XOOM Money Transfer in Buenos Aires

Money is a funny thing in Argentina. I'm sure you've heard. So what currency you can use and how much of it you'll need to get anything done in this country is a constant guessing game. And you won't get past your own front door without cash. So in short, there's an official currency conversion rate (today, you get $4.82 Argentine pesos for every US dollar you pull out of an ATM), and then there's the Blue Rate (today, 'illegal' money changers will give you $6.20 ARS for every physical US dollar you hand over). So using your regular bank card to get pesos out of the ATM isn't the worst thing in the world, it works. But you are potentially 'losing' money by not taking advantage of the Blue Market. But how do you do that if you don't have physical US dollars in hand?

For now, the recommended way to transfer money from a foreign bank account into your hands in Argentina is through XOOM Money Transfer. This magical service gives you physical pesos at the Blue Market rate from the money that is sitting in your bank account. With some advice from other expats who have tried it, I decided to give it a go.

Here's how it went down:
I went to XOOM's site and followed directions. I sent money from myself (US bank account, US address), to myself (Argentina cash pick up location, Argentina address). There is a fee per transaction which is either $15 USD if you pay with your bank information (account and routing numbers), or $25 USD if you pay with a credit or debit card. I chose the cheaper option. I immediately got a confirmation email followed by a cancellation email. For whatever reason, the transaction seemed shady to Ms. Xoom and I wasn't charged.

A few days later, I tried something different. I sent money from myself (US bank account, US address) to Sandro (Argentina cash pick up location, Argentina address). Makes perfect sense, right, this is what this services does, sends money around the world? Nope. Cancelled. Not charged.

This time I called their appeals hotline. A really helpful dude on the phone verified my information (location, bank, amount, etc.). He had me go through the process of sending the money to myself (from the US to Argentina) online while he was still on the phone with me and then confirmed and approved the transaction immediately. Later that day I received an email stating that my cash was ready for pick up.

There are a few pick up locations in the greater Buenos Aires area. The one closest to me is the More Money Transfer center at Libertad 1057. We got off the Subte from the D Line at Callao, walked 6 blocks east on Cordoba and 2.5 blocks north on Libertad. It's on the right hand side. Just a small storefront with post office type windows and a little seating/waiting area.

When you go, be sure to bring the confirmation number from the email and your passport. I also copied down the amount of pesos I was due to receive just to be sure. We arrived at 1:15pm and took a number. There were 6 people ahead of us, but the lines went quickly so we only waited about 20 minutes. I handed the guy at the window my passport and confirmation number and said, "Pick up, por favor." He made copies and pulled up my transaction. I signed a page saying I knew what I was doing and that I am indeed a grown up and that I was going to be receiving these many pesos. The whole thing was quick, easy, and legit. Consider taking a cab home if you are a non-Spanish speaker walking out of a money transfer center with lots of pesos in the middle of the city where pickpockets and other criminals are prominent. Just a tip!

So the overall result: Even with the $15 USD fee, I 'made' about 24% more pesos on the transaction than I would have received at an ATM. Super good deal if you don't mind a putting in a little time and effort to make it happen.

Buenos Aires Organic Food Market

This weekend, Planeta Joy hosted the Buenos Aires Market, an urban organic food market at Palermo Park. Forty vendors, from local produce to restaurants to specialty prepared food producers, set up tents and offered samples and food for sale.

I tried the fresh pressed wheatgrass at Luz Vida. At $10 ARS, it was a refreshing, vitamin packed cure for my post-Thanksgiving wooziness. After perusing and picking up a free, recyclable bag thanks to the City of Buenos Aires, I purchased a liter of Boudicca Beer's Celtic Red Ale ($30 ARS) to take home to Sandro. For lunch I grabbed a black bean wrap from Artemisia Organic Kitchen ($25 ARS) and plum juice from Purificare Juices ($20 ARS). It was a gorgeous Saturday morning to spend in the park with these delicious foods!

Buenos Aires Market happens once a month. Dates are announced at PlanetaJoy.com Entrance to the market is free and vendors offer sandwiches, empanadas, fresh squeezed juices, and other picnic-perfect options, as well as packaged products for sale. Tables, chairs, and umbrellas are provided for relaxing and enjoying a meal. The city provides health care stations where blood pressure, weight, and other simple measures can be taken. Organic food representatives give talks, workshops, and cooking classes that are free to the public. If a soy empanada doesn't sound good yet, get to the BA Market and try one!

