German
Argentina: Millionaire, El Camino de La Cornisa & Auto Camper
February 2024
Pesos Millionaire
On February 10, 2024, Western Union paid one million pesos for SFR. 706.00 at the Blue Dollar exchange rate. Around two years ago, one Swiss franc was worth around 200 pesos. Now it is 1,416 pesos.
What is ideal for tourists with hard foreign currency is a huge disaster for Argentina and its people.
Gauchos in Argentina
Yes, they still exist in Argentina. They look after millions of sheep and cattle. The country has now become one of the most important meat exporters in the world. However, the boundless freedom of the former gauchos is long gone.
The gaucho's present is monotonous farm work for around 300 dollars a month.
A gaucho without a dog is not a gaucho. He needs a dog, a horse, a saddle, a lasso and a knife. The dogs help to drive the animals and make the horse tire less quickly. Of course, the dog, like the horse, is man's best friend.
The last gauchos who still conform to the old ideas are 50 or older. The younger ones want to be more comfortable and prefer to become tractor drivers.
We always enjoy meeting gauchos on their horses.
Our Sprinter, a small storage miracle
It's amazing how much space there is in our little Sprinter. Thanks to the swivel seats, we have a living/dining room with a 3-sided window view. Integrated shower and WC.
Kitchen combination with 2-burner stove and sink with hot/cold water, including 4 drawers. Total of 8 wall cupboards. Integrated compartment for Nespresso machine and milk frother. 90-liter refrigerator with ice compartment. Cross bed for 2 persons. Numerous power connections and 12-volt plug.
Space under the bed for 8 plastic boxes (55x40x35) and 2 Westfield chairs incl. leg rests. There is also space for a small, folding table, a camping table 120x60.
As the vehicle is licensed for 4,200 kg and we have created additional reserves by modifying the chassis, we are traveling comfortably with a full load of 3,800 kg.
Carnival in Salta
The last time we entered Argentina in mid-November, we received an eight-month driving permit for the vehicle instead of three. This meant that we only had to extend our personal visa at immigration after three months without leaving the country. The timing meant that we had to do this in the provincial capital of Salta.
So once again we found ourselves at the Balneario-Camping Carlos Xamena.
On the local carnival, a group of adults and various groups of children paraded past the three-hundred-metre-long swimming pool. The children were clearly having fun. The greatest pleasure seems to be spraying each other with foam from a can. Different countries, different habits.
Yungas - El Camino de La Cornisa
is the old national road no. 9, which leads south from San Salvador de Jujuy to the capital Salta. A 60 km long stretch of road with hundreds of bends. Nowhere else in Argentina have we driven such an impressive jungle route in such a fascinating landscape.
The road is only 4 meters wide for long stretches, with many bottlenecks where two cars cannot cross. It also often leads past extreme precipices. Not for anxious motorists. 16 years ago, we had already driven the route twice with the Robusto truck without any troubles.
Car Camper
We call them car sleepers.
With little money it is possible to turn a car into a camper. Yes, it seems to be a real trend to travel with your car and very little equipment. In the evening, the seats are simply reclined and serve as a bed. The more luxurious ones are in the load compartment - young and old. Dirty messiness usually goes hand in hand - we can only wonder.
