I had a bazillion plans for my trip to South America, but only 3 came to fruition. Argentina, like Brazil, was not one of them (I have to mine more gold bars first lol). But I had to find my way back to Peru (via Bolivia), so I thought Salta, situated in the northwest, would be a nice detour. The Salt flats with pools caught my attention. Smooth sailing.. but with a few slight hiccups.
When I started searching for the visa, I was pleased to learn that The Philippines is now included in Argentina’s E-visa thingy. I created an account. Unfortunately, the links for the application form and the payment were broken. I sent an email, but I just received an automated response. My trip already started. I kept checking every single day. After about 2 weeks, the links miraculously worked. No idea how long it would take, but I had my hopes up, so I booked a flight to Salta. A backup plan was ready, just in case (another route that would require more research lol). Fortunately, 3 days before my flight, I received the E-visa. Wheew! Since this was kind of last minute, I wasn’t mentally prepared. I had no clue what I was getting myself into.
You may check out Argentina E-Visa blog on how to apply.
Entering Argentina by land was a breeze. It’s like in Europe with toll gates. You just give your passport to the officer and they will stamp it, no need to get out of the car. I arrived in Puerto Iguazú with plenty of time. It was a small airport, so everything went swiftly. I heard my tummy growling, so I bought like a white bread with ham and bottled water from the only store in the boarding area. I sat in one of the many empty chairs, facing the other person who was also waiting for her flight. There were 2 of us now. The bread was stale, or maybe that’s how it really was? I had a few bites. That should be enough to keep me going without collapsing. The place looked safe, so I left my backpack on the chair and went to the restroom. I got back in a jiffy. A cloud of confusion swirled around me. My heartbeat started echoing inside my ears. I was feeling cold and shaky. It took a while to sink in.. then I finally let it out.. “My backpack is missing!!!”
The officers doing the scanning thing were just located at the back. You can see everything at a glance. It must be hard for someone to steal something there. Panic hadn’t fully seized me yet. But I already came up with some scenarios in my head. I was worried about the hassle of buying a new backpack and clothes, it would definitely ruin my budget and my schedule.
I asked the lady, the one sitting in front of me, if she saw my bag. She didn’t understand me. I typed my question in Google Translate. She responded by pointing to the officers. I should’ve felt a great sense of relief. But no, it was the opposite. It made me nervous (for my fellow Filipinos, remember tanim bala?). I can easily replace my things, but being detained in another country is a different story, and I don’t want to be a part of it.
My eyes were searching the area for a familiar backpack as I hurriedly walked to the officers. There was no sign of it. I took a deep breath and asked, “I’m looking for my backpack?”. They answered me with a question. They wanted to know where I went. “To the restroom,” I politely said. Then they handed me my backpack without a fuss (they hid it beside the scanner). They seriously take things that are unattended. I let out a heavy sigh and thanked them. I returned to the same chair and didn’t leave until boarding. They checked inside my bag as the arrangement of my things had changed. But it was ok, it was my fault.
The flight from Puerto Iguazú to Salta was a short one, about 2 hours. As soon as I landed, I looked for an ATM. Apparently, Argentina had this ATM situation going on. I spent a lot of time figuring out the fees and guessing the withdrawal limit. It was like trial and error. A bit exasperating!
* Fees are through the roof. You will be charged more or less PHP400 per transaction. Plus any fees from your local bank, plus the exchange rate of course.
* Charge varies from bank to bank and also depends on the amount
* Withdrawal limit differs. It was so low.. about AR$ 3-4,000 (at least in my experience). The conversion rate at that time was PHP1 = AR$1.15
So.. more withdrawal.. more charges.. less fun!
I noticed I was the only one left in the airport, so I gave up and accepted my fate. I meant the AR$342 charge lol. It was the lowest I found so far.
I booked a taxi from the airport to be safe. I made it to the hostel in no time. I rested for a while and headed out to grab some lunch and a little sightseeing.
Feeling recharged, I was ready and beyond excited to find the best bank/ATM in town!
I looked on the map and found HSBC. This must be it! I went there and tried to withdraw. To my dismay, the charge was almost doubled! I canceled the transaction and lowered the amount like I did at the airport. Sadly, the charge was still the same, so I canceled again. I moved on to another bank (I forgot what it was). The tedious process no longer bothered me, I found it challenging lol, until a dreadful message appeared: “You do not have enough funds”.
