Due to a lot of items which occurred at the last minute, we were hoping that an official representative from the company that operated the expedition to Antarctica would be awaiting us at Ezeiza International Airport — which is also known as Ministro Pistarini International Airport — to start the transition period of preparing for Antarctica in Buenos Aires.
Preparing for Antarctica in Buenos Aires
As we walked the jet bridge after having left the airplane upon arrival in Buenos Aires still enshrouded with uncertainty as to what was next, we overheard people behind us mentioning Swan Hellenic, which was the operator of the expedition. We asked if they were on the same ship as us for the Antarctica expedition, to which they ecstatically said “Yes!” Terrific! Not only were we not alone in meeting up with the representative; but we met a couple of gregarious women who were equally as excited about embarking on a trip to Antarctica as us.
The two women slowly snaked through the immigration line at customs along with many other people that were ahead of us; so we asked them to please let the representative know that we are here and on our way. Getting through customs in Argentina can consume a significant amount of time — but fortunately, we were in no real hurry.
The two women waved to us as we finally emerged from the secure customs area of the airport — and a small group of people were there along with them. We introduced ourselves to the representative, who was holding a sign. We were also the last of the group for whom the representative was waiting.
The representative escorted us out of the terminal to a small shuttle bus which awaited us. The driver stored luggage in the rear of the vehicle. Each one of the passengers was given a cold bottle of water after boarding the minivan and sitting in the seats. The water was refreshingly welcome in the humid late spring warmth of Buenos Aires.
As the shuttle bus navigated through the traffic that crawled along the highway that is officially known as National Route A002 Autopista Teniente General Pablo Riccheri and eventually onto Avenida 9 de Julio — which is named for Independence Day in Argentina of Tuesday, July 9, 1816 and currently holds the title of the widest avenue in the world — the representative introduced herself and imparted some information about what we were to expect prior to boarding the vessel in Ushuaia, as well as about Buenos Aires itself.
We eventually arrived at Hotel Casa Lucia, where we were to stay for the night. Staying at Hotel Casa Lucia was optional — but as most of the other participants of the expedition to Antarctica were staying there and as it was the hotel property from which transportation was provided back to the airport the next morning, it was the most convenient option.
A large banner from Swan Hellenic greeted all of us to the hotel property with a photograph of penguins and the words:
THE LAST
UNTOUCHED FRONTIER
ANTARCTICA
A schedule for that evening and for the next morning was adjacent to the banner.
A hospitality desk was set up for guests to check in to the expedition — as well as for the charter flight to Ushuaia.
Among other information, we found out about a nice little surprise: each person was given a credit of $35.00 in United States dollars for dining that afternoon or evening at Hotel Casa Lucia. After a long overnight journey from Atlanta with a long layover in Dallas, we decided to dine early so that we could retire early for the evening and get some much needed rest.
Cantina is the name of the restaurant in Hotel Casa Lucia, which was open for lunch — so we decided to dine there as it was convenient. We were not in the mood for anything fancy; but the menu was limited to only a few items — so we ordered what we thought was closest to what we would enjoy.
A basket of assorted bread was brought to the table. The bread was very good.
Each of us were served a complimentary appetizer which was not on the menu. The presentation was very nice; but I did not particularly care for it.
I ordered a small salad with lettuce, sliced grape tomatoes, and sliced red onions with oil and vinegar, which was good — but nothing extraordinary.
Each of us ordered the ojo de bife con salsa de merlot y miel acompañado con hojaldre de papas — which was rib eye steak with merlot and honey sauce and potato puff pastry — but I substituted the puff pastry for mashed potatoes. The presentation of the dish was pleasing and looked promising. The mashed potatoes — which were topped with a couple of small stewed tomatoes — was good, and the sauce paired well with the mashed potatoes. The beef on both plates was a substantial disappointment, as it was cooked too rare, very fatty, and significantly chewy to the point of inedible. We wound up not eating the beef on either of our plates.
The server asked us about the dishes; and we imparted our thoughts. I was resigned to simply paying for whatever the credit did not cover, as each dish cost $36,363.64 in Argentine pesos — not including national taxes — or $44.000 total, which was approximately $30.50 in United States dollars…
…but the server refused to use any of our credit or take any payment; and said that we could use the full dining credit on another dish for each of us. I was stunned, as I could not believe what I had just heard. I thanked her profusely for that incredibly generous offer.
Not long after that, the restaurant was closed for lunch and not yet open for dinner; and we really did not want to wait because we were tired — but we found out that food was served in the lobby of the hotel property. We initially were not thrilled with that idea; but the lobby was very nice — so we sat at a table.
We asked if they offered a hamburger, as it was not on any menu and we heard that hamburgers were available but could not find them. We were told that hamburgers were available; and that its components comprised of cheese, bacon, tomato, and lettuce on a bun.
Each hamburger was served on a cutting board with fried potatoes and a sauce that resembled a remoulade. I ordered a Coca-Cola, which was served cold in a glass bottle — and sweetened with real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup.
That hamburger really hit the spot. It was cooked almost perfectly, with a nice char. The fried potatoes were very good as well. The sauce paired quite well with both the hamburger and the potatoes. This simple but satisfying dish should be on the menu somewhere.
The best part was that the dining credit of $35.00 per person was more than sufficient to cover the total cost of the entire meal for two people, which was $80,300.00 in Argentine pesos or almost $56.00 in United States dollars. Because the hamburger was not included on the menu, I had no idea what I would be charged for it; so this was another pleasant surprise. The dining credit certainly saved us from first venturing out to find a restaurant to get a good meal.
Final Boarding Call
When we went up to the room for the evening, we still could not believe that we were going to Antarctica — but we were well fed and comfortable for the first time in almost 48 hours; and after a good night of sleep, we were ready for whatever was ahead that next morning…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
