10 Days in Buenos Aires: Magellan's 40th Birthday Solo Trip Report
Jun 1st, 2008, 07:50 PM
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10 Days in Buenos Aires: Magellan's 40th Birthday Solo Trip Report
<b>10 Days in Buenos Aires: Magellan’s 40th Birthday Solo Trip Report</b>
Subtitle: Sick and The City
*NOTE: This report is very long and contains a lot of details so I'm having to post it in installments. I wrote it with tips in mind for future travelers to BA. I’m not checking the spelling or doing much editing because I’m still sick and really tired. While this isn’t my most humorous report, hopefully it’s got some practical information that you can use. Anyway, I wanted to get all this down while the images are still fresh in my mind. Also, I’m no expert on Buenos Aires. I am only telling you about my own personal experience of the city. Take it for what it is and nothing more. Also – there’s a special note to female solo travelers at the very end of the report, but the whole report in general is from a solo female traveler’s perspective.
<b>INTRO/OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF BUENOS AIRES</b>: After putting out a plea on the Fodor’s Forum back in February for a good idea for a solo woman’s 40th birthday trip, as many of you know I decided to go to Buenos Aires. I stayed in Buenos Aires for 10 days or so – and I spent about 7 of those days sick as a dog. I know <i>exactly</i> who got me sick – that woman with the ashen face next to me on the bus who looked like she was going to keel over right then and there (damn you, woman!!!). I don’t know what she had, but whatever it was, it got me good. I ended up having to cancel many of my plans and return to the U.S. – But in spite of that little hitch, the trip was still totally worth it and I had a good time. It was a great place for a solo 40th birthday…even though I got sick and didn’t get to spend my actual birthday there after all…which is going to occur in exactly 4 hours from now. I am toasting with a nice big glass of Nyquil. I’ll see if I can get this report out before I pass out. Let the countdown begin.
This was my first trip to any place in South America – in other words, my first real trip to a place that was not Europe. Although I didn’t intend it, on this trip I found myself comparing and contrasting everything in Buenos Aires with all my memories of Europe – and I was pretty much always happy with what I found.
I feel like Buenos Aires is almost indescribable. To me, it has the trendy spots and frantic pace of Manhattan, the painfully lovely architecture of Paris, the vibrant joyfulness of Madrid, and even elements of London in the gardens and greenery of Palermo. But it’s really like <i>none</i> of these places. It has a feeling all its own – edgy and pulsating, a blend of old and new, and I’ll forever have images etched in my mind of dilapidated elegance – of brilliant blue Boca graffiti on a crumbling old building, flowers draped over the trellis, unruly vines climbing up the blackened columns, faded symbols of melancholic grandeur.
Because of the crushing crowds, the gritty chaos, ominous political graffiti, and the initial smothering heat, I kept expecting people to be abrupt, rushed, and rude. But this just wasn’t the case. I was repeatedly surprised that in almost all of my personal interactions with people, I invariably got warm, relaxed responses. “Tranquillo, tranquillo,” was said to me in soothing tones several times …until I finally chilled out and did become tranquillo myself. True - in traffic, people did seem to be a bit nuts. But in person, they were amazingly amiable and kind. The genuine smiles and easy conversation never ceased to amaze me.
The people laughed easily, took great delight in teasing me, and were curious about why I was there. As far as staring goes, it was never a hostile assessment like you’d get here in San Francisco. Instead it seemed like interested curiosity - and if I smiled, I usually got a smile back. People seemed to go out of their way to help me – I would ask the clerk in the locutorio where a good place was to go dancing, and before I knew it a couple came in off the street and another woman in one of the Internet cabins were also engaged in the conversation – then the couple got on the phone to call a brother who lived near a club to find out where it was located…and on and on. I can’t tell you how many people jotted down their cell phone numbers for me in case I needed anything.
All that genuine warmth and help –sometimes I didn’t know how to react to it. Where I come from, people keep to themselves. But by the end of the trip I was the one greeting people with a hearty wave and a “Que tal?” That was the most rewarding experience for me – true warmth in a city on edge.
AND NOW THE DETAILS….
Subtitle: Sick and The City
*NOTE: This report is very long and contains a lot of details so I'm having to post it in installments. I wrote it with tips in mind for future travelers to BA. I’m not checking the spelling or doing much editing because I’m still sick and really tired. While this isn’t my most humorous report, hopefully it’s got some practical information that you can use. Anyway, I wanted to get all this down while the images are still fresh in my mind. Also, I’m no expert on Buenos Aires. I am only telling you about my own personal experience of the city. Take it for what it is and nothing more. Also – there’s a special note to female solo travelers at the very end of the report, but the whole report in general is from a solo female traveler’s perspective.
<b>INTRO/OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF BUENOS AIRES</b>: After putting out a plea on the Fodor’s Forum back in February for a good idea for a solo woman’s 40th birthday trip, as many of you know I decided to go to Buenos Aires. I stayed in Buenos Aires for 10 days or so – and I spent about 7 of those days sick as a dog. I know <i>exactly</i> who got me sick – that woman with the ashen face next to me on the bus who looked like she was going to keel over right then and there (damn you, woman!!!). I don’t know what she had, but whatever it was, it got me good. I ended up having to cancel many of my plans and return to the U.S. – But in spite of that little hitch, the trip was still totally worth it and I had a good time. It was a great place for a solo 40th birthday…even though I got sick and didn’t get to spend my actual birthday there after all…which is going to occur in exactly 4 hours from now. I am toasting with a nice big glass of Nyquil. I’ll see if I can get this report out before I pass out. Let the countdown begin.
This was my first trip to any place in South America – in other words, my first real trip to a place that was not Europe. Although I didn’t intend it, on this trip I found myself comparing and contrasting everything in Buenos Aires with all my memories of Europe – and I was pretty much always happy with what I found.
I feel like Buenos Aires is almost indescribable. To me, it has the trendy spots and frantic pace of Manhattan, the painfully lovely architecture of Paris, the vibrant joyfulness of Madrid, and even elements of London in the gardens and greenery of Palermo. But it’s really like <i>none</i> of these places. It has a feeling all its own – edgy and pulsating, a blend of old and new, and I’ll forever have images etched in my mind of dilapidated elegance – of brilliant blue Boca graffiti on a crumbling old building, flowers draped over the trellis, unruly vines climbing up the blackened columns, faded symbols of melancholic grandeur.
Because of the crushing crowds, the gritty chaos, ominous political graffiti, and the initial smothering heat, I kept expecting people to be abrupt, rushed, and rude. But this just wasn’t the case. I was repeatedly surprised that in almost all of my personal interactions with people, I invariably got warm, relaxed responses. “Tranquillo, tranquillo,” was said to me in soothing tones several times …until I finally chilled out and did become tranquillo myself. True - in traffic, people did seem to be a bit nuts. But in person, they were amazingly amiable and kind. The genuine smiles and easy conversation never ceased to amaze me.
The people laughed easily, took great delight in teasing me, and were curious about why I was there. As far as staring goes, it was never a hostile assessment like you’d get here in San Francisco. Instead it seemed like interested curiosity - and if I smiled, I usually got a smile back. People seemed to go out of their way to help me – I would ask the clerk in the locutorio where a good place was to go dancing, and before I knew it a couple came in off the street and another woman in one of the Internet cabins were also engaged in the conversation – then the couple got on the phone to call a brother who lived near a club to find out where it was located…and on and on. I can’t tell you how many people jotted down their cell phone numbers for me in case I needed anything.
All that genuine warmth and help –sometimes I didn’t know how to react to it. Where I come from, people keep to themselves. But by the end of the trip I was the one greeting people with a hearty wave and a “Que tal?” That was the most rewarding experience for me – true warmth in a city on edge.
AND NOW THE DETAILS….
Jun 1st, 2008, 07:51 PM
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<b>PREPARATION</b>
<b>Language Tapes That I Used:</b> - 3 months refresher course – used Latin American Spanish CDs from Pimsleur
Books That I Read:
<i>Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number</i> – Jacobo Timerman
<i>Bad Times in Buenos Aires</i> – Miranda France
<i>Jorge Luis Borges Collected Fictions</i> - Translated by Andrew Hurley
<i>Kiss and Tango</i> – Marina Palmer
<i>Buenos Aires: A Cultural and Literary Companion</i> – Jason Wilson
<i>The Argentina Reader: History, Culture, Politics</i> – Gabriela Nouzeilles and Graciela Monta
<i>Santa Evita</i> – Tomas Eloy Martinez
<i>The Tango Singer</i> – Tomas Eloy Martinez
<b>Films That I Saw:</b>
Maradona 2006 (*There is a new documentary out in 2008 that’s supposed to be better)
Imagining Argentina 2003
Evita 1996
<b>GUIDEBOOKS:</b> I used Fodor’s Argentina (2006), Lonely Planet Buenos Aires (2005), Frommer’s Buenos Aires (2007). I also brought along a Spanish phrasebook. Note: I think that Fodor’s new Argentina should be out as of June 2008, and Lonely Planet’s new one will be out in August. Please note that my comments about the guidebooks pertain only to these older versions. I’ve noticed that Fodor’s has fixed some of the previous problems in the newer editions of its guidebooks in general (although I haven’t specifically seen the new Argentina edition).
Overall, I have to say that I felt like all of the guidebooks were lacking in some sense – mostly with practical information. All three had lots of “fun” quirky little facts, but didn’t have enough matter-of-fact info that would have been helpful (such as relevant information about what to expect when going through customs on the way to/from Colonia, what to expect with regard to the airport when leaving Argentina, etc.). I think that <i>all</i> guidebooks should not only include the addresses of places, but also the cross-streets. I also think all guidebooks should have pages that are easy to rip out. I don’t like to carry the whole book with me because it’s too conspicuous. So, I will often tear out a small section at a time and use it for that day. Lonely Planet was the absolute worst – it was impossible to tear out the pages with first using a knife, and then the entire binding would come out. Frommer's was the easiest to tear apart.
FODOR’S - I really liked Fodor’s “need a break” section and the cool little facts about porteños. Fodor’s also had the best section on shopping and one of the most practical and useful phrasebook sections. I wish that the Fodor’s guidebook had included more info on the days/times of opening/closing for the restaurants and some sites, as so many restaurants/sites were often closed on odd days, like a Monday or Tuesday. Also with the old edition of Fodor’s, I couldn’t find Recoleta in the index – not under the Buenos Aires section and not under the neighborhoods section, though all the other neighborhoods were listed. Finally, I wish that Fodor’s didn’t have all the excursions outside of Buenos Aires lumped together in one section. I wanted self-contained smaller sections for each excursion separately. On the plus side, I really liked Fodor’s restaurant recommendations.
FROMMER’S – Frommer’s was nicely organized, but the information was a little too mainstream and waaaaaaay too general in some sections (their Internet section was ridiculous). Even their “finds” section, with supposedly off the beaten track recommendations proved to be decidedly mainstream. It was also very weird how they had their most essential facts (“Fast Facts”) section so oddly placed in the middle of the “Getting Around” section. Again, hard to find essential facts when and where I needed them. Nevertheless, they had very good restaurant recommendations and I really liked their walking tours.
LONELY PLANET went in the other direction – sometimes so off the beaten track that it was a complete waste of time. Sometimes their recommendations for places with “character” turned out to be as nice as… oh, I don’t know… a gas station bathroom. I felt that the 2005 Lonely Planet Buenos Aires was one of the worst Lonely Planet Guides I’ve ever used. However, I did also download a newer Argentina section from the South American on Shoestring guide from the LP web site – the writing in this newer version was much better, the maps were simpler, and the recommendations were better too. Lonely Planet did have good maps and I really liked a lot of the walking tours, especially the Palermo walk.
