Gas Meter Thefts Are on the Rise in Argentina

In May 2022, I wrote a post called Water Meter Thefts Are On the Rise in Argentina. At the time, I thought that the situation couldn't get any lower than that. I was wrong. As it turns out, gas meter thefts are on the rise, too.

A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting an acquaintance who offered to make some lunch for us. But when she went to turn her gas stove on, she noticed that it wasn't turning on. Naturally, she found it odd since she always paid her bills on time. So, she turned on the hot water in the kitchen sink, but the gas tank didn't turn on. 

Now, we were really confused.

On a hunch, she went outside to check the gas meter. The only problem was that a vital component from the gas meter WAS GONE!

She let out this laugh of disbelief and whispered something under her breath that I can't share. As we inspected what was left of the gas meter, we noticed that the gas valve had been turned off. The thieves likely did this to ensure that they didn't blow themselves or the house up when they cut the component out.

Before going back into the house, the neighbor across the street came out and announced that their gas meter had been tampered with, too. It looks like the thief or thieves had targeted more than one home in the neighborhood.

After chatting with her neighbor, she went back into the house and called the gas company. Unfortunately, Ecogas informed her that this was the homeowner's responsibility, not the gas company. So, she called someone who came over and fixed the problem within a few hours. But she had to fork over close to 30,000 Argentine pesos to get the job done.

Naturally, I was afraid that this was going to happen to me eventually. Last year it was water meters. This year it seemed like gas meter thefts were on the rise. Well, I've managed to dodge the proverbial bullet, but two other acquaintances in Cordoba City were not so lucky.

I'm told that gas meter thefts and water meter thefts are common because the thieves can steal the copper and exchange it for money. 

I'm not surprised this is happening given that Argentina's inflation rate has gone beyond 100%. The crime rate has also spiked significantly. These days, I feel like Marty McFly in "Back to the Future II" when he went back to Hill Valley and discovered that it had turned into an unsafe nightmare. 

Don't get me wrong. Cordoba City was never entirely safe to begin with. But it has gotten worse. For instance, the other day, I placed an order for delivery. What I didn't realize was that two thieves were scoping out my neighborhood waiting for a delivery person to make a stop. Since most people wait for the delivery person to walk up to the door and knock, they probably figured that they would take that time to attack him. 

What the thieves weren't counting on was that I was monitoring the delivery person's approach on the phone app. As soon as they heard me opening the door, they walked away. It's probably a good thing too because I carry a blade with me for defensive purposes and I'm not afraid to use it. 

While I was grabbing my food, a neighbor across the street walked up to us and told the delivery person that he almost got mugged. I could tell the delivery person was panicking.   

But this isn't an isolated incident. Thieves have been mugging delivery drivers in Cordoba City lately. Some of the victims have been seriously injured. In one instance, a delivery driver was armed and fought back when they were attacked.

I don't get how people can behave this way in the face of an economic crisis. But this is pretty much what living in Cordoba City is like these days.

Here's Why the Internet Service in Argentina is Such a Nightmare

For those of you who are just tuning in, I've been living in Argentina for over 10 years. During this time, there are a a lot of things I've come to like and dislike about this country. The internet service is very much in the DISLIKE COLUMN!

I've spent 9 years with the phone/internet provider, Telecom, which was eventually renamed Personal. And it was one of the worst relationships I have ever had in my life. For starters, they were only able to offer me 10 megas in internet speed. This in itself wasn't so terrible. What was bad about Telecom/Personal's internet service was that they caused phone and internet outages for various areas without ever warning their customers. Their excuse was that they were upgrading the internet service in our neighborhood. To top that, these outages weren't 24 or 48 hour nuisances. The outages lasted over a month. This was a huge problem since the hubs and I are both online English teachers and rely on the internet to make money. But Telecom/Personal did offer a solution... at first.

They gifted us 50 megas on our phones. This allowed us to turn our phones into an internet hotspot. In other words, our phones became a makeshift modem that let us connect to the internet. Unfortunately, the megas expired every 72 hours, so we had to call Telecom/Personal and ask for more megas until our regular internet service came back.

Well, the last time this happened, I requested my megas the same way I did in the past. But this time, they said NO!

I was like... Seriously? I'm paying for a monthly service that doesn't even work. Give me my megas! 

They refused.

Left with no other recourse, we reached out to another telecommunication company called Claro. They offered me 50 megas instead of 10 and at about 70 percent less than what I was paying for with Telecom/Personal. Naturally, I agreed and signed a contract right away. 

