Money,money...security

What is money worth? A very difficult question in Argentina 🇦🇷. If I exchange cash at the central bank rate, I get 180 pesos for US$1. If I exchange illegally, I get 350, and if I use Western Union, I get 360. Using a credit card, it's about 300.

So to manage your money well you need if possible to pay in cash.

The largest bills are 1000 pesos, so to pay an apartment for 5 nights, I need 106 bills at the black market rate. At the official rate 200 bills, so its maybe no surprise when I visit a bank in the afternoon that they don't have the equivalent of US$200 in cash. So I have learned to pick up cash early.

The other problem with so many bills is safety/ security. You just can't hide them. So I pick them up just before I need them.

It's no joke as crime rates are high here. That translates to some unusual experiences. For example, you can't go into the corner shop. You stand in front and say through a small window what you want. It was quite challenging with my Spanish. Ham is jamon, but what the hell are slices if ham? So I have to mime, and it works.Read more