Translation of precedent in Spanish

The entrance hall where the passports were checked was renovated and had many ads for products from Western countries. Once we passed it and picked up our luggage we were looking for a ride into the city.
Sammy our cab driver brought us to the hotel, he promised to pick us up a few hours later. We took a shower and rested a little. I could not sleep because I was too excited of being in a new country.
On the other side of the mountain range were the lake region and Bariloche. Argentina had a completely different atmosphere. People were not as calm as in Chile, and it reminded me of Italy.