Tag: Argentina

Travel Week 21

Day 141:

Bus ticket to Mendoza	530
Luggage	20
Starbucks coffee beans	520
Hot dog and beer	180
Total:	1250 ARS (16.13 USD) (RMB 114.5)

Finally back in a big enough city where I could buy some damn coffee beans. The drop in tourism is already very apparent with the hostel only 30% occupied. I luck into a room upgrade (4 bed -> 3 bed) with no roommates my first night.

Day 142:

Indian buffet	230
Ice cream	90
Personal recharge	200
Wine and Salami	295
Club soda	80
Total:	895 ARS (11.55 USD) (RMB 81.9)

The mood in Mendoza is starting to deteriorate as the international travelers are coming in from or heading off to Chile and rumors circulate about border closings. Nevertheless, Base Camp hostel maintains its regular nightly parties with free flow (headache inducing) wine and I end up going out to a nightclub for an hour or two. The nightclubs will be closed within a day or two.

Day 143:

Diet coke and potato chips	130
Coffee @ Brod	110
Asado in hostel	450
Total:	690 ARS (8.90 USD) (RMB 63.6)

My hangover was so bad, I couldn’t even be bothered to make coffee. In the cafe, pouring over a newspaper, the government is tightening border controls, but announces that schools will not be closed. The asado dinner, which is the only reason I am staying in this hostel, was slightly disappointing.

Day 144:

Fresh pasta	250
Dun Ken Coffee	100
Steak and salad	290
Total:	640 ARS (8.26 USD) (RMB 58.6)

It’s hard to tell if the city is quiet because of Coronavirus fears or just a normal Sunday where everything is shut down. I track down a cafe in the afternoon just to read the newspaper, which had a headline mentioning foreigners and hotels. The provincial government will impose mandatory quarantines on all persons entering Mendoza province. The tourist industry is already suffering major losses with hotel bookings down 80%. I cook a dinner with a fellow American in the hostel.

Day 145:

Campo Base (4 nights)	1450 + 1.46
Mendoza Inn (6 nights)	1530
HH Pint	100
Beers	660
Total:	49.72 USD (RMB 352.8)

Time to move to the fancier neighborhood with all the nice bars, restaurants, and cafes. So far nothing is closed, but the hostel only has about a dozen guests. I locked in a spectacular price for a dorm room. I go out for beers and papas with a couple of them that night. The bars have large dispensers of alcohol gel and some tables (all terrace seating) are closed to ensure social distancing. The border is closed, all international flights are cancelled.

Day 146:

Lunch Set	360
Six Pack IPAs	450
Total:	810 ARS (10.45 USD) (RMB 74.2)

Have a nice lunch, including drink (with choice of alcoholic drinks), main, and dessert. About a third of the guests leave the hostel, but a handful wander in, including a Czech girl who shared a potato and lentle soup with me. I patronize a Chinese-owned supermarket to help balance out global racism. About a quarter of the shops on Avenida Aristades decided to shut down and a group of police are monitoring the start of the bar street. A rather disappointing St Patricks Day, especially when I would have preferred to visit bodegas. It is announced that intercity travel will be halted in two days.

Day 147:

Salad	100
Buffet	240
Wine(s)	450
Total:	790 ARS (10.19 USD) (RMB 72.3)

Heading into downtown in search of a place to make a salad, the closures are much more obvious. Nevertheless, a handful of cafes, fast food joints, and ice cream parlors are carrying on. Another quarter of the establishments on Aristades have closed down. Hostel is refusing new guests. I make do with olives and a bag of potato chips for dinner. Everyone is making plans to leave, but that doesn’t stop the partying.

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Running Total: 3771.02 USD (RMB 26761)
Daily Average: 25.65 USD (RMB 182)

Travel Week 20

Day 134:

Breakfast	110
El Chabot Hostel (2 nights)	880
Bife a la Portuguese	410
Coffee	80
Personal	100
Happy hour Beers	270
Pizza and a pitcher	400
Total:	2260 ARS (28.68 USD) (RMB 201)

Having run out of coffee beans, my daily coffee expenses are significantly higher. The availability/quality of beans in supermarkets is depressingly low, and while unexpectedly I found two different gourmet coffee shops in which one could theoretically buy beans, both were effectively out of stock and waiting for a new shipment from their Buenos Aires-based roasters. The Airbnb was nice, but I moved back into a hostel to round out the last couple of days in Salta. Though not lacking any phone credit, I took advantage of an offer 250 MB free by charging .

