Because of—or rather thanks to—the delayed delivery of our motorcycles, we slightly changed our plans and spent 10 days in Buenos Aires at the end of October/beginning of November. We came to Latin America for the wide-open spaces and the beauty of the landscapes, but we have to admit that we’re almost sad to leave Argentina’s capital. This stay was incredible and full of surprises!
Buenos Aires has everything you’d expect from a major capital: skyscrapers, architecture, historic monuments, crowds strolling around… But Buenos Aires is a unique capital. It takes some time to adjust, to understand how it works and to tame it.
We quickly got a crash course when we needed to withdraw Argentine pesos. Here, two exchange rates coexist: the official rate and the “blue” rate (the black market rate), which everyone knows about and acknowledges. In between the two is the rate offered by Western Union, which is very close to the blue rate. When we arrived, we visited no fewer than five Western Union locations to find an agency that would actually give us cash.
Because even though there are plenty of pickup points, not all of them dispense money, and many simply run out of cash after a certain time of day.
Similarly, buying a card to use the city’s public transport network is anything but straightforward. There are places that sell “SUBE” cards and (separate) shops that agree to top them up. Don’t even try to do both in the same place—it’s a lost cause. Luckily for us, luck was on our side: one seller agreed to dig through her stock of old cards, sell me one, and even top it up (French charm probably worked its magic)!
Buenos Aires has its own way of doing things. We haven’t figured it all out yet, but when you’re resourceful and willing to go with the flow… the city reveals a lot of charm.
The architectural heritage is incredible. What can you say about the Palacio de Aguas Corrientes, a former water reservoir, or El Ateneo Grand Splendid, an old theater turned into a bookstore? From Plaza de Mayo to La Boca, passing through San Telmo, we had the chance to soak up the atmosphere of Buenos Aires’ different neighborhoods. It was an absolute feast for the eyes.
During our stay, we also had the chance to discover a vibrant Bitcoin community: LaCrypta, the largest group of Bitcoiners in Argentina. We spent some really great times with them: meetups, an asado on a rooftop, and a Halloween party.
With a fragile currency and a shaky economy, Bitcoin makes complete sense here, and you can really feel it in the passion and commitment of Buenos Aires’ Bitcoiners.
Of course, we couldn’t spend a few days in Buenos Aires without practicing kendo! So we visited the Kumakai Kendo dojo, which welcomed us to an intense and fun training session. Afterward, we went out to eat with the sensei and his partner, which gave us the opportunity to talk about the country’s situation ahead of the legislative elections—a really nice, friendly moment.
What will we remember from this stay?
The kindness and warmth of the people we met, the Argentines’ wild passion when it comes to football, their love for partying and… for asados!!
This start to the trip is absolutely nothing like we had planned, but it’s been crazy… incredible.
