then headed back to bed.

It was raining on our last morning in Buenos Aires, a sign that it was time to go, although the prospect of returning to the cold weather in England, after the coldest March for 50 years, held little appeal. We left for the airport and our 12 hour flight back to London with plenty of time to reflect upon the most amazing holiday.