October 31, 2025
Ride
When the bike-box moved away on the conveyor out-of-sight at the airport, I was assured that it would arrive at the other end on arrival. It would be hard to lose a bike, wouldn't it. The box is labelled with identification and it's recorded within an airtight bagguage handling system.
This morning it was a straightforward procedure lifting the Kona out of the box, pumping air in the tyres, reattaching the handlebars, screwing the pedals on and a few other minor adjustments before taking it out for a spin.
Along a street a block away from the hostel there's a two-way bike-lane with a curb separating it from the motorised traffic inspiring a high degree of safety, though a woman let her little Jack Russel stray into the bike-lane as I was coming along, causing me to brake suddenly. The old man on a cheap bike behind me had choice words to share with me about the dog's owner as he passed me a few metres on.
With the pedestrian light green, the way crosses the widest street in the world and goes downhill to Retiro with its huge open area that fronts the railway station built in the late nineteenth century in grand style with huge domes: a sight to behold. From there I slowly cycled along the walkway to reach the redeveloped port called Puerto Madero with posh waterfront apartment blocks and restaurants. There are two old retired ships, ones with square rigging masks and steam funnels. One is a new addition since I was last here. The Uruguay built in Birkenhead in 1874, it was in the service of the Argentinian navy in the far south and supplied the first Argentine Research Base in Antarctica established in 1922.
I continued south as best I could upon a bike-lane which ends, then starts again further on, heading into the neighbourhood of La Boca, and as I was starting to lose my bearing, as well as the streets looking a bit sketchy, I thought I'd head back.
It had gone 13 hrs and San Telmo was not far where I stopped for lunch alfresco in the plaza. It being a Friday, there were a lot more people. Then back to hostel and short afternoon nap followed by heading out, stopping for a coffee before the walk to the bus-station to enquire about a bus to Patagonia. It doesn't look easy taking a bike on a bus these days. A situation that has led me to think of flying.
In any event, I'll probably be around here until Tuesday as organising any travel with a bike-box is so complicated these days.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |