At your excellent suggestion, my father and I have booked a trip with Fish Patagonia for next December. I revealed the plan to him with a note wrapped around our post-Christmas-dinner cigars, which set a festive tone. I just booked our flights yesterday (Delta, of course), and Holly's been a treat to work with. We always enjoy your and Michael's suggestions, and we reviewed your past writing on Patagonia's fishing with great interest. Perhaps some fodder for a post-trip pod could include:
- Some nuts and bolts on logistics -- advice for navigating BA; how much time do you leave to get to the airport for the flight to San Martin de Los Andes; tap water potable?; converters for electronics necessary? Some of these are probably dumb or easily Google-able inquiries, but having taken the bait on this trip, we (and I bet many others) would love a deep-dive on how pull this trip off with ease.
- We're pretty seriously considering just using the guides' equipment rather than engaging in a massive schlep -- your and Michael's thoughts on the reasonableness, risks, and benefits of this choice would be welcome (dad has plenty of rods and reels, I have one four-weight, but could borrow from him -- it's really a questions of whether having one's own equipment makes a material difference to your enjoyment of the time on the water down there).
- Favorite neighborhoods in BA? (Jardin Escondido is on the radar, as is Parilla Don Julio -- any other deep cuts are most welcome).
- Tipping customs -- I normally would do $100/day for a guide -- is this reasonable in Patagonia?Do the guys in Patagonia prefer to be tipped in USD or Argentine currency? How about at dinners -- is 20% customary like it is here?
- We're staying at Tipiliuke -- do you customarily bring a few special bottles, or do you rely on the lodges for all manner of refreshment?
Hope your trip is exquisite, and thanks for piquing our interest.
Hi Jon, that’s exciting. Let’s see here: $100 tip US hundred dollar bill (better exchange rate for them than twenties) per day per guide. Their water is fine. No bottles necessary. They have wonderful Argentinian wine. Converters needed. And your own equipment is completely a personal decision. Plenty of friends use their rods. But I have obsessive friends who use their own (as do I). The local BA airport to San Martin isn’t too hard. But I still arrive 90 minutes at least before the flight. Soho/Palermo is a great neighborhood. So is Recoleta (fancier). And San Telmo for the antique market. Good luck!
At your excellent suggestion, my father and I have booked a trip with Fish Patagonia for next December. I revealed the plan to him with a note wrapped around our post-Christmas-dinner cigars, which set a festive tone. I just booked our flights yesterday (Delta, of course), and Holly's been a treat to work with. We always enjoy your and Michael's suggestions, and we reviewed your past writing on Patagonia's fishing with great interest. Perhaps some fodder for a post-trip pod could include:
- Some nuts and bolts on logistics -- advice for navigating BA; how much time do you leave to get to the airport for the flight to San Martin de Los Andes; tap water potable?; converters for electronics necessary? Some of these are probably dumb or easily Google-able inquiries, but having taken the bait on this trip, we (and I bet many others) would love a deep-dive on how pull this trip off with ease.
- We're pretty seriously considering just using the guides' equipment rather than engaging in a massive schlep -- your and Michael's thoughts on the reasonableness, risks, and benefits of this choice would be welcome (dad has plenty of rods and reels, I have one four-weight, but could borrow from him -- it's really a questions of whether having one's own equipment makes a material difference to your enjoyment of the time on the water down there).
- Favorite neighborhoods in BA? (Jardin Escondido is on the radar, as is Parilla Don Julio -- any other deep cuts are most welcome).
- Tipping customs -- I normally would do $100/day for a guide -- is this reasonable in Patagonia?Do the guys in Patagonia prefer to be tipped in USD or Argentine currency? How about at dinners -- is 20% customary like it is here?
- We're staying at Tipiliuke -- do you customarily bring a few special bottles, or do you rely on the lodges for all manner of refreshment?
Hope your trip is exquisite, and thanks for piquing our interest.
Hi Jon, that’s exciting. Let’s see here: $100 tip US hundred dollar bill (better exchange rate for them than twenties) per day per guide. Their water is fine. No bottles necessary. They have wonderful Argentinian wine. Converters needed. And your own equipment is completely a personal decision. Plenty of friends use their rods. But I have obsessive friends who use their own (as do I). The local BA airport to San Martin isn’t too hard. But I still arrive 90 minutes at least before the flight. Soho/Palermo is a great neighborhood. So is Recoleta (fancier). And San Telmo for the antique market. Good luck!
Great stuff — thanks a million!
Just ran across this wonderful YouTube (I know a fairly oxymoronic phrase) page of fly fishing in Japan: https://youtu.be/UidZDPRL-6k?si=j3hfVgQb6Z6UuZeR
It’s called River Runs Through Japan. Seems like some of your worlds colliding in the best possible way!
Oh my goodness. The locked out of house story was scary.