Back in Argentina

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Am now back in Argentina and have already spent a night out dancing (those high heels really feel high if you haven't been wearing them for a while!). It's back to the comfort of being able to unpack properly, but also back to no coca tea (the yerba mate isn't bad though), only orange juice (as opposed to papaya, pineapple, strawberry, etc.), and lots of time wasting trying to get hold of money.

Today was very frustrating for me, because I walked 6 blocks to the ATM, only to discover that all the machines at two different banks were either not working or had no money. I tried to buy fruit at a shop which displayed a Visa sign on the window, but they did not accept credit cards nor US dollars. After walking another 6-8 blocks, I found another bank, which had a working machine, but my interaction with it went something like this.
1. Insert card
2. Enter PIN
3. Select Visa network
4. Select English
5. Choose to withdraw cash in pesos (as opposed to US dollars)
6. Choose to withdraw 700 pesos (the menu had options of 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and custom)
7. Informed that I was trying to withdraw too much
8. Choose to make another transaction
9. Repeat 4-8 above with 600 pesos
10. Repeat 4-8 above with 500 pesos
11. Repeat 4-8 above with 400 pesos
12. Repeat 4-8 above with 320 pesos (this is the limit at many ATMs)
13. Repeat 4-6 above with 300 pesos
14. Take money & receipt
15. Choose not to make another transaction
16. Take card

Note that I was given three 100-peso notes, which meant that I still couldn't buy anything small, take the bus, or use the internet at Telefonica.

As it is now the weekend and most machines will run out of money, and Monday is a public holiday, I suspect I am going to have to work very hard to make it through with cash to spare (especially if I continue to go dancing every night).

On the bright side, I have signed up for a Spanish course in the neighbourhood, and am looking forward to my first class on Tuesday afternoon, to be shared with a distant relative of Rita Hayworth. He seemed to be very friendly and the teacher also seemed very good. Hopefully I will learn lots before I leave (will have classes 2 hours a day---I decided that 4 hours a day, as I had originally planned, would be too much if I am to take tango classes as well).

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