Day 135:

Saeta bus card	120
Ice cream	130
Vea Supermarket	743
Total:	993 ARS (12.60 USD) (RMB 88.3)

I took a day drip over to the town of San Lorenzo and its “famous” quebrada (valley) for a couple of hours of hiking. I had to drop 70 pesos to purchase the bus card (more than the round trip of the bus) because my hostel didn’t have one available to borrow and I was assured that it was both cheap and a “good souvenir.”

I secured additional funding from Western Union at a less optimal rate than my last time getting cash. (New rate 77.5) Bought ingredients to make steak and chicken fajitas for dinner.

Day 136:

Remis (taxi) to terminal	130
Bus ticket to Catamarca	2150
Luggage handler	10
Total:	2290 ARS (29.06 USD) (RMB 203.7)

Technically, I should log this expenses under day 137 as they all occurred after midnight (a 1:30 am bus is not fun).

Day 137:

Luggage handler	10
Bus ticket to La Rioja	560
Coffee at terminal	110
Taxi	130
Wayra Hostel (2 nights)	900
Changomas burgers	428
Total:	2138 ARS (27.59 USD) (RMB 193.4)

My friend whom I was planning to visit bailed on me, prompting me to buy a ticket onward to the next town about as soon as I arrived in dusty, little San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. La Rioja wasn’t much better with the new terminal a solid 3-4 km outside of town and an afternoon temperature of 39 degrees. Sleep La Rioja takes a siesta from 1pm to 6pm, with businesses not even opening back up until closer to 7 or 8pm. Luckily, I found Changomas, which is a Wal-Mart owned brand in Latin America and looks like a Sam’s Club. I purchased enough ingredients to make four cheeseburgers with french fries.

Day 138:

Grido ice cream	80
Coffee	80
Happy Hour @ Templo	155
Total:	315 ARS (4.06 USD) (RMB 28.5)

There wasn’t much to do in La Rioja with the one possibly interesting museum closed for Monday and the “nearby” national/provincial parks inaccessible without an expensive tour package or one’s own vehicle. This was the first time I had bad coffee in a cafe sitting, when otherwise it has always been a decent espresso.

Day 139:

Cab to terminal	85
Diet Coke	60
Bus to San Juan	1650
Luggage x2	20
Snack (crackers)	20
Hostel Destino (2 nights)	1000 + 3.09 USD
Coffee Merienda	100
Groceries (American goulash)	364
Total:	45.66 USD (RMB 320)

I managed to save some money by sharing a cab to the terminal in the morning before the interminably long ride to San Juan. The direct route passes by the aforementioned parks, but the bus driver preferred to take the un-scenic and longer route. To make up for all the walking, I booked a hostel literally 50 meters from San Juan’s bus terminal and took a good walk through the charming, relaxed provincial capital.

Day 140:

Museum of Natural Science	150
Coffee and alfajor	140
Vegetarian buffet	220
Beer and snacks	295
Total:	805 ARS (10.39 USD) (RMB 72.8)

There were actually things to do in San Juan (according to the tourist information office), but my timing wasn’t very good for some of the things I would have liked to see (Museum of Wine, Museum of Olive Oil, the art museum etc). The very expensive Museum of Natural Science was dedicated to dinosaur fossils, and I learned that the provincial park I skipped is the equivalent of Montana’s Badlands for paleontology.

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Not the cheapest week with all the traveling around, but still bringing down the daily average.

Running Total: 3655.82 USD (RMB 25620.72)
Daily Average: 26.11 USD (RMB 183)

Travel Week 19

Day 127:

Computer Charger	1200
Milanesa al caballo lunch	365
Craft Beers (Baum)	340
Total:	1905 ARS (24.18 USD) (RMB 167.6)

It turned out that the problem with my computer was just the charger (both parts), but when I was in Tucuman, two of the shops pulled out compatible chargers to try with my computer to no avail. But, now it miraculous works with a new charger. Having been quoted 3-5,000 pesos to fix the computer, I was a bit shocked to find that a new OEM charger cost around 2,000 pesos, though I managed to save some money by finding a shop with one off-brand charger in stock.

Day 128:

Esperanto Hostel (2 nights)	1000
Mixed Wok set meal	355
La Birreria	100
Beers	200
Pizza	200
Total:	1955 ARS (24.81 USD) (RMB 172)

I wasn’t so impressed by my first hostel, so I moved a couple blocks away to another one.

