--- author: '' category: '' date: 2013/01/13 12:35:33 description: '' link: '' priority: '' slug: mardel-retiro-san-isidro-ezeiza-dallas-san-francisco tags: '' title: Mardel->Retiro->San Isidro->Ezeiza->Dallas->San Francisco type: text updated: 2013/01/13 12:35:33 url_type: '' --- I am at a Canonical thing in San Mateo (right next to San Francisco). Arrived yesterday, and have my last free day today, so I need to get some sightseeing done. For starters, here's the `trip gallery `_, not very full yet but going to post the as I get them. But the trip... I was in Mar del Plata visiting family on thursday, and had tickets for Buenos Aires at midnight. At 9 PM... long distance drivers strike. All buses suspended. Ran to the train station to see if there was a chance of getting one: no tickets for a week. Seriously considering a 500KM *taxi ride*. At 11PM... strike suspended! So, get the family, get the bags, get on the bus... no, sorry, you can't get on the bus because you are an idiot and you bought them for the wrong day. Really, I bought tickets for *thursday* 00:05 not *friday* 00:05. In a busy vacation town, at midnight, without tickets... ok, so we bought new tickets for 15 minutes later. If it's a problem you can fix with a given amount of oney, at least that puts a certain value on how uch of a moron yours truly is. I am about 120 dollars worth of moron. So, new tickets. but they are not (of course) tickets to where I live, they are tickets for BUenos Aires Retiro bus station, which is about 25KM away from home. So, at 00:30 we get on the bus, at 5:45 we are at retiro, at 6:00 we are on a car, at 6:45 we are at home. At 7:00 I am asleep. At 9:00 I am awake and ready for work! I work intermittently while packing bags and such, at 5:30PM am on a car to Ezeiza (35km ride). When we are entering the airport, smoke starts coming out of the AC (did I mention that the AC was broken and it's roughly 1.5 hours in *bad* traffic in 30C, under the sun, to get to the airport? I should have!). So, apparently the car is on fire, but just a little bit, the smoke goes away, I get off the car, meet Lucio, we do our checkin, I have a cup of coffee, at 10:00 PM I am on the plane. But we have to wait 30 minutes in the runway because of traffic. Also, the captain mentions that this is the plane's last flight because it's too old and is being sold for scrap. So we are flying in scrap. Also, half the screens don't work, it has a whooping 6 movies you can watch, and ... they have specific starting times. Yes, you say "hey, I feel like atching Taken 2!" and you are presented with a nice sign giving you the option of "want to start watching it even though it started 45 minutes ago, or would you rather wtch it in 63 minutes?". This was my first trip in American Airlines, is it always like this? We arrive in Dallas, go through what it feels like twelve security checks, customs checks, dental checks, and we get to the actual USofA. Then Lucio says "OMFG we don't have the same plane to SF!", but it's just that he's looking at the wrong boarding pass. So, to get to our plane, we get on the monorail, and go to the exact opposite end of the airport, and we get in the plane with 5 minutes to spare. Since I missed dinner in the previous flight being asleep, and breakfast was absolutely pathetic, and the new flight (a 3:50 hours one) includes no meals, I get an apple fritter from Dunkin Donuts. Oh, apple fritter. I don't know if you really are this delicious, or I am just so hungry, but I loved you. You were so sweet and smooth, so sugary and apple-y, your texture so nice and your size so huge. I did love you, apple fritter. Even if I suspect you gave me food poisoning, it was all worth it. I'll always remember you. So, we get on a 757 which is completely filthy. I suspect the reason it doesn't fall apart is the willpower of the bazillion dust mites that make a living in the ratty seats. It has 14" CRT screens every few rows, and the view out the window is amazing, so I decide to look out instead. We get to the airport and we took the monorail, and got to pick our rental car. Given the choice, of course I picked a Blue Nissan Versa! Good Car! .. figure:: http://heroeswiki.com/images/thumb/b/b2/Nissan_versa.jpg/250px-Nissan_versa.jpg I know noone remembers, but Heroes 1st season was kinda cool. We have to get to our Segway tour in 2.5 hours. So we skip the hotel, put the suitcases in the trunk, and head to Fisherman's Wharf. We park, have a meal, walk there, are early, get a cup of coffee, get on the segways, and had a ton of fun. .. figure:: //ralsina.me/galleries/san_francisco_2013/P1010162.JPG That's Alcatraz in the back, that's two nerds having un in the front. After we were done, we saw the sea lions at Pier 39, got a cup of coffee and a cheese sandwich, and got back on the car, with the idea of going back. Of course we didn't actually have GPS, or a phone that worked in the US, but we had cached maps! And a vague idea of where the hotel was! So we eventually got there, got into the room, got into the internet, called the family, and I passed out of exhaustion at rough;y midnight Argentine time, two days after I got on the bus in Mar del Plata. And then I woke up, and wrote this.