Dude ... Where the F*@k Did the Banks Go in Argentina?

When I started Stocktwits I had no idea that I would get a personal cash bailout from Stocktwits member @speedycalls in Buenos Aires.

I have long bantered with tens of thousands of Stocktwits users over the years but I had an unbelievably awesome pay it forward moment today.

I have known for years that the banks had departed Argentina but I knew that from afar. I assumed they left some ATM’s and cash behind. When I left Phoenix with Ellen on Sunday she urged me to take some cash at the ATM in the terminal. I grabbed $300 and assured her I had warned Wells Fargo of my whereabouts so our cards would work. I’ve switched banks a few months back after years of hating Wells Fargo to First Republic but never closed the last cash account because I assumed they would just reopen it again and again…

Ellen and I like to cover a lot of ground when we travel so we’ve been biking and walking and getting to see the city. As we did a 30km city tour yesterday I mentioned that I had not seen a bank.

When I finally found an HSBC my card would not take. I found a Shittybank and same thing.

I’m paying my $10/day Verizon anywhere data plan so I can call to bitch to Wells Fargo in an emergency which of course does not work because of the fantastic Yahoo acquisition, but figured it would resolve itself before I ran out of cash.

I spent my last few bucks on a Cigar and Tequila over lunch because it’s Latin America and that’s what you do …

I negotiated hard with a taxi to get us home to the hotel for our last few dollars and realized I was out of ideas to find cash.

I had planned to meet with Eddie @speedycalls for a beer and mentioned my embarrassing predicament. Eddie lives in Poland but is home for the holidays to see his family. When he had seen I was visiting Buenos Aires he pinged me for a beer.

I sat with Eddie and he handed me $500 in US dollars and Peso’s. No questions asked and our little panic over.

As soon as Eddie sets up his Venmo account we are square.

Thanks so much Eddie. I hope I can pay this forward somehow.