Changes in Argentina

Saturday was the first evening I slept in a bed in three days. We arrived to Mendoza around 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, so I spent one night on a plane and the other on a bus. Entering Mendoza through the “Terminal de Omnibus,” or “Union Station,” felt like dejavu since I had done the same thing two years earlier, coming from Buenos Aires instead. It was absolutely amazing to be back in Argentina again, even if it wasn’t the same city where I studied, to get a taste of how things are going. Here’s what I noticed.  

Things that have changed in Argentina

The exchange rate

In 2011, $1 USD = 4 Argentine pesos. Now, $1 = 5 Argentine pesos. What does that mean? It’s exciting if you’re an American, but horrible if you’re an Argentine in their sinking economy. It was a big adjustment to look at prices with the new exchange rate, and interesting to observe how the economy can change so quickly.

Bus payment methods

One struggle living in South America is constantly finding coins, or “monedas,” to take the bus around town. Now, you can buy a bus PASS instead of beg for change. Unfortunately, we still got on the bus without enough change (or a bus card) and pulled the Gringo card to not pay the entire fee, but it’s nice for any individual to be able to use a pass instead of saving up change. Ironically enough, the bus fare was only 2.50 pesos, which is 50 cents in the US. So not a lot, but still at least three coins.

The Paso de Los Toros logo

Paso de los Toros is my favorite brand of my token Argentina beverage, ‘gaseosa de pomelo.’ That’s Spanish for grapefruit soda. Although Fresca and other citrus sodas exist in the US, there is something special about Paso de Los Toros. I’m addicted, so it wasn’t a surprise when I noticed the logo change because I bought this soda so much when I was there.

Things that are exactly the same

Medialunas and a good breakfast

Upon our arrival into Mendoza, Elizabeth, Alicia and I sat down starving at a restaurant and ordered a ‘promoción,’ consisting of two medialunas (croissants), a mug of coffee and a glass of orange juice & sparkling water. This standard Argentine breakfast was a great way to return!

The bus numbers and routes

It’s cool how consistent these are, because ewe took the same bus to Mendoza that my friends took two years ago. Lines 171-173 of bus route 10 aren’t going anywhere anytime soon!

Wineries and activities in Mendoza

After getting off of the bus, we stopped at the familiar Mr. Hugo’s bikes to rent bikes to take to the wineries. Mr. & Mrs. Hugo were there greeting every customer and showing everyone their way around the map. Although we went to entirely different wineries than the last trip, it was comforting to see a stable business and familiar faces from 2011. The policia even followed us on our ride home to protect us like they did last time.

Semicamas on buses

I wrote about this while I was in Argentina, but a “semicama” is exactly what it sounds like. “Kind of a bed.” When we got on the bus to Mendoza, our seats were semicamas, where a footrest moves down from the seat in front of you so you can lay down diagonally. I wasn’t able to sleep any better in it than I was two years ago, but it’s still the norm here.

Dulce de leche

We stopped at Havana (similar to Starbucks) for alfajores, Argentine cookies filled with dulce de leche, and a bakery to buy some dulce treats. Manjar nuez, a mock dulce in Santiago and some areas of Buenos Aires, just wasn’t the same. I made sure to leave with plenty of dulce to eat throughout the week!