Mar Del Plata: Day 1 - Embracing the 5 Stars From Hotel Costa Galana

So there we were... standing in the lobby of the Hotel Costa Galana in Mar Del Plata, Argentina... eagerly awaiting to get our key cards to our rooms.

Unfortunately, one of our rooms wasn't ready. Luckily, we were as famished as we were tired. So, we left our luggage in the lobby and headed upstairs to La Terraza Restaurant.

While we waited for our food to arrive, I took full advantage of the beautiful view of the beach from one of the nearby windows. I couldn't wait to walk on the sand and get my feet wet on the shore. But the view wasn't the only thing that was visually appealing.

You can tell from the food we ordered that the cooks went all out to ensure that each dish looked fancy. No wonder the food here was so expensive.

Once we were done with lunch, we went back to the lobby to complete our check-in before heading to our rooms.

Now, I've stayed at a 5-star hotel before, but I have to say that Hotel Costa Galana really knocked my socks off. The beds were extremely comfy, and we had a fully stocked mini-bar. They even put chocolates on our pillows.

The Sheraton Hotel never did that for us. 

I only wish they would have given us one queen sized bed as opposed to two twin sized beds. We are married, after all. 

The other complaint that I had about our room was the view. As you can see in the photo below, the only thing we could see out the window was the neighborhood behind the hotel. I was disappointed because the hotel's website showed rooms with a view of the beach. That's what I was expecting. But every other creature comfort provided by the hotel really made up for this.

So, after a hot shower and a nap, we went out and explored Mar Del Plata.

The weather down here was amazing. The temperature must have been in the mid to low 70s Fahrenheit. It was very breezy and felt like we were in fall and not the Argentine summer. So, we walked about two blocks behind the hotel so we could do some shopping. But the stores weren't really that remarkable. If anything, I've seen better ones in Cordoba City and that's not saying much. 

I'll show you what I mean with some of the photos and videos below.

Another thing we observed was how rude some of the locals were to us, particularly the younger crowd. They made references about our female companion's cleavage and also poked fun of the way I walked. Alright! I admit it! I do have an odd way of walking but I'm not ashamed of it. 

I thought that the folks in Mar Del Plata were on a higher level of class. Instead, we noticed some of them behaving like high school bullies towards us. But we decided not to let a couple of rotten apples spoil our fun.

Now, in in my last post, I mentioned how there didn't seem to be much of anything in Mar Del Plata during our cab ride to the hotel. Well, we walked around for a bit. We even went into some of the local supermarkets to see if we could find American food products.

We did buy salt and vinegar chips, which are extremely difficult to get in Cordoba City. We also found Maple Syrup, and Pumpkin spice seasoning. But all in all, the city had failed to impress us.

This was, however, our first day, and there was still a beach and a great deal more to explore in the days ahead.

To be continued...

Next Stop: Mar Del Plata, Argentina

Happy New Year!

I hope 2023 started off great for you. But if it didn’t, I really hope things turn around soon.

Now, I’d love to share how we ended 2022 and kicked off the new year—with a trip to one of Argentina’s popular vacation spots: Mar del Plata.

Mar del Plata is in Buenos Aires Province, about 400 kilometers from the capital city, Buenos Aires (also known as La CABA).

It’s famous for its beautiful coastal beaches and upscale resorts. But I’ll be honest—everything I read online about what to do there left me feeling underwhelmed.

If you Google things to do in Mar del Plata, you’ll find a list of museums and tourist sites, many with religious themes. But I didn’t see any of the fun, modern places I’m used to visiting in Buenos Aires, like the Japanese Garden, Chinatown, the Ateneo bookstore, or restaurants serving American-style food.

This was my first trip in three years, so my main concern was:

“Is there going to be anything to do besides walking on the beach and sitting in my hotel room?”

Luckily, my worries were completely unnecessary—the trip turned out to be better than I ever expected. I took so many photos that I’ll need to split the trip into several posts to share everything.

