Thursday - July 02, 2009

542 days in Argentina

1. Our route:

2. Container Shipment from Malaysia [Port Klang] to Buenos Aires [January 2007]:

Names, Addresses, GPS points: 

Shipping agent CMA-CGM:

Here we spoke with Mrs Nadia Veuthey. She speaks English and is very helpful. 

Address:

Emma de la Barra 353 - 1st floor

C1107BXA Buenos Aires

tel: [54-11] 5556-1000

CMA-CGM is located in Puerto Madeiro, on the east side of Capital Federal, Buenos Aires.

email: [of Nadia]: bua.nveuthey@cma-cgm.com

website: www.cma-cgm.com

EMBA:

This is a tiny office in a huge complex on the corner of Avenida de los Inmigration and Avenida Rámon Castillo. This complex is situated north of Puerto Madeiro and at walking distance [to the northeast] of the Retiro train station.

Opening hours are limited: 09.30 - 13.00 o'clock and 14.30-16.30 o'clock.

The Terminal [harbor]:

Terminal 1, 2 and 3 are next to the office of EMBA. Payment has to be made in the building of TRP [Terminales Rio de la Plata], a little further down the road. From EMBA a free shuttle bus drives back and forth between the buildings.

gps: S 34.34.961 - W 058.22.101

Costs on the Argentinean side:

CMA gives you a bill in US dollars [US$] which has to be paid at a bank downtown. We paid CMA the following: 

- River Plate Toll US$ 90

- THC Destino US$120

- Logistics fee US$ 30.25

- Delivery Order US$ 54.45

- Total costs, including tax = US$ 294.70

At the Terminal [TRP] we paid the following in pesos. Strangely enough the bill is in US dollars, but payment can only be made in pesos!

- Verification US$ 193.60

- Cargo de seguridad US$ 9.68

- Devolucion mty importacion US$ 24.20

- Cargo manipuleo US$ 110.11

- Tasas a las cargas impo US$ 3.63 per ton US$10.89

- Total costs, including tax: US$ 348.48 = 1081 pesos.

Procedure:

1. Two days before the arrival of the ship you can go to CMA to pay the bill, which you do at a bank downtown. Payment can be made in US dollars.

2. Payment at the bank.

3. With the receipt you go back to CMA, where they will then prepare the Delivery Order.

4. You go to EMBA with the following documents:

- Bill of Lading

- Delivery order

- Carnet de Passage

- Passport

- Car registration papers

- [international] driver’s license

EMBA makes copies of all these documents and adds some more of their own.

5. Nothing else can be done until the ship has arrived and your container is ashore.

When this is the case, then:

6. You go to the TRP building with all your papers and pay the TRP bill. Payment has to be made in pesos!

7. TRP adds some more papers and sends you to someone inside the Terminal. This was Damian and, as far as we understand, he is the guy that takes care of individual containers that are unloaded inside the Terminal.

8. Damian takes you to your container. A ramp is available, as are men to open the container and unlash your car. He also took us to a nearby place to inflate the tyres.

9. The car has to be left near the exit of the Terminal. Damian has more papers, which you have to take to the TRP building.

10. At the TRP building they give you another paper and back you go to Damian, who [surprise, surprise] makes copies.

11. Now the Terminal procedure is taken care of. You go back to EMBA, to the Verification department.

12. Depending on how they feel, they will either sign your Carnet and some other papers [as happened in our case] or they insist on inspecting your car [as we hear from others]. Again more papers need to be filled in. By the way, EMBA gave us permission to stay in the country with the car for 8 months, we have no idea if this is standard procedure.

13. With these last papers you exit the Terminal and hand them to the official in the booth.

14. Right outside the Terminal some officials are awaiting you, wanting to see your third party insurance, so make sure you have one [or something else that can pass for it].

Relevant articles on shipping:

- How to Ship a Car to South America

- Customs Clearance at Ports in South America

- Shipping Ports in South America

3. Money matters:

July 2009: the rate was 5 pesos to a euro. They use pesos but in writing they use the $, which can be confusing. In every big city it is possible to get money from ATMs. 

4. Documentation:

Third party insurance:

In Argentina we didn't buy a third party insurance, although it is compulsory. Right outside the terminal and along the highways they check for it.

