When Plans Don’t Go to Plan: A Detour in Argentina

Setting Off for Argentina

The Frugal Doctor and The Handsome Surfer are going to be visiting Argentina for the first time together. How exciting! Our first stop in Argentina will be Purmamarca. From San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, to Purmamarca, Argentina, it will be an 8-hour bus ride. Our Andesmar bus departs at 7:30am; we should be in Purmamarca by 3:30pm at the latest. The total cost of the bus for both of us is 100,000 Chilean Pesos, which is about USD$101 or AUD$160. This is going to be the longest bus ride for the whole mini-retirement.

We are looking forward to exploring Argentina, especially Jujuy. We are inspired by travel blogger Nicki and her fantastic Argentina guides. But before we go, there’s one lingering question: How will we manage money in Argentina?

Chasing the Peso

We haven’t quite figured out as yet what the currency situation is going to be like in Argentina. Can we use our Australian cards? How are we going to go with changing currency? The Frugal Doctor had downloaded the Dólar Blue Hoy app to keep tabs on the going exchange rate. In San Pedro de Atacama, we had only exchanged USD$200 because the best rate we could find was 1,200. The haggling attempts had failed, despite the plea that this was way lower than the going Dólar Blue rate of 1,340.

A Scenic Ride

What a scenic bus ride it is. We can see the Chilean border with Bolivia from a distance. In a few weeks, we will be making our way back through there. The Frugal Doctor is happy to have a window seat; they are lost in the scenery. It’s surreal. The bus is supposed to get us up to an altitude of 4,700m. Mountain ranges, lagoons, and vicuñas grazing, camouflaged against the scrubs. It is hard to stop staring out of the window. Home is definitely a long while away. The bus ride seems to be going by so quickly; we will soon be at the border between Chile and Argentina (Paso de Jama).

Change of Plans

At the border, the bus driver has some unfortunate news for us. There has been a major accident on Route 52 on the way to Purmamarca. He is going to take an alternative route and drive directly to Salta. We will be arriving in Salta around 9pm, so the 8-hour bus ride is now at least 14 hours. The scenery is stunning, but we will have to endure another 6 hours on the bus. There is a group on an Intrepid tour on the bus currently. We have never been fans of group tours; now we have no option but to “join” the Intrepid group to Salta.

The Handsome Surfer and The Frugal Doctor both have no phone reception. The bus driver had given a ray of hope: if the situation on the road changes, he will drive past Purmamarca (we are hopeful). As more time passes, it is clear that Salta is the destination. What are we going to do? Where are we going to stay? What’s Salta like? Will it be safe looking for accommodation that late? We have no way of communicating with our Airbnb hosts in Purmamarca that we are not going to arrive as planned.

Plan A, Plan B

What are we going to do? Fortunately, we have downloaded the offline map of North Argentina on Maps.me. When we arrive, we need to have a place in mind to stay for the night. There are some hostels with good ratings in the vicinity of the bus station. We have two mapped out, which are not too far from one another: plan A and plan B.

We hardly have had much to eat; there has not been a stop since Paso de Jama. A nice hearty meal is going to be next, after we find our accommodation. It’s a slight detour; we won’t let this ruin our plans. We don’t like cities that much. One night in an unknown city is fine; we will make our way out there as soon as we can and head to Purmamarca.

Reflections on the Road

There is no point in stressing about the unknown. Let’s enjoy and take in more of this spectacular scenery. More Spanish lessons to do as the long bus ride continues. Sometimes I look out the window and wonder how one makes a living here in the middle of nowhere. Where do they get their water? How many people live in that house? A solar panel, nice touch. How much energy would they get from that? If I lived out here, would I thrive, or would I be way out of my element with no creature comforts in sight?

The sun is setting in the distance. How long till we are there? I have let my thoughts wander. On the road, there were many roadside shrines, a reminder of those that perished en route. They did not make it to whatever destination they were going to. Their journey ended in transit. Another gentle reminder that whatever plans they had, they would never get to fulfil. I pray for a safe trip and hope that there was not another life lost in the accident that saw us take this detour. It’s getting dark. My faith is in the driver, who has probably made this journey many times. We will get to Salta safely.

Serendipity Strikes in Salta

We finally arrive in Salta. What a long bus ride it was! 14 hours later, we can leave the bus. 14 hours was the time it took to travel from Melbourne to Santiago. We are both tired and very hungry (tenemos mucha hambre). Serendipity: we ring the bell for the first hostel just as the owner was about to depart. We make an effort to speak in Spanish; he feels for our plight. He has a recommendation for the best asado in town. We are in Argentina, after all; meat rules here. Fortunately, people here eat late, so the night is still young. I love Argentina already. It feels like an extension of Australia; they even have the same power plugs as Australia. We are home!

We enjoy the hearty meal and tip the waiter generously. That was the best meal we have had so far on this mini-retirement. The meat was divine. The Malbec, beer, and atmosphere were all a delight. Total cost, including tip: $43,100 Argentine Pesos (USD$36). If we made the detour so that we could enjoy this meal, then it was worth it.

Exchanging Currency

The next morning, we go looking for currency exchangers. We find men in the street saying, “cambio, cambio”. I ask one what the going rate for the USD is, and it’s 1,340. Do we trust these men? We have no option; there isn’t a formal money exchange in sight. We change USD$100 with one, then another USD$200 with another. Fortunately, Argentina now has larger notes: 10,000 and 20,000. We don’t have to stash 402,000 in a bag. In a not-so-distant past, one would receive it all in 1,000 or smaller notes, that is, at least 402 bills. Fingers crossed the bills we have received are legit. On we go to Purmamarca, more pesos in hand. The Salta stop has indeed been a blessing.

The Famous Artist on the Bus

On the bus to Purmamarca, we get talking to a friendly old man who is seated in the seat adjacent to ours. He seems like quite the character. As the vendors enter the bus with their delights, he is buying their food. He shows us some of the artworks he has done. I’m intrigued. “That’s a huge mural. You must be quite a popular artist”, I say. Turns out he is indeed. He has more to show, including a large mural he is currently working on. He invites us to his house and gives us his business card. In a week’s time, we will be in his town; we will indeed make the effort to visit.

Glad It Didn’t Go to Plan

Who would have thought that we would be adding “visit a local icon” to the list? This detour has indeed been a great delight. Argentina, it has only been a day or two, and I’m liking you already: friendly people, great food, and beautiful scenery. The hostel owner sends a friendly message to check in on how our travels have gone. We are blown away by the gesture; they can’t believe our chance encounter with the local artist. Serendipity indeed. We are glad that our plan didn’t go to plan. When things don’t unfold as expected, perhaps they are unfolding as they should.

Have you been glad that your plan didn’t go to plan?