I am currently staying about 20 minutes north of a town called San Martin de Los Andes, which is located in the lake region of Argentine Patagonia. San Martin, as locals refer to it, is a fly fishing hub nestled alongside Lácar Lake, surrounded by the Andes and not far from Argentina's border with Chile. Hiking and backpacking options are plentiful with Argentina's version of the Appalachian trail, the Huella Andina, spreading out in either direction north and south.

Uruguay is a gem of a country that's under the radar for the typical American. My attention was drawn to it years ago when I relocated to Buenos Aires, as Uruguay and Argentina share a border and river delta.

Hey MileValue readers!

I've been experiencing a rough patch over the last month with my health that I would like to dive into with you guys when I'm ready. That moment isn't now, but it will come. And as I'm sure many of you can relate to, I've been sick while traveling. While I've had gorgeous environments to relax in and am not complaining about that, it's ultimately been stressful to be unsettled away from home. But life happens, and sometimes you just have to adjust.

I am the token friend that lives in South America. That means I get emails pretty regularly from family members and friends who are planning travel to Buenos Aires asking for advice about where to eat and drink in the city. The requests became more frequent over time, so for ease I started a Google Document that I could share with whoever wanted a little intel about the Paris of South America.

I started the document a few years ago and it's grown into a comprehensive list.

Updated November 8, 2017

In the last four years, I've spent about 18 months total in Argentina, so I wanted to give a quick update on the money situation down there.

From 2010 until December 2015, Argentina had an official exchange rate that was a complete fiction.

Last week, during President Obama's visit to Argentina, Argentina suspended the $160 fee required for Americans to visit.

While this is, for the moment, a temporary suspension of the fee (which you can check the official status of here), this is widely expected to lead to a permanent elimination of the fee.

This follows a series of sane decisions by the newly elected government, like letting the currency float freely to eliminate the black market for dollars and terrible distortion to the economy and possibilities for theft by well-connected people.

I paid the reciprocity fee, which is good for ten

I recently booked myself an award from Chicago to Buenos Aires in Business Class on a Dreamliner for 45,000 Alaska Airlines miles and $19 in taxes and fees.

AeroMexico releases a ton of award space from United States to Mexico City and from there to Buenos Aires (or elsewhere in Central and South America) in economy and Business Class.

Fresno only has a direct flight to Guadalajara from where you can connect to Mexico City and beyond.