NB: The northern provinces of Entre Rios, Missiones, Corrientes, Chaco and Formosa are known for its potentially expensive police stops. No friendly policemen ready for a chat, but nastily looking for something to charge you with. Driving without lights [during the day] costed us 90 euros. The rest of Argentina seems to be free of corrupted traffic police, they just like to chat.

Carnet de Passage/Temporary Import Document:

As far as we understand from other travellers, a Carnet is not needed in South America. But since it facilitates the procedure after shipment, we have used it to enter Argentina [and thus exit the country]. Indeed, Uruguay didn't ask for it and gave a Temporary Import Document.

5. Border crossings:

Temporary Import Document for 3 or 8 months:

The Argentinean border crossings have all been easy. Each time we obtained a Temporary Import Document for 8 months. Recently we heard from other travelers that they only obtained a 3 months' permit. We have no idea why there is a difference. In general it won't matter because your visa runs out after 3 months anyway, but travelers who want to park their car for a longer period [because they go home for a few months] may need the 8 months' period. So check at the border what they give you.

Hand-over of fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products:

Remember that you can't take these products when entering Uruguay or Chili, although there seem be an inconsequence in what they allow one traveler but don't allow another.

N.B. Also within some of the Argentinean provinces there are checkpoints where you have to hand over your fruit and vegetables [like in La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza]. For as far as we have come across these points, check out our gps-overview.

6. Car, diesel, roadmaps:

Diesel and petrol stations:

Buenos Aires, Jan '07: average 38 eurocent per litre [1,52 pesos]

Entre Rios, July '07: average 46 eurocent per litre [1,95 pesos]

Northwest Argentina, Sep '07: average 48 eurocent per litre [1,99 pesos]

Patagonia, Dec 2007: 40 eurocent per litre [1,81 pesos]

Salta, December 2008: 56 eurocent per litre [2,52 pesos]

Córdoba, Junu 2009: 54 eurocent per litre [2,70 pesos – cheaper in eurocents, because of a more favorable exchange rate peso-euro]

In Patagonia prices are subsidized and therefore lower than in the rest of the country. In 2007 there were strikes at the petroleum companies which let to fuel shortage and prices rose up to 51 eurocent per litre [2,32 pesos].

Apart from the strike situation this year, every overlander will tell you to fill up your tank whenever possible while traversing Patagonia, because it is never a certainty that the petrol station will have petrol / diesel, and you may have to wait a day or two before it arrives.

Between Puerto Iguazú and Posadas it was difficult to buy diesel. Argentinean diesel is so much cheaper than in its neighboring countries Brazil and Paraguay, that Brazilians and Paraguans hop over the border to buy their petrol in Argentina, which Argentina doesn't like. Some stations only sold us 15 litres, others nothing, or we had to pay twice the price. Especially YPF stations gave problems.

El Calafate has absurd diesel prices for tourists, up to 68 eurocent per litre [3,11 pesos, Jan 2008]. Apparently there is a policy saying that each petrol station within 300 kms of the border should have dual prices. Strangely enough there is no border crossing into Chile within hundreds of kilometres so it's highly unlikely that any Chilean will come to El Calafate to buy cheap diesel.

Anyway, the situation asked for creative solutions and we found two:

1. Borrow Argentean license plates

2. Take your spare diesel jerrycans, walk to the petrol station and fill them up for the local price.

Road maps:

We are happy with Reise Knowhow maps, they are made of strong quality paper [they don't tear and are water resistant]. The Argentinean map is 1:2.000.000. You can order them on the internet at www.reise-know-how.de for € 8.90 a piece [price December 2006], excluding shipping costs.

In Buenos Aires maps can be found at ACA [local automobile association] and in bookstores on Avenida de Florida. There are maps of the whole country, or a series of detailed maps with zones of the country. They all cost about 20 pesos a piece [5 euros]. They are not made of strong quality paper and not very detailed. 

Relevant articles on maps, traffic police and traffic regulations:

- Tips on road maps for Argentina

- GPS waypoints and digital maps for Argentina

- How to deal with traffic police in Argentina

- Traffic regulations in Argentina

7. Paid accommodation and bush camping:

Argentina has lots of space and few people so it's paradise for bush camping, especially in the Andes. There are also many campsites so finding a spot to spend the nights is never a problem.

For the gps waypoints, check out the gps overview.

8. One more thing:

Books can be swapped, 2 to 1, at the bookstalls in Palermo [area in Capital Federal of Buenos Aires] on Avenida Santa Fe [across from the zoo].