And knowing how urgent I needed the service, they sent two guys over to install our internet service. This was amazing! I've always said that Argentine services aren't up to par and I stand by that 100 percent. But Claro's service was almost American in its efficiency. At least, that's what I thought at first. It turns out I was wrong.

About a week or two into our relationship with Claro, we began to experience micro-cuts. Don't feel bad if you don't know what this is. We didn't either until we started having them. 

Micro-cuts are brief interruptions in internet service. The only thing more annoying than not having internet service is having unreliable internet service. The micro-cuts caused our Zoom calls to drop several times. This was not only embarrassing but frustrating while struggling to teach our students.

So, naturally I called Claro to find out what the hell was going on. They apologized for the inconvenience and updated the modem's firmware remotely. This was supposedly the solution to the micro-cuts. 

While our internet speed did improve slightly, it was only temporary. Within a couple of days, the internet was slow again and the micro-cuts came back with a vengeance. I called Claro, and they tried updating the modem's firmware again. This made no difference.

Finally, a friend of ours recommended we check our internet speed on sites like fast.com. It turns out that despite paying for 50 megas, our internet speed ranged anywhere from 27 to 42 megas. So, I called Claro, who found the situation confusing. Eventually, their reps told me that you never really get 50 megas, even if you pay for it. It's more like you get around 50 megas. I couldn't believe that they had even said that to me. So, I asked them why they didn't just tell me that from the beginning. Their response was that this was common in Argentina, so they assumed that I knew. If we were in the States, we would have sued for false advertisement, but this is Argentina. The legal system is a joke, and I would probably be 80 before anything got done. 

Jump forward about six months and I'm still experiencing slow internet speed and micro-cuts. Claro continues to update the firmware when I call, but they've assured me that there isn't much more that they can do about it. Oh, and recently, they told me that other modems in the neighborhood were interfering with mine, hence the micro-cuts. 

That never happened in the States, so I'm assuming that they're making things up. 

I considered increasing to 100 megas to boost the internet speed. But I've spoken with clients who have 100 megas, and they claim that half the time their internet speed only gets to 27 megas. 

Unbelievable! 

But remember our friends, Telecom/Personal? Well, our headache with them wasn't over. 

I received a letter from a collections agency a few months back claiming that I owe Telecom/Personal some money. The amount is the equivalent of the last month of service--a service we did not have because their lines were down for over a month.

I tried calling Telecom/Personal several times to clear this up. But since I canceled my service with them in September 2022, they can't pull up my records. 

How convenient! 

So, what did I do? I paid the bill to OFFICIALLY SEVER all ties with Telecom/Personal.  

In conclusion, if you're planning on moving to Argentina, don't expect great internet, good customer service, or a solution to most service-related issues. 

Culture Shock in Argentina – 10 Years Later

On June 21, 2012, I wrote an entry called “How to Survive the Culture Shock in Argentina.” This was the 4^th entry in my blog, and I came up with it about a week after I landed in Argentina. And there’s a line I wrote in that post that sort of haunts me to this day.

It read: “But from the moment I arrived in Argentina, I started experiencing the kind of culture shock I fear may plague me for years to come.”

These words became prophetic as months turned into years, and years, and YEARS!!!!!!

I assumed that a decade was more than enough time for the hubs and I to adapt to Argentine culture.

I WAS WRONG!

So, I’m going to list a few things that still cause me to experience culture shock ten years after I moved to Argentina.

