Visit our personal website to see our adventures in Argentina!
www.pejnron.com

Email me at:
pej@pejnron.com

Click the sun to see
the weather in
Buenos Aires!

• Mac + Arnet Wi-Fi

From: Beatrice Murch, December 30, 2007

Re: we have Wi-Fi (Arnet). It's working on every other laptop (PC) but not with my MacBook

You might have to change the type of password your sending - if it wep, it is either a wep 40 bit or 128 bit encoded. Try switching types, and checking "show password" and "keep in keychain" so that you know that you're typing in the correct password and so that you don't have to type it in again. This should do the trick!

From: Beatrice Murch, December 18, 2007

I just was reading boingboing.net and it seems like MACs sometimes have issues with WPA protected wifinetworks. One workaround is to put $ before the password. You can read more here: http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2007/12/29/macbook-pro-and-wpa.html

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• Maids / Legal Rights / Salaries

From: Frances Perry, December 03, 2007

BAIN – BA International Newcomers - has all that type of information available.  Website: http://www.bainnewcomers.com   Going rate is around $8 - $10 pesos per hour aprx. $1,000 / month plus bonus of one month per year and social security of about $70 / month for Monday to Saturday 12:00.  Prices are going up.  

From: carnivaljane, December 03, 2007

I just hired a new nanny and in my search I found that childcare was more expensive than housecleaning, in general.

BUT, hourly help is more expensive than someone who is contracted on a monthly full time basis. The theory being that being able to rely on full time work, a monthly wage, means they charge you less theoretically per hour.

Babysitters who work by the hour charge anywhere from $6 pesos per hour to $15 pesos per hour. $6 pesos would be a spanish-only, often paraguayan babysitter or young argentine with no college education. $15 seems to be the top rate for university trained early childhood development students or bilingual babysitters and those who work exclusivley for foreigners. I think you can negotiate a flat fee for an evening. I would say $8 per hour for someone who doesn't have any cleaning duties is good, $10 for a college student.

Full time housekeeper with childcare duties:

The current range seems to be $800 to $1200 per month. Variable additional costs are: transportion, one week (or more) of holiday, and "aguinaldo" which is a month's salary bonus each year paid 1/2 in Dec and 1/2 in July. Prices rise according to the increase of duties--numerous children etc.

We are paying $900 per month for full time housekeeping and childcare duties, plus one week vacation. (We pay $7 per hour for babysitting any extra hours) We are a couple with one small child. BUT with inflation rising so quickly we are going to pay her aguinaldo (even thought that was not part of the hiring deal) and we will raise her rate within six to eight months. Otherwise, how will she be able to keep up?

I used various routes to find our mary poppins friends, word of mouth and agencies. I only used agencies that didn't charge the workers a fee: one asked for a flat rate of $500 pesos, another charged a month's salary, another charged 65% of a month's salary. All offered a month guarantee and claimed to check out the person. I always did a doublecheck of all references when I was seriously interested.

For comparison, production assistants for film typcially get $150 pesos per day--but that day can be 12 to 16 hours long. And a friend who runs a computer repair service says he pays his entry level workers about $800 a month and that he was amazed that nannys could command $1000 a month or more.

As others have said before, your mileage may vary, and inflation means this is in flux.

From: Douglas Andrew Town, November 24, 2006

Re: Maid's Legal Rights and legal salaries.

http://guia.mercadolibre.com.ar/regularizacion-y-registracion-del-personal-domestico-actualizado-sep-06-notas-complementarias-5926-VGP 

Instituyen salario mínimo para personal doméstico

La cartera de Trabajo fijó las remuneraciones mínimas para el personal de servicio, y que van de $610 a $750. Se aplican a partir del 1º de septiembre

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• Maids / Paying government social security taxes online for legally employed maids "en blanco"

Re: Forms for maid en blanco - too complicated!

From Julio Cesar Losua, January 19, 2009

You can pay the 72 pesos online using www.pagomiscuentas.com  you have to choose AFIP on the menu and then servicio domestico, after that you have to choose either you pay hourly or dayly, if it's avtivo o jubilado.  It's very simple. Then you print out the receipt and give the lady the original one attached to salary bill.
Saludos, Julio

From: Anne Tadiello, January 21, 2009

Here is what I do for my own maid (she works full time for us) :

I pay the 72 pesos on line with www.pagomiscuentas.com (as Julio said) and I print 2 copies of the receipt. (The CUIL you have to provide is your maid’s…) You can go to the bank instead and do it manually and they’ll give you 2 copies of the receipt again. Or you can use an ATM with your debit card and then you’ll have to photocopy your receipt.

I download the formulario 102NM from http://i.afip.gov.ar/genericos/formularios/archivos/pdf/f102NM.pdf , fill it with my details and my maid’s and print it. I sign it and she signs it too. Then I cut it on the dots.

The formulario 102NM is supposed to be a valid salary receipt BUT my maid was said it was not when she wanted to pay a microwave oven in cuotas.

I called the AFIP, I was said the formulario 102NM was sufficient”.

I called the Ministerio de Trabajo, I was said that no, it was not. I had to give her another receipt.

So I went to the stationery shop and bought a book of blank salary receipt forms and I fill two copies, one that I sign, one that she signs. I can’t give you the exact name as I am not at home but I am sure that if you ask for “recibos de sueldo para la mucama” they’ll find out.

So in the end every month my maid and I each keep 3 pieces of paper stapled together : one copy of the bank receipt, one half of the formulario 102, and one manual salary receipt.

