Argentina is a beautiful country. The variety and the majesty of the landscape is nothing short of breathtaking. From the wildness of the south and the Glaciers, to the temperate north and Iguazu Falls, the beautiful green cities and well maintained plazas, and to the incomparable Andes which is the life blood for much of the country. Home to the largest peak in all of the Americas. Not only is it beautiful but it is also big. My goodness is it big. It is far longer than it is wide, and it takes close to 20hrs to drive the width of the country as its widest point, so that should give some sort of sense of scale.

 

People eat a lot of red meat. Largely because meat is cheap due to an abundance that is produced and government control on how much can be exported to help maintain the price. But it is also good quality meat, and it is treated with the cooking respect it deserves. They are artists and true world leaders when it comes to cooking with fire. By contrast, people don’t appear to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Not only on the menus in cafes and restaurants but also in the supermarkets when you see the quality and variety of what is available. There is definitely an Artesinal beer movement sweeping the country, much like the UK, but it doesn’t appear to be seriously challenging its wine consumption, and why would it, when you have such amazing wine at incredibly affordable prices.

 

Mate is part of the cultural identity of many Argentinians. It is seen as a fundamental right. It is a religion. And like religions you have varying degrees of devotion and commitment to ones faith. But unlike religion, there appear to be very few, if any, non-believers. Everyone appears to have some sort of faith in the restorative powers and relationship bonding that comes from Mate.

 

Argentinians are some of the nicest people we have met in all of the countries we have travelled to. We have had zero issues in an entire month of travelling. They have been super friendly, very helpful, incredibly patient when our Spanish wasn’t quite up to the scenario we found ourselves in, and appeared genuinely interested in engaging with us. It feels as though gender equality is further progressed in Argentina than most countries we have visited as well. Which is both refreshing and a source of optimism for global human progress.

 

Argentinians love Football. Absolutely love football. Football superstars sit on a pedestal alongside some of the most prominent religious figures in what is a country of very strong religious beliefs and faith. There are football pitches everywhere. Even in the most remote places where the investment in basic infrastructure is lacking, they have well maintained football pitches. They wear the iconic blue and white shirts with national pride. They being everyone, men, women, children, and in some cases dogs.

 

On that point, Argentina is a dog loving nation. In fact they appear to have a real connection and respect for all animals, whether wild or domestic. But dogs especially. They are everywhere, many on leads, most not, and even the dogs that appear to be without ownership are looked after by the collective population with very few going hungry and most of them very friendly and accepted pretty much anywhere. They do have some room for improvement in picking up after their dogs.

 

Argentina, like all countries, is suffering the consequences and impacts of global warming. The seasons are becoming confused, rains are coming at the wrong times, or in many cases not at all. They are suffering one of their worst droughts in years which will impact food production and prices this year. The glaciers, of which there are many hundreds, are retreating at an unprecedented rate. The snowfall in the Andes, which is the primary source of water for much of the country, is increasingly unpredictable but generally reducing, which means many of the rivers, and communities they support, are running dry. They are innovating to adapt but this requires investment and time, both of which are limited.

 

Argentina really does feel like the gateway between Europe and South America, a mix of both European and South American cultures, taking the best from both and creating their own unique identity. Like all countries there are challenges. Economic stability and inflation are a real problem. Inflation in particular has resulted in a dual currency system with the US dollar providing a safe haven for people trying to mitigate the impact of inflation. Currently around 100%. It also means long queues for cash and people turning up with backpacks as the largest bank note is only worth about £2. The government appears reluctant to acknowledge the problem and is refusing to print anything bigger. Despite all this Argentina, is still incredibly good value for tourists coming from the UK.

 

They have had significant issues with political corruption in the past which has had lasting impacts and created a lack of trust in the government. There is a general laissez faire attitude, that even the French would find it hard to get on board with, which means it takes a long time to get anything done. A lot of waiting around, although they are very respectful of queuing. And they are also experiencing the global polarisation of opinions we seem to see everywhere, where is there is no real common ground anymore between people’s perspectives. Everything appears to be black and white in a world that is made up of shades of grey, forcing people to pick sides and driving divisions which don’t really exist.

 

However, these challenges tare largely political and economic in nature, which the world in general is experiencing. Argentina has been a wonderful home for the last month, it is a brilliant place just as it is, and that’s before they take advantage of the ingredients they have to be a world super power once again. As good as it is now, it does feel as though even better days lie ahead, like many of the Volcanos in the region, they are a sleeping giant ready to wake. Either way, we can’t wait to come back and experience it all over again. Thank you Argentina.

 

S, K, L & H x