So, let’s start at the very beginning…

The cab ride from our house to the Córdoba airport cost 4,200 Argentine pesos (about $23.21 USD). That’s a lot when you earn in pesos and not dollars. Back in 2019, the same ride cost around 1,500 pesos. But with Argentina’s soaring inflation, I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me.

Anyway, after that pricey taxi ride, I found myself back at the Córdoba Airport—and I couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia. It’s been just over ten years since my husband and I first passed through this airport together. So much has changed since then.

Back in 2012, I never could have imagined that a global pandemic would hit in 2019—or that I’d be traveling again in 2022, right in the middle of another COVID wave.

Infection rates had been rising in the weeks leading up to our trip, and I was genuinely worried. Being maskless in enclosed spaces like airports and airplanes felt risky. Yes, we’re both vaccinated, but there’s always a chance of getting sick.

For the past three years, I’ve been wearing a mask, spraying alcohol on my hands, and sanitizing just about everything I touch. But I realized that if I truly wanted to relax on this trip, I had to let go—at least a little.

So, while I kept my mask on at the airport, I eventually worked up the courage to take it off.
Okay, I’ll admit—I put it back on every time I heard someone sneeze or cough.

Argentines don’t usually cover their mouths when they do either, so I felt completely justified in being cautious.

Once the hubs and I boarded the plane, I experienced the usual three things that most travelers notice when flying out of Córdoba Airport.

• First, the view from above—Córdoba’s landscape still looked almost empty. It was the same back when we arrived in 2012. There are very few buildings and a whole lot of seemingly uninhabited land. In other words, Córdoba City hasn’t grown much at all.

• Second, the painful ear-popping from the change in cabin pressure—some things never change.

• And third, the sight of more populated areas as we neared our destination.

The entire plane ride took about an hour and thirty minutes. 

Once we landed, we took a cab to our hotel. The ride took almost an hour and cost about 2,000 Argentine pesos. As we drove, the city didn’t impress me much.

I saw warehouses, homes, supermarkets, and mom-and-pop shops—it looked just like Córdoba City, but without the stylish architecture you’d find in La CABA. By this point, I started thinking my worries about the trip being boring were spot on.

But then, as the cab reached the coastline, my husband and I felt like kids at Disney World. On our left was a beautiful beach, complete with everything you'd expect—crashing waves, sandy shores, and lots of people soaking up the sun.

On our right, there were several hotels lining the beach, and just a few blocks away from our "home away from home" was a McDonald's—right next to The Hotel Costa Galana.

When we arrived, the hotel staff greeted us—some of them even wore stovepipe hats, just like Abraham Lincoln.

The hotel lobby was incredibly luxurious, with shades of bronze and holiday decorations all around.

After being cramped in a taxi like sardines, we were eager to check into our hotel room and stretch our legs. But when we got to the front desk, we were unexpectedly left waiting.

To be continued...

Christmas 2022: A Look Forward and Back

2022 is almost over. But before I bid this year farewell, I wanted to share what our Christmas was like.

We usually go all out for Christmas, but since we threw a nice bash for our Christmas in June, we didn't really get too crazy for the real thing.

For starters, it was just the two of us this year. Also, the weeks leading up to Christmas haven't been that great. For those of you who don't know, my husband suffers from a hereditary skin disorder. There's no cure for it as of yet, but there are pills that he takes to manage some of the symptoms. Now, generally, he's able to cope with the discomfort, but the Argentine summer has been particularly cruel to him this year. So, the extreme heat aggravated his condition and left him in a terrible state. There were days where he didn't even want to get out of bed. So, as you can imagine, celebrating Christmas wasn't really a top priority for us.

Luckily, the temperature leading up to Christmas started to drop just enough to allow the hub's skin to heal a bit. He was still in some pain, but it was manageable enough that we were able to work together to make some holiday treats and a homemade pizza.

Homemade Pizza

Panettone - Think of it as a fruit cake. This was store bought.

