Poncho Tours: the Next Generation
Eighteen years ago this week, my wife Alicia and I packed the last of our belongings into the loft of our house in London and left for a new life in Argentina with our two year old son Calixto. …
Internet Bots, Fake News, and Artificial Intelligence
My first experience of being shown the benefits of Artificial Intelligence did not go well. A tech boffin who is far more intelligent than me was attempting to outline the benefits AI could bring my travel company. I was impressed…
New and returning flights to Salta and Jujuy
Having flown last week from my home in Argentina to the UK, this seems an appropriate time for one of my more prosaic blogs which does what it says on the tin: in this case, telling you more about new…
Calilegua cloud forest and Milei's war on waste
Last week I returned to Calilegua cloud forest for the first time in nearly two years: and in a couple of weeks I will be taking intrepid guests up to Tilcara to do a four day hike which finishes in…
Pachamama Day and the warm winter wind
Pachamama Day swept in on August 1st with clouds of smoke, amidst soaring temperatures and a hot wind from the mountains. In the northern border area where I live, so close to predominantly-indigenous Bolivia, Pachamama is strongly venerated, as…
Argentinians on holiday break for the borders
The rivalry between Argentina and Brazil is legendary, particularly on the football pitch. In 2014 we went to watch the World Cup in Brazil, and walking to the stadiums or the fan zone our family group, bedecked in Argentina…
The lesser known Criolla wine varieties of Argentina
During the 17 years I've been running Poncho Tours with my wife Alicia, one of the things I've most enjoyed (besides spending time with the lovely people I meet who come as our guests, of course!) is learning more about…
Currency controls and the impact on the blue dollar
It has now been a month since the government lifted the currency controls which have dominated (many would say restricted) the Argentina economy for more than a decade. Announcing the end of the “cepo cambiario” (“exchange control”), President Milei declared:…
Easter traditions and religious art in Salta & Jujuy
This week, typically international guests of ours (on this occasion, it’s an Argentine woman from Cordoba who is married to a Brit, and they live in Switzerland) are visiting the Quebrada de Humahuaca for Easter week. As is a…
The rise and rise of Air bnb (and the problems it brings)
My 19-year-old son Calixto has just bought a flat in Cordoba, where one of the rules of the block is "No Temporary Lets". This seems like a sensible way to tackle the housing shortage, and reduce inequalities in a…