Tourists Seeing the Truth in Argentina

Protests Against Inflation

As usual, all traffic is stopped and flags are carried all around town because people are unhappy with the collapse of the currency and the inflation that comes with it.

These are tourists who paid for a guided bike tour. I was riding on my way to four one hundred dollar bills for a hundred and twenty two $1,000 peso notes when I ran into these poor vacationers from who knows where. I could not speak with them because of the drums and megaphones.

What gets me about these protest is how they cut off travel for other citizens that are struggling with the same degradation of the paper money. So everyone is getting nothing done all day, most are angry and frustrated, and the only people that have a care free day are the officials that caused it all. The elected politicians.

The crowds marched on the largest, widest street in the country and blocked traffic, made noise and carried signs. Then they divided and blocked all the smaller streets just to make sure they did not miss bothering everyone that is trying to work.

I usually make if from home to the exchange houses in less than ten minutes, even when traffic is bumper to bumper. This trip took me almost thirty minutes because I could not get across the big avenue. I had to ride the length of the city to find the end of the marching protestors and then double back to the blue money district. Blue speaks of the price, not the color of the place.

See me fighting my way along Nine of July on my way there.

▶️ Watch on 3Speak

If it were me running the protest, I would go directly to where the president is and protest there. Then again, I have seen them do that, but the president is ready. He bought water canons to fight back. Some people here tell me that all of this is planned and even funded by the political party that is not currently in power.

You will see roles completely reversed in the video when motorcycles are riding on the sidewalk because the people are crowding the streets. It is fairly lawless here.

^{A picture says a thousand words. Politicians eating very well while the public goes hungry.}

I have to say also that the police do not really do anything to the protestors. This photo was taken as the people march down Cordoba Avenue in the opposite direction that traffic usually flows. I was riding in the correct direction while the police made way for the protestors.