CORREO ARGENTINO OR I' VE GOT MAIL!

As I already wrote in my first post, I went to South America with an 80-liter suitcase full of more or less useless things. 😑

I quickly realized that I would need a lighter and easier way to travel because a heavy suitcase with wheels won't get me very far on this continent unless I am a tourist, taking a taxi from hotel to hotel.

So at the beginning of the year, I ordered a trekking backpack for women at an online shop of a well-known manufacturer of outdoor equipment in Austria. I asked for the exact cost (product + delivery) and was way below the prices of the local shops here in Buenos Aires. And I didn't want a cheap one from China.

Four days ago, when I was about to ask the shop for the status of the delivery, I received two letters from Correo Argentino, the Argentine post.
Both letters contained no company name, just many Spanish technical terms, and numbers. The only difference I could tell was the fact that one letter described a 3 kilograms heavy package and the other letter described a thermos bottle from China with a weight of 19 kilograms. 19 kilograms for a thermos bottle?

I asked Fabi for advice. He is Argentinian and one of the hostel's long-term residents. He told me that it is easier to go to the international post office in Buenos Aires and ask for the package directly.

So I went there after breakfast this morning at around 10 am, with both letters, my passport, water, and a book to have some entertainment while waiting.

The international post office, Correo International, is located on Avenida Ramos Mejía 1900, right next to the Retiro, the giant bus and train station of Buenos Aires. Not a safe corner, but no problem during daylight.

It is mainly just a large room consisting of 2 waiting areas and a smaller room behind a door guarded by a security guard. First, numbers were assigned - mine was 351 - and then I could sit down in the waiting area 1 to wait until I was called.

And that was incredibly fast - no joke! 😳
I showed the two letters, my identity card and explained my situation. Since I only bought the backpack, I rejected the other package with the “thermos bottle”, which will return to the sender now.

I received a paper, showed this to an employee in the smaller room, received a stamp and returned to the counter for payment. 190 pesos (appr. 2.87 euros) poorer, I got an invoice with a 10-digit number. With this number, I went to waiting area 2.

And there I had to wait.

More than 90 minutes ...
All the other people could pick up their packages, even those who came after me.

Finally, my number was displayed on the screen and I could enter the smaller room to pick up my package. One signature later, I walked out of the post office with my new travel backpack! 💜

Carrying 3 kilograms for almost 20 minutes back to the hostel is not that easy, but I felt full of the joys of spring.

First of all, of course, I had to open the package, try on my new beautiful backpack and show it to everyone at the hostel. 😜Read more