The combination of all three books helped a bit though, and I’m very glad I took all three.
<b>Language Tapes That I Used:</b> - 3 months refresher course – used Latin American Spanish CDs from Pimsleur
Books That I Read:
<i>Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number</i> – Jacobo Timerman
<i>Bad Times in Buenos Aires</i> – Miranda France
<i>Jorge Luis Borges Collected Fictions</i> - Translated by Andrew Hurley
<i>Kiss and Tango</i> – Marina Palmer
<i>Buenos Aires: A Cultural and Literary Companion</i> – Jason Wilson
<i>The Argentina Reader: History, Culture, Politics</i> – Gabriela Nouzeilles and Graciela Monta
<i>Santa Evita</i> – Tomas Eloy Martinez
<i>The Tango Singer</i> – Tomas Eloy Martinez
<b>Films That I Saw:</b>
Maradona 2006 (*There is a new documentary out in 2008 that’s supposed to be better)
Imagining Argentina 2003
Evita 1996
<b>GUIDEBOOKS:</b> I used Fodor’s Argentina (2006), Lonely Planet Buenos Aires (2005), Frommer’s Buenos Aires (2007). I also brought along a Spanish phrasebook. Note: I think that Fodor’s new Argentina should be out as of June 2008, and Lonely Planet’s new one will be out in August. Please note that my comments about the guidebooks pertain only to these older versions. I’ve noticed that Fodor’s has fixed some of the previous problems in the newer editions of its guidebooks in general (although I haven’t specifically seen the new Argentina edition).
Overall, I have to say that I felt like all of the guidebooks were lacking in some sense – mostly with practical information. All three had lots of “fun” quirky little facts, but didn’t have enough matter-of-fact info that would have been helpful (such as relevant information about what to expect when going through customs on the way to/from Colonia, what to expect with regard to the airport when leaving Argentina, etc.). I think that <i>all</i> guidebooks should not only include the addresses of places, but also the cross-streets. I also think all guidebooks should have pages that are easy to rip out. I don’t like to carry the whole book with me because it’s too conspicuous. So, I will often tear out a small section at a time and use it for that day. Lonely Planet was the absolute worst – it was impossible to tear out the pages with first using a knife, and then the entire binding would come out. Frommer's was the easiest to tear apart.
FODOR’S - I really liked Fodor’s “need a break” section and the cool little facts about porteños. Fodor’s also had the best section on shopping and one of the most practical and useful phrasebook sections. I wish that the Fodor’s guidebook had included more info on the days/times of opening/closing for the restaurants and some sites, as so many restaurants/sites were often closed on odd days, like a Monday or Tuesday. Also with the old edition of Fodor’s, I couldn’t find Recoleta in the index – not under the Buenos Aires section and not under the neighborhoods section, though all the other neighborhoods were listed. Finally, I wish that Fodor’s didn’t have all the excursions outside of Buenos Aires lumped together in one section. I wanted self-contained smaller sections for each excursion separately. On the plus side, I really liked Fodor’s restaurant recommendations.
FROMMER’S – Frommer’s was nicely organized, but the information was a little too mainstream and waaaaaaay too general in some sections (their Internet section was ridiculous). Even their “finds” section, with supposedly off the beaten track recommendations proved to be decidedly mainstream. It was also very weird how they had their most essential facts (“Fast Facts”) section so oddly placed in the middle of the “Getting Around” section. Again, hard to find essential facts when and where I needed them. Nevertheless, they had very good restaurant recommendations and I really liked their walking tours.
LONELY PLANET went in the other direction – sometimes so off the beaten track that it was a complete waste of time. Sometimes their recommendations for places with “character” turned out to be as nice as… oh, I don’t know… a gas station bathroom. I felt that the 2005 Lonely Planet Buenos Aires was one of the worst Lonely Planet Guides I’ve ever used. However, I did also download a newer Argentina section from the South American on Shoestring guide from the LP web site – the writing in this newer version was much better, the maps were simpler, and the recommendations were better too. Lonely Planet did have good maps and I really liked a lot of the walking tours, especially the Palermo walk.
The combination of all three books helped a bit though, and I’m very glad I took all three.
Jun 1st, 2008, 07:51 PM
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<b>ACCOMODATIONS:</b> I rented a 1 bedroom apartment in Palermo through Buenos Aires Habitat www.buenosaireshabitat.com This was a very, very good decision, and I would rent from them again with no hesitation. Initially, there was some delay contacting them via email, but once they started writing to me, they would usually respond within 24 hours. Here are the cons/pros of renting the apartment:
CONS:
I rented a one-bedroom in Palermo. What I would do differently next time: I would rent an apartment with a view of either the street or the sunset. I had a balcony (caged in) with what was called an “open” view - which meant that I was staring at all the other buildings and yucky backs of the apartment buildings and ugly rooftops. Since I could hear the deafening noise from Avenida Santa Fé anyway, I wish I would have just gotten a street view - because then at least I could watch the people and what was going on in the street. As it was, I heard the noise all day and night (up until about midnight), but had no view to compensate. Fortunately, after a few days I got used to it, and I used the fan to create white noise so I could sleep.
The other thing that I would have done was to try and get a non-smoking building. The old woman in the apartment next to me smoked so much that I could literally see smoke billowing out from under her front door. My apartment filled with the smell of smoke each day, and I’m sure that’s part of the reason why I got so sick. I could hear her hacking away, and by the end of my stay I was hacking away too. It was like hacking in stereo, or synchronized hacking (damn you, woman!!!)
The apartment smelled slightly of mold, especially around the sliding glass door to the balcony. I think the rain must have seeped in and damaged the floor, but the smell was a bit unpleasant (combated with some bleach and Clorox wipes nicely), not to mention a few days of just leaving the windows open.
While staying in Palermo was nice, it was a bit too far away from all of the central sites downtown that I wanted to see at night. I wish I would have been closer to downtown. Nevertheless, it was rather nice to return to Palermo, which was quieter (although I wouldn’t say it was QUIET exactly) and less frantic than the Microcenter area.
I did miss having the breakfast room in a hotel, where I could meet other guests. But the benefit of being in the apartment was that since I had to go to cafes in my neighborhood, I ended up spending more time talking to the locals in Spanish. The other thing I missed was having a concierge at a hotel to make reservations for me. I got SO frustrated trying to call and make reservations in Spanish that several times I just said screw it and tossed my plans out the window. But the good part about this was that I ended up wandering and exploring and discovering places I might not have had I stuck to my original plan. Overall, there was always some plus to balance out the minuses. I’m very glad that I went with an apartment and would do it again. Here are a few more reasons why…
PROS:
The benefits of the apartment: tons of space to relax, a killer bed that was SO comfortable that I eventually didn’t get out of bed until 11am each day, tons of closet space, a shower with wonderful scalding hot water and great water pressure, a blow dryer, a washing machine, a microwave, cable TV, wireless, and best of all, a safety deposit box. The apartment was sparkling clean (other than the smell of mold, it was clean). The best thing was that if I was going to be as sick, I’m glad I was in an apartment and not a hotel room. After even two days, I felt totally at home as if I’d lived there for months. I had my little grocery store, the little confiteria where I bought empanadas and ninjas, the café across the street where I’d have my coffee, the Internet/locutorio where I’d check email. I was totally happy. Check in and check out were totally easy, and I got my full $400 back in cash, the same bills I gave them. I saved a BUNDLE by not staying in a hotel – the whole thing was just over $500 for 10 days. I also liked to have a quiet place to chill out. Sometimes I just wanted to cook dinner or stretch out on the couch or sit on the balcony – all things that I don’t feel like doing in a hotel. I also went to the gym two blocks over and got a day pass (about 4 U.S. dollars per day), and so I got to work out with the locals in the neighborhood. I met more local people renting an apartment than I would have in a hotel meeting only tourists. Overall, my apartment felt like home and I loved it.
<b>PACKING/CLOTHES</b> It was impossible to pack correctly for this trip. Scarlett helped me immensely by describing the fashion and the current climate (which helped me to know what to wear when going out on the town), but my problem was the drastic change in weather. When I arrived it was autumn, but unseasonably warm (read: hotter than hell). The heat lasted for the first week. The second week it was stormy, windy, and cold (it actually snowed in some parts of Argentina). So, I didn’t pack clothes for hot weather, and I didn’t pack the right clothes for very cold weather. I packed for in-between weather, and as a result, I was either too hot or too cold the entire time. Overall, I’m glad I brought my boots and jeans, and t-shirts. I only wore my tennis shoes when I went running. I wore my Privos and Pumas every day. I should have brought more light sweaters and one warmer coat. I would have left my little high heels, my corduroy, and most of my little slinky tops at home because I didn’t wear them at all (I wore only two of my slinky tops. I brought seven). As it turned out, I walked so much during the day that it was physically impossible for me to stand up in high heels in the evening, much less try to dance in them. Actually, on the first day, I walked so much during the day that I couldn’t even walk from the bed to the bathroom that night. My black Merrell boots with a low heel were a much better choice for the evening than high heels would have been. Scarlett was right: bring lots of black for the evening. During the day, I mostly saw a lot of skinny jeans and long tops – some high heeled boots, but also a lot of flats. I didn’t see anyone wearing athletic/tennis shoes, but I did see lots of Puma/Adidas type shoes. I was worried that I wouldn’t be dressed up enough, but I had nothing to worry about. Most of the clothes looked exactly like what women wear in San Francisco when they go out here.
<b>What I’m Glad I Brought</b> I’m glad that I packed Sudafed, and DayQuil and Nyquil liquid capsules. The pollution was horrible, especially when I first arrived it felt like it was 90 degrees. While I don’t normally have allergies, I was a mess in Buenos Aires. Sudafed helped me breathe, and the Nyquil turned out to be invaluable when I got really sick. Yes, of course they have Sudafed and cold medicine in Buenos Aires, but when you’re sick, the last thing you want to do is get out of bed and go try to find it and explain what you need in a foreign language. I was also glad that I brought little packs of Kleenex. Even the softest toilet paper in Buenos Aires was like sandpaper to my raw nose. I’m glad that I brought little packets of instant coffee and creamer. When I first arrived, it was nice to have a little pick-me-up before heading out to the grocery store. It was also nice when I ran out of milk to have that creamer. Glad I brought a little packet of laundry soap (which I bought at my laundry mat in San Francisco before I left). Glad I brought a little travel pack of Clorox Wipes to wipe down everything when I first arrived. I’m glad I brought my running shoes.
<b>What I Wish I Had Brought</b> I wish I had brought my Glide. For those of you who aren’t runners, Glide is a product that looks like deodorant, but you rub it on to your skin in strategic spots to prevent chafing and blisters on long runs. Glide would have been wonderful to prevent the blisters I got on my feet from walking for 8 hours a day, but I left on the bathroom sink at home. Even if you’re not a runner, it’s great to use Glide on your ankles and toes with all the walking you do on vacation. You’ll thank me later.
