On our first ever trip to South America in 2003 and after a flight from Johannesburg via Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pieter and I found ourselves in beautiful Buenos Aires, the most visited city in South America. Our taxi driver tells us Buenos Aires means “Good Air”. After settling in in our hotel and enjoying a light dinner, we felt tired and went to bed. The very next morning after breakfast on a lovely December day we decided that the best way to get an idea of what to see and where to go is with a morning sight-seeing tour. This is a nice way to get your orientation and the bus will pass by the most important sites and buildings, or so we read. So wasting no more time we were off to find a travel agency. It wasn’t long and we were booked by a very friendly lady on a three hour city tour. Our bus would pick us up in half an hour in front of our hotel. We were ready to experience this city with its beautiful European-style architecture. I mean after all it is called the “Paris of South America”. We drove through Recoleta, a very upmarket suburb with Paris-style townhouses, lavish former palaces and stylish boutiques. We stopped at the Recoleta cemetery, now, also long-term-home to the famous first lady of Argentina, Evita Peron. Our tour then took us to San Telmo, famous for all its tango clubs and La Boca where we stopped and walked past beautiful and colorful houses. We also went to Plaza de Mayo to the presidential palace, the famous Casa Rosada, “Pink house”, where Evita Peron once addressed the people of Argentina. Our tour was coming to an end and we were almost at the Retiro district when I suddenly saw a building with “Harrods” on its front facade.
Without giving it a thought I said “Harrods”, apparently very loudly according to Pieter. I suppose it was loud because within a few meters our bus came to a complete stop, the door was opened and the driver indicated that he specially stopped here for us to go to “Harrods”, also pointing it out to us with a smile. Pieter wasn’t ready for this sudden shopping spree but with me already halfway across a very busy street, he had no choice but to follow. The moment we got to the other side of the street, Pieter announced that our travel-wallet with passports, money and Visa card were all left in the bus, with him staring at our bus which had now disappeared in a sea of traffic in the second biggest Spanish speaking city in the world, after Mexico City.
In that moment I saw my entire life flashing by me as if I had already lived it. I also realized that we were officially in Argentina illegally, without passports, and no money. As ill luck would have it, the store was undergoing interior renovations and although one was allowed inside, almost everything was removed and or covered. After this disappointing experience reality kicked in and Pieter suggested we find the travel agent that booked us the tour and see if they could help us. After some time we found it and saw the lady, who recognized us, strangely enough, assisting an elderly couple with a world tour which they were soon to embark on. With the two of us worse than Apollo’s horses tramping impatiently at the gates, she asked if she could help us. We told her our story and Pieter mentioned that he remembered the bus’s number we were on. Can you believe! She then called the bus company while the lady going on her world tour told us how we were “stuffed” and “in trouble”…..as if we don’t know. After a few minutes we were told that the bus company would contact the bus driver and give feedback and so we should wait. After 15 minutes, what felt like hours, we were told that they indeed located the bus and its driver and that he confirmed our belongings are still on the bus and he would deliver them to our hotel after his shift. Pieter and I looked at each other in disbelief. We thanked the lady and rushed ourselves to our hotel.
Around and hour later at the bottom of our hotel’s narrow one-way street, a bus with one lonely driver approached us. Our City tour driver from this morning got out and handed Pieter our travel-wallet with passports, visa card and cash still inside. Overwhelmed and relieved we couldn’t believe our luck. With a handsome tip the driver disappeared around the corner. That evening we treated ourselves to a dinner in an expensive restaurant with some of the money we almost lost in the only other city in the world with a Harrods.