Day 129:

Beer	100
Asado (Bife de Chorizo)	650
Taxi	100
Share of Dinner	400
Total:	1250 ARS (15.86 USD) (RMB 110)

I went with two Europeans up the hill (Cerro de San Bernadino) to enjoy the view of the city and climbed back down to try an asado lunch. I had it in my mind to order a Parrilla (mixed grill) for 2, but I got vetoed by someone who only wanted to eat steak before a fourth person joined us and I was eatin only a half portion of meat. Ironically, in the evening, I joined a group of Argentinians to go to “Pena,” which is a musical experience of traditional folk songs performed in a restaurant. We ended up ordering two parrillas (para dos) and I really got my meat fix this day. The restaurant (La Casona) is quite far out of the center of town and despite being considered touristy, was significantly cheaper than anywhere else in the city selling “regional food.” I was also impressed how people were still queued outside at 3am.

Day 130:

Breakfast at cafe	130
Airbnb (4 nights)	USD 51.26
Popcorn	10
Ice cream	90
Museum of Natural Science	50
Fanta	50
Patagonia Cervezaria	350
Total:	59.89 USD (RMB 415.2)

With only four hours of sleep, I had to drag myself out of bed to do a translation job, pack up, and check out before 10am. I decided to make a go of an Airbnb (private room in a shared house) for four nights, which while more expensive than the hostels I have been booking in Salta is about the same as a dorm bed in the fancier hostels (which cost upwards of 14 USD per night).

Day 131:

Chorizo	230
Vegetables	80
Bread	20
Beers	170
Laundry	305
Merienda — Bonny Parker	170
Baum Cervezeria	220
Total:	1195 ARS (15.16 USD) (RMB 105.1)

The Airbnb did not have a washing machine (at least one accessible to the guests) so I had to take my laundry to a laundromat. I bought a bunch of food at the municipal market to make a couple meals worth of choripans. Unfortunately, I discovered later that the last two avocados I have been carrying across five locations went bad, so my plans to make a guac were foiled. I’m starting to really enjoy the Desayuno/Merienda culture of cafes in Argentina with a variety of coffee + snack combos.

Day 132:

Free Walking tour	120
“Bollos” Bread	50
Helado	140
Beer and Cheese	240
Total:	550 ARS (6.98 USD) (RMB 48.4)

I’m starting to learn some of the basic terminology for bread in the bakeries, such as “casero” (homemade), “campo” (rustic), etc., but I mostly pick bread based on its size and shape for the purpose. The baguette type bread didn’t work so great for the choripans, so I tried a big and round but flattish bread to make a giant sausage “hamburger”. The rest of the bread went towards a “let’s finish everything off” pizza.

Day 133:

“Special” Breakfast	120
Empanadas and beer	400
Ice cream	110
Happy Hour beer	220
Movie popcorn	450
Total:	1300 ARS (16.50 USD) (RMB 114.4)

I ran out of coffee, so I got my morning fix from the ice cream/cafeteria on the corner. The breakfast was “special” because it included an orange juice on top of the coffee + 2 pastries (tortillas, in this case, which in Argentina are a layered biscuit). I tried Patio de la Empanadas for lunch, which supposedly has the best empanadas in town. Wasn’t impressed. Dinner was a lot of popcorn. As a fairly standard giveaway during happy hours, I enjoyed a basket before heading to the theater.

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Running Total: 3497.78 USD (RMB 24246.6)
Daily Average: 26.30 USD (RMB 182.3)

Travel Week 18

When I woke up, I discovered that the computer I had plugged in to charge overnight was completely drained of battery and unable to charge further. Several days of intense productivity, hanging out in the Cafe de Paris came to a close as I no longer had means to work. Even my daily Spanish study is intensely tied into my laptop. I crawled all over town looking for repair shops and got estimates of 1-3 weeks to complete repairs (because of generous time off for Carnaval).

Day 120:

Antares Brewery	300
Total:	300 ARS (3.81 USD) (RMB 26.6)

I discovered a whole new neighborhood full of swanky cafes and breweries. I think Antares is based in Mar del Plata, or somewhere on the Argentine coast.

Day 121:

Rotisserie Chicken	210
Ice Cream	110
Coffee	100
Burger and chips	370
Quilmes Beer	250
Total:	1040 ARS (13.20 USD) (RMB 92.3)

Unable to work in my daily haunt, I read the newspaper in Spanish. Also, back to real food.

Day 122:

Pen	35
Porter Brew House	550
Arab Empanadas	140
Total:	725 ARS (9.20 USD) (RMB 64.3)

Having nothing better to do in Tucuman, I tried to get a refund for checking out early, but was refused on the basis that I got such a special discount (something like 30 pesos a night). So I was stuck there another day and my pen disappeared, which is weird because I had bought a three pack in Cordoba. How could they all have been lost so fast? At least I discovered an excellent bar where I could actually sit at a bar and the bartender chatted with me through the duration of happy hour.