CONS:
I rented a one-bedroom in Palermo. What I would do differently next time: I would rent an apartment with a view of either the street or the sunset. I had a balcony (caged in) with what was called an “open” view - which meant that I was staring at all the other buildings and yucky backs of the apartment buildings and ugly rooftops. Since I could hear the deafening noise from Avenida Santa Fé anyway, I wish I would have just gotten a street view - because then at least I could watch the people and what was going on in the street. As it was, I heard the noise all day and night (up until about midnight), but had no view to compensate. Fortunately, after a few days I got used to it, and I used the fan to create white noise so I could sleep.
The other thing that I would have done was to try and get a non-smoking building. The old woman in the apartment next to me smoked so much that I could literally see smoke billowing out from under her front door. My apartment filled with the smell of smoke each day, and I’m sure that’s part of the reason why I got so sick. I could hear her hacking away, and by the end of my stay I was hacking away too. It was like hacking in stereo, or synchronized hacking (damn you, woman!!!)
The apartment smelled slightly of mold, especially around the sliding glass door to the balcony. I think the rain must have seeped in and damaged the floor, but the smell was a bit unpleasant (combated with some bleach and Clorox wipes nicely), not to mention a few days of just leaving the windows open.
While staying in Palermo was nice, it was a bit too far away from all of the central sites downtown that I wanted to see at night. I wish I would have been closer to downtown. Nevertheless, it was rather nice to return to Palermo, which was quieter (although I wouldn’t say it was QUIET exactly) and less frantic than the Microcenter area.
I did miss having the breakfast room in a hotel, where I could meet other guests. But the benefit of being in the apartment was that since I had to go to cafes in my neighborhood, I ended up spending more time talking to the locals in Spanish. The other thing I missed was having a concierge at a hotel to make reservations for me. I got SO frustrated trying to call and make reservations in Spanish that several times I just said screw it and tossed my plans out the window. But the good part about this was that I ended up wandering and exploring and discovering places I might not have had I stuck to my original plan. Overall, there was always some plus to balance out the minuses. I’m very glad that I went with an apartment and would do it again. Here are a few more reasons why…
PROS:
The benefits of the apartment: tons of space to relax, a killer bed that was SO comfortable that I eventually didn’t get out of bed until 11am each day, tons of closet space, a shower with wonderful scalding hot water and great water pressure, a blow dryer, a washing machine, a microwave, cable TV, wireless, and best of all, a safety deposit box. The apartment was sparkling clean (other than the smell of mold, it was clean). The best thing was that if I was going to be as sick, I’m glad I was in an apartment and not a hotel room. After even two days, I felt totally at home as if I’d lived there for months. I had my little grocery store, the little confiteria where I bought empanadas and ninjas, the café across the street where I’d have my coffee, the Internet/locutorio where I’d check email. I was totally happy. Check in and check out were totally easy, and I got my full $400 back in cash, the same bills I gave them. I saved a BUNDLE by not staying in a hotel – the whole thing was just over $500 for 10 days. I also liked to have a quiet place to chill out. Sometimes I just wanted to cook dinner or stretch out on the couch or sit on the balcony – all things that I don’t feel like doing in a hotel. I also went to the gym two blocks over and got a day pass (about 4 U.S. dollars per day), and so I got to work out with the locals in the neighborhood. I met more local people renting an apartment than I would have in a hotel meeting only tourists. Overall, my apartment felt like home and I loved it.
<b>PACKING/CLOTHES</b> It was impossible to pack correctly for this trip. Scarlett helped me immensely by describing the fashion and the current climate (which helped me to know what to wear when going out on the town), but my problem was the drastic change in weather. When I arrived it was autumn, but unseasonably warm (read: hotter than hell). The heat lasted for the first week. The second week it was stormy, windy, and cold (it actually snowed in some parts of Argentina). So, I didn’t pack clothes for hot weather, and I didn’t pack the right clothes for very cold weather. I packed for in-between weather, and as a result, I was either too hot or too cold the entire time. Overall, I’m glad I brought my boots and jeans, and t-shirts. I only wore my tennis shoes when I went running. I wore my Privos and Pumas every day. I should have brought more light sweaters and one warmer coat. I would have left my little high heels, my corduroy, and most of my little slinky tops at home because I didn’t wear them at all (I wore only two of my slinky tops. I brought seven). As it turned out, I walked so much during the day that it was physically impossible for me to stand up in high heels in the evening, much less try to dance in them. Actually, on the first day, I walked so much during the day that I couldn’t even walk from the bed to the bathroom that night. My black Merrell boots with a low heel were a much better choice for the evening than high heels would have been. Scarlett was right: bring lots of black for the evening. During the day, I mostly saw a lot of skinny jeans and long tops – some high heeled boots, but also a lot of flats. I didn’t see anyone wearing athletic/tennis shoes, but I did see lots of Puma/Adidas type shoes. I was worried that I wouldn’t be dressed up enough, but I had nothing to worry about. Most of the clothes looked exactly like what women wear in San Francisco when they go out here.
<b>What I’m Glad I Brought</b> I’m glad that I packed Sudafed, and DayQuil and Nyquil liquid capsules. The pollution was horrible, especially when I first arrived it felt like it was 90 degrees. While I don’t normally have allergies, I was a mess in Buenos Aires. Sudafed helped me breathe, and the Nyquil turned out to be invaluable when I got really sick. Yes, of course they have Sudafed and cold medicine in Buenos Aires, but when you’re sick, the last thing you want to do is get out of bed and go try to find it and explain what you need in a foreign language. I was also glad that I brought little packs of Kleenex. Even the softest toilet paper in Buenos Aires was like sandpaper to my raw nose. I’m glad that I brought little packets of instant coffee and creamer. When I first arrived, it was nice to have a little pick-me-up before heading out to the grocery store. It was also nice when I ran out of milk to have that creamer. Glad I brought a little packet of laundry soap (which I bought at my laundry mat in San Francisco before I left). Glad I brought a little travel pack of Clorox Wipes to wipe down everything when I first arrived. I’m glad I brought my running shoes.
<b>What I Wish I Had Brought</b> I wish I had brought my Glide. For those of you who aren’t runners, Glide is a product that looks like deodorant, but you rub it on to your skin in strategic spots to prevent chafing and blisters on long runs. Glide would have been wonderful to prevent the blisters I got on my feet from walking for 8 hours a day, but I left on the bathroom sink at home. Even if you’re not a runner, it’s great to use Glide on your ankles and toes with all the walking you do on vacation. You’ll thank me later.
Jun 1st, 2008, 07:54 PM
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<b>SOME OF WHAT I SAW AND DID:</b> While mostly I just ended up tossing my itinerary and wandering wherever I felt like it, I did have some specific places that I wanted to see. Here a few of the things I did that stand out in my memory:
*Palacio Barolo – For one of the best views of the city, take a tour of Palacio Barolo at Av. de Mayo 1370 (about 3 blocks from Plaza Congreso). The tour of the building (15 pesos) was in Spanish, and the building itself wasn’t that great, but it had the absolute best panoramic views of the city from the lighthouse at the very top of the building. I’ve had several graduate courses on Dante, so I was thrilled to find out that Palacio Barolo is designed around Dante’s <i>Divine Comedy</i> I mostly wanted the view from “Paradise”. I went at 2pm, but the last tour was at 6pm, and it would have been pretty to see the lights of the city. If you’re lucky, you will get the cute nephew as the tour guide. www.pbarolo.com.ar
*San Telmo Market on Sunday - The San Telmo market was one of my favorite experiences. I was under the impression that it was <i>only</i> antiques, but this wasn’t the case at all. It had tons of arts and crafts, and proved to be a great place to buy gifts. There was a ton of good food to eat, and I got to watch my first tango dancers in the main Plaza. I heard some of the best live music there too – an amazing band of young people called Pollerapantalon who played high-energy music that reminded me a bit of Oingo Boingo without the singing.
*Shopping at Prune - Thank you, Scarlett for this tip! I went to Prune four times. While there are two or maybe 3 Prunes on Calle Florida, there was a really nice one in Palermo.
*Botanical Gardens – After the frenetic pace of the city, I was grateful to have the gardens to rest in. The cats made it especially delightful. My first and last days in Buenos Aires were spent in these peaceful gardens.
*Palermo Walk – I loved the gardens and parks (favorite) and seeing just how big Palermo actually was. I found the MALBA museum and intended to go there, but got too sick and missed out.
*Evita Museum – I loved this museum. After reading <i>Santa Evita</i> I was absolutely fascinated to see all of the displays. It was very well-organized and visually appealing. It didn’t have a lot of background information, though, and there were quite a few American tourists who seemed to know almost nothing about Evita. Do some background reading before coming to this museum.
*Recoleta Walk – Recoleta Cemetery. Lovely statuary and a nice experience. One of the few sunny days I had in Buenos Aires, and some of my best photos came from this day.
*Puerto Madera, Bridge, and Ships - Puerto Madera felt very empty, and a bit lonely – too new for my tastes, but I liked the bridge and the ships. The emptiness was very calming and peaceful after the crazy pace and crowds of Calle Florida and the Microcenter.
*Day Trip to San Antonio de Areco - Looking back, I would have skipped this. I didn’t really like it and felt extremely uncomfortable and conspicuous there for some reason. Someone told me that since I was there from 3-5 when almost nothing was open, and so that’s probably why it felt like a ghost town to me. And, of course, I was starting to get sick and was feeling crappy anyway, so it probably affected my perception a bit. The best thing I did was to visit the Gaucho museum, which was very cool. On the way there, wild black dogs wagged their tales and jumped all over me, slobbering away, which was one of the best welcomes I got. Overall, though, I think this place was one of my least favorite experiences (Note, however, that I met a couple from Wisconsin at the bus station who absolutely loved it, they and couldn’t get enough of it. I also met a mother and daughter who were spending the night and also loved it). I was ready to leave after 2 hours. In hindsight, I would have skipped this day trip and I would have instead spent the night in Colonia (which I loved). However, it was in San Antonio de Areco that I went to one of the best restaurants of my entire trip: Almacen de Ramos Generales on Zaparilo. That meal alone made the experience worth it. The funny thing is that some of my best photos come from this trip. I really wasn’t feeling it at the time though.
*Day Trip to Colonia (favorite). I absolutely loved Colonia. It felt so peaceful that I wish I would have spent the night. I had a fabulous lunch on the main square at Viejo Barrio at Vacconcellos 169. Wonderful service and great pasta. I was just so happy there and so relaxed that I didn’t want to leave. It would have been a great place for a romantic weekend of sitting in the outside restaurants sipping wine or sangria. The people were really nice and welcoming, and several gave me a hearty wave and a big smile and a “Buen Dia!” I loved it and was sorry to leave. My favorite experience was being up at the top of the lighthouse at the beginning of a rain storm. It was just beautiful.
*Palacio Barolo – For one of the best views of the city, take a tour of Palacio Barolo at Av. de Mayo 1370 (about 3 blocks from Plaza Congreso). The tour of the building (15 pesos) was in Spanish, and the building itself wasn’t that great, but it had the absolute best panoramic views of the city from the lighthouse at the very top of the building. I’ve had several graduate courses on Dante, so I was thrilled to find out that Palacio Barolo is designed around Dante’s <i>Divine Comedy</i> I mostly wanted the view from “Paradise”. I went at 2pm, but the last tour was at 6pm, and it would have been pretty to see the lights of the city. If you’re lucky, you will get the cute nephew as the tour guide. www.pbarolo.com.ar
*San Telmo Market on Sunday - The San Telmo market was one of my favorite experiences. I was under the impression that it was <i>only</i> antiques, but this wasn’t the case at all. It had tons of arts and crafts, and proved to be a great place to buy gifts. There was a ton of good food to eat, and I got to watch my first tango dancers in the main Plaza. I heard some of the best live music there too – an amazing band of young people called Pollerapantalon who played high-energy music that reminded me a bit of Oingo Boingo without the singing.
