Che, La Argentina

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires (BsAs) had been on my travel list for many, many years but for one reason or another, mainly the weather being my biggest obstacle, since our winters are their summers, it was always a conflict; but one evening I decided that I needed to go NOW, before their winter season started, once again, so I booked a pricey flight and took off!! In the end, it was sooo worth it! I had an exceptional time!

Initial Disappointments

Upon arriving in BsAs, I went directly to the “bank” at the airport to purchase some Argentinian Pesos (ARS). I did not get the best rate, as I would’ve received a higher conversion rate elsewhere, but I felt compelled to do so, given my late arrival time, the weekend was approaching, and because the Casas de Cambio (currency exchange agencies) are seldom in the city. I wanted to get out the next morning, brightly and early, and since I had also read that many businesses did not accept smaller (green) US dollar denominations because they get lower conversion rates when exchanging to ARS, in comparison to the new (blue) $100 bills, I didn’t want to risk it, so it was just best to convert upon arrival, take my losses, and avoid paying with US dollars all together.

SIDE NOTE: Your US bills may rejected if they’re slightly torn, bent, scratched, or old-looking, so ensure that you carry crisp brand new (BLUE) $100 USD bills to maximize your conversion exchange rate.

After I retrieved my funds, I exited the airport and requested an Uber, and to my surprise, Uber rides to and from the airport (ONLY*) cannot be booked if you are paying with a credit card, even if it is a registered, solid, and an active Mastercard or Visa, even if it’s the one that you have on file, and have been previously utilizing with Uber! So, if you wanna catch an Uber to between your hotel, to and from the airport, you’ll have to either pay via a local pay site (an app option on the Uber tab), with your PayPal account, or with cash!! That was such a huge inconvenience, as I had deleted my PayPal a few years ago, and I obviously did not have the local app linked to my Uber account, and I didn’t wanna to pay with my Argentinian Pesos because that was going to cut into the amount I had just converted, so I ended up paying my driver in US dollars and mannn… let me tell you: the Uber driver flipped the bill over, rubbed it, smelled it, and screened every corner, under a light to ensure it was legit, LOL! I just giggled and let him do his thing!

*Uber rides can be booked anywhere else in town without any issues, just not to and from the airport, if you are paying with your Visa or Mastercard. I am not sure why!

I decided to stay downtown vs. the Palermo or San Telmo areas because I wanted to be in middle of everything. I was minutes, in every direction, from several bus and metro stops, local restaurants, and within walking distance to La Boca, a famed neighborhood in BsAs. My hotel was nice, but I was annoyed that I had to call reception six times, in three days, to request an iron! [Fun Fact: you will not catch me on the street wrinkly LOL]! Normally, I take a travel-size steamer with me, but being that I was going to be traveling across many countries for a span of two weeks, I was limited in space, since I tend to only travel with a carry-on suitcase, I opted to my leave steamer at home. In any case, I finally got tired of calling reception to request an iron, so I finally decided to walk to the lobby to collect one in my pajamas! As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw a big group of young men, at least 25 of them, staring at me! I pretended not to see them and that may have turned out to be a huge mistake, as I later learned—after I saw their bus parked outside, on my way to THEIR game—that they were the members of the Boca Juniors league, one of Argentina’s professional futbol (soccer) teams’, based outta Buenos Aires. In essence, I could have attended the game VIP status, if only… LOL

During my visit (despite reading several blogs), I learned that one MUST purchase the local transport “SUBE” card before stepping on a local bus, as you’re not able to purchase from the conductor AND/OR before entering a metro station, as there are no ticket machines or in-person counters available to assist you! Oddly enough, you’re able to add credit to your SUBE card all over town, yet you’re unable to purchase the card anywhere!! That seems counterproductive, in my opinion, as they only sell SUBE cards at certain locations—and many of those places are NOT open on weekends or late in the evenings, so if you do NOT have money for a taxi (don’t count on Uber, just in case), you are screwed! So, the very next morning, I walked over a mile to purchase my SUBE card! I was extremely annoyed, but once I jumped on the bus and told the driver where I was going, he only charged me 42 ARS for my ride, which turned out to be about 20 US cents! I was astonished! I literally rode the local transportation system for five days and paid less than $2.50 TOTAL.

I am a coffee aficionado, and regrettably, I wanna report that I didn’t have one single cup of coffee that suited my taste! But I will attest that the meat dishes were BOMB!! So big, juicy, and delicious! I am not big on “Asados” either, so after two separate seatings, I was over them!! It was too much! I felt so heavy after every meal! I was glutted! I was in dire need of salads, natural juices, and bowls, but to my dismay, I couldn’t locate many green, fresh, and healthy restaurants . I asked a few peeps, and googled some locations, but they were either closed, too far, or they had bite-size options, so I purchased fruit from the local stands.

I attended a tango show, and even though I had never attended one before, it could’ve been better! Perhaps, more authentic! I wanted to see a live, unchoreographed sensual tango show, but it turned out be more like a musical! The performers were phenomenal, but I was expecting more, yet less, if that makes sense LOL! Nonetheless, the meal was great and they gave me an entire bottle of Malbec to enjoy during the show!

What I loved about BsAs

On Sunday afternoon, I took a stroll through the San Telmo open-air street market! There were so many knick-knacks! But what I loved the most was that every booth sold something different! There were no repeats. And along the way, there were performers singing, painting, playing acoustic guitar, or dancing. The weather was great, and the set-up and ambiance were so refreshing! I didn’t witness any peddlers or filth on the streets. It was lovely! It took me hours walk down and around Calle Defensa, and when I finally made it to the official San Telmo market, I sat at a table full of strangers and in my usual fashion, I sparked up a conversation!

My most favorite part of the trip and one that will go down as one my most memorable travel experiences, will be the futbol game that I attended at the “Bombonera” stadium, which is located on ordinary streets in the middle of La Boca neighborhood! It was such a positive, happy, and fun environment! There’s no doubt that the Argentinians are the biggest futbol fans in the entire world; and they’re not shy when it comes to demonstrating their enthusiasm and love for the sport! From the moment that I stepped into the stadium, the crowd cheered, danced, and chanted the entire game—and I literally mean the ENTIRE game! They never stopped! It was such a beautiful, captivating, thrilling, and euphoric feeling! I was so grateful to be able witness and be a part of such a special moment! I still can’t believe that I went to go watch a Primary División professional futbol game in Argentina!