Digital Nomads: A Month in Buenos Aires (Argentina)

After a few days of rest in Salta, we take a flight to Buenos Aires. It’s either the plane or a 30-hour bus ride, I think the choice is pretty obvious. We could have chosen Salta or Mendoza, but we really liked Buenos Aires, a city that bears a striking resemblance to Paris, so we wanted to spend a month there. It’s not relaxing at all; JB and I have quite demanding projects that require us to stay put for a while and have a fiber-optic connection.

The city is massive, we took a hop-on hop-off bus ($30/person) and with the traffic, it took us forever just to do half the route. I’ve never seen a city where the hop-on hop-off bus stops are so uninteresting hahaha. It’s a city to live in, not really to visit. The main sights were already ticked off last time, and I wasn’t exactly impressed, so this time we’re just soaking up the city’s vibe.

We arrive in Argentina three months after the election of the new ultra-liberal president, and the exchange rate and inflation are not in our favor at all. A French restaurant owner tells us that in December, the same meal we’re paying €30 for would have cost us €8! All imported products cost a fortune (a Kinder Surprise at €4!), a moisturizer that sells for €15 in France costs €33 here! We’ll have to see how things go in the coming years, whether the dollar will be widely used in the streets. Because payment here is still in pesos, with bills of 1,000 pesos max (€1). We feel like mobsters with our wads of cash every time we go to a restaurant that only accepts cash. Apparently, 20,000-peso bills are in the works, and it’s about time.

The lack of cash weighs on us a bit despite the +200,000 pesos we managed to get in Salta, because Western Union branches in Buenos Aires are often dry. We have to juggle between credit card payments, cash tips, restaurants that only accept cash… luckily we still have euros, which we can exchange more easily (we lose 3% in the exchange), JB explains it in more detail here.

Even our restaurateurs are fed up. They constantly have to anticipate price hikes, even the waiters’ salaries change every month, they have to juggle between pesos and dollars, exchange at the right time, etc. In short, it’s a pain. When we go to a restaurant, we never know if the price will be the same this time or jump up 10% out of nowhere. In one month, our favorite restaurants hiked prices by 10% twice.

It’s here that our clothes decide to fall apart, my cosmetics are running dry, and despite the exorbitant prices, we’re still glad we can stock up and have plenty of choices compared to Bolivia. My computer turns on once every three times, and only when it’s on the table. Anyway. Our stuff wears out over time, but of course, it all breaks down at the same time 😀

Buenos Aires has become very expensive; 7 years ago, 14 pesos = €1, now 1,000 pesos = €1, poor Argentines! Protests are frequent as the new reforms directly affect civil servants and those close to them (who make up 20% of the population). It’s a country that hasn’t been doing well for a long time, but like everywhere in South America, there are always people who are doing very well and don’t seem affected, because upscale restaurants are still packed as if nothing’s wrong.

We spend our lives at Grandes Carnicerias del Plata, where the meat is to die for! I also recommend their “ensalada de rucula” and their “ojo de bife”. When we’re hungry, we each get an “ojo de bife” and share a salad, but when we’re not that hungry, one “ojo de bife” is enough for two. The service is impeccable, plan on 10% in cash for the tip (sometimes, a 10% service charge is already included, so read the bill carefully).

We love the beef tartare at Intercontinental. The “lomo” is the most noble cut of the animal, with little fat, Argentine beef (the best in the world) combined with the French tartare recipe, yum yum!! Mind you, the restaurant has terrible reviews, I don’t know why, but I really enjoyed it!

Another place I love for lunch is Mercado San Telmo. It’s very touristy and horribly hot, but there are plenty of choices. Now, empanadas are usually delicious in Argentina, but in Buenos Aires, they’re just average; they’re baked in the oven and not as good as when they’re fried. I still haven’t found any empanadas worthy of the name. The terraces around the Mercado are really cool too. There are good vibes. Many Argentines are of Italian descent, so you’ll find plenty of good Italian restaurants. Better to go during the week; on weekends, it’s packed!

Stressed out from work, JB and I ended up treating ourselves to a 2.5-hour spa treatment thanks to a Valentine’s Day voucher; it was nice, and we really needed it.

Finally, at my insistence, we went to the movies to see Dune 2 (JB isn’t much into “science fiction”). There’s a “DBOX” category with three rows of special seats that move with the film. I had a similar experience in Sofia, and this time it’s even better. The scene where the Harkonnens fly at the beginning of the film was perfectly translated to my seat; I felt like I was flying too, it was so so cool! All for €10/person. Phew!! Finally something cheap.

JB, on his part, attended 3 football matches, including one at the legendary Bombonera, not really for the quality of the game, but for the atmosphere. This time, a particularly sketchy stadium in the suburbs (San Lorenzo) became way too sketchy for him to go back, but the others are okay to go to if you go with an agency (it’s anyway very difficult to get tickets otherwise).

There are neighborhoods so sketchy that there are police officers in front to prevent people from wandering in by mistake. Right now, there are major electricity problems in a few neighborhoods, they haven’t had electricity for months!!! Luckily we’re not affected, because we need the AC almost every day.

Here, everywhere, you’ll see that the first floors are well protected, not as sketchy as Rio de Janeiro, but everyone protects themselves as much as possible behind metal bars. When JB drops off our laundry at the laundromat, it’s through bars that it’s done.

The residents of our neighborhood who don’t have AC hang out in the street in the evening. The streets are perfectly parallel and perpendicular like in Manhattan, creating a very pleasant breeze in the evening. People hang out there to cool off. There’s always a crowd in front of our building, because there’s apparently a free WiFi hotspot (and a breeze).

However, sometimes there are big temperature swings and we get invaded by mosquitoes and gnats. And then, they disappear who-knows-where. On the day we leave, we learn that the government has just declared a dengue epidemic.

Anyway, I find Buenos Aires a very pleasant city to live in, when you have the means. The city is only an hour by boat from Uruguay (the two countries are separated by the widest river in the world). The downside is that there aren’t many interesting cities nearby. I think those digital nomads who want to combine work and tourism will prefer a city like Salta or Mendoza. Even though there are big cash problems, compared to what we experienced 7 years ago, the situation has clearly improved, and when the dollar is officially adopted, it will be even easier I think (but more expensive too).