I fled to the restaurant where I had lunch so I could connect to their WIFI and quickly checked my bank account. Tadaaaa!!! I was debited at HSBC twice! I emailed my bank to report the issue and they replied instantly: ‘ATM systems have an auto-reconciliation process, which may reverse a transaction if the problem is easily recognizable’. I was advised to monitor my account balance for 3 days after a system refresh. So, I had to transfer funds in the meantime. I decided to quit trying and just went to the first local bank ATM that I found and got it over with. I didn’t care about the charges anymore (as long as they were not as high as HSBC).
I got curious about this ATM madness so I did a Google search. Argentina was grappling with an economic crisis. The ATM thing was just one of the many problems that they were facing. Forget about credit card, it was another story. (good thing I didn’t need to use it). Exchanging USD/EUR/GBP to ARS seems to be the cheapest method. I had a decent amount of USD with me but I got scammed in Brazil before going to Argentina so.
So yeah, my first day in Salta was spent mostly at ATMs. Luckily, the sun was still up. I had time to go for a stroll!
Salta is both a region and a capital. The town is brimming with a mix of colonial, baroque, and neoclassical architecture. Churches towering high above the streets. Statues everywhere. Palm-tree lined plaza. Bustling park. Loads of shops. There were cable cars floating through the sky. I dashed away and followed the direction of the wires!
I was told that hiking was also an option. I didn’t have to think twice.. round trip ticket please lol. There were very few people. Maybe riding gondolas doesn’t amuse them anymore? It was a short ride. I reached the other end, the top of San Bernardo’s hill, in less than 10 minutes. I walked around the area. There were stores, a restaurant, tiny man-made falls, and a garden. Before I descended, I watched the sunset and the panoramic views of the city against the mountains. It was an excellent way to end my stressful day.
I decided to take the same route and sprint back to the hostel, it was already getting dark. But when I passed by the park, I couldn’t help but slow down and stayed for quite a while. The city was so alive. People dancing tango in their colorful dresses. Street performers showing off their talents. Bells ringing from the evening mass. The bright lights from the shops and food stalls were pulling you in. The others were simply spending quality time with their loved ones. I didn’t mind the crowd. I was enjoying the moment. I hardly noticed the time. I even went to the grocery and picked up my laundry. I also tried super pancho to see what the hype was about, it was everywhere and there were long lines!
Glad that my first day ended better than I expected. I was eager to see what surprises the following days had for me.
Thankfully, the hostel I was staying at offered tours so I signed up for Salinas Grandes. I’m not sure if this is a sign of aging, but I kind of enjoy joining tours now (just the small groups, not the massive bus tours). First, convenience. Second, since there are guides you get to know more about the places! Of course, it’s not without its cons like having limited time. But so far, it works well for me. I can sleep peacefully knowing that everything is taken care of.
I was picked up around 7am. I got the entire second row to myself #introvertgoals lol! We had a few stops before heading to the Salt Flats:
- Bakery, still in Salta. It would be a long ride so we needed something to munch on in case we got hungry. We were given coca leaves to chew to alleviate altitude sickness. It wasn’t that bad. But if I had an option, I would choose the tea version. The guide said it’s illegal to grow coca leaves in Argentina, so I guess we have to thank Bolivia for the unli supply.
- At the base of a railway viaduct. I wanted to end my trip in Argentina aboard the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds). The vapor from the machine plus the condensation of clouds make it look like the train is always surrounded by clouds, hence the name. It is the fifth highest railway in the world. Indeed, an engineering marvel! It was pretty expensive so I had to think about it very very hard many many times lol! The moment I finally decided to give in, it was already sold out, not meant to be I guess. I just gazed at the railway. There was a moment of sadness, thinking of what I may have missed lol. We were already at a high altitude, there was an ambulance ready! I wasn’t feeling anything out of the ordinary. Either I don’t get sick easily or coca was doing its job.
- Quaint town of Santa Rosa de Tastil. Some ruins, chapel, museums, and shops.
- San Antonio de Los Cobres. This is where the Train to the Clouds will depart. We had lunch in this small town. I walked around and found a beautiful church: Iglesia San Antonio de Padua.