1. They still don’t cover their mouths. You’d think that the health complications and death brought on by the pandemic would have taught the Argentines to cover their mouths when yawning, coughing and sneezing. Sadly, it hasn’t. And while the rate of Covid infections has decreased, people should learn to cover their mouths to avoid spreading their germs. It’s a simple courtesy.
2. They gossip outside other people’s homes. There’s nothing I hate more than listening to a group of 3 to 6 Argentines standing outside my front door or window gossiping the day away. They’re loud and obnoxious, and when I tell them to leave, they look at me like I’m behaving inappropriately. 
3. They park in front of other people’s houses and are NOISY! Look! I get it. They see an empty space and need a place to park. There’s nothing I can do about that. But they have their entire family congregating outside. I’m talking anywhere from their grandparents to their significant others. Oh, and their annoying kids are also present making an insane amount of noise.
4. They throw their trash in our trash bin! Unlike the States, we can’t buy a trash can to put out on trash day. The Argentines would steal it in a second. So, like most people here, we have a basket on top of a pole outside our house that we use to throw our trash away. Unfortunately, I can’t throw my trash away half the time because the neighbors are using my bin to throw their things away! Soiled diapers! Beer cans! Half-eaten fast-food items! You name it! And they don’t even bother to place their trash inside a bag. I’m like… you have your own trash basket. Why do you need to use mine? I sometimes find myself having to throw whatever they put in the basket on the ground so I can put my trash bags in.
5. Neighbors think we’re bad-mannered. This one connects with number 5 on this list. I recently caught one of the neighbors that was throwing stuff in my trash bin and confronted her about it. Alright! I admit, I could have handled it a bit better but I was angry. Long story short: according to her, I was the bad-mannered one. I immediately reminded her that it was her family who has been dumping their garbage in front of my house and spray-painting my walls.
6. They have their car radio on way too loud! The same trashy neighbors that park their trashy cars in front of my house also blast their radios. They don’t care if it’s 9 in the morning or midnight.
7. Don’t bank on the cops doing anything about the noise complaints. But in the rare event that they do, they let the neighbor you ratted on know who you are and where you live. Don’t expect anonymity from the local law enforcement.
8. Utility Services (i.e. electricity, water, etc) works some of the time. I’ve given up on the possibility that the Argentines will ever provide their customers with reliable services. The lights cut out when you need them the most. The water cuts out if you use too much of it during the day. The internet service suffers from micro-cuts.
9. The cost of things in Argentina has gotten worse! Over the years, I’ve only seen the Argentine economy get worse. The inflation is almost at 100 percent. So, obviously, things that used to cost 20 pesos are now over 1000 pesos. Utility expenses also rise practically every month.
10. Bank employees don't provide good customer service! During the pandemic, customers had to get an online appointment to speak with someone at their bank. I normally avoid Argentine banks because of the poor quality of service, but on two separate occasions, I had no choice. So, when I got to my bank, I had to get in line to go in. The online appointment was irrelevant according to the security officer. He told me that the bank saw customers on a first come, first serve basis. Over the next hour, the security guard asked those waiting in line questions that ultimately disqualified them from going into the bank. Some of these questions were about whether the customer was withdrawing less than 30,000 Argentine pesos from the live teller (the limit is 80,000 pesos now). Those that didn’t have that much in their account, were told to leave. Other customers were disqualified for not having the right paperwork and whatnot. I get that banks here have their own way of doing things, but it’s the way that they treat their customers. Honestly, I imagine that this is how officers treat prisoners in a penitentiary. While I’ve never been to the Penn, I did serve 12 years in the Dade County Public School System in Florida, which is just as bad.

I’ve found that complaining about these things to an Argentine is pointless because they tend to get very defensive. I guess I’d feel the same way if our positions were reversed and they were complaining about the States. 

So there you have it. I'm practically stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Argentina's Cracking Down on Russian Birth Tourism

In the last year or so, thousands of Russians have migrated to Argentina in the hopes of starting a new life.

Unfortunately, Argentine immigration discovered that pregnant Russian immigrants were arriving on Argentine soil to give birth to an Argentine baby. That way, these women could apply for permanent residency.

In theory, it's one of the easiest ways to become an Argentine resident and acquire an Argentine passport. 

I've met people from other Latin American countries like Peru and Colombia who have attempted to gain permanent residency this way and succeeded. In fact, one person told me the immigration office in Cordoba City advised her to do this.

But as I mentioned earlier, the Argentines have caught on and are now cracking down on birth tourism. In other words, they are allegedly turning some pregnant Russian women away. 

I'm not sure how permanent this change in the immigration policy is or if it applies to all Russian immigrants. The Argentines claim that they welcome everyone as long as they are here to stay. But their concerns stem over reports that some immigrants only stay in Argentina long enough to acquire an Argentine passport. Then they leave the country and use their newfound Argentine ID to do shady things abroad. 

So, for now, play it safe. If you're pregnant, but not showing, don't say that you are... even if they ask you at the airport.

This article suggests that the Argentines only detained six pregnant Russian women earlier this year because they were falsely claiming to be tourists.

My advice would be to get pregnant with your partner while you're in Argentina.

Now, I posted the following blog entries on immigration approximately ten years ago:

How to Deal With the Immigration Nightmare in Argentina

Can Immigrants Get Deported From Argentina?

Most of the information on the links above still applies. But there are one or two things I wanted to update you on.

Ten years ago, the fee for an Argentine visa was only $300 Argentine pesos, which was worth nothing in USD. 

But as of 2023, the fee for an Argentine visa is $150 USD. That's $30,108 Argentine pesos (based on the currency exchange rate from March 2023)

There are some countries that offer visa-free travel. This means you don't need to apply for a visa to get in. Russia and the United States are among these countries. 

However, if you're a member of any of the countries on this list, you may have to apply and be approved for a visa before heading to Argentina. 