Jell-O X-Mas Tree. Homemade and loaded with alcohol.

The hubs made Christmas themed white chocolate candies. I made the fruit salad.

These cookies were store bought.

These cupcakes were store bought.

I also bought a few extra decorations with the help of a friend, including a new star for our tree at Ma & C Distribuidora in Nueva Cordoba. If you're living here and are looking for decorations or Oriental food products, this is the place to go. It's actually in the same place where Clayton, the buffet that gave me the runs in 2018, was located.

Well, now that I've shared what we did for the holidays, I'm going to share what's ahead for me in 2023. 

With regards to my career path, let me start out by saying that I've enjoyed teaching English... A LOT! Not only have I helped my students improve their conversational skills, but I've also been teaching them about current events, science, and more. However, I'm looking for something more challenging, so I'm exploring a new job opportunity that has presented itself recently. It's too early to talk about what this new job is about, but I'll share more next year.

There are a couple of other things that I do want to mention. 

This year, people around the world seem to have forgotten that Covid 19 happened. Argentina is no different. Most people have stopped wearing masks and started congregating in large groups as though the pandemic was over. It isn't. This has become evident in recent weeks as the number of Covid cases have continued to rise in Argentina. In Cordoba, some of the people that went to get their booster shots discovered that they were infected. Still, this hasn't scared anyone into wearing their masks when they go out. You don't have to take my word for it. Just click on this article and you'll see the photos of what happened after the Argentines won the World Cup in 2022. Spoiler alert! The crowds were massive and there wasn't a single mask in sight. Is it any wonder that the Argentine capital has the highest number of Covid cases? 

Look! I get it! We all want this situation to be over. I'll even admit that I went out with a friend a few weeks ago and didn't wear my mask for the first time in nearly three years. It felt soooo liberating! Then I kicked myself for being so careless. 

Luckily, I didn't catch anything.

I did get my fifth shot in December and the hubs received his fourth shot as well. He's one shot behind me, but I'll make sure he catches up in early 2023.

Besides the pandemic's resurgence, there were a couple of other reasons why I've been so sad. 

Celebrity deaths are not uncommon, but 2022 really took some of my favorites.

Rest in peace Leslie Jordan. This guy was funny as hell. I've seen him guest star on shows like "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," and "Will & Grace." I loved him in the film "Sordid Lives." He also starred on the sitcom "Call Me Kat."

Rest in peace Nicki Aycox. For those of you who don't know her, she was the first actress to play the demon Meg on the long-running series, "Supernatural." She was also in the film "Joy Ride 2."

Rest in peace Jason David Frank. He played the original Green Power Ranger, but went on to play other colors as well. This one hit me hard. I followed Jason's work for years. He was an inspiration to me. Learning that he had died at 49 by his own hands was devastating, but I think the reason his death affected me so much is because I've dealt with suicidal thoughts on and off over the years.

Life isn't always puppies and rainbows. I get that. But sometimes life can get to be too much, especially when you're an expat. Those of you who have read my blog posts over the years know that living in Argentina hasn't been easy for me. The hubs and I have been through some sticky times both in our marriage and financially over the years. To top that, I've been dealing with neighbors who are constantly vandalizing our home. There's also the culture shock which has never gone away and in some cases has been unbearable. So, there have been moments when the thought of ending it all has crossed my mind. 

I could have reached out to some of my friends in the States, but they're all going through so much right now that I feel guilty dumping my problems on them. Besides, the main reason I haven't taken my life is because of the love I have for my husband. There's no way I would ever willingly leave him alone in this world to fend for himself, especially in a foreign country. Also, the logical side of my brain tells me that we're all going to take that big dirt nap eventually. So, why rush it? Still, I was glad to learn that Argentina has a suicide hotline that can be reached by dialing 135 or 0800-345-1435. The call is free, and it's literally a lifeline if you find yourself needing to talk to someone. They don't care who you are. They just want to help.

