Three Weeks in Argentina

Argentina was my very first stop of my solo travel experience and so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was so nervous and scattered and quite honestly expecting failure but I was pleasantly surprised. The first hostel I went to in Cordoba was the most perfect place to start my journey and plant my feet for a week. After I felt comfortable, I moved North to Salta and then to Mendoza. I was shocked by the gorgeous landscapes all around the country and even more shocked that the cities were able to be both so beautiful and yet so busy all at once. I ate tons of empanadas and took in the sights. It was such a great place to start my travels, especially as Argentina is a quite a bit more Western than other South American countries and so the shock wasn’t quite as extreme as it could’ve been. However, I will say, I was completely alarmed when I first heard natives speaking Spanish. As somebody who has studied Spanish for 8 years, I barely got a few words out of each sentence due to their thick accent. Be prepared for this and don’t be too hard on yourself when you don’t understand. In my experience the locals were more than happy to slow down or enunciate more when I expressed interest and lack of understanding. Last thing to note is the money exchange rate here is horrible. Never use your credit card (it automatically doubles the price) and avoid using ATM’s. Instead look into using the online banking app Western Union which gives you a much better rate for your money!