I recently got back from a two week trip to Argentina and was shocked at some of the cultural differences that I thought would be interesting to share. Long story short: Argentina is one of the top three trips I’ve ever taken in my life (up there with Hawaii and Greece) and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to travel. Here are five things that I did while in Argentina that I would never dream of in the USA…

1. Take a 45 minute taxi through the city for less than $4 US Dollars 💵

That’s right! This is one highlight of how cheap Argentina is (especially compared to the US Dollar). Taxi and Uber rides there were dirt cheap and most of them are less than $2 each, but even the long ones are around $4. Pretty Impressive! A note on inflation… I know we think our 9% in the USA is bad right now, but in Argentina it’s gotten so bad that if you want to pay cash, you have to bring a bag of money with you just to carry it all. We tried to use mostly cash while there because it’s cheaper than the conversion rate for credit cards, but it was wild walking around with piles of cash stuffed in every pocket, or stacks of bills in the backpack (their most common / highest value bill is equal to about $1 as of Feb 2024).

2. Pick up a hitch hiker! 😳

As a kid I pretty much thought that hitch hikers were the most dangerous people in the ENTIRE world, so it was pretty shocking (and thrilling) to see so many people in the Patagonia region of the country just hitch hiking around and hoping they can get a ride to the next town, or to wherever works out. After seeing them around for a couple days and getting used to the idea of them, we picked up a couple of hitch hikers outside the town of El Chalten and they turned out to be from Colorado. We had a nice chat on the drive into the town and then dropped them off when we were no longer going in the right direction for them. It was such a thrill and I’m glad they didn’t murder us with an axe (truth be told, Argentina felt 100 times more safe than Philadelphia). Sadly, I do not have a photo of the hitch hikers… that seemed too much to try for in the moment, also I was focused on not being murdered.

3. Eat a Llama empanada 🦙

Yep, I ate a llama. Am I mildly traumatized because of it? Potentially. Actually it was fine. It wasn’t the most delicious meat I’ve ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. It tasted like a fishy sour sort of beef (which, when I describe it that way, yeah it sounds gross). I ate one for breakfast one morning and then in the car an hour later we saw a herd of about 12 llamas just chilling on the side of the road having some grass for lunch. I got a good kick out of it and then wouldn’t stop quoting The Emperor’s New Groove (“Llama faaaace!”) for the rest of the trip.

4. See monkeys in the wild! 🐒

I can’t stop thinking about these cute little guys. I was on the lookout for wildlife and was worried about seeing a jaguar, so I was glad to see monkeys, and even more glad that they didn’t throw poop at me (which they allegedly do when they see humans).

5. Stand where you can see three countries at one time 🇦🇷 🇧🇷 🇵🇾

In the most northeast tip of Argentina there are some incredible waterfalls (that rival Niagara, for real) and a spot where two rivers combine. Across one of the rivers is Brazil, and across the other is Paraguay. We visited here on the last night of the trip and it was such a cool experience to see the two other countries standing near the edge of the water in Argentina. We took the time to go to Brazil and visit a bird park across the border, but didn’t have the time to make it to Paraguay… guess I’ll have to go back!

Argentina is so amazing that I have two more bonus “never done in the USA” items…

I plan on publishing the two week itinerary with ONE recommended adjustment. I didn’t get to visit Mendoza and I think with a little less time in Buenos Aires, a couple days in Mendoza would have me drooling over the wine region… just one more amazing thing to love about Argentina! Here are my bonus items because I couldn’t get it down to just five. Hope you’ve enjoyed these!

BONUS: I drank water from a glacial stream, but not from the tap 🏔️

So it’s backwards from the USA in terms of drinking water. I didn’t drink the tap water (although some say “you can”) but I DID drink water flowing down a mountain in a stream directly from a glacier. Perfectly safe… good luck finding water that clean in the USA.

BONUS: In Argentina, you can buy empanadas for $0.48 cents each

Okay so the Llama empanada was probably like $3, kind of pricey, but you can get street food empanadas in Buenos Aires for anywhere from $0.35-$1.00 each, and they are all amazing. Find me a place in the USA where I can buy empanadas for $0.48 each and I will buy a house next door.