Eastbay1K

Is that when she not love you long time when your bills weren't crisp?

iahphx

Even in Peru, they require "crisp" US greenbacks. I treated them like museum pieces before I got rid of them.

HIDDY

For the tourist there's never been a better time to visit the country so I'm not sure what you're on about to be honest. In six months time it won't be any different for the tourist either.

Siempre Viajando

iahphx may have overstated the risks, but I think it's reasonable to forecast that the security situation in BsAs and other urban centers will deteriorate. The last few months of Cristina's reign, and the first few of her successor, are going to be difficult times economically and a lot of Argentines are going to suffer. Naturally, petty crime rates will increase and as always foreigners will be prime targets.

That said, Argentina is an inexpensive destination as long as you are paying cash and trading dollars at or near the blue rate, a situation that is likely to continue until the next government implements rational economic policies.

Siempre Viajando

I just passed through a well-stocked duty-free shop on my way to my departure gate at EZE. Goods are priced in US$ at levels comparable to other duty free shops world-wide. For instance, four bottles of Johnny Walker Black were on sale for US$144. And my dream watch, a Tag Heuer Carrera that I saw in ATL a few months back for around $4,500, is marked at $4,700. (That's why I'm dreaming...)

Any purchase you make in this store will be invoiced in Argentine pesos, with the conversion from the US$ marked price done at the official exchange rate of roughly 8.5. But there's nothing to stop you from paying in cash with pesos purchased on Calle Florida at the "blue" rate which is nearly 16 as of today.

This means that the four bottles of JWB will set you back around US$80. I don't drink much whisky but I'm pretty sure that's a bargain anywhere. And that watch? It's going to come in at under $3,000, meaning that I could fly here from Santiago, stay for the weekend in a reasonably priced hotel, buy the watch and then re-sell it in Santiago and more than pay for my trip with the profit (after all, the retail price in Santiago is going to be considerably higher than $4,700, since Chile applies a VAT of 19% and retailers get away with big markups).

DEAL!

So I asked the watch guy why he had any watches left. I mean, isn't everyone doing this? He responded with a wry smile, acknowledging that watch sales are indeed increasing. Last week for instance, three Chinese guys came through with a suitcase containing 500,000 Argentine pesos and bought 15 expensive watches, no doubt intended for re-sale at a nice profit.

I just wonder how those guys got their cash through security and Immigration. Tourists don't fill out Customs forms on the way out of the country, but I'm pretty sure that they were legally obliged to declare that cash.

I think I might just come back here soon.

britenbsas

Talk about unnecessary scaremongering! You've made clear in many many posts that you're taking your tourist dollars elsewhere due to the reciprocity fee so you're not going to be in Argentina "when the end comes" in any case!

Eastbay1K

I just arrived an hour ago. My driver charged $380 from EZE. Time to go find out how much my lunch is going to cost.

spainflyer

380 ARS would be just over 24 USD at current blue rate. Is that a good price from the airport to town? It would be a very good rate in Madrid, and a great rate in New York.

Oh, and please do let us know about lunch, and what it cost!

Eastbay1K

That is a very good fare into town. I'd estimate that fares have generally been in a range from US$30 to upper $30s during most of my visits here over the past several years.

Lunch - I bought several things to bring home so I'd have lunch now and something for tomorrow.
(1) A milanesa sandwich
(2) 3 empanadas
(3) A large salad (lettuce, tomato, egg, chicken breast, rice)
Total $120

The empanadas were $10, which is my unofficial personal official inflation index.

spainflyer

So, we will submit these stats to The Economist for the official Big Empanada cost of living index. 21 US cents per empanada paying with dolarblue pesos.

Keep 'em coming. Looking for the current price of a decent (not fancy) steak dinner, papas fritas or puré, green salad, a half liter of Malbec and a panqueque de manzana for desert. This will become the advanced cost of living index.

Eastbay1K

You're off by quite a bit. It is closer to 67 cents at 15-1, which is realistically anyone who isn't trading large volumes is going to get.

Siempre Viajando

This week I spent A$700 plus tip for dinner (for two) at Tancat, a wonderful tapas bar near Calle Florida. This included a bottle of wine. That's less than $50 at the blue rate although since I was there on business I used my credit card and so spent US$90 or so.

I lunched at Happening, an upscale steak house in Puerto Madero. For two people it was A$800 including meat, salads, water, one glass of wine each and one espresso. Throw in a tip of A$100 and it's just over US$100 at the official rate, or about US$60 at the blue rate (again, I used my credit card).

spainflyer

That's the price for 3. $10 ARS is just about 2/3 of 15.5, today's exchange rate. 67 US cents for 3, 22 cents for 1 (inflation has set in again!)

Eastbay1K

I was not clear earlier, so I see. The empanadas were $10 c/u. 3 were $30. That is the price one pays when spending the night on crappy old AA J seats where one does not esleep.

Gaucho100K

I agree. The above scaremongering content will be edited by the Lord Moderator of this forum....