The Passenger ⋆ Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.

October 6, 2026October 3, 2026

ARS

The Argentine peso (ARS) has been Argentina’s national currency since 1881, although the country has repeatedly redenominated it after periods of severe inflation and economic crisis. The current peso dates from 1992, when it replaced the austral at a rate of 10,000 to 1. Since then, inflation, currency controls and sharp devaluations have repeatedly reduced its purchasing power, making exchange rates a practical concern for visitors rather than a mere financial detail.

October 6, 2026October 5, 2026

Mountain scenery

Tandil is a pleasant hill town in south-eastern Buenos Aires province, set where the open Pampas meet the ancient Tandilia mountain range. Its modern history began in 1823, when Governor Martín Rodríguez established Fuerte Independencia as a frontier settlement. The fort was intended to secure the expanding colonial state, but conflict with Indigenous communities caused many settlers to leave after attacks in 1856; Tandil later recovered and was formally declared a city in 1895.

October 6, 2026

Unión y Progreso

Club Unión y Progreso is a long-established neighbourhood social and sporting club in Villa Italia, Tandil, Argentina. Founded in 1939, it grew from a local community association into an institution offering sporting activities, cultural events and social gatherings. Its main premises are at Quintana 450, where the club remains closely connected with the surrounding neighbourhood.

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026

Mulen

Mulen Hotel is a contemporary four-star urban hotel in Tandil, a city in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province. It is designed for both leisure and business travellers, combining accommodation with dining, workspaces and facilities for relaxation. The hotel has around 60 rooms, with balconies and views towards the city and the Tandil hills.

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026

Arc Recoleta

The Arc Recoleta Boutique Hotel & Spa is a contemporary hotel with a strong emphasis on comfort, wellness and convenient city access. It offers modern, spacious rooms and facilities suited both to leisure travellers and business guests in the very well walkable Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

October 3, 2026October 3, 2026

Evita

Eva María Duarte was born in 1919 in the small town of Los Toldos and grew up in modest circumstances. As a teenager, she moved to Buenos Aires to pursue a career as an actress, gradually becoming well known on the radio and stage. Her life changed when she met Colonel Juan Domingo Perón; they married in 1945, and when he became president in 1946, she emerged as one of Argentina’s most influential public figures.

October 3, 2026October 3, 2026

Teatro Colón

The Teatro Colón is Buenos Aires’ grand opera house, situated on Avenida Cerrito in the city centre. It presents opera, ballet, symphonic concerts and other classical performances, and is admired for both its richly decorated architecture and exceptionally clear acoustics. Its stage has welcomed many internationally renowned artists, making it one of the most distinguished performing-arts venues in the Americas.

October 3, 2026October 5, 2026

Crossing the Río de la Plata

Combining a visit to Montevideo and Buenos Aires is easy, as you can cross the Río de la Plata via ferry boat. There are multiple options; I opted in for the Buquebus crossing which begins at the company’s terminal in Colonia del Sacramento. To get there, you need to take a bus from the Tres Cruces bus terminal at Montevideo where you can also check in your luggage.

October 3, 2026October 2, 2026

I see a mountain

Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital and principal port, grew from a Spanish military settlement founded between 1724 and 1730 to control the strategically important Río de la Plata and resist Portuguese expansion from Brazil. Its original name was San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo, while the settlement gradually developed around the bay and its fortified old town. The city’s walls were built in the eighteenth century but demolished in the nineteenth, leaving the Ciudad Vieja and the surviving gateway as reminders of its colonial beginnings.

October 2, 2026

Peso Uruguayo

The peso uruguayo (UYU), usually written as $ or $U , is Uruguay’s official currency. The present peso was introduced on March 1st, 1993, replacing the nuevo peso at a rate of 1 peso uruguayo for 1,000 nuevos pesos. It is divided into 100 centésimos, although centésimo coins are no longer commonly used.