Argentina
Area: 2,780,400 km2 (27.84% the size of Canada, 8x the size of Germany, 1075x Luxembourg)
Population: 41,281,631 (1.2x Canada, 50% of Germany, 80x Luxembourg)
Capital: Buenos Aires
Currency: Argentinian Pesos (ARS)
Time traveled: 15 days
Distance travelled: 3,040 km (overland by bus)
Highlights in chronological order:
- Hot shower and private room with heating after 3 days in the desert in Bolivia and temperatures of minus 25C and no heating or insulation
- Argentinian BBQ with steak at our arrival in our hostel in Salta
- Museum of High Altitude Archaeology of Salta with the “Llullaillaco Children”
- Scenery between Salta and Cafayate
- Wine tasting in Cafayate
- Celebrating our wedding anniversary at “Don Ernesto’s” with excellent Argentinian steaks and wine
- Beautiful architecture in Buenos Aires
- Walking around San Telmo and Palermo neighbourhoods
- Visiting Sabrina and Gaston in BA
- All you can eat meat (tenedor libre) at “Lo de Charly” together with S&G
- Tigre delta boat trip
- See Tango show in La Boca
- Eating fresh artesanal pasta with Sabrina and Gaston
- Making stuffed vine leaves with Sabrina and Gaston
- Talking about food and drinking good Cafayate wine with S&G
- Meeting with Karina, Patrick and Julian in Puerto Iguazu
- Iguazu waterfalls (Argentinian side)
Our stay in Argentina was really great. We only visited 4 places, so there is a lot more to see, especially in the South. We heard wonderful things about Bariloche and Patagonia, but it will have to be another time. The 15 days we were in the country, we really enjoyed the great steaks and wines, the architecture and culture. We also met amazing people, so what more can you ask for?
People: Many people, especially in Buenos Aires, are of European descent. There are lots of Italian immigrants, so people actually speak Spanish with an Italian accent and use Italian expressions and gestures. It’s really funny to see. Argentinians are very nice and friendly and speak the most English in South America. They also appear to be more organized than the surrounding countries. Argentinians are generally more educated and sophisticated and are also very good-looking people.
Culture: The culture is strongly influenced by the immigrants who came. In Buenos Aires Gaston told us that a common saying about BA us: “Spanish built the city, Italians showed us how to live.” Tango, soccer, beef and wine are important in the culture and Argentina and Uruguay often fight over who invented the famous tango.
Food: Argentinian beef is world-famous and there is a good reason for it. It is delicious!!! It’s so juicy and tender it almost melts in your mouth. There are dozens of different and delicious cuts (our favourite was “bife de chorizo”) to choose from. Pair the excellent steaks with really good Argentinian wine and you could be in heaven, heheh. When they don’t eat meat, Argentinians eat pasta and pizza, available at the many fresh artesanal pasta shops. They also like to eat empanadas, dolce de leche with everything and drink mate tea.
Landscape & Climate: Argentina is a huge country with a diverse landscape. In the South there are glaciers, in the North it’s an arid desert-like region. They also have mountains for skiing and many turquoise lakes in the South (Bariloche area). The coast is very long, but the water is too cold for swimming, even in summer.
Economy: Argentina is a big exporter of corn, soy and wheat. They produce a lot of beef, but eat most of it themselves. Wine-making is also an important sector. The economy is strong despite very high inflation (about 20% per year). The high interest rates make it almost impossible to buy a house. We also noticed that most supermarkets are owned and run by Chinese. Outside of Buenos Aires and Puerto Iguazu we also noticed a coin shortage for giving change. Sometimes you get a lemon or a candy as change, or you get a discount because the vendor doesn’t have change.
Transportation: An old British railway network exists for passengers and cargo, but we didn’t use it because we were told it’s not very reliable. The coach buses to and from Buenos Aires are amazing (with great dinner & wine on board), but other routes are much worse, though still very ok.