Day 123:

Bus to Tafi de Valle	500
Luggage	10
Nomade Hostel (1 night)	700
Artisenal beer (spicy)	120
Total:	1330 ARS (16.88 USD) (RMB 118)

I traveled up to a village in the mountains passing through at least three distinct ecosystems in the three hour drive. The chill farmhouse hostel included dinner (hamburgers completely made from scratch, e.g. even the buns) and breakfast. Tafi de Valle is very nice and worth a visit, though I had just missed out on the annual cheese festival the previous weekend.

Day 124:

Bus to Cafayate	450
Cielito Lindo Hostel (2 nights)	988
Wine – Ice cream	230
Wine, tomato, lentils	245
Pan casero	20
Total:	1933 ARS (USD 24.53) (RMB 171.5)

I traveled on to Cafayate, Argentina’s other major wine producing region (after Mendoza). Cafayate is most famous for its unique white wine, called Torrontes. Of course, I had to try a bottle and seeing literally everyone eating ice cream on my 12 minute, thirsty walk from the bus terminal to the hostel. Cafayate was supposed to be a site of a big carnaval celebration but there was literally nothing going on in the town on either the Monday or the Tuesday before Lent.

Day 125:

Nanni Bodega	100
Queso de Cabra	280
Bus to Salta (advance purchase)	435
Pan de campo	15
Bodega El Transito	50
Museum of Wine	100
Tortilla (street food)	60
Wine	150
Total:	1190 ARS (15.10 USD) (RMB 105.6)

I tried to fit a lot into my one full day in Cafayate, but barely managed to visit two bodegas, one goat farm, and the museum of vine and wine. If I wasn’t in a rush to hit Salta as soon as the holidays were over, I wouldn’t mind sticking around Cafayate for several days. It is small and relaxing and some of these bodegas are so cheap for the wine samples (compared to Mendoza!)

Day 126:

Luggage	10
La San Francisca II (2 nights)	890
Wine, crackers, olives	245
Salta Beer	60
Total:	1205 ARS (15.29 USD) (RMB 106.9)

I booked a hostel in Salta from the bus on the way. It turned out to be a quasi-legal establishment, but seemed chill enough that I went ahead and paid for a second night. With a block of goat cheese, I needed to buy somethings to accompany it and spend a lovely evening on the rooftop terrace of the hostel. Of course with the delay of coming in (our bus lost a wheel and we were stranded on the highway two hours), I wasn’t able to find a repair shop right away.

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It is kind of crazy how I have dropped my daily average by a dollar and a half over two weeks. It costs so little to live in Argentina, especially in the north.

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Running Total: 3334.40 USD (RMB 23313.8)
Daily Average: 26.46 USD (RMB 185)

Travel Week 17

After nearly four weeks in Cordoba, I realized I wasn’t quite building the life I wanted for myself so when I found myself unable to extend my stay in that sweet ass apartment, it was time to move on.

Day 113:

Empanadas (4)	160
Total:	160 ARS (2.03 USD) (RMB 14.09)

A low cost day, especially as a friend bought me an ice cream (using a 2-for-1 coupon I had) in the late afternoon and I scrounged together a salad for dinner from the crisper drawer of farmer market vegetables. I took a pass on socializing at the bar.

Day 114:

Vegetarian buffet	80
Bus ticket to Tucuman	1850
Phone credit	300
“Happy Hour” Beer	120
Contribution towards beer	200
Total:	2550 ARS (32.36 USD) (RMB 226.3)

Valentine’s Day and nothing special happened.

Day 115:

Empanadas and chupas	300
Total:	300 ARS (3.81 USD) (RMB 26.6)

I had finished diligently finished all the food in the house and was only able to grab a bag full of empanadas from a bakery in the bus terminal before spending the next seven hours traveling up to Tucuman. By the time I checked in, I was too tired to eat dinner, but the 9 empanadas plus cheese-flavored dough balls did the trick in sating me (plus the bus fed us).

Day 116:

Hostel (8 nights)	3304
Osobuco, salad, apples, matches	261
Cafe doble	90
Total:	3655 ARS (46.38 USD) (RMB 324.3)

I booked two nights at the A La Gurdia Hostel in Tucuman to make sure there would be a bed for me when I arrived late at night, but otherwise I attempted to negotiate a lower price by staying longer. Hostel was surprisingly crowded considering there is literally nothing of interest to any tourists in the city and literally everyone in Argentina agrees it is the worst place in the world. I find Tucuman’s blue collar spirit charming and the intense late summer heat helped me focus on working again.