*Shopping at Prune - Thank you, Scarlett for this tip! I went to Prune four times. While there are two or maybe 3 Prunes on Calle Florida, there was a really nice one in Palermo.
*Botanical Gardens – After the frenetic pace of the city, I was grateful to have the gardens to rest in. The cats made it especially delightful. My first and last days in Buenos Aires were spent in these peaceful gardens.
*Palermo Walk – I loved the gardens and parks (favorite) and seeing just how big Palermo actually was. I found the MALBA museum and intended to go there, but got too sick and missed out.
*Evita Museum – I loved this museum. After reading <i>Santa Evita</i> I was absolutely fascinated to see all of the displays. It was very well-organized and visually appealing. It didn’t have a lot of background information, though, and there were quite a few American tourists who seemed to know almost nothing about Evita. Do some background reading before coming to this museum.
*Recoleta Walk – Recoleta Cemetery. Lovely statuary and a nice experience. One of the few sunny days I had in Buenos Aires, and some of my best photos came from this day.
*Puerto Madera, Bridge, and Ships - Puerto Madera felt very empty, and a bit lonely – too new for my tastes, but I liked the bridge and the ships. The emptiness was very calming and peaceful after the crazy pace and crowds of Calle Florida and the Microcenter.
*Day Trip to San Antonio de Areco - Looking back, I would have skipped this. I didn’t really like it and felt extremely uncomfortable and conspicuous there for some reason. Someone told me that since I was there from 3-5 when almost nothing was open, and so that’s probably why it felt like a ghost town to me. And, of course, I was starting to get sick and was feeling crappy anyway, so it probably affected my perception a bit. The best thing I did was to visit the Gaucho museum, which was very cool. On the way there, wild black dogs wagged their tales and jumped all over me, slobbering away, which was one of the best welcomes I got. Overall, though, I think this place was one of my least favorite experiences (Note, however, that I met a couple from Wisconsin at the bus station who absolutely loved it, they and couldn’t get enough of it. I also met a mother and daughter who were spending the night and also loved it). I was ready to leave after 2 hours. In hindsight, I would have skipped this day trip and I would have instead spent the night in Colonia (which I loved). However, it was in San Antonio de Areco that I went to one of the best restaurants of my entire trip: Almacen de Ramos Generales on Zaparilo. That meal alone made the experience worth it. The funny thing is that some of my best photos come from this trip. I really wasn’t feeling it at the time though.
*Day Trip to Colonia (favorite). I absolutely loved Colonia. It felt so peaceful that I wish I would have spent the night. I had a fabulous lunch on the main square at Viejo Barrio at Vacconcellos 169. Wonderful service and great pasta. I was just so happy there and so relaxed that I didn’t want to leave. It would have been a great place for a romantic weekend of sitting in the outside restaurants sipping wine or sangria. The people were really nice and welcoming, and several gave me a hearty wave and a big smile and a “Buen Dia!” I loved it and was sorry to leave. My favorite experience was being up at the top of the lighthouse at the beginning of a rain storm. It was just beautiful.
Jun 1st, 2008, 07:54 PM
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<b>FOOD</b>– I loved the food in Buenos Aires. I adored the ninjas and empanadas that I got each day from the little place on Jorge Luis Borges near Santa Fé. Along with yogurt, fruit, and corn flakes, that’s what I ate most of the time. I also adored the scalding café cortados. I loved the little surprise pastries and cookies that would accompany the coffee. The steaks at dinner were wonderful, but I had trouble digesting them - I always ended up with a bad stomach ache. By the end of my stay, I was seeking out salads and had some of the most interesting “Caesar” salads that I’ve ever had. They didn’t taste like Caesar at all, but they were pretty darn good. My favorite thing to do was to just point at something that I didn’t know and order. The meal that I loved the best was locro, which I had at a little hole in wall place in Recoleta where the waiter flirted shamelessly with me. Locro will always mean love to me.
GROCERY STORE – I loved the milk in bags. That was an interesting surprise. The milk tasted and smelled different from what I’m used to. It took me about 3 days to figure out which milk was low-fat. I also noticed that when I’d buy little individual milks, it would have sugar in it. Also noticed that the coffee grounds I bought also had sugar in them. I actually couldn’t find coffee in the store that didn’t have sugar. It took me four trips to Eki to realize that the sales clerk was asking me if I wanted a bag. I couldn’t understand anything she was saying until she finally waved the bag in my face with a big grin on her face. Then I realized that they always asked this question, and that a lot of people brought their own bags, so I started bringing my own. The grocery store was so cheap, that I always felt like I had gotten away with something when I left – huge bags of groceries for next to nothing. They often did not have change at the grocery store. Many people seemed to use it to break their large bills, and so the clerk would be left standing there with all these 100s and 50’s, but no small change. They’d have to wait until another customer arrived with smaller change to give the first customer their change. Knowing this, I usually broke all my larger bills at the bank or at expensive restaurants at dinner.
RESTAURANTS – Recommendations in Lonely Planet were not that great, but had a lot of cheap places to eat. Fodor’s and Frommer’s had much nicer recommendations, and I relied upon these two guides more heavily. The costs were a bit off in all three books, in that they quoted lower prices (*This was mainly because two of the guidebooks were a few years old). I found that my most of my steak dinners with the tip came to about $20 US, not $8-$12 like the guidebooks said. Lunches and breakfasts were cheaper depending upon how many café cortados I could down in one sitting. Here are some of the more memorable restaurants that I went to:
*Lo de Jesus – Gurruchaga 1406 at Gurruchaga and Cabrera in Palermo. This was the first nice meal I had in Buenos Aires, and perhaps the best meal that I had in the city. I loved this place. The service was wonderful, the ambience was fabulous, and the meal was amazing. I loved all the old pictures on the wall, the checkerboard floor, the white tablecloths. It was just great.
*Bar Uriarte – Uriarte 1572 in Palmero at Uriarte and Honduras. I ended up at Bar Uriarte by accident. I had reservations at Te Matare Ramirez on Paraguay (a Frommer's recommendation), but when I arrived at the restaurant there was a sign on the door that said the restaurant had moved – about 10 blocks away in the other direction. Then it started pouring. I was hungry and pissed off, so I just started walking. After a half hour, I found myself on Uriarte, and saw the chefs at Bar Uriarte cooking some good-looking food in the window, so I went in. This place had a nice ambiance and one of the cutest waiters I’ve ever seen in my life (though, unfortunately, he wasn’t MY waiter). It was really like any trendy restaurant you’d find in San Francisco, with a very modern feel. The service was okay, the food was great.
*T-Bone – Armenia 2475 in Palermo at Santa Fe & Armenia. Also had a very modern, trendy feel, but the service was fabulous. They gave me a little digestive at the start of my meal, and a lovely little ice cream at the end. I had one of the best salmon salads of my life there – and the bread was divine.
*Confiteria del Botanic – At Santa Fé and Arabe Siria in Palermo, to the right of the Botanical Gardens. This was my favorite café in Palermo and I went here many times for breakfast and lunch.
*Sr. Telmo at Defensa 756 Defensa in San Telmo. Nice ambience. Good food. Pizzas, pastas, and rice/chicken dishes. Modern art paintings of what appeared to be Betty Paige on the walls. When I walked up to the restaurant, I had to press a buzzer for them to let me in. A table full of junior-high-school-aged girls all turned around - full-body - and stared with pointed scientific curiosity at me - until I smiled widely at them. Then they seemed to realize that I was only a mere human, and turned back around and ate their lunch.
I wish I could remember the name of the little hole in the wall place near the Buquebus office in Recoleta where I ate locro. It was so good!
TIPPING – One of my guidebooks said that tipping in restaurants was 10%, one said 10-15%, and one said 15% in nicer restaurants. 10 % seemed ok in some cafes, but honestly it felt like so little that I actually felt embarrassed leaving that amount. Most of the time I ended up leaving about 15%.
TIP: I learned that when you pay the bill and you want change, make sure that when you hand the bill to the waiter you say, “Can I get change please?” I noticed that when I didn’t do this, on a few occasions (usually in nicer restaurants) the waiter would assume that I had simply paid the bill and tip in full, and then he never came back to the table. Also, at the restaurant, if you need your change back in smaller bills or coins, you need to ask for it. Sometimes I would ask for change and get such large bills back that I’d be unable to leave a tip unless I asked AGAIN for smaller bills. However, every time I asked for it, I got smaller change and coins.
GROCERY STORE – I loved the milk in bags. That was an interesting surprise. The milk tasted and smelled different from what I’m used to. It took me about 3 days to figure out which milk was low-fat. I also noticed that when I’d buy little individual milks, it would have sugar in it. Also noticed that the coffee grounds I bought also had sugar in them. I actually couldn’t find coffee in the store that didn’t have sugar. It took me four trips to Eki to realize that the sales clerk was asking me if I wanted a bag. I couldn’t understand anything she was saying until she finally waved the bag in my face with a big grin on her face. Then I realized that they always asked this question, and that a lot of people brought their own bags, so I started bringing my own. The grocery store was so cheap, that I always felt like I had gotten away with something when I left – huge bags of groceries for next to nothing. They often did not have change at the grocery store. Many people seemed to use it to break their large bills, and so the clerk would be left standing there with all these 100s and 50’s, but no small change. They’d have to wait until another customer arrived with smaller change to give the first customer their change. Knowing this, I usually broke all my larger bills at the bank or at expensive restaurants at dinner.
RESTAURANTS – Recommendations in Lonely Planet were not that great, but had a lot of cheap places to eat. Fodor’s and Frommer’s had much nicer recommendations, and I relied upon these two guides more heavily. The costs were a bit off in all three books, in that they quoted lower prices (*This was mainly because two of the guidebooks were a few years old). I found that my most of my steak dinners with the tip came to about $20 US, not $8-$12 like the guidebooks said. Lunches and breakfasts were cheaper depending upon how many café cortados I could down in one sitting. Here are some of the more memorable restaurants that I went to:
*Lo de Jesus – Gurruchaga 1406 at Gurruchaga and Cabrera in Palermo. This was the first nice meal I had in Buenos Aires, and perhaps the best meal that I had in the city. I loved this place. The service was wonderful, the ambience was fabulous, and the meal was amazing. I loved all the old pictures on the wall, the checkerboard floor, the white tablecloths. It was just great.
*Bar Uriarte – Uriarte 1572 in Palmero at Uriarte and Honduras. I ended up at Bar Uriarte by accident. I had reservations at Te Matare Ramirez on Paraguay (a Frommer's recommendation), but when I arrived at the restaurant there was a sign on the door that said the restaurant had moved – about 10 blocks away in the other direction. Then it started pouring. I was hungry and pissed off, so I just started walking. After a half hour, I found myself on Uriarte, and saw the chefs at Bar Uriarte cooking some good-looking food in the window, so I went in. This place had a nice ambiance and one of the cutest waiters I’ve ever seen in my life (though, unfortunately, he wasn’t MY waiter). It was really like any trendy restaurant you’d find in San Francisco, with a very modern feel. The service was okay, the food was great.
*T-Bone – Armenia 2475 in Palermo at Santa Fe & Armenia. Also had a very modern, trendy feel, but the service was fabulous. They gave me a little digestive at the start of my meal, and a lovely little ice cream at the end. I had one of the best salmon salads of my life there – and the bread was divine.