UPDATE 2024: Check this link for updates on Argentine immigration policy

Mar Del Plata: Day 5 - Saying Goodbye

We were just hours away from leaving Mar del Plata. By 5 p.m., we’d be back in Córdoba City—a reality I absolutely did not look forward to.

The only thing I could do to cope was distract myself by snapping a few final photos and filming some videos of the beautiful scenery.

Once we arrived at the Mar del Plata Airport, we kept hoping there wouldn’t be any issues with the bottle of SKYY Vodka we had tucked into our luggage.

We also declared a nail clipper we’d bought in town, fully expecting it to be confiscated. But airport security didn’t care at all—they just waved it through and told us it was fine to bring along.

While we waited for our flight, neither of us said much.

Despite the forced smile in the photo above, the hubs and I were both feeling a bit melancholy about heading back to Córdoba City. We had spent five days in paradise—well, technically four, since day five was all about leaving. Still, we weren’t ready to return to our lives in Córdoba City.

Anyway, we finally boarded the plane and off we went. 

By the time we landed at Córdoba Airport, we both felt like we weren’t ready to end our vacation just yet. So, we decided to have one last meal together at the airport restaurant.

Now, it was time to face the reality of our lives back home. Ha! What a joke.

Mar Del Plata: Day 4 - Tanning at the Beach One Last Time

Day 3 wasn't a total loss, thanks to Hell's Pizza. We also had a chance to relax in our room—something that's nearly impossible back home in Córdoba City due to our awful neighbors. Still, with our vacation nearing its end, we couldn’t pass up the chance to enjoy the beach and pool one last time.

Fortunately, the weather in Mar del Plata was absolutely perfect on our fourth day. The sky was clear, and a refreshing breeze kept the heat from becoming too much.

All day long, I kept thinking, "Man, I wish this could be my everyday life." The view of the beach, the sky, and even the people felt so refreshing—for both my eyes and my mind. For once, I actually felt safe, which is something I rarely experience back in our home province of Córdoba.

I didn’t want to leave. For a moment, I even seriously considered swimming out into the ocean and never coming back—that’s how much I dreaded returning to Córdoba. But I still had 24 hours left, and I didn’t want to waste them dwelling on the end. So, I did my best to soak in every moment.

After we finished at the beach, we went looking for a place to eat. And no—Antares was definitely not an option. There was no way I was going to wait nearly two hours for food again like I did on Day 2. Luckily, there were plenty of other spots to choose from near the beach.

We ended up at an outdoor restaurant, though I can’t for the life of me remember its name.

Even though they say you shouldn’t get in the water right after eating, we headed straight for the hotel’s private outdoor pool.

The hubs and I spent a few hours relaxing by the pool. Well—he actually got in for a bit, but I decided to stay dry and just enjoy the view.

Afterward, we headed back to the hotel to unwind. We had planned to dine at the hotel restaurant later that night, but the menu didn’t offer many appealing options—and the prices were ridiculously high. So, we took a stroll around town and ended up finding a spot called Torombolo. Sure, burgers and fries might be a bit of a cliché, but they totally hit the spot.

As much fun as this trip had been, my anxiety started creeping in as the night came to a close. We had to leave the next day, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to handle that.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Mar Del Plata: Day 3 - A Rainy Start and a Slice of Hell's Pizza

It was January the 1st and the hubs and I were looking forward to another beach day in Mar del Plata. But when we went down for our morning ritual (aka the hotel's breakfast buffet), we noticed through the dining room windows that it was raining.

We assumed it was just a morning drizzle. We were wrong. So, we consulted with the rest of our group to see what else we could do in Mar del Plata besides the pool and the beach. 

Hotel Costa Galana had an internal pool, but what we wanted was to walk on the sandy shores of the beach. So, we started searching on our phones for things to do in Mar del Plata and only a few options popped up. There was a casino and some museums in the area, but we needed a cab to get there. We weren't sure if they were even open on the first of the year. We tried calling a couple of places but no one was picking up. In the end, we felt there wasn't much of a point in spending money on a cab ride to places that might be closed. So, we chose to stay in the hotel and relax in our rooms.

The only problem was that the hubs and I were hungry. Then we remembered that we had seen a McDonald's near the hotel and decided to grab some lunch.

We couldn't resist getting this at McD's

But before we came back to the hotel, we took some photos of the not so sunny start to the new year.

By nightfall, we risked it and took a cab to the casino. It had been a few years since I'd been to one. The last casino I visited was in La CABA, and it was pretty cool. So, I was excited to (hopefully) make a little extra spending money.

