Translation of avant-garde in Spanish

Thank you for correcting my German, I always get confused with the words that put the verb at the end. Like the zu and the ab and the an... All new to me. I truly wish to continue our friendship.
When we arrived at the port, or whatever it was, we were a little scared since the boats were very old and dirty. We entered the boats anyway and hoped for best. The boat driver started the engine.
In the late afternoon we took a taxi back to Cusco, which we shared with a nice Spanish couple. My wife who was mainly concerned with our sleeping conditions took the address of their hotel.