Wine Tour Urbano

Wine Tour Urbano is a group that brings Argentina wine tasting tours into the city. This week, eight local design boutiques in Palermo paired with local wineries to host something of a wine crawl. We met at Honduras y Armenia at 7pm. For $100 ARS (~$20 USD), you'll receive a red wine glass, entry into a raffle, and a map of the eight stops. Take your time on the self guided tour throughout the neighborhood. At each store you'll find the Wine Tour Urbano flag, waving you inside where a table is set offering tastings of 2 to 4 varieties. You'll learn from a representative about where the wine comes from, the year, and it's particular characteristics. Look around the boutique, then move on to the next stop. At 10pm, the tour wraps up and all the participants gather back at the meeting point. The raffle takes place and gifts from the shops and bottles of wine are given away to celebrate.

The wine tour originally costs $150 ARS. However, if you follow @winetoururbano on Twitter, they'll post an offer a few days before the tour. This week, we got $50 ARS off per person for bringing in small toy. Sandro and I spent $40 ARS total on two toys, saving $60 ARS between the two of us.

There were approximately 60 people participating on the tour. But because it is self guided and lasts three hours, there were never more than 6 or 8 at a stop at any given time, so no long waits for wine. Most of the representatives spoke about the wines in Spanish, but were happy to answer questions in English. Also, the tastings are just that...tastings. Don't worry, you won't be drinking eight full glasses of wine! Each stop has crackers as well to get you through.

The raffle was probably the funnest part about the tour. Once everyone had regrouped, the hostess started pulling names from the hat. There were so many prizes that it seemed like everyone got something. We won a bottle of fancy bubbly, so we were happy! This week, because it was the last tour of the season, we were also offered free pizza at the bar down the street! Everyone rushed over, and sure enough, by the time we'd ordered drinks, there were hot pizzas being passed around the room. There was plenty for everyone and the staff was really on top of it.

What I loved about Wine Tour Urbano was that it was the most organized and functional event I think we've been to here in BA. It started on time, it was well laid out and informative, and the promises of discounts and free food were kept. It was quite a deal at only $100 ARS!

A Buenos Aires Tango

Our British girl, Stephanie, invited us out to a milonga in San Telmo on Sunday. These old tango halls offer a more authentic experience than the big shows put on for hundreds of dollars for tourists. The Buenos Ayres Club at Peru 571 (between Mexico and Venezuela) is a simple, dim, old timey theater with a stage, a dance floor, and tables and chairs along the perimeter. There is a $30 ARS (~$6 USD) cover charge and a bar in the back that offers bottled beer, fernet y cola, and generous glasses of wine for $25-$35 ARS a piece.

At Buenos Ayres Club, you're welcome to take lessons, dance, or just watch. We showed up at 11pm just in time for the live music and open dance floor. We sat and watched a three piece band with male and female vocalists perform native tango songs. The dancers ranged from older local couples in love to younger students of the dance. It was an absolutely pleasant, classic argentine, and inexpensive evening!

A Typical Day Off in Buenos Aires

Sandro and I thought we'd wander and check out a few different spots throughout the city today. After walking through Chacarita last week for all it's amazing street art, we went back to see Parque Los Andes, the weekend feria, and the famous cemetery there.
On the way we walked through Mercado de Las Pulgas, the antique furniture flea market. The warehouse has about a thousand beautiful, vintage furniture pieces, plus knickknacks, clothes, and art from the 1940s-80s. I dream of an apartment furnished by Las Pulgas!

We moved on to Chacarita and walked the edge of the park, browsing through the clothes, incense, tools, and jewelry of the Feria de Parque Los Andes. I purchased a cup of mate and was so satisfied for only $4 ARS. Around the corner was the cemetery. It was just as huge and beautiful as the more popular cemetery in Recoleta, but without tourists or an entrance fee! No Evita here, but we did run into Carlos Gardel, Argentina's most beloved tango singer!

Don't tell anyone, but we ended our outing with a stop at Walmart. We thought maybe we'd find decent prices on household items or familiar fits in t-shirts and other basics. We did find these things, but it definitely wasn't worth it. Cheap products at dumb prices and inefficient customer service at a far-out location are not reasons to make the trek. Stick to your neighborhood shops and you'll be better off!