Day 117:

Razor blades	205
Ice cream	200
Coffee	100
Merienda	320
Total:	825 ARS (10.47 USD) (RMB 73.2)

I managed to find generic Gilette razor blades to fit my old fashioned razor, so no need to kick myself for not stocking up on those way, way back in China. Merienda (if I am spelling it correctly) is the Argetine tea time where one eats a light breakfast (same menu) so they don’t starve to death by waiting until 11 pm to eat dinner.

Day 118:

Tamales at market	110
Coffee	90
Printing	10
Beer	240
Wine	80
Panchuque	40
Total:	570 ARS (7.23 USD) (RMB 50.55)

I had to print, sign and scan a document for a copyright release for a Chinese publisher. Luckily the hostel had a scanner. I treated a French backpacker to a beer at happy hour before we cooked dinner together. We–I mean she–bought ingredients enough for 4-5 people but everyone else who had expressed interesting in eating together bailed. Furthermore, when she checked out the next day, I was left with about 5 portions of vegetable rich pasta…

Day 119:

Avocados	100
Beers	150
Movie — Parasite	200
Total:	450 ARS (5.71 USD) (RMB 39.9)

Bought giant avocados on a whim from street corner seller, hard as rocks and with the turn in weather taking forever to ripen. Given the cheap price of a movie ticket, I figured it was worth taking a shot on combining Korean audio with Spanish subtitles to watch the recent Oscar winner. Surprising how many people (especially middle aged women) were in the screening.

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Running Total: 3236.39 USD (RMB 22628.5)
Daily Average: 27.20 USD (RMB 190.2)

Travel Week 16

Day 106:

Shampoo & Mouthwash	465
Steaks	220
Salad	79
Happy Hour beers	400
Beer(s)	200
Total:	1354 ARS (17.95 USD) (RMB 125.4)

Not much to say other than went to another language meetup on the Thursday night (Cerveza & Espanol). The bar seemed more expensive than I remembered. It was also so hot and humid, I devoured much more beer than I was planning to.

Day 107:

Nueva Candela lunch	265
Coffee beans, cereal, milk	449.75
Dinner	513
Total:	1227.75 ARS (16.15 USD) (RMB 112.8)

After cooking for myself all week, I decided to go out for a nice set meal lunch. I was halfway through a suprema (breaded chicken breast) when I realized it was very pink inside. It didn’t make me sick, but I was currently developing a head cold.

Day 108:

Vegetables (celery, carrots, parsley, etc)	110
Black pepper	40
Whole chicken	270
Total:	420 ARS (5.53 USD) (RMB 38.6)

Decided to make a big batch of chicken soup to fight the cold and spent the day inside.

Day 109:

Ice cream	110
Coffee and waffles	250
Total:	360 ARS (4.74 USD) (RMB 33.1)

Continued to eat chicken soup, but went out for ice cream in the afternoon and then again to meet a friend at a cafe for a merienda (late afternoon snack).

Day 110:

Quiche, salad, lemonade	220
Rent	4200
Choripan	200
Tortillas, cheese, soda, candy	327.75
Total:	4947.75 ARS (62.79 USD) (RMB 438.7)

Went out for for a healthy lunch. As I was running low on cash, I needed to hit up Western Union (New exchange rate from today on is 78.8 pesos per dollar). Prepurchased some ingredients to make fajitas the next day.

Day 111:

Vegetables	210
More vegetables	50
Lemon and cilantro	30
Happy hour beers	410
Pitcher cocktail	280
Empanadas	120
Total:	1100 ARS (13.96 USD) (RMB 97.5)

I hit up the farmers market again for fresh ingredients to make vegetarian fajitas after a fairly quick (third) visit to the ophthalmology clicnic. In the evening, I checked out a new bar for another language meetup.

Day 112:

Contact lens	380
Discount drinks at supermarket	495
Steak lunch	630
Cheap headphones	190
Flipflops	300
Swimming pool	60
Popsicle	20
Beers at Mundolingo	350
Mojitos	350
Total:	2775 ARS (35.22 USD) (RMB 246.1)

Bought one additional contact lens from the same shop I had patronized before and was delighted to receive a discount of 20%. In my Airbnb, a couple bottles of Corona had been staring at me from the fridge. I finally succumbed to the temptation when the supermarket put Coronas on sale and I could replace them. A lot of my things have been breaking or wearing out so in a fit of “treat yo self” spending I replaced a few items before chilling at the public swimming pool and heading to the Mundo Lingo language meetup because I couldn’t be bothered to try to organize anything special for myself.