*Confiteria del Botanic – At Santa Fé and Arabe Siria in Palermo, to the right of the Botanical Gardens. This was my favorite café in Palermo and I went here many times for breakfast and lunch.
*Sr. Telmo at Defensa 756 Defensa in San Telmo. Nice ambience. Good food. Pizzas, pastas, and rice/chicken dishes. Modern art paintings of what appeared to be Betty Paige on the walls. When I walked up to the restaurant, I had to press a buzzer for them to let me in. A table full of junior-high-school-aged girls all turned around - full-body - and stared with pointed scientific curiosity at me - until I smiled widely at them. Then they seemed to realize that I was only a mere human, and turned back around and ate their lunch.
I wish I could remember the name of the little hole in the wall place near the Buquebus office in Recoleta where I ate locro. It was so good!
TIPPING – One of my guidebooks said that tipping in restaurants was 10%, one said 10-15%, and one said 15% in nicer restaurants. 10 % seemed ok in some cafes, but honestly it felt like so little that I actually felt embarrassed leaving that amount. Most of the time I ended up leaving about 15%.
TIP: I learned that when you pay the bill and you want change, make sure that when you hand the bill to the waiter you say, “Can I get change please?” I noticed that when I didn’t do this, on a few occasions (usually in nicer restaurants) the waiter would assume that I had simply paid the bill and tip in full, and then he never came back to the table. Also, at the restaurant, if you need your change back in smaller bills or coins, you need to ask for it. Sometimes I would ask for change and get such large bills back that I’d be unable to leave a tip unless I asked AGAIN for smaller bills. However, every time I asked for it, I got smaller change and coins.
Jun 1st, 2008, 07:55 PM
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<b>GETTING AROUND AND GOING PLACES:</b>
MAPS – I pride myself on my good sense of direction. You can drop me off in the middle of a forest blindfolded, and I’ll be able to find my way home. So I was frustrated at my initial confusion in Buenos Aires, and then I figured out what was going on: the maps can really screw you up. I would know instinctively that I was headed in the right direction, but then I’d go to verify my hunch with the map and I’d get totally turned around. The problem is that many of the maps are not designed with north at the top. And many of the maps are oriented with the port as the primary navigation point. Some maps have the river at the bottom of the map, some have the river to the right, some have the river at the top, and some have the river to the left. So if you happen to switch back and forth between maps, or if you are trying to use the sun to navigate, you can get turned around when you then consult the map to verify. It took me about three days to get the lay of the land and know where the major streets were. After that I just tossed the maps and relied on my inner radar and then I didn’t get lost again. Frommer’s did the best job of describing the layout of the city and major streets, but it still can’t take the place of your inner radar (that is, if you’ve got one that functions well). For those of you who need the maps, I found the best maps (with regard to ease of use and street names) in from some of the city maps that I got at kiosks (e.g. the Golden Map, and Discover Buenos Aires from www.bue.gov.ar)
BUS – I loved riding around Buenos Aires on the local buses, especially when I was tired. The bus system seemed easy to navigate to me, but I’ve heard it’s confusing to many folks. If you know how to use a Thomas Guide, then you won’t have a problem using the Guia T bus guide (which you can buy at news stands for about 5 pesos). It’s basically a grid design of the city and says – generally - which buses go through a certain area. I also used the Guia T guide as a street finder. If you don’t understand this type of system though, you’ll be mystified. In that case just look on the outside of the bus itself to see where the major stops are. I took the 64 most often from Santa Fe to Plaza de Mayo. I liked the bus because I could see everything, and it was only 1 peso to go all the way from Palermo to Plaza de Mayo. It was fun just riding around lazily and seeing things. You just get on, ask the driver how much to your destination, and he says “Noventa” or “Uno” (usually I paid 90 centavos, or 1 peso max to get where I was going). You put your change (coins only, no bills) in the machine and it spits out a little strip of paper. From what I gathered, there were no free transfers within a certain time frame, so I had to pay each time. It took about an hour to get from Palermo to Plaza de Mayo during rush hour, though, so the bus wasn’t always convenient.
SUBTE: To get back and forth from Microcenter to Palermo much more quickly, I used the subte. I bought a 10-ride pass for about 9 pesos (my guide book said it was 7 pesos, but it wasn’t). It was worth it because I didn’t have to fumble around for change or stand in line. The subte was fine for going back and forth between Palermo and Plaza de Mayo, but inconvenient if I wanted to go certain directions (such as from Palermo to Recoleta – I just walked). Still, I found the subte fast and easy to use. Maintain a death-grip on your purse at all times.
BUQUEBUS/ FERRY TO COLONIA: I bought my ticket for Colonia at the office in Recoleta, and I did the day trip from 11:30-5:30.
TIP: When you go to the actual ferry terminal, don’t use the Retiro metro stop and head toward the water – or you’ll find yourself trekking along the freeway. Instead, get out at a metro stop closer to Cordoba (such as Lavalle or LN Alem)and walk straight down Cordoba to the Buquebus Ferry terminal. As it was, I went to the Retiro metro stop, and then tried to head to the water that way – I ended up having to walk along a busy multi-lane highway on a dirt road through an industrial area with all the truckers honking at me (I got 7 honks so I felt pretty damn good after that walk!...But really, I wouldn’t recommend that route, especially in the dark).
TIP: Bring a PEN with you to the ferry terminal!!! For some odd reason, the people at the check-in counter at the ferry terminal did not want to loan me a pen to fill out the customs forms, and there were none available. Yes, they have pens for sale at the candy counter, but the guy at the candy counter outside of customs was out, so the only other pens for sale were at the candy counter AFTER you go through customs (and AFTER you need the damn pen). They wouldn’t let me use pencil.
TIP: If you want to go on a ferry where you can actually go outside out on deck, you need to take one of the slower (3 hour) ferries. They wouldn’t let people out on deck on the fast ferry, which was a bit disappointing as I wanted to take pictures of the coastline.
TIP: Realize that the terminal on the Uruguay side isn’t nearly as posh as the one on the Buenos Aires side. On the trip back, don’t get to the terminal in Uruguay too early, because there is absolutely nothing there – no coffee, no food, nothing to do, and it smells like cigarette smoke. There is a duty-free shop that sells limited items, but it didn’t open until right before the boat left. Also, the bathrooms are BEFORE customs, so once you go through customs, there’s no bathroom again until you get on the boat. When I asked the customs official if there was a bathroom I could use - he suggested (thinking that I didn’t speak Spanish) that I “use one of the potted plants.” I told him in Spanish that I knew EXACTLY what he was saying, “Very funny!” I said sternly. The whole group erupted in laughter as I’d clearly understood the joke… and they let me out to use the bathroom as a reward. But later when the lines were long, they wouldn’t let anyone back out.
OMNIBUS BUS STATION – This was perhaps the worst place not to be fluent in Spanish. Virtually no one that I encountered spoke English. My Spanish came in handy, but it was woefully inadequate. It was here that I encountered one of the only rude people on my entire trip (there were only 3 rude people total – the clerk at the bus station at Chevalier, a salesgirl in a leather good store in the Galleria, and a salesgirl in a shop in Palermo. Three rude people TOTAL in a big city, though, is pretty amazing!)
TIP FOR THE BUS STATION: If you want to buy a bus ticket to San Antonio de Areco, write out exactly what you want before-hand - better yet, print the schedule from the web site and circle what you want, then hand it to the clerk. The less you have to talk here to the better. Oh – one last thing. There were no bathrooms on my Chevalier bus, so that was a two hour ride without peeing. My advice is to either drink nothing for the hour before your bus trip, or invest in Depends.
<b>OTHER STUFF</b>
MEN: The men were splendid. While I didn’t meet a lot of younger eligible bachelors during the day (presumably, they were all at work), I did see a lot of fabulous specimens on the subte in the morning and in the evening. And the stares from these men made me feel pretty good. Until my nose started dripping like a faucet – at which point I received stares of horror. But my favorite was the old men that I’d meet during the day at the cafes. They were the biggest flirts! The funniest moment of my trip was at the San Telmo market. You’ll notice that several of the stalls have signs that say “No Toque” telling you not to touch the merchandise. The biggest laugh I got was when I went up to a stall of leather goods where two old men were talking. I asked in Spanish if “it is ok to touch it?” meaning, of course, the leather bag I was looking at. But man-oh-man, they took that phrase and ran with it, shouting gleefully, “By all means, YES, <i>PLEASE</i> TOUCH IT” and so on and so on, until they exhausted themselves from laughing.
TRAFFIC/CAR ACCIDENTS/ NEWS – Given how nice everyone was in person, I was mystified at their transformation once they got behind the wheel. From what I have gathered, once they touch their hands to the steering wheel, madness ensues immediately.
The traffic in Buenos Aires was some of the worst I’ve ever seen – and that’s compared to Chicago and L.A. The worst: the noxious fumes coming from the cars (I almost passed out near the Obelisco from the fumes in the heat), the honking of the horns (constant), and the accidents. I witnessed three accidents, right in front of me, two of which I was almost caught in the middle of. Crossing the big streets wasn’t a problem because I had the illusion of guaranteed safety with a very visible traffic light and I was shielded by the bodies of other pedestrians. It was crossing the little neighborhood streets that almost got me killed. I was almost run over 17 times. And that was just the first day.
My favorite thing was the evening news where a big text would come on the screen “Otro Accidente!!!” like “Yep, ANOTHER accident! Can you believe it?!” Well, yes, I could believe it, especially after the scariest ride of my life on the bus back from San Antonio de Areco, where I saw motorists passing one another on one-lane highway at breakneck speed (including my own bus driver, which made me nearly pee my pants in terror when he tried to pass a horse trailer. I was sitting in the very front upper-level of the bus behind a huge glass window. Great view of the scenery, but also a great view of my own oncoming death. I could see the headlights of the approaching semi, and closed my eyes and starting praying. Fortunately, Buenos Dios heard me I am still here to tell the tale).
Umm, and what’s with the driving right in the middle of the lanes (e.g. straddling two lanes – if there were even lanes)? I could swear that I saw a sign on the freeway asking motorists to “please try to stay in your own lane… please.” Was that a Nyquil-induced hallucination? Also, what’s with the cars riding around in the dark with no headlights on? Complete darkness except at some intersections when - if you were lucky - they would flash their headlights so you could actually see them. The black-tinted windows freaked me out. I couldn’t see the drivers at all. So these spooky dark cars would glide by, slow and menacing – so it was always a shock to see the window roll down and a nice, happy face asking me for directions. And there seemed to be no stop signs or clear lines on several streets in Palermo. Cars would edge forward if they wanted to go, and then go at their own risk - and mine, as I was usually running like hell to get to the other side of the street.
HOURS – I am very much a morning person – <i>early</i> morning. So it was hard at first to adjust to the difference. For example, I’d be raring to go at 8am, only to find that several museums didn’t even open until noon, and some of the tours didn’t start until 2pm. The banks on my street didn’t open until 10:00am. And I’d want to eat dinner at 7:00pm, only to find that the restaurant didn’t open until 8:30pm. By the end of my stay, though, I managed to sleep until 11am, and stay up until 2am each night. Too bad I was choking on Nyquil in my bathrobe at this point and not out dancing with a hottie under the stars.