As soon as you’ve paid the 72 pesos for the 1st time, you maid has to choose her “obra social”. The easiest is to allow her to call the ANSES (I believe) free line from your house so that they can explain her what to do.

If your maid has been working for you for several months “in negro” before you put her “in blanco”, you can make late payments but then you have to pay interests. It’s cheap, it’s quite easy, but I’m not going to explain it here and now.
 

When we arrived my husband’s employer had hired an expensive relocation company which was supposed to help me out of this sort of stuff. But it took me TWO YEARS and several mistakes (including about 500 pesos that I lost as during months I paid the monthly 72 pesos to an AFJP under my husband’s CUIL) to find out all by myself. And still I am only 90% sure I am doing it alright.

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• Maids Trade Union - Ministerio de Trabajo website - Information on the rights of "empleadas domésticas"

http://www.trabajo.gov.ar/asesoramiento/domestico.htm

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• Mail Forwarding Services from the USA to Argentina

From BANewComers: April 09, 2005

• Before I moved to BsAs from Mexico last year, I signed up with U.S. Global Mail.  They have been very reliable if not cheap.  The great thing is you can check online to see what's waiting for you in Houston,
  and then have the junk tossed and the good stuff repackaged and forwarded.  Your friends and family also like it because they can use regular postage to write to you.

http://www.usglobalmail.com/default.asp

• Yes, there is a private mail company that gives you an address in the States (actually a PO Box) they then ship it down here. You could either pick it up at their offices down here or have them deliver it to you. I don't know the cost since our box is shared by a very large family - my in-laws. Here is the info that I do have:

PVM International
 Local number: 4381-7157 / From USA to dial direct 011-54-11-4381-7157

• USA Box: www.usabox.com

Mail forwarding with online monitoring. Different options available (one free shipment per month, pay per shipment, etc).

• Access USA: www.myus.com

Mail forwarding (they don't seem to offer online monitoring).

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• Mail / Receiving Packages / Customs / Tariffs / Fees

From: rshpuntoff, September 05, 2006

i had a similar problem with a fed ex package with sneakers sent as a gift and got the paperwork from fed ex and went straight to customs at ezeiza ... it took me about five hours at the airport but once the customs people opened the box with me there they were fine about it .... you should go as soon as you can because the airport charges ridiculous fees for everyday that your package is there (something like U$ 10.00 / day) for "storage"  go there and be polite, patient, humble but insistent ... and treat all the bureaucrats like they are there to help you and they want to help you  in the future, have things sent via u.s. mail so they will go to the customs office near the bus station in retiro, much cheaper  if you didn't before, now you know why everybody says "suerte" all the time here

From: Frances Perry, September 05, 2006

Used clothing for personal use is duty free.  Are the clothes still in the packaging / with tags?  If not, you can claim them as used. In the future remove all tags and wash the clothing before sending.  It then becomes “used” and will be duty free.  Be sure to note that on the custom’s form. 

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• Mail Services / Tracking / Secure ways to Mail things

Pete's note: Since the crisis in December 2001, we have found that the mail system here has not been reliable.  To send things securely through the mail system here we use "certificado" which is certified mail.  A regular envelope sent to the USA costs $10.25 pesos as of June 2005.  We have found this very reliable.  To have things sent to Argentina from the USA, like new credit cards or plane tickets, we always ask for them to be sent certified and they usually arrive.

From BANewComers Sean June 04, 2005

Global Express Mail service of the USA Post Office

http://www.usps.com/global/globalexpressmail.htm

It's much cheaper than Fedex/UPS yet still has a tracking number and is extremely reliable. Transit time 3 to 5 days.

Just to mention Correo Argentina has the same cheap reliable and trackable service for documents going to the US:

http://www.correoargentino.com.ar/internac/pi-em.htm

I have had documents sent back and forth now using both countries' services
with no problems yet.

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• Malvinas / Falklands

From: yanquimike, November 24, 2006

Many MANY thanks to "Sean" who sent the link to the Malvinas tourism board site!

That little gif to the right of the page tells volumes: http://www.visitorfalklands.com/images/stories/maptease.gif 

Almost everything you've ever heard about the Malvinas is true...one those rarities.

However, what never gets mentioned...and what we Yanqs have a hard time with...are territorial claims to Antarctica.

There has been a major territorial dispute concerning portions of Antarctica between Argentina and the UK (Chile, as well), dating from the first part of the 19th century. Very few nations give any recognition to either side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_Antarctica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Antarctic_Territory 

A British disposition toward negotiating The Malvinas doesn't contradict their belligerence toward the islands being suddenly occupied by the Argentine military.

An abandonment of them by the British would have strengthened Argentine claims to all of the disputed Antarctic.

Almost makes the US/Cuba pissing match look small by comparison!

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• Maps

Country Map
Country Map - World Position
Country Map - World Position - different view
Downtown - Good detail, can be enlarged, shows USA embassy location
Downtown - Tourist locations highlighted
Gay Map
Neighborhoods - A joke on names for areas of Palermo
Neighborhoods of Buenos Aires - An interactive map - external link to another site (of map below)

Image above taken from buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/com_social/mapasint/barrios/ link above

Neighborhoods - This also shows the neighborhood names - A JPG file you can save to your computer
                                        (From http://mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar/sig/index.phtml )
Surrounding Area of Buenos Aires, including Pinamar (my favorite coastal town)
Surrounding Cities of Buenos