I hope I don't worry anyone who reads this. I'm actually hanging in there. I have things to live for, and as I mentioned earlier, I plan to be busier in 2023 than I was this year. Plus, I can't leave this world without finding out what happens to some of my favorite characters on shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "The Winchesters," and the insane number of new "Star Trek" shows on Paramount Plus. 

But before I go, there is one final death I want to mention. Our family dog Chewie passed away a couple of months ago. 

She wasn't technically mine or my husbands. She belonged to the hub's aunt, uncle and cousin, but we loved Chewie as if she were our own. 

We spent a lot of time with her when we were living in New York and called her our granddaughter for a big reason. Her father, Joxer, was our dog and we considered him our child. Sadly, he's no longer with us either. 

Well, hopefully, I didn't bum anyone out. That certainly wasn't my intention. I'm actually very excited to share something with you, but you'll have to wait a week or two.

Oh! Before I forget. Two Christmas movies I highly recommend are "Violent Night" and "A Christmas Story Christmas," which is the sequel to the classic "A Christmas Story."

Until next time, I hope everyone has an amazing New Year celebration. 

Keep on fighting! 

Keep on living!

Thanksgiving 2022 With a Side of Family

Thanksgiving. 

To most Americans it's a time to get together with family and enjoy a good meal. But it's tough celebrating this holiday when you're living in a country that doesn't understand the notion of Thanksgiving. And yet, we consider ourselves pretty lucky, especially this year, because we were able to celebrate this holiday with a guest.

Unfortunately, making the meal was an ordeal for a huge reason. In the States, Thanksgiving takes place in the fall, but it's springtime in Argentina. So, cooking a turkey in 100-degree weather with no A/C was A NIGHTMARE!

Despite the heat, the turkey and the sides--which included stuffing, mashed potatoes, biscuits, a macaroni salad and regular salad--were delicious. Don't ask me about the green bean casserole. I mentioned this last year. Green bean casseroles are dreadful and have no place in our home.

As far as desserts go, things didn't go as planned. We wanted to make an apple pie, which is a signature dessert during the holidays. But by the time we were done cooking the turkey, our house felt like the heart of the sun. So, we made the executive decision to turn the oven off for the night. 

Although we didn't bake a pie, we did cool off with some ice cream and a coconut cake we had baked the day before.

Over the course of the night, we talked, laughed and enjoyed a hearty meal. In other words, our Thanksgiving was... MAGICAL! 

And if you're wondering how much the turkey cost us in Argentina this year, it set us back about $6,700 Argentine pesos for an eight pounder. That would be about $39.95 USD.

But don't expect my upcoming Christmas post to include any elaborate meals this year. We have NO INTENTION of turning our oven on. We will, however, have refreshing alternatives like fruit, salad, some sandwiches, and lots and lots of cold drinks.

Celebrating a Milestone Birthday and a Spooky Halloween With Dear Friends

For most of you, the holiday season starts in December. If you're from the States, it probably kicks off in November with Thanksgiving. But if you're a horror enthusiast like we are, the holiday season begins in October with Halloween.

This year was extra special because my husband celebrated the BIG 4-0 just a day before the spooktacular holiday. It was also the first time we’ve invited more than one person to our home since the pandemic began in 2019.

With the infection rate significantly decreased in Argentina, we decided to throw caution to the wind and open our doors.

So, in mid-October, we invited two dear friends over for an early Halloween/birthday celebration. Although Zach had met up with our friend Melisa a few times over the last two years, this was my first time seeing her and her boyfriend Javier since 2019.

Then we celebrated the hub’s 40^th birthday and had a blast!

As usual, the celebration was full of homemade Halloween themed food, treats and store-bought candies.

We actually made this pizza a couple of days before Halloween, using food coloring to make the cheese bright orange. Before you ask: It’s tough to find shredded cheddar cheese in Argentina. Unfortunately, the spooky-shaped cheese melted into unrecognizable blobs in the oven, so we couldn’t use this idea for Halloween.