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For these two weeks hanging out in Cordoba, I’ve been averaging about 22 dollars a day, which is slowly bringing down the total average for the trip.

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Running Total: 3128.40 USD (RMB 21858.4)
Daily Average: 27.93 USD (RMB 195.2)

Travel Week 15

Day 99:

Ice cream	110
Cereal and Wine	165
Total:	275 ARS (3.62 USD) (RMB 25.3)

Unfortunately for me there is a gelato place basically at the entrance of my apartment building, so the temptation is difficult to pass by. Keeping in contact with my original Airbnb host, I swung by the apartment (still under repair work) to check it out as a possible transfer later on. It paled in comparison to my current residence.

Day 100:

Cheese	125
Premade Salad	100
Rent (7 days)	4500
Beer and snacks	505
Total:	5230 ARS (68.82 USD) (RMB 480.6)

After a pretty busy week of socializing, once I settled into my Airbnb, I had a, let’s say, relaxing weekend of not talking to anyone. It didn’t help that the closest supermarket had potato chips and beer on sale.

Day 101:

Ice Cream	110
Temple bar	100
Craft (bar)	90
Beer and snacks	509
Empanadas (5)	225
Total:	1034 ARS (13.60 USD) (RMB 95)

Feeling a bit too cooped up in my comfortable apartment and sudden lack of motivation to accomplish anything productive, I did manage to drag myself outside for a brief jog followed by two happy hour pints at different neighborhood bars before resorting to junk food and watching TV in the evening.

Day 102:

Groceries	299.5
Veggies	130
Bar tip	30
HH Beers	170
Drinks	900
Total:	1529.5 ARS (20.12 USD) (RMB 140.5)

I made a simple, but meaty spaghetti sauce to finish off the half packages of pizza sauce and tomato puree that had been sitting in the fridge all week. in the late afternoon, I met up with a friend for a happy hour drink, which led to much more drinking, and me bailing to go home when everyone else was keen to party all night. Fernets are dangerous.

Day 103:

Premade salad	80
Pastry	55
Total:	135 ARS (1.78 USD) (RMB 12.4)

Adulting is hard, but sometimes one just has to suck it up. I had been feeling concerned about my teeth and messaged one of my new friends who happens to be a dentist. She managed to squeeze me into her schedule at the orthodontist clinic where she worked and didn’t charge me the 900 pesos it would have cost for a cleaning and checkup. Dinner was more spaghetti.

Day 104:

Vegetables	50
Eggs	100
Green onion and chilis	25
Red bell peppers	60
Ice cream	110
Total:	345 ARS (4.54 USD) (RMB 31.7)

So I was heading to a butcher shop to grab a steak to eat with the leftover salad for lunch and stumbled upon a weekly farmers market with a mind blowing array of vegetables. Normally, the greengrocers have a very limited selection of not so fresh fruits and vegetables. Suddenly inspired, I grabbed the ingredients to stir-fry up two Chinese dishes, which fed me the next three meals.

Day 105:

Eye Exam	800
Contact lenses	1000
Cookies	43
Personal recharge	110
HH Beers	260
More beer at Mundo Lingo	200
Fernet Mint Juleps	300
Total:	2713 ARS (35.70 USD) (RMB 249.3)

With my contacts once again way past due to exchange, I went out to source new ones at a half dozen different optical shops several days ago, but ultimately decided that I should actually be a grownup and get a new prescription. With the new prescription in hand, I headed straight to the shop with the best deal and bought new contacts. I can’t believe how expensive (10%) the kiosks in Cordoba are to recharge one’s phone credit, but after trying several, it was still worth putting the extra money in because the phone company was offering me three days worth of free internet for making a timely topup.

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Running Total: 2972.06 USD (RMB 20753)
Daily Average: 28.31 USD (RMB 197.6)

Travel Week 14

Day 92:

Milanese ternera lunch	330
Ice cream	105
Fiambre	889
Total:	1324 ARS (USD 17.42) (RMB 121.6)

Ternera is veal, so I finally had a proper Kalbschnitzel in Argentina. Fiambre is a term for a platter of olives, salamis, cheeses, etc.

Day 93:

Bondiola	340
Sunblock & stuff	517.5
Food and wine	526.5
Beef	140
Beers	300
Veggies	270
Total:	2094 ARS (USD 27.55) (RMB 192.4)

One of my regular restaurants upped the price of their executive lunch overnight by about 30 pesos in a very visible demonstration of inflation at work (Bondiola is pork loin), but I should keep going there because the waiters really appreciate the fact that I tip 10%. For Chinese New Years, I was planning on doing something special, and I ultimately settled on making “dumplings,” i.e. empanadas from scratch (well with ready-to-use dough). It was a fairly successful cooking experiment, though I went to bed early. I just can’t go out all night on any of the new year’s eves.