- Salinas Grandes Salt Flats. My first salt flats experience! It is the world’s third largest so it’s not as massive as the one in Bolivia but it has its own charm.. the turquoise water pools! (which turn into salt crystals after 10 months). The blinding white land (with grayish patches) stretches over the Salta and Jujuy provinces. They don’t call it “grandes” for nothing. It was dry when I went there, perfect for those silly perspective photos but I was on my own so I just got a selfie lol.
- Abra de Potrerillo – with an elevation of 4.170m above sea level. There is a viewpoint where you can fully take in the dramatic Cuesta de Lipan mountain range (Lipan slope) with its never-ending hairpin turns that wind their way up.
- Purmamarca village. Lots of artisan markets, cafes/restaurants, adobe houses, narrow streets, and the Cerro de Los Siete Colores (The Hill of the Seven Colors) as its backdrop! The region was underwater for millions of years, the different minerals resulted in layers of various colors. They said it’s best to see the multicolored hill in the morning, but it was already in the afternoon when we arrived so the colours were not that recognizable anymore.
On our way back, the guide played Killing Me Softly, Honesty, All Out of Love, All by Myself, and the like. Definitely lulled me to sleep. Lol!
If the highlight of my first day in Salta was ATMs, guess what my last day was? Printer! Good thing I didn’t have anything planned. Well, it was supposed to be a full-day trip on the Train to the Clouds but there were no more slots available. As the saying goes.. Everything happens for a reason, really!
I booked a bus online going to La Quiaca – one of the border towns in Argentina. I thought I could just show the e-ticket on my phone. That’s what I always do because that is its purpose right? Not for them.
It was on a Sunday. Most shops were closed! I went to the bus station to see if they could print it for me, they said no. I went to every printing service on the map, all closed! I had no idea where I was anymore. There was no other shop left to check.
I was hopeless so I thought I would rest in the hostel for a bit and maybe I could think of something else. As I walked back through the empty streets, my eyes widened in disbelief. There was a small computer shop that just popped out! It wasn’t on the map. Maybe it was new? Maybe it was too small to be noticed? Whatever it was, I was super happy I found it. Problem solved!
The bus was scheduled to leave at 10pm, I still had time to spare. I walked around for one last time.
While I was walking, someone handed me a coupon, a discounted burger meal, so I thought I would use it. I went to find McDonald’s and ordered this meal using the coupon. But for some reason, they didn’t have it. Because the coupon was not theirs! Little did I know it was for a different fast-food chain, sorryyy! I just ordered a salad from them to save myself from shame!
I went to the station a couple of hours early so I can buy some presents. We then left Salta on time. It was a very comfy ride but I had a fitful sleep because this time, Bon Jovi’s music was playing on repeat, in full blast lol. After about 7 hrs, we arrived at La Quiaca.
It was still dark. The passengers were on an escape mission, in the blink of an eye, they were all gone. I was the last one who got off. And then the bus left.
So I was there, all alone. I needed to cross into Villazon – one of the border towns in Bolivia. But the border was nowhere in sight. I was clueless. There was no one to ask for. No guards or police, only dogs lol. It was too cold. The bus station was covered but there were no doors so the cool air was coming in. I remained inside curled up in a ball, desperately waiting for daylight or help from anyone.
One miserable hour had passed, I saw another human being. Luckily, he was also headed to Bolivia so we went to the border together. It was about a 15-minute walk. It was still closed when we arrived, but at least there were officers around. The man I met was from Buenos Aires. He hardly spoke English. I couldn’t use Google Translate at that time, it was a challenge to take my hands out as it was freezingly cold for me lol. We barely had a conversation.
There were no chairs so we sat on the floor and waited at what we thought was the immigration office/counter. We set up our own little space. He took out his sleeping bag. I covered myself with my scarf, towel, and some clothes. Gotta improvise ya know lol!
After eternity, the sun began to shine on our faces. However, the officer didn’t look like he was planning to open the counter. Obviously, we were the first but there was no one behind us. Strange! The Argentinean guy was slightly flustered. He looked around and found that there was a different counter and the queue was already long! We immediately packed our things and joined the inevitable line. Thankfully, it was fast-moving. I got the exit stamp from Argentina and at the same time, I got like an entry receipt to Bolivia. I had to verify this to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, and yep it was legit.. no entry stamp on the passport. And just like that, I was out of Argentina 🥺