Cacerolazo - Protest in Buenos Aires

On Thursday night, November 8th (#8N), hundreds of thousands of Argentines and Argentine supporters around the world took to the streets in protest of the government of President Cristina Kirchner de Fernandez. This protest wasn't the first of it's kind, but the largest. We met the majority down at Obelisco in the center of Buenos Aires to check it out and lend our support.



A tiny portion of the protest in Buenos Aires.

These demonstrations, called 'cacerolazos', have become more common in the past couple of years. People hang out their balconies, flood central streets, and meet at significant intersections, banging pots and pans with wooden spoons and shaking water bottles filled with coins to call attention to governmental injustices. The President ratings have plummeted since her second election in 2011 while inflation rates have soared, corruption and dishonesty run rampant, the economy and international trade have been suppressed, and the media has been consistently censored.

Our perception of the cacerolazo was that these protests are peaceful. The protesters come from all backgrounds; mothers with babies, old couples, families, teenagers, locals, and foreigners. The media is present, but it's not about them. The people are organized (these protests are organized through Facebook and Twitter and businesses shut down to accommodate them); they are prepared (there is a cohesive message expressed through signs, banners, slogans projected on buildings and monuments, balloons, air horns, songs, and of course, pots and pans); and they love their country (the Argentine flag represents the strength of the people, not those in power). The problem is the people don't have a strong enough opposition leader, someone to actually run against Cristina in the 2015 election. For now they have their numbers and their voices.

Iguazú Falls, Argentina

Sandro and I went to Iguazú Falls for a few days this week. The National Park borders Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The bulk of it is located in the province of Misiones in Argentina, about a two hour flight from Buenos Aires. We got a sweet flight/hotel/tour package online and ended up staying in the Esturión Hotel within Puerto Iguazú city. It was insanely luxurious and just a short drive from the falls.

A word about booking a tour: DON'T!
Our tour guide arrived at our hotel at 7:30am, an hour early, and then left without us! Even though we had pre-booked and paid for the tour, we decided to hop in a cab and forget meeting up with the group. And we are glad we did. Rather than get caught up with one hundred teenagers or oldies, pointing and eating and generally lagging, we were able to see everything on our own time. The tours generally last 9 hours, but you can see everything there is to see at Iguazú in about four or five.

As with the tour, many people will try to sell you many unnecessary things. You do not need a rain coat. You will get misty if you get up closest to the falls, but you'll want to in the heat, and you'll dry in two minutes.
You do not need to pay $120 ARS for a taxi to and from the park. The Rio Uruguay bus makes pick ups throughout the city every morning and return trips throughout the day straight to your accommodations. Bus tickets are $25 ARS per person per trip.

Also, get there early! The park opens at 8am and the sun and heat are generally pleasant this time of year, until about 12 noon when it starts to get brutal. We stayed from 8am to 12:30pm and it was perfect.

Some things you will need:
o $130 ARS entrance fee per person if you are from outside South America. If you are from this continent, you'll get a significant break.
o Hiking/running shoes. The paths are generally level and well maintained, but you'll be on your feet for a few hours.
o Sunscreen, a hat or sunglasses, bug spray. The sun is close and hardcore. The bugs are not awful, but you'll want to keep them at bay.
o Lunch. There are kioskos throughout the park that offer expensive, crappy snacks. I suggest packing something decent to get you through the morning. Also, there are water fountains (cold and hot for mate!) so bring a water bottle.

But most importantly, be prepared for a lovely experience! The falls really are unlike anything else (sorry, Niagara!). The park is rainforest-like and we saw a toucan, coatis, iguanas, and about one billion butterflies! And rainbows! If it sounds like a dreamy paradise, that's because it is.

SPOILER ALERT!





More photos here.

Buenos Aires Street Art

Sandro, our girl Petra, and I meant to do the Buenos Aires Street Art Tour, but sometimes in this city, things don't happen when they say they do! So lucky for us, we self-guided the tour and wound up having a really chilled out adventure!
We started at Av. Federico Lacroze and Cramer, right by the Colegiales train station. We used this excellent online street art map as a guide. We spent all afternoon roaming through this quiet and lovely neighborhood getting up close with some of these famous pieces. Here are some of my favorites:

For a massive dose of top notch street painting without the long walk, get yourself to El Mercado de Las Pulgas at Dorrego y Av. Alvarez Thomas. This enormous warehouse is an antique furniture flea market and it's outside walls are covered in murals!