LANGUAGE – I am very glad I spoke enough Spanish to get by. There were far fewer people that spoke English than I though there would be - although in the stores and restaurants and more touristy places, many people spoke at least a little English. By the end of my trip, I wasn’t sure if I’d spoken in Spanish or in English, and I was able have entire conversations – helped largely by the fact that porteños seem to like to make huge gestures with their hands to add picturesque details to the storyline. I saw quite a few very frustrated Americans who spoke ZERO Spanish – and they did the usual American thing – if someone didn’t understand their questions in English, they would then repeat the same question in English again….only about 10 times louder. I saw one American woman in a locutorio trying to ask to use the phone – she just about ready to cry in frustration. She was so rude to the clerk though, that he pretended that he didn’t speak any English – which I knew for a fact he did because we’d just had a conversation about San Francisco – in English. Anyway, take the time to at least learn some basic phrases in Spanish.
POLITICS – I was lucky enough to be in Buenos Aires on May 25, an important holiday. I saw a large number of small-scale demonstrations near Plaza de Mayo, Plaza Congreso, and in Palermo. I knew enough to get out of the way and to watch at a respectful distance. I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked, but it’s not the brightest thing in the world for a tourist to wave a camera in people’s faces during a moment of political heat. The news was fascinating, with all the turmoil in the countryside, and president’s visit. It was really interesting to watch what was going on, and then to follow along in the Buenos Aires Herald.
INTERNET – Internet access was everywhere in the locutorios that seemed to appear every few blocks. Most places were 2 pesos an hour for Internet, and since I was usually on for only a few minutes, it cost about 50 centavos. It was disturbing to not be able to shut down the screen myself. I always had to tell the clerk when I was done. Bring Purell with you to the Internet café. Seriously. That’s all I’ll say about that.
MONEY/THE BANK – I don’t know who originally posted the advice on this board, but thank you to whoever it was who recommended getting 90 pesos, or 190 pesos. If you get 100 pesos, you get a 100 peso bill, which no one will break for you. If you choose 90 pesos at the ATM, you get a 50, a few 20’s and a 10. This is helpful to know if you go to the ATM when the bank is closed, or if you show up at 9am not realizing that bank doesn’t open until 10am. During the week, I got my 100 peso bill and went into the bank, and they had no problem exchanging it for smaller bills. I just had to wait in a very long line to do this. The one thing I’m very glad I did before I left the U.S. is to pre-order foreign currency from my bank. I was able to get tons of 2’s, 5’s and 10’s from Bank of America – and it was nice to have small bills on me before arriving.
POO – I thought Prague was bad, but man-oh-man that was <i>nothing</i> compared to the amount of dog crap I saw in Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, to be forewarned is to be forearmed: so honestly, folks, watch where you step. I saw countless numbers of people sporting horrified expressions as they landed square in the middle of a particularly large pile and then went slipping and sliding all the way down Santa Fé - especially close to the Botanical Gardens where it was the absolute worst. By some miracle (probably from the mad skills I perfected in Prague), I was able to avoid collision with one of these (ahem) biological delights.
BATHROOMS – Think your job sucks? Try being a bathroom attendant. Be prepared for bathroom attendants in Buenos Aires and kindly have a few small coins to either pay to use the toilet or to tip (Example, the woman at Recoleta Cemetery gets her entire salary from your donation, so the sign says). Anytime I start to complain about my job, I just think of those bathroom attendants. My heart just broke for them. I’m glad I gave them big tips.
TIP: Before you leave home, invest in a bunch of those little travel packs of Kleenex and carry at least one with you in your purse at all times. I can’t tell you how many times I went into a public restroom and there was no toilet paper. Also, be prepared for many bathrooms that have signs asking you not to flush the toilet paper or it will clog up the pipes – instead you will have to throw your used TP in the trash.
LEAVING BA/ AT THE AIRPORT - This totally sucked. The one thing I did that was good was I paid attention to the advice that said to get to the airport 3 hours before my flight. Right when I got to the airport, I went straight to the tax free counter and got them to stamp my forms and receipts. That only took about 10 minutes. But waiting in line at American Airlines to check in was positively ETERNAL. I thought, “This must be what hell is like. Next to being a bathroom attendant, that is.” (It took SO LONG to get through the line at American Airlines, that by the time I got to the gate, I only had 30 minutes before the flight departed. Amazingly, we left on time. As I stood there for 2 hours, I could not for the life of me figure out what they were doing that was taking so long. And I was so sick that I could barely stand up, which didn’t exactly bring out a light and sunny disposition.). After finally checking in, I then went and paid my $18 departure tax at the next window. Then I went up stairs and got my refund (*They said I could only get my tax free refund in pesos, or as a refund directly to my credit card). After that, then I had to stand in line again to go to the gate and through security. Then I arrived in the duty free shopping zone (where things were marked in U.S. dollars). Then when they started boarding we had have our bags searched again. I was exhausted by the time I got on the plane.
TIP: There is a little stand out front of EZE airport called TrueStar (www.truestargroup.com) that will shrink-wrap your luggage for you for 30 pesos. This was totally worth the money and I was glad I did it (you can pay with credit card) because there were a lot of things in my luggage that I didn’t want to lose, but were too big to fit in my carry-on case. Since I couldn’t lock my luggage, shrink wrapping it made me feel much better. Just make sure the handles and wheels are poking through so that you can pick up your luggage and wheel it around.
TIP: Get to the airport early, just like they tell you to, especially if you are flying on American Airlines. Seriously. Have your ticket ready, have your $18 departure tax ready, have your tax free paper work completed and ready. The more organized you are, the less painful it will be. Pee first and bring a snack, because you will be standing in line for a very long time.
A FINAL NOTE FOR SOLO WOMAN TRAVELERS: My experience of Buenos Aires was very positive. I do want to add this note for the solo ladies. When I got to Buenos Aires, it became very clear very quickly that I was now in a Very Big City. San Francisco seemed like a sleepy little backwoods town next to Buenos Aires. As a solo woman, I found Buenos Aires to be safe enough. I actually felt safer there than I did in Belfast or New York. That said, there were definitely occasions when I felt a very edgy quality that made me uneasy. Although I was never actually afraid, there were definitely times when I didn’t feel comfortable taking out my camera, or when I went down the wrong dark street and my hackles went up, and I knew that I needed to hold on to my purse and get to where I was going fast. I paid very close attention to those instinctual responses, and didn’t question them. I never actually <i>saw</i> anything that made me uneasy – it was just a feeling I had in some parts of the city – a feeling that said “watch your back.” Don’t get me wrong – the people were wonderful all over the city. Those were the people I talked to. Don’t be afraid and don’t feel like you can’t go out. I would definitely recommend being friendly and taking the time to talk to people, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go out to dinner alone. Just don’t get so comfortable that you get sloppy. Don’t flash your wallet and wads of cash, and don’t give out too many personal details (such as, “I’m staying right THERE, in THAT hotel across the street!”). The only drunk person I saw was a drunk blonde American girl in a bar in Palermo, who yelled out a very slurred, “Ruuuubiaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!” at me as I walked by, and then she promptly passed out on the table. I wouldn’t recommend getting tipsy and then walking alone, especially late at night. Going out to dinner or to evening shows was just fine, and I felt pretty safe in general. My recommendation is that you wear shoes you can walk fast in easily. If you’re walking alone, it’s best to be alert and keep your wits about you. Have enough cash to get a taxi at all times. Have the taxi phone number and the address where of your going written down. I kept my keys in a separate inside pocket of my jacket in case my purse was grabbed. That said, no one ever bothered me at all. There were tons of police around at all hours, and they were usually security guards at almost every block. The longer I stayed there, the safer I felt, especially as I started to get to know my neighborhood better. I probably had nothing to worry about at all - I was so grumpy from my cold that if anyone had messed with me, I would have kicked some serious ass.
<b>IN THE END</b>I had Big Plans for this trip…and 90% of them fell apart for one reason or another. Most of the time, this falling apart turned out to be a Very Good Thing and led me to delightful discoveries and happy days just wandering around the city. Although I ended up getting very sick (I’m still sick after 9 days – the sickest I’ve been in a couple of years) and had to cancel a large portion of my plans and head back to the U.S., overall I would say that Buenos Aires is now one of my favorite places. No, it wasn’t the most beautiful place in the world, and yes, there were some things that I found extremely frustrating. But it was one of the most charming places I’ve ever been too. And the people in Buenos Aires are truly the nicest and most congenial people that I’ve ever met on any trip – and that had a huge impact on my state of mind. I talked to more people in the last two weeks in Buenos Aires than I have for the past three years that I’ve lived in San Francisco. As a result of all the wonderful conversations and truly warm folks that I met, the feelings of alienation and homesickness that I usually get on my trips just didn’t occur. I felt totally welcome and completely at home in Buenos Aires, and if I hadn’t gotten sick, I probably would have never left.
<b>THANKS </b>: avrooster for all of your help and for planning a nice dinner that I was too sick to attend (hope it went well); Scarlett, bless you for all your packing tips and shopping tips; thanks also to all of you who put in your two-cents-worth with tips in general for Argentina and BA; thanks to those of you who contributed to my initial plea for 40th b-day trip ideas. And finally, a sincere thank you from my bladder to Burger King and McDonalds for always providing free, relatively clean restrooms in almost every foreign country around the globe.
MAPS – I pride myself on my good sense of direction. You can drop me off in the middle of a forest blindfolded, and I’ll be able to find my way home. So I was frustrated at my initial confusion in Buenos Aires, and then I figured out what was going on: the maps can really screw you up. I would know instinctively that I was headed in the right direction, but then I’d go to verify my hunch with the map and I’d get totally turned around. The problem is that many of the maps are not designed with north at the top. And many of the maps are oriented with the port as the primary navigation point. Some maps have the river at the bottom of the map, some have the river to the right, some have the river at the top, and some have the river to the left. So if you happen to switch back and forth between maps, or if you are trying to use the sun to navigate, you can get turned around when you then consult the map to verify. It took me about three days to get the lay of the land and know where the major streets were. After that I just tossed the maps and relied on my inner radar and then I didn’t get lost again. Frommer’s did the best job of describing the layout of the city and major streets, but it still can’t take the place of your inner radar (that is, if you’ve got one that functions well). For those of you who need the maps, I found the best maps (with regard to ease of use and street names) in from some of the city maps that I got at kiosks (e.g. the Golden Map, and Discover Buenos Aires from www.bue.gov.ar)
BUS – I loved riding around Buenos Aires on the local buses, especially when I was tired. The bus system seemed easy to navigate to me, but I’ve heard it’s confusing to many folks. If you know how to use a Thomas Guide, then you won’t have a problem using the Guia T bus guide (which you can buy at news stands for about 5 pesos). It’s basically a grid design of the city and says – generally - which buses go through a certain area. I also used the Guia T guide as a street finder. If you don’t understand this type of system though, you’ll be mystified. In that case just look on the outside of the bus itself to see where the major stops are. I took the 64 most often from Santa Fe to Plaza de Mayo. I liked the bus because I could see everything, and it was only 1 peso to go all the way from Palermo to Plaza de Mayo. It was fun just riding around lazily and seeing things. You just get on, ask the driver how much to your destination, and he says “Noventa” or “Uno” (usually I paid 90 centavos, or 1 peso max to get where I was going). You put your change (coins only, no bills) in the machine and it spits out a little strip of paper. From what I gathered, there were no free transfers within a certain time frame, so I had to pay each time. It took about an hour to get from Palermo to Plaza de Mayo during rush hour, though, so the bus wasn’t always convenient.