Day 94:

Groceries	131
Smoothie	80
Beer	300
Musician tip	100
Total:	611 ARS (USD 8.04) (RMB 56.1)

I had so much extra empanada filling (both meat and cheese), that I decided to buy some extra ingredients to make tacos and pizzas. The leftover empanadas were nowhere near as delicious the second day. It was a nice sunny Saturday and since the hostel has a regular Saturday afternoon pool party, I spent the day sipping white wine from a melon and taking in some sun. After sobering up, I went out for drinks with a friend later in the evening.

Day 95:

Selina Hostel (2 nights)	18.57 USD
Coffee and pastries	183
Brunch	300
Beer	100
Ice and chips	190
Total:	28.74 USD (RMB 200.7)

I ended up having two breakfasts as I felt the urge to pop into a bakery/cafe for a spell on a lazy Sunday morning and later met up with a friend for brunch. I was supposed to be moving into an Airbnb this day, but I had discovered on Saturday night that the place I booked was no longer available because of plumbing issues. I booked two more nights in the hostel to give myself a chance to sort out a situation with a new Airbnb. I got a couple of the hostel guests to go out for a drink at a glorified kiosk with outside tables and some killer prices.

Day 96:

Pastry for breakfast	45
Vegetables (to make salad)	20
Maxx	170
Laundry	200
Dinner, for 2 with beer	685
Total:	1120 ARS (USD 14.74) (RMB 102.9)

I had been counting on getting into an Airbnb to do some laundry, but with a total lack of clean clothes, I had to spring for the ever more expensive laundry service (luckily a same day turnaround). Also, after living it up under the excuse of Chinese New Years, it was time to start shifting my eating habits into something healthier. The regional food (basically stew and empanadas) wasn’t much of an improvement, but delicious nonetheless.

Day 97:

Coffee and pastries	110
Airbnb (4 nights)	48.91 USD
Chorizos	110
Ice cream	135
Groceries	304
Total:	57.58 USD (RMB 402.1)

I finally made it into an Airbnb and did quite well considering how last minute everything was (and getting rejected from more than one listing due to unavailability). It’s not (supposed to be) a whole apartment to myself, so I just booked a couple of days to try it out, but the owner is currently on vacation, so I am getting the steal of a lifetime.

Day 98:

Veggies	45
Chicken breast	70
Groceries	359
Cookies	50
Gourmet coffee beans	500
HH Beer	80
Beers at Mundo Lingo	200
Fernet at Mundo Lingo	320
Total:	1624 ARS (21.37 USD) (RMB 149.2)

I did some rather elaborate shopping at proper market and some groceries stores to gather up the ingredients to make fajitas. I’m going to really enjoy having access to such a nice kitchen without having to share fridge space with 40 other people. Mundo Lingo, if I haven’t explained, is the language meetup, and I guess a lot of alcohol is needed to keep the social interactions fluid.

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Some light housekeeping, Hostel World finally refunded the USD 5.4 deposit for the non-hostel in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay, but with my monthly credit card bill there was an extra 7.96 USD in foreign currency surcharges not previously accounted for.

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Running Total: 2823.88 USD (RMB 19718.3)
Daily Average: 28.82 USD (RMB 201.2)

Travel Week 13

It was a week of canceled plans and last minute decisions. I spent a couple days in Palermo (Buenos Aires) with the intention of going out to one of the small cities in the province of Buenos Aires (which is different than the federally administered city of the same name), but my contacts bailed on me and I popped into Rosario for a couple nights before hitting what is possibly my final destination as I transition from backpacker to digital nomad–Cordoba

Day 85:

Cab	35
Bread and chorizo	122
Vegetables	40
Afternoon cocktails	390
Sube recharge	100
Beers @ kiosk	200
Total:	887 ARS (104.6 RMB) (USD 15.08)

Palermo is a place of parks and parties and I finally made it to see some of the parks, joining a group of Dutch girls on a walk through a section of the district I had never been to. Of course, as a gentleman I shared the cab ride back to the hostel in order to subsidize it for them and not because I was hungry and wanting to cook up some sausages and make a salad. There was a lazy afternoon of sipping cheap, sugary cocktails and I later joined a group from the hostel going out to Recoletta where some cultural event involved a stage and music and dancing.

