October 18: Rest day in Perito Moreno
An actual rest day so I didn't go far and did actually rest. Still, there was some drama: for the first time, a place didn't take cards or contact payment. And since this is my second to last day in Argentina I've been trying to use up my cash. I was carrying my last $11000 cash (about 11 euros), but lunch was $14000 and there was a problem. I'd seen it coming; they had a sign saying cash or "transferencia", but I'd only seen it coming after I'd ordered - seriously, this has never been an issue so far so I've got acclimatized; you can say "complacent" if you prefer.
I'd done a bit of Googling over lunch but that word is a derivative of "transfer" which makes Google a little bit unhelpful. Maybe it means a QR code and everything will magically work? No: they have no payment gadgetry (or maybe my Spanish failed) and I guess I actually have to find some cash.
First option is the ATM across the road. I try my two cards in three different machines, trying each of the withdrawal options available and it consistently tells me I'm specifying the wrong amount. I'm asking for $20,000 (20 euros!) and it's telling me the surcharge is a bit over $13,000 (13 euros! 2/3 of what I'm withdrawing!) which is scandalous. In other situations I'd take great pleasure in telling the machine no, YOU'RE specifying the wrong amount, but I need to find 3 euros so I can't.
So in addition to being a scandal, it didn't work. Second option is the only other ATM location in town, which is six blocks up the road. Trying the exact same thing again, any reason to think the outcome will be different? This is not madness… I'm just trying every single option to get out of this riptide of Argentinian financial chaos.
The ATM at this new location is the exact same model with the exact same interface and it asks the exact same questions and tries to charge me the exact same amount and it gives me the exact same result. Sorry, that wasn't quite true: instead of an error message it gave me $20k cash and a receipt. Huh.
Anyway, after I got the bill settled there was enough left for a coffee and some very impressive cake.
I'm happy to not dwell on the monetary madness. I'm leaving the country in 24 hours and so long I don't need to pay more than $7000 (7 euros) in cash it's going to be fine.
From left to right: The final, hard-earned cake. Santa Cruz map on the wall of the cafe. Average and great street art.
In other news, let's talk about my favourite piece of gear: my rack bag. (Photos below.) I picked this up in an Ushuaia supermarket, when I figured out they didn't have any sort of shopping bag, and things were getting desperate. 10 euros, and it's worked out really well. It's not as big as the rack/water bag I had on the European divide, so I was expecting problems: but it's big enough for all my water bottles. That rack bag sagged onto the back wheel occasionally which wore holes in it, so was I worried that the same thing would happen to this one. That hasn't happened so far, it's probably lashed on better.
I'm doing tourist things, and there have been a few times when I've gone on an excursion and needed a backpack for snacks and water and the fleece. I'm grateful to have it, a shopping bag would not have been as good.
Last bit of news for today is that I've got some replacement earphones. This needed a bit of a conversation using Google Translate at the store, but it all worked out in the end. Except for the price! It's three or four times what I paid in Europe - admittedly from an online bulk retailer I found after a long search. They're so expensive I'm not going to use them until the wind has died down, in case they suffer the same fate as the last pair.
Today is the last day in Perito Moreno. Which is about the same latitude as Invercargill, and probably not completely dissimilar. A nice cafe. A nice restaurant or two. A supermarket, but it's so small it doesn't have raisins or dried fruit or breakfast cereal. The people are friendly and the vibe is upbeat.
But one rest day here is enough, I've now walked around the whole town and I'm ready to move on.