SUBTE: To get back and forth from Microcenter to Palermo much more quickly, I used the subte. I bought a 10-ride pass for about 9 pesos (my guide book said it was 7 pesos, but it wasn’t). It was worth it because I didn’t have to fumble around for change or stand in line. The subte was fine for going back and forth between Palermo and Plaza de Mayo, but inconvenient if I wanted to go certain directions (such as from Palermo to Recoleta – I just walked). Still, I found the subte fast and easy to use. Maintain a death-grip on your purse at all times.
BUQUEBUS/ FERRY TO COLONIA: I bought my ticket for Colonia at the office in Recoleta, and I did the day trip from 11:30-5:30.
TIP: When you go to the actual ferry terminal, don’t use the Retiro metro stop and head toward the water – or you’ll find yourself trekking along the freeway. Instead, get out at a metro stop closer to Cordoba (such as Lavalle or LN Alem)and walk straight down Cordoba to the Buquebus Ferry terminal. As it was, I went to the Retiro metro stop, and then tried to head to the water that way – I ended up having to walk along a busy multi-lane highway on a dirt road through an industrial area with all the truckers honking at me (I got 7 honks so I felt pretty damn good after that walk!...But really, I wouldn’t recommend that route, especially in the dark).
TIP: Bring a PEN with you to the ferry terminal!!! For some odd reason, the people at the check-in counter at the ferry terminal did not want to loan me a pen to fill out the customs forms, and there were none available. Yes, they have pens for sale at the candy counter, but the guy at the candy counter outside of customs was out, so the only other pens for sale were at the candy counter AFTER you go through customs (and AFTER you need the damn pen). They wouldn’t let me use pencil.
TIP: If you want to go on a ferry where you can actually go outside out on deck, you need to take one of the slower (3 hour) ferries. They wouldn’t let people out on deck on the fast ferry, which was a bit disappointing as I wanted to take pictures of the coastline.
TIP: Realize that the terminal on the Uruguay side isn’t nearly as posh as the one on the Buenos Aires side. On the trip back, don’t get to the terminal in Uruguay too early, because there is absolutely nothing there – no coffee, no food, nothing to do, and it smells like cigarette smoke. There is a duty-free shop that sells limited items, but it didn’t open until right before the boat left. Also, the bathrooms are BEFORE customs, so once you go through customs, there’s no bathroom again until you get on the boat. When I asked the customs official if there was a bathroom I could use - he suggested (thinking that I didn’t speak Spanish) that I “use one of the potted plants.” I told him in Spanish that I knew EXACTLY what he was saying, “Very funny!” I said sternly. The whole group erupted in laughter as I’d clearly understood the joke… and they let me out to use the bathroom as a reward. But later when the lines were long, they wouldn’t let anyone back out.
OMNIBUS BUS STATION – This was perhaps the worst place not to be fluent in Spanish. Virtually no one that I encountered spoke English. My Spanish came in handy, but it was woefully inadequate. It was here that I encountered one of the only rude people on my entire trip (there were only 3 rude people total – the clerk at the bus station at Chevalier, a salesgirl in a leather good store in the Galleria, and a salesgirl in a shop in Palermo. Three rude people TOTAL in a big city, though, is pretty amazing!)
TIP FOR THE BUS STATION: If you want to buy a bus ticket to San Antonio de Areco, write out exactly what you want before-hand - better yet, print the schedule from the web site and circle what you want, then hand it to the clerk. The less you have to talk here to the better. Oh – one last thing. There were no bathrooms on my Chevalier bus, so that was a two hour ride without peeing. My advice is to either drink nothing for the hour before your bus trip, or invest in Depends.
<b>OTHER STUFF</b>
MEN: The men were splendid. While I didn’t meet a lot of younger eligible bachelors during the day (presumably, they were all at work), I did see a lot of fabulous specimens on the subte in the morning and in the evening. And the stares from these men made me feel pretty good. Until my nose started dripping like a faucet – at which point I received stares of horror. But my favorite was the old men that I’d meet during the day at the cafes. They were the biggest flirts! The funniest moment of my trip was at the San Telmo market. You’ll notice that several of the stalls have signs that say “No Toque” telling you not to touch the merchandise. The biggest laugh I got was when I went up to a stall of leather goods where two old men were talking. I asked in Spanish if “it is ok to touch it?” meaning, of course, the leather bag I was looking at. But man-oh-man, they took that phrase and ran with it, shouting gleefully, “By all means, YES, <i>PLEASE</i> TOUCH IT” and so on and so on, until they exhausted themselves from laughing.
TRAFFIC/CAR ACCIDENTS/ NEWS – Given how nice everyone was in person, I was mystified at their transformation once they got behind the wheel. From what I have gathered, once they touch their hands to the steering wheel, madness ensues immediately.
The traffic in Buenos Aires was some of the worst I’ve ever seen – and that’s compared to Chicago and L.A. The worst: the noxious fumes coming from the cars (I almost passed out near the Obelisco from the fumes in the heat), the honking of the horns (constant), and the accidents. I witnessed three accidents, right in front of me, two of which I was almost caught in the middle of. Crossing the big streets wasn’t a problem because I had the illusion of guaranteed safety with a very visible traffic light and I was shielded by the bodies of other pedestrians. It was crossing the little neighborhood streets that almost got me killed. I was almost run over 17 times. And that was just the first day.
My favorite thing was the evening news where a big text would come on the screen “Otro Accidente!!!” like “Yep, ANOTHER accident! Can you believe it?!” Well, yes, I could believe it, especially after the scariest ride of my life on the bus back from San Antonio de Areco, where I saw motorists passing one another on one-lane highway at breakneck speed (including my own bus driver, which made me nearly pee my pants in terror when he tried to pass a horse trailer. I was sitting in the very front upper-level of the bus behind a huge glass window. Great view of the scenery, but also a great view of my own oncoming death. I could see the headlights of the approaching semi, and closed my eyes and starting praying. Fortunately, Buenos Dios heard me I am still here to tell the tale).
Umm, and what’s with the driving right in the middle of the lanes (e.g. straddling two lanes – if there were even lanes)? I could swear that I saw a sign on the freeway asking motorists to “please try to stay in your own lane… please.” Was that a Nyquil-induced hallucination? Also, what’s with the cars riding around in the dark with no headlights on? Complete darkness except at some intersections when - if you were lucky - they would flash their headlights so you could actually see them. The black-tinted windows freaked me out. I couldn’t see the drivers at all. So these spooky dark cars would glide by, slow and menacing – so it was always a shock to see the window roll down and a nice, happy face asking me for directions. And there seemed to be no stop signs or clear lines on several streets in Palermo. Cars would edge forward if they wanted to go, and then go at their own risk - and mine, as I was usually running like hell to get to the other side of the street.
HOURS – I am very much a morning person – <i>early</i> morning. So it was hard at first to adjust to the difference. For example, I’d be raring to go at 8am, only to find that several museums didn’t even open until noon, and some of the tours didn’t start until 2pm. The banks on my street didn’t open until 10:00am. And I’d want to eat dinner at 7:00pm, only to find that the restaurant didn’t open until 8:30pm. By the end of my stay, though, I managed to sleep until 11am, and stay up until 2am each night. Too bad I was choking on Nyquil in my bathrobe at this point and not out dancing with a hottie under the stars.
LANGUAGE – I am very glad I spoke enough Spanish to get by. There were far fewer people that spoke English than I though there would be - although in the stores and restaurants and more touristy places, many people spoke at least a little English. By the end of my trip, I wasn’t sure if I’d spoken in Spanish or in English, and I was able have entire conversations – helped largely by the fact that porteños seem to like to make huge gestures with their hands to add picturesque details to the storyline. I saw quite a few very frustrated Americans who spoke ZERO Spanish – and they did the usual American thing – if someone didn’t understand their questions in English, they would then repeat the same question in English again….only about 10 times louder. I saw one American woman in a locutorio trying to ask to use the phone – she just about ready to cry in frustration. She was so rude to the clerk though, that he pretended that he didn’t speak any English – which I knew for a fact he did because we’d just had a conversation about San Francisco – in English. Anyway, take the time to at least learn some basic phrases in Spanish.
POLITICS – I was lucky enough to be in Buenos Aires on May 25, an important holiday. I saw a large number of small-scale demonstrations near Plaza de Mayo, Plaza Congreso, and in Palermo. I knew enough to get out of the way and to watch at a respectful distance. I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked, but it’s not the brightest thing in the world for a tourist to wave a camera in people’s faces during a moment of political heat. The news was fascinating, with all the turmoil in the countryside, and president’s visit. It was really interesting to watch what was going on, and then to follow along in the Buenos Aires Herald.
INTERNET – Internet access was everywhere in the locutorios that seemed to appear every few blocks. Most places were 2 pesos an hour for Internet, and since I was usually on for only a few minutes, it cost about 50 centavos. It was disturbing to not be able to shut down the screen myself. I always had to tell the clerk when I was done. Bring Purell with you to the Internet café. Seriously. That’s all I’ll say about that.
MONEY/THE BANK – I don’t know who originally posted the advice on this board, but thank you to whoever it was who recommended getting 90 pesos, or 190 pesos. If you get 100 pesos, you get a 100 peso bill, which no one will break for you. If you choose 90 pesos at the ATM, you get a 50, a few 20’s and a 10. This is helpful to know if you go to the ATM when the bank is closed, or if you show up at 9am not realizing that bank doesn’t open until 10am. During the week, I got my 100 peso bill and went into the bank, and they had no problem exchanging it for smaller bills. I just had to wait in a very long line to do this. The one thing I’m very glad I did before I left the U.S. is to pre-order foreign currency from my bank. I was able to get tons of 2’s, 5’s and 10’s from Bank of America – and it was nice to have small bills on me before arriving.
POO – I thought Prague was bad, but man-oh-man that was <i>nothing</i> compared to the amount of dog crap I saw in Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, to be forewarned is to be forearmed: so honestly, folks, watch where you step. I saw countless numbers of people sporting horrified expressions as they landed square in the middle of a particularly large pile and then went slipping and sliding all the way down Santa Fé - especially close to the Botanical Gardens where it was the absolute worst. By some miracle (probably from the mad skills I perfected in Prague), I was able to avoid collision with one of these (ahem) biological delights.
BATHROOMS – Think your job sucks? Try being a bathroom attendant. Be prepared for bathroom attendants in Buenos Aires and kindly have a few small coins to either pay to use the toilet or to tip (Example, the woman at Recoleta Cemetery gets her entire salary from your donation, so the sign says). Anytime I start to complain about my job, I just think of those bathroom attendants. My heart just broke for them. I’m glad I gave them big tips.
TIP: Before you leave home, invest in a bunch of those little travel packs of Kleenex and carry at least one with you in your purse at all times. I can’t tell you how many times I went into a public restroom and there was no toilet paper. Also, be prepared for many bathrooms that have signs asking you not to flush the toilet paper or it will clog up the pipes – instead you will have to throw your used TP in the trash.