Day 86:

Photocopy at Western Union	10
Salad buffet	74
Bus ticket to Rosario	872
Luggage tips	10
Hostel (2 nights)	1000
Gintoneria happy hour	300
La Baska empanadas (10)	450
Beer at hostel	100
Total:	2816 ARS 40.7 USD (RMB 282.3)

I finally got some money through Western Union, and even after the 25 USD service fee (which Europeans don’t pay), the exchange rate was phenomenal. Moving forward, every 76.07 pesos is equal to 1 US dollar. The healthy eating (to offset the alcohol intake) continued with a visit to a salad bar (inside a Chinese run convenience store) to complement the left over lettuce, carrot, and bell pepper I needed to finish off before heading to the bus station. My old hostel in Rosario had room for me but was surprisingly lively with a large group of Brazilians and a couple of French Pepe La Pew types. Of course, I had to hit the Gintoneria for two quick drinks before splurging on the “world’s best empanadas.” I’m still not sure about that, but they are darn good and I got a wide range of flavors. I meant to have left overs, but I ended up giving some away and overeating the others.

Day 87:

Ice cream	110
Fluvial boat to island beach	300
Premixed salad from fruit shop	120
T-bone steaks	147
Gintoneria	300
Total:	977 ARS (12.84 USD) (RMB 89.1)

Since breakfast is included with the hostel, lunch ended up being ice cream. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon enjoying the sun on the beach before rushing back to the hostel to shower, change, and hit happy at Gintoneria again, but this time with the hostel owner who is its greatest promoter. I was able to excuse myself after a pair of drinks in order to get back to the hostel to cook up a pair of steaks for dinner before going out for a beer on the main bar street of town in a cheesy German themed beer hall, which was ridiculously cheap (though my date paid the bill).

Day 88:

Cab to bus terminal	155
Bus to Cordoba (6 hrs)	1300
Hostel Rupestre (3 nights)	1650
Cerveza at climbing wall	200
Wine and snacks (olives/Lay’s potato chips)	380
Total:	3685 ARS (48.44 USD) (RMB 336)

Like a big shot, I took a cab the 2.5 km to the bus terminal because I didn’t want to be drenched in sweat before spending the entire afternoon on the bus, which provided a snack and streaming video through the Wi-Fi connection. I returned to a hostel I had tried before to find the quiet, charming old house full of people, whom I joined to go to the climbing wall (a free perk of the hostel), but left early when it occurred to me that I had laid out cash on my bed and forgot to put it back in my wallet. It was still there. While eagerly awaiting the schedule asado that night, I enjoyed some appetizers, but when the guy in charge of the barbecue showed up with charcoal after 10pm, I realized I wouldn’t be eating until midnight. I ultimately bailed on the barbecue and the all night partying and decided I hated everyone when I got only 2 hours of sleep anyways.

Day 89:

Bruncheria: Suprema Napoleana	340
Haircut	100
Empanadas	160
Beers	200
Total:	800 ARS (10.52 USD) (RMB 73)

The upshot of my miserable night is I matched a bunch of people on Tinder and was able to work out a lunch date and some drinks in the evening.

Day 90:

Notebooks and pens	99
Lunch Menu: Roast chicken & Veggies	265
CRAFT Beers	270
Waters	80
Non-HH beers somewhere in Guimes	300
Total:	1014 ARS (13.33 USD) (RMB 92.5)

Though I started the trip with two pens (old pens from who knows how long ago) and a spiral notebook mainly full of research notes, I ended up misplacing them over Christmas. Hopefully, no one can read my handwriting and steal my ideas, but I finally got around to buying some cheap notebooks for designing my algorithm and jotting down vocabulary when reading. The day was long and my spirits were low, but a short jog and arranging last minute to meet up with an expat for drinks perked me back up.

Day 91:

Phone recharge	155
Starbucks	455
Set Lunch: Steak	300
Selina Hostel (4 nights)	2010 (33.51)
Three tiki drinks	600
Fernet & Coke	170
Total:	3690 ARS (55.59 USD) (RMB 388.2)

Though I am aiming for an extended stay in an Airbnb where I can have my own space, the temptation of another hostel with a swimming pool was too much to pass by for the days leading up to Chinese New Years. Yes, I should be working, but CNY is the last excuse for holiday revelry. Before I even checked out, I was called out unexpectedly to buy someone breakfast… why it had to be at Starbucks, I don’t know. In the evening, I hit up the Mundo Lingo language exchange and enjoyed some tropical drinks while being gregarious.

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Running Total: 2645.88 USD (RMB 18354.38)
Daily Average: 29.07 USD (RMB 201.6)