BBQ chicken with Jack O' Lantern bread

We were pleasantly surprised that the candy stores here in Córdoba, Argentina, had more Halloween-themed candies than last year.

Don't buy these! They have regular candy inside instead of Halloween candy.

Skull candies!

Gummy brain candies!

Eyeball candies

We made witch hats out of Rice Krispy Treats. On the right is our attempt at making the book from Hocus Pocus. We’ll do better next year, I promise.

We ordered powdered donuts, placed vampire teeth in the middle, and glazed them with fake blood.

We used a Sharpie to draw the face on the glass, then made a float using Sunkist (Fanta works too) and vanilla ice cream.

Over the last ten years, we’ve made it a habit of buying new masks to celebrate Halloween. The masks from previous years were added to our Halloween tree.

This year, we wore the masks seen in last year’s hit South Korean drama Squid Game. If you haven’t seen the show, I strongly recommend it.

Unfortunately, there’s one Halloween tradition that we’ve only been able to do once over the last ten years:

Carving a Jack O’ Lantern!

Finding a decent pumpkin in Argentina during this time of year is tough, so we came up with a wacky idea. Instead of carving pumpkins, we decided to carve peppers. Now, let me be honest, the carvings you’re about to see didn’t happen on Halloween — we actually did them on November 9th.

If you're thinking, "Oh geez! That will never work," check this out!

Once we were done with our pepper Jack O’ Lanterns, we chopped them up and used them to make veggie lasagna.

I don’t even like vegetables, but it was really tasty.

So, the takeaway here is that if you’re living abroad and don’t have what you need for Halloween, compromise!

Before I wrap up, I want to share my Halloween movie list for 2022. Many of them were new to us, but there were also a few horror favorites from previous years. Hopefully, you’ll find one or two that you haven’t seen.

Enjoy!

1. Rob Zombie’s 31 – This one was a surprise hit!

2. Barbarian – It was alright, but you’re going to hate Justin Long’s character so much!

3. Insidious Chapter 3 – Better the second time around!

4. Insidious: The Last Key – Also better the second time around!

5. Halloween 2018 – Decent!

6. Halloween Kills – It was alright!

7. Halloween Ends – It sucked! Don’t waste your time!

8. Jeepers Creepers Reborn – Seriously! WTF! Horrible!

9. Hocus Pocus 2 – Predictable but entertaining.

10. Old People – Scary enough to make you respect your elders.

11. Hush – You’ll never want to live in the woods… like ever!

12. The Haunted Mansion – Great for kids. Kinda boring for adults.

13. Hellraiser 2022 – I only saw this because of Jamie Clayton, but the movie was boring AF!

14. The Curse of Bridge Hollow – This was a surprisingly cool movie!

15. The Visitor – Meh.

16. When a Stranger Calls Back – The sequel to the classic When a Stranger Calls (Not the reboot).

17. All Hallows’ Eve 2 – Some scenes are scary.

18. Spirit Halloween – A haunted party store? Yes, please!

19. The Inhabitant – It was okay.

20. Rise of the Zombies – Another surprisingly good horror flick. A bit low budget, but decent.

21. Terrifier – Low budget but scary and gory. Don’t watch if you’re afraid of clowns.

22. Terrifier 2 – Not as great as the first one, but scary and gory enough.

23. Friday the 13th: Jason Lives – A classic.

24. Hostile – It was supposed to be Mad Max meets Resident Evil, but it was a disappointment.

25. The Accursed – Scary enough for Halloween.

26. The Scariest Story Ever – A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular – Short but okay.

27. Disney’s Trick or Treat – It was short but entertaining.

28. The School for Good and Evil – Surprisingly good. I hope they do a part 2.

29. Aftershock – You’ll never want to travel abroad again.

That’s it for this year’s Halloween celebration! Hopefully, your season was as spooky and fun as ours!