When I spent a few months in Argentina, I was not made aware of the “Dolar Blue” until I was two months in. I had been going to the banks and withdrawing cash for a $10 fee on each withdrawal. It was becoming costly, and I had to figure out another way of getting my money exchanged.

I tried Western Union, which gave me a much better rate than the banks, but I had to walk around with a lot of cash to make it happen. Eventually, I went into Facebook groups and read about exchanging money on their black market. As soon as I inquired, I had a dozen messages from locals trying to exchange my dollars for double what the banks were giving me. This exchange is what they called the “Dolar Blue.”

I would request an amount via Whatsapp and a guy on a motorbike would show up at my Airbnb with a box of Argentine cash. I wouldn’t even exchange money for weeks at a time. I felt like Franklin Saint with money pouring out of my tiny closet.

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