Once they arrived in Buenos Aires several projects had to be taken on at once.  Donna-Rae hunted for what she had been told would be an inexpensive printer for her three children’s books.  Greg tried to find a buyer for the motorcycle.  Both made numerous trips to travel agencies to inquire about inexpensive flights to Africa.

    Donna-Rae discovered that while the price of printing was far less expensive than in the United States, by the time the books were shipped and cleared US Customs the projected savings were not as great as she had initially hoped.  Added to that frustration was conveying quality and layout requirements in her limited Spanish.  The samples she received were not what she hopped for and leaving Buenos Aires before the books were printed complicated the departure schedules.  She also discovered that the world was not credit card ready for Americanized travelers.  Vendors often refused to accept card payments or charged as much as 10% for card transactions when they did.  Additionally she found the Argentine banks she tried to work with would not accept USA issued cards for cash advances.

    Greg had his problems too.  Since the motorcycle did not have an Argentine title or registration it was technically illegal for him sell it in Argentina or to leave the country without it.  He would possibly have to smuggle himself out of the country if he left it behind.  The potential buyers knew he had this foreign paper problem so waited to make offers hoping he would have to drop the price to nearly nothing.  An option was to secretly store the motorcycle or sell it to an American that would fly in and ride it out of the country.  Either way Greg would have to find a way out of the country without the motorcycle.  The option of flying or shipping the motorcycle to Africa, then having to pay for the necessary documents and fees to legally import it there would cost far more than the motorcycle was worth.

     At the travel agencies Donna-Rae learned that doing business outside the United States was not the same as doing business inside.  Promised phone calls and emails from sales people were not sent.  Advertised specials were not available to people over the age of 36.  Prices on flights to Africa looked like they were going to exceed what the motorcycle could be sold for, if it could be sold.  Thoughts of taking a ship dissolved when a price of $4,500.00 to $6,500.00 per person was quoted.  The one inexpensive airline flight that was available departed too soon for Donna-Rae to finish her book work or for Greg to locate secure and reasonably priced storage or a buyer for the motorcycle.

     A relief to the frustrations came with the weekend when the fun loving Argentine people closed their businesses and relaxed in the warm summer evenings by eating, drinking and socializing.        

   Donna-Rae enjoys afternoon “high tea” with new friends.  Mark and Diane were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary by spending a week in Buenos Aires, 1,000’s of miles away from their snowy and cold hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.  Enrique Marin, an Argentine motorcyclist and journalist, connected with Greg through the local biker community.  Enrique was about to leave on a two month ride from Buenos Aires to San Francisco and wanted to pick Greg’s brain knowing Greg had previously made a similar ride and written several books about motorcycle touring.