Last week, I concluded a 4 day trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I apologize for the lack of updates to the blog because I was traveling. I promise a trip report will be in order next month, so please bear with me as I catch up from my November and December trip reports from last year. It was my first time in Argentina and I just want to share with you 10 things I learned from Buenos Aires.
1) The US Dollar is amazing in Argentina. When I was in Buenos Aires last week, the official exchange rate was 6.8 Argentine pesos to $1 USD. I was able to get 11.4 Argentine pesos to $1 US Dollar in the black market. Using this technique, I was able to save 40% off pretty much everything (including my hotel rooms).
2) Coffee comes with cookies and water. Whenever you order a coffee from a restaurant, it will come with complimentary cookies and a cup of water. This is awesome because cookies go great with coffee. I don’t where the water part comes in, but it’s great to refresh yourself with extra liquids, especially in the hot summer days.
3) No air conditioning in the Subte (subway). The weather last week ranged from 95F to 100F in the hot summer with high humidity. I took the underground Subte many times and was shocked that there was no air conditioning on the train.
4) Fugazzeta is the best thing ever. This is basically a pizza slice stuffed with cheese and topped with more cheese and onions (left picture).
5) Casinos are banned in Buenos Aires. However, there is one casino in the port city of Puerto Madero called Puerto Madero Casino. So how did this happen? Well, technically the casino is not located on “Buenos Aires” land. Puerto Madero Casino is a floating casino located on a boat and that’s how they got around Argentine law.
6) Do not take a taxi at 2am. I took a taxi late at night from Puerto Madero and told the driver to take me to the Sheraton hotel in Microcentro. He was speeding and running red lights (after seeing it was safe and no one was around). When he stopped at red lights, he was falling asleep at the wheel.
7) There’s a lot of graffiti everywhere in Buenos Aires. It doesn’t matter if the neighborhood is middle class or upper class. There will be graffiti everywhere and sometimes it’s a form of art.
8) The small touristy Caminito area of Barrio La Boca is very overrated. Think of it as the Times Square of New York City. It’s catered to the gringo tourists where the prices are exceptionally higher for food and souvenirs. Instead of taking pictures of costumed characters in NYC, you will find a lot of “tango dancers” trying to pose pictures with you and they expect a hefty tip.
9. The chocolate churros are amazing. I’ve had chocolate stuffed churros, but these churros are made of chocolate. I will need to find chocolate stuffed chocolate churros next time!
10. The empanadas are heavily filled with meat. I love my empanadas when they have more meat than the bread part. This is how I exactly feel about tamales as well because I really don’t like more masa than filling.
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