Crossed the border yesterday with no Argentine Pesos.
No worries - pop into the first bank en route and get stuck into their ATM. Los Antiguos - Banco de la Prov. de Santa Cruz - pulled over - sorry no Chip'n'Pin at our ATMs - try the local Restaurant - lovely meal - but no currency!
Same story at Gobernador Gregores 400km down the road - both banks say no! Ah well Mastercard is universally accepted - EXCEPT at Parador Ruta 40 Motel where we stayed last night! Check out time - "Lo sentio no acepta tarjetas de crédito" - "Solo peso Argentino". Hmm - problema!
Back to the banks - this time I'm serious! But no - bank can't give me any dosh!! Try the Supermercado across the street. Shop there and you get 20 quid cashback. Or try the Petrol Station - unlimited foreign exchange facility! Really?
Supermarcado said "NO" - and demanded photo ID to buy a 50p bottle of water!
On to the YPF Petrol Station - seemed even more unlikely then the Supermercado! Straight inside to the payment counter. "NO" she said - pointing back out to the young lad who was filling our tank with Super+. He grinned and produced a wallet full of different currencies - quoted 200 Argies for 10,000 Chilenos. 25% down on the Mastercard rate - hey - in a tight place - no option - took 2,000 Argies for 100,000 Chilenos - settled the Motel bill and enjoyed BIG Steaks and a couple of bottles of Malbec that evening!!
It's as if the Argies have something against us Brits! Amanda and I now have an Aussie twang and are keeping our British Passports locked away!!
There's more - we drove 427km on Ruta 40 - mostly dirt road, exciting and hair-raising at the same time.
A particular highlight was the fields of wild Guanacos. I took photos from a distance because they can get quite fierce, they spit when threatened. Guanacos live in herds, we saw lots of them. They can run 56 km an hour, even over steep and rocky terrain. They are also excellent swimmers.
A Guanaco's typical lifespan is 25 years - predators = Roadkill & Bullets!!