As the cab rode through Mar del Plata, I noticed a lot of people walking around but there was virtually nothing open. Sadly, by the time the cab got to our intended destination, we discovered that the casino was closed too. So, we asked the driver to take us somewhere that was lively and had restaurants and shops. 

Well, when he dropped us off, there were only a handful of stores, none of which I found interesting. 

Everything else was on the verge of shutting down for the night, except for some restaurants and coffee places.

Then we stumbled on Hell's Pizza, a NY style pizza joint that was on our tiny list of things to see and do in Mar del Plata.

It was packed and with good reason. The food here was amazing! In addition to different pizza toppings that you won't find in Argentine pizzerias, Hell's Pizza also offered chicken wings and mac and cheese. 

Now if you're from the States, you're probably thinking B.F.D. But when you've been living in a country for over a decade that doesn't know how to make a decent pizza or chicken wings or mac and cheese, you learn to appreciate restaurants like these.

Hell's Pizza also got kudos for their "hellish" decor.

Of course, we've found restaurants that have offered these types of food in the past. Most of these restaurants were in Buenos Aires, and some of them went out of business because of the pandemic. (Rest in peace, Chicken Bros.) Uggi's in La CABA made a decent pizza but they didn't offer pepperoni as a topping. The pizza at Chicago American Bar (gone but not forgotten) in Cordoba City was okay. So was the pizza at PIBI Guemes, but Hell's Pizza in Mar del Plata is by far the closest match to actual NY style pizza.

Once we were done stuffing our faces and taking photos, we walked around a little more, but by this point, it was 10 p.m. Naturally, the mall and pretty much everything else you can imagine was closed except for an ice cream shop. 

Looks can be deceiving! This mall was actually closed.

This made me wish we were back in New York because you can always find something open in the city that never sleeps.

So that's how we spent day 3 of our vacation in Mar del Plata. Would we get to see the beach again on day 4 or were we headed for another rainy day? 

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

Mar del Plata: Day 2 - The New Year's Eve Party!

It was 8:45 p.m., and the hubs and I were 15 minutes behind schedule for our New Year's Eve dinner reservation.

Despite the delay, we headed into the Hotel Costa Galana's restaurant to grab a table. However, we quickly learned that the hostess already had a table assigned for us. There was just one problem—she had us down for a party of eight. How could that be? I thought. I asked her to double-check, and she confirmed the reservation was for four adults and four children.

WHAT?!?!

After a moment of confusion, the hostess found a smaller table near a window for us. It turned out to be quite nice. We couldn't see the beach as clearly, but we did catch glimpses of the foamy waves crashing on the shore. We were hopeful we'd get a better view of some fireworks later that night.

After taking some selfies, we went over to help ourselves to food. I wouldn’t exactly call it a buffet, but it was all-you-can-eat. You just had to ask the servers to put whatever you wanted on your plate. It was that simple.

Speaking for myself, I was still full from our late lunch at Antares. It had only been a few hours since we ate, but that didn't stop me from trying everything they had to offer.

The food and conversation were enough to pass the time before the New Year. Oh, and the alcohol helped too. The servers kept refilling my glass with wine, which didn’t hurt.

It was almost magical. My empty glass was always full moments after I set it down. That’s how efficient the staff was. Unfortunately, I hadn’t drunk this much in my life, and I was starting to feel tipsy.

It might not look like it, but by this point, I was on my fifth glass of white wine. That’s probably why I was smiling so much. Anyone who really knows me knows I rarely smile unless I’ve had a bit of alcohol. But I switched to coffee and desserts to avoid a hangover.

Halfway through my second cup of coffee, one of the servers came by and filled our glasses with champagne. I thought, "Uh-oh! Here we go again." Then I realized they were serving us champagne because it was almost midnight.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

While the crowd inside the restaurant was cheering, clapping, and laughing, it was virtually silent outside. I spotted a small group of people gathered across the street from the hotel. But where were the fireworks? Then, we heard what sounded like fireworks—only they weren't quite what we were expecting.

The fireworks could've used a serious dose of pizzazz! At this point, we were starting to wonder if we would see any real fireworks.

Then...

About thirty minutes later, we took a midnight stroll to burn off some calories.

There wasn’t much to see except for a few people celebrating outside, drinking, and in some cases, dancing. After snapping a couple of selfies, we headed back to our room to follow one final New Year tradition.

We linked our TV to the internet to watch the ball drop in Times Square. For us, the New Year isn’t officially here until this moment. It’s a tradition we’ve kept since moving to Argentina, and we weren’t about to let this year be any different.

Well, now that we had officially welcomed 2023, we decided to rest and get ready for what was supposed to be a fun day at the beach. But Mother Nature had other plans for us.

To Be Continued...