The night again was too hot and there were quite a few annoying mosquitos who kept me awake. Over breakfast I decided that for my last night in Buenos Aires, I was going to get a hotel room with air-condition. I really need a good night sleep.
Outside, the wind came up in the morning and it was really a lot cooler than yesterday. I went on the internet and booked a hotel room elsewhere in the city. Around lunchtime the 2 French guys, Gregoire and Julien, woke up and Gregoire also planned to leave today. He left at 13:30. I waited until 15:00 before asking the reception to call me a cab. I am done walking for this trip 😉

When the taxi arrived I said goodbye to Maite and to Julien and the staff of the hostel and left.
The hotel room is spacious and indeed has air-conditioning so I think I will be fine for tonight. The man from the reception told me that there should be a bus heading for the airport, 2 blocks from here. Just to be safe I went out to look for that bus stop and indeed I found it.

Tomorrow I’ll leave for the airport around 08:30. Here ends my adventure in South America for 2013.

The past few days have been really hot and the nights as well. Good night sleeps are becoming rare. I’m up early most of the time and today was no exception. I double-checked the address of the shipping company in the city and went out. It took some 45 minutes walk to get there and I tried to walk in the shade as much as I could. When I arrived in the office, I was sweating from the long walk in the heat. Fortunately there was air conditioning and the staff was really friendly. They gave me a copy of the invoice with the exact amount to be deposited in their bank account.

The bank was only 2 doors down from their office and I only had to wait about 20 minutes before it was my turn. It took 3 minutes maximum to deposit the money and acquire the proof of payment. Then I went back to the office, but to a different floor. There I submitted the proof of payment and in return was given the Airway bill and original invoice. My bike will be on a plane tonight and arrive in Amsterdam on the same day that I will. What a relief that everything went so smoothly and without complications.

Next thing I planned was to go to an area with lots of small shops to look for a suitcase. After 20 minutes walking I arrived and eventually found a shop where I could haggle a little and bought the suitcase. Now I had to drag it all the way back to the hostel. When I finally arrived, my knee and back were sore and I needed a shower.

The rest of the afternoon was spent, with relaxing in the shade and sipping rum with lime and sugar. The 2 French guys were going out again at night, but I didn’t join them; my knee needs rest. At 23:00 it started to rain heavily and it cooled off somewhat. Hopefully tonight I will sleep better.

I had no plans for today, when I woke up. The weather in Buenos Aires is very hot and humid, like in Brazil as I remember from 2011. Taking it slow and easy is the rational thing to do 😉
Around 11:00, one of the other travellers, Maite, suggested to go and see Boca. This is a poor area with a very popular artistic section.
So the two of us took a bus and went to check it out. It was exactly like the Lonely Planet described it. Very colourful and vibrant. More than a few couples dressed in Tango dancing outfit, offered to partner up for money and have your photos taken with them. We liked the idea and went along with it. I must admit, I wasn’t really dressed for the occasion, but that didn’t really matter….   (or so I was told… haha)

It was all very much a tourist trap, but nonetheless Boca’s charm and atmosphere makes you forget about that instantly.

On the way back, we took the wrong bus and found ourselves in the centre. The metro was the fastest way from there, back to the hostel. Besides the fastest way, it was also much much cooler than on the streets. By the time we got back it was around diner time so I went with two others to another part of the city for some diner and beers. When we returned back to the hostel, my feet, back and knee were killing me and I was very tired from all the walking of today.

Tomorrow, there’s one last thing that I must do: pay for the air freight and receive the Airway Bill. I also plan to buy a suitcase, since all my stuff is in plastic bags and the one remaining saddle bag. Not really convenient to travel with on a plane. 😉

Getting up in time this morning was no problem I was somewhat excited. After breakfast, I re-checked everything I put in my top case and tank bag. At around 09:00 I manoeuvred the motorbike out of the hostel and started the last 30 km in South America on my faithful Super Ténéré. Getting close to the airport I almost messed up by taking the wrong exit. That was easily corrected and I arrived at the cargo area of the airport with plenty of time to spare.

At 09:30, Ariel came to greet me and showed me where to go. While he went inside to start processing documents, all the airport personnel I saw friendly directed me to the cargo bay. Here the motorbike was weighed and then I was directed to a packing area.
Three men were waiting there with a long pallet. They directed me to ride the bike on the pallet and then let me do my thing.
I put my weight on the back and strapped the backside down to the wheel, then took out the front wheel, removed the front fairing and mirrors and loosened the handlebars, so I could move them down. Then the men from the cargo bay strapped down the whole bike to the pallet. All this to make the motorbike as low as possible, in order to save shipping costs.

Regulations state, that the battery poles must be disconnected, tyres halfway deflated and as little fuel as possible left in the tank. I was already running the bike on reserve when I left the hostel this morning, so that was fine.

Next thing on the list, was waiting for customs inspection. At a certain moment, Ariel appeared, asking for all the copies I was told to make. Not long after that, He re-appeared with a lady from customs, who had a look at the bike, asked about the fairing, then checked the frame number. THAT WAS IT !!!!!!!
I could not believe it was this easy and everything dealt with in such short time. The cargo bay people wrapped the pallet with the XTZ in plastic and put stickers on it, confirming it had been inspected.

Ariel showed me where to take the minibus to the city centre and said goodbye. Just to be safe, I called Sandra from Dakar motors, but she re-assured me that this was really everything that needed to be done.

When I got back to Buenos Aires downtown, I wandered around a bit and finally went back to the hostel. Sandra called to tell me the final costs, which were quite a bit lower than expected, due to the fact that I managed to make the bike really a lot lower than it is by default, standing on 2 wheels. The amount she mentioned I’ll have to deposit in the bank on friday, since tomorrow is a public holiday. After proof of payment, I will be handed a copy of the Bill of Loading (Airway bill).

In the hostel, one of the guest suggested he’d make asado and asked who would like to chip in. Almost everybody did, and so did I 🙂

The day ended with a great meal, enough wine and beer to be merry and nice international company.

Tomorrow is a public holiday so I will probably go and see something of the city.