The Road to Santa Fé

I had to travel to Santa Fé city in nearby Santa Fé province for a conference - my first real adventure outside Buenos Aires. The trip starts with a taxi after work to the local airport, Jorge Newbery. The taxi ride immediately reminded me of the marathon, as it was around the back of this airport that I ran, somewhere around kilometre 22...

The view from the departures area is the first glimpse I've had of the Rio de la Plata, or River Plate, since I last came to Argentina in 2008, and it's awesome. It seems to go on forever and could easily be mistaken for the sea, were it not for the murky brown colour.

The River Plate

I arrive at my hotel in Santa Fé at around 6pm after the short flight and marvel at the view from my window. The city is dilapidated with way fewer high rise buildings than Buenos Aires but it has its own character. It's a scorching day and I'd like to venture out but it'll be getting dark soon and I have work to do.

Early evening - Santa Fé city

I work for a few hours and then go to the hotel 'gym' for a workout. I say 'gym' because it's just a tiny, cramped area on the top floor with two old running machines and a rowing machine and little else. The air conditioning is also on extremely low so I'm sweating like a monkey by the time I finish my 5k run on the treadmill, but the view is awesome. 

I change into my swimming gear in the tiny little restroom and head out onto the rooftop terrace to jump in the small, round pool. One man is just getting out and I have the entire place to myself as the sun sets. The pool is just big enough to swim about three strokes from one side to the other, or swim around in a circle if so inclined, so I do that a few times before floating on my back in the warm water and gazing at the stars. This is the kind of thing I imagined when I dreamed of coming to Argentina and, for the first time in ages, I relax.

Santa Fé by night

Finally, I order grilled chicken on room service and head to bed. Tomorrow I have a conference to go to.