Wow, it’s almost over – Antarctica Trip 2025 is coming to a close.

I woke up this morning at the last possible moment before I had to gather my things and checkout at 11am.

Yup, my next sleep will be in my own bed.

At 10pm tonight I’d be on the first of three flights taking me back home to Vancouver.

So, how did I spend the last 11 hours of my trip, you may ask?

Well, read on…

A subway ride

I know, I know, how does riding the subway get it’s own section, right?

Well, despite me having been in Buenos Aires for 8 days total, I had not yet stepped foot in a subway station.

Normally whenever I’m taking local transit when I travel, it has almost exclusively been by subway or metro but, here in Buenos Aires, all I’ve done is take buses everywhere.

So, yeah, riding the subway today was kind of a milestone.

I actually was on the street on my Uber app at the time.

I had the address of where I was going plugged in and the app was searching for a driver.

Then I noticed there was literally a subway station not 20 feet away from me.

I cancelled the ride and popped down into the subway system.

Alot of travelers are apprehensive about taking foreign subway systems but, not me, I love the challenge and, well, I’ve gotten pretty good at it.

Within minutes I was navigating myself through one subway line, a transfer, and a second subway line and, tada, I was where I wanted to be.

And that was…

A burger

Yup, it was time for another attempt at a gluten free burger.

I know, I know – “Todd, what are doing having a burger while traveling?   Go explore the unique Argentinian cuisine!”

Well, you just don’t understand.

Looking for gluten free burgers has kind of become a quest for me wherever I go and, dammit, I was gonna find one.

Today’s quest led me to Fat Broder, a little burger joint that had good reviews on my Find Me GF app that I use to find gluten free offerings wherever I go.

I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, some fries, and a milkshake and, it turns out, they had a combo for that during lunch so for $18.50, I was all set.

When it comes to gluten free burgers, it all comes down to the bun as the burger and toppings themselves are almost always naturally gluten free.

And this bun delivered.

Finally, a nice gluten free smash burger here in Buenos Aires.

Next stop – some peace and zen…

The Japanese Gardens

Also in the neighbourhood of the burger place was Jardon Japonis.

It’s a nice little zen garden, Japanese style, located on a nice patch of land surrounded by buildings and the hustle and bustle of the city.

The perfect place to go to just get away from it all and, literally, find your zen.

For me, on my last day when I really had nothing planned, this was a perfect place to just kind of hang out for awhile this afternoon.

Signs outside the entrance said it was free entry for Argentine visitors today.

For me, $13.50.

It’s actually fascinating how you just walk past the gate and are transformed to a whole nother world.

Bridges and koi ponds, Japanese buildings and signs, flowers, and beauty.

Despite it being surrounded by busy roads and tall buildings in the near distance, that was all blocked out and you felt like you were walking around in a park in Japan.

After relaxing for awhile I headed back to the hostel for the afternoon.

A (very) quick dinner

One last shower, some blogging, and before I knew it, it was closing in on 6pm.

Time to head out for dinner.

I decided to pop in to Pain Du Jour, a dedicated Gluten Free restaurant, to revisit their menu.

I had previously had a lemon tart there on one of my first days and it was amazing.

An gluten free empanada at another location was not.

Time to see what else they had.

I sat down and perused the menu and then I saw it…

BBQ Pork Ribs!

My, hands down, favorite meal of all time.

I had been keeping my eyes peeled for ribs the entire time I had been in Buenos Aires but it I either found beef ribs or pulled pork.

Or there were ribs but the BBQ sauce had gluten in it.

I tell ya, it was a tough find.

This was going to be my last meal in Buenos Aires and I was excited!

After ordering my meal I realized that I had miscalculated what time I had to leave for the airport.

For some reason, I had 7:30 in my head when, really, it should have been 7:00.

And here I was, at 7:05 still waiting for my ribs to come.

A few minutes later the ribs came, plated with fries and served with a huge plate of shredded carrot and cabbage which, I’m assuming, was the coleslaw except I had to mix it together with the dressing served on the side.

Anyway, long story short, I wolfed down the ribs and left behind the fries and coleslaw.

The ribs, by the way, some of the best I’ve had.

The sauce was nice and tangy without having that spicy after taste and the rib meat fell right off the bone.

At 7:15, after inhaling the ribs in a glutenous way, it was back to the hostel to pick up my bag and book an Uber to the airport.

Unlike the early morning 20 minute ride I took yesterday morning, this ride took a full hour.

Soft 80s music played on the car stereo as I sat in the back seat watching the sunset come over the city.

I didn’t want that ride to end but, alas, after an hour in traffic, I had arrived at EZE airport.

Time for three flights home…