LEAVING BA/ AT THE AIRPORT - This totally sucked. The one thing I did that was good was I paid attention to the advice that said to get to the airport 3 hours before my flight. Right when I got to the airport, I went straight to the tax free counter and got them to stamp my forms and receipts. That only took about 10 minutes. But waiting in line at American Airlines to check in was positively ETERNAL. I thought, “This must be what hell is like. Next to being a bathroom attendant, that is.” (It took SO LONG to get through the line at American Airlines, that by the time I got to the gate, I only had 30 minutes before the flight departed. Amazingly, we left on time. As I stood there for 2 hours, I could not for the life of me figure out what they were doing that was taking so long. And I was so sick that I could barely stand up, which didn’t exactly bring out a light and sunny disposition.). After finally checking in, I then went and paid my $18 departure tax at the next window. Then I went up stairs and got my refund (*They said I could only get my tax free refund in pesos, or as a refund directly to my credit card). After that, then I had to stand in line again to go to the gate and through security. Then I arrived in the duty free shopping zone (where things were marked in U.S. dollars). Then when they started boarding we had have our bags searched again. I was exhausted by the time I got on the plane.
TIP: There is a little stand out front of EZE airport called TrueStar (www.truestargroup.com) that will shrink-wrap your luggage for you for 30 pesos. This was totally worth the money and I was glad I did it (you can pay with credit card) because there were a lot of things in my luggage that I didn’t want to lose, but were too big to fit in my carry-on case. Since I couldn’t lock my luggage, shrink wrapping it made me feel much better. Just make sure the handles and wheels are poking through so that you can pick up your luggage and wheel it around.
TIP: Get to the airport early, just like they tell you to, especially if you are flying on American Airlines. Seriously. Have your ticket ready, have your $18 departure tax ready, have your tax free paper work completed and ready. The more organized you are, the less painful it will be. Pee first and bring a snack, because you will be standing in line for a very long time.
A FINAL NOTE FOR SOLO WOMAN TRAVELERS: My experience of Buenos Aires was very positive. I do want to add this note for the solo ladies. When I got to Buenos Aires, it became very clear very quickly that I was now in a Very Big City. San Francisco seemed like a sleepy little backwoods town next to Buenos Aires. As a solo woman, I found Buenos Aires to be safe enough. I actually felt safer there than I did in Belfast or New York. That said, there were definitely occasions when I felt a very edgy quality that made me uneasy. Although I was never actually afraid, there were definitely times when I didn’t feel comfortable taking out my camera, or when I went down the wrong dark street and my hackles went up, and I knew that I needed to hold on to my purse and get to where I was going fast. I paid very close attention to those instinctual responses, and didn’t question them. I never actually <i>saw</i> anything that made me uneasy – it was just a feeling I had in some parts of the city – a feeling that said “watch your back.” Don’t get me wrong – the people were wonderful all over the city. Those were the people I talked to. Don’t be afraid and don’t feel like you can’t go out. I would definitely recommend being friendly and taking the time to talk to people, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go out to dinner alone. Just don’t get so comfortable that you get sloppy. Don’t flash your wallet and wads of cash, and don’t give out too many personal details (such as, “I’m staying right THERE, in THAT hotel across the street!”). The only drunk person I saw was a drunk blonde American girl in a bar in Palermo, who yelled out a very slurred, “Ruuuubiaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!” at me as I walked by, and then she promptly passed out on the table. I wouldn’t recommend getting tipsy and then walking alone, especially late at night. Going out to dinner or to evening shows was just fine, and I felt pretty safe in general. My recommendation is that you wear shoes you can walk fast in easily. If you’re walking alone, it’s best to be alert and keep your wits about you. Have enough cash to get a taxi at all times. Have the taxi phone number and the address where of your going written down. I kept my keys in a separate inside pocket of my jacket in case my purse was grabbed. That said, no one ever bothered me at all. There were tons of police around at all hours, and they were usually security guards at almost every block. The longer I stayed there, the safer I felt, especially as I started to get to know my neighborhood better. I probably had nothing to worry about at all - I was so grumpy from my cold that if anyone had messed with me, I would have kicked some serious ass.
<b>IN THE END</b>I had Big Plans for this trip…and 90% of them fell apart for one reason or another. Most of the time, this falling apart turned out to be a Very Good Thing and led me to delightful discoveries and happy days just wandering around the city. Although I ended up getting very sick (I’m still sick after 9 days – the sickest I’ve been in a couple of years) and had to cancel a large portion of my plans and head back to the U.S., overall I would say that Buenos Aires is now one of my favorite places. No, it wasn’t the most beautiful place in the world, and yes, there were some things that I found extremely frustrating. But it was one of the most charming places I’ve ever been too. And the people in Buenos Aires are truly the nicest and most congenial people that I’ve ever met on any trip – and that had a huge impact on my state of mind. I talked to more people in the last two weeks in Buenos Aires than I have for the past three years that I’ve lived in San Francisco. As a result of all the wonderful conversations and truly warm folks that I met, the feelings of alienation and homesickness that I usually get on my trips just didn’t occur. I felt totally welcome and completely at home in Buenos Aires, and if I hadn’t gotten sick, I probably would have never left.
<b>THANKS </b>: avrooster for all of your help and for planning a nice dinner that I was too sick to attend (hope it went well); Scarlett, bless you for all your packing tips and shopping tips; thanks also to all of you who put in your two-cents-worth with tips in general for Argentina and BA; thanks to those of you who contributed to my initial plea for 40th b-day trip ideas. And finally, a sincere thank you from my bladder to Burger King and McDonalds for always providing free, relatively clean restrooms in almost every foreign country around the globe.
Jun 2nd, 2008, 02:48 AM
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Thank you, Magellan_5 for a great trip report!
I'm sure it will go down in Fodor's forum history as one of the most detailed and helpful reports ever! Whenever a solo female traveler asks questions, I'll probably refer her to your report.
Considering you were not participating, we had drive 100 miles for it and my wife was not feeling so well that day, we never had that dinner with Suzanna and her hubby. I was VERY disappointed, to put mildly.
Suzanna has also posted a great trip report, both here and on TA.
By now you know fully well that "As a result of all the wonderful conversations and truly warm folks that I met, the feelings of alienation and homesickness that I usually get on my trips just didn’t occur. I felt totally welcome and completely at home in Buenos Aires, and if I hadn’t gotten sick, I probably would have never left."
I'm sure you remember that I told you "this is not Frisco, LA or NY".
Well, your "I talked to more people in the last two weeks in Buenos Aires than I have for the past three years that I’ve lived in San Francisco." is what I meant by that. Ahora comprende? (Do you understand now?).
Let's have you back soon. Well, as soon as you are feeling OK, I mean. LOL!!!
I'm sure it will go down in Fodor's forum history as one of the most detailed and helpful reports ever! Whenever a solo female traveler asks questions, I'll probably refer her to your report.
Considering you were not participating, we had drive 100 miles for it and my wife was not feeling so well that day, we never had that dinner with Suzanna and her hubby. I was VERY disappointed, to put mildly.
Suzanna has also posted a great trip report, both here and on TA.
By now you know fully well that "As a result of all the wonderful conversations and truly warm folks that I met, the feelings of alienation and homesickness that I usually get on my trips just didn’t occur. I felt totally welcome and completely at home in Buenos Aires, and if I hadn’t gotten sick, I probably would have never left."
I'm sure you remember that I told you "this is not Frisco, LA or NY".
Well, your "I talked to more people in the last two weeks in Buenos Aires than I have for the past three years that I’ve lived in San Francisco." is what I meant by that. Ahora comprende? (Do you understand now?).
Let's have you back soon. Well, as soon as you are feeling OK, I mean. LOL!!!
Jun 2nd, 2008, 04:06 AM
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What a wonderful funny detailed report! I have several comments & questions but I have to get tp work but will post later - hope you are on the recovery soon and so sorry you got sick but sounds like you still had a great trip.
Jun 2nd, 2008, 04:15 AM
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I had written a longer comment with several questions, but somehow pressed the wrong button and it vanished. I may or may not get around to writing it again.
One of the main points was that I'm sure the "little hole in wall place in Recoleta where the waiter flirted shamelessly with me." was "El Sanjuanino", near Callao and Posadas, a place I always recommend.
One of the main points was that I'm sure the "little hole in wall place in Recoleta where the waiter flirted shamelessly with me." was "El Sanjuanino", near Callao and Posadas, a place I always recommend.
Jun 2nd, 2008, 07:42 AM
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hi avrooster - Yes!!! El Sanjuanino is the name of the restaurant! Thank you - I loved that place.
Yes, the report was very detailed - I hope it's helpful. I think I was more worn out from writing the report than from the trip itself LOL! I'm sorry to hear that your wife was feeling well - I guess that dinner wasn't meant to be after all.
I'll definitely check out Suzanna's trip report.
tully - glad you liked it. I'm happy to answer any questions. Cheers - M
Yes, the report was very detailed - I hope it's helpful. I think I was more worn out from writing the report than from the trip itself LOL! I'm sorry to hear that your wife was feeling well - I guess that dinner wasn't meant to be after all.
I'll definitely check out Suzanna's trip report.
tully - glad you liked it. I'm happy to answer any questions. Cheers - M
Jun 2nd, 2008, 08:31 AM
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Got a huge LOL out of your "I'm sorry to hear that your wife was feeling well". More LOL!!!!
When I can spare the time, I'll again go through your report with a fine tooth comb and rewrite that comment this f machine deleted!
When I can spare the time, I'll again go through your report with a fine tooth comb and rewrite that comment this f machine deleted!
Jun 2nd, 2008, 08:44 AM
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yeadonite: Prune is a high-quality and rather touristy leather goods place, which sells mainly handbags.
http://www.prune.com.ar/invierno08/home_i.html
http://www.prune.com.ar/invierno08/home_i.html
Jun 2nd, 2008, 08:55 AM
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Fabulous report. I loved the details, which will really help us with our trip next Christmas. I am still torn as to which area to look for an apartment. Based on your experience, which neighborhood would you recommend with three teenage girls? We would love to be walking distance of restaurants and cafes especially for dinners. Hope you're feeling better!
Jun 2nd, 2008, 09:14 AM
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Whoops - sorry avrooster! I didn't mean to write it like that - LOL!
kraav - Thanks! I would still probably recommend Palermo or Recoleta, as they were safer and nicer neighborhoods close to a ton of cafes, restaurants, and shopping - and also next to a lot of nice gardens and greenery. Scarlett may have some recommendations too.
kraav - Thanks! I would still probably recommend Palermo or Recoleta, as they were safer and nicer neighborhoods close to a ton of cafes, restaurants, and shopping - and also next to a lot of nice gardens and greenery. Scarlett may have some recommendations too.
Jun 2nd, 2008, 09:16 AM
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thanks yeadonite - I'm glad you found it helpful! Prune also has great belts, coats, wallets, boots and scarves (depending on which Prune you go to). They have leather and synthetics - the leather is really a great bargain.
Jun 2nd, 2008, 09:56 AM
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Magellan_5,
Thanks so much for your WONDERFUL report. I have been reading reports here for 10 months in anticipation of our first visit to BA in 2 weeks. Your report was hands down the best I have read anywhere!
I appreciate all the detail and most especially the insight you have into what makes BA so unique.
Thanks again for taking the time to post!
Thanks so much for your WONDERFUL report. I have been reading reports here for 10 months in anticipation of our first visit to BA in 2 weeks. Your report was hands down the best I have read anywhere!
I appreciate all the detail and most especially the insight you have into what makes BA so unique.
Thanks again for taking the time to post!
Jun 2nd, 2008, 10:14 AM
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Sorry to hear you got sick while travelling, always a drag, especially if you're alone.
But, glad to hear you had a great time in BA.
I have about 10 handbags from Prune and am ready to go back for more
But, glad to hear you had a great time in BA.
I have about 10 handbags from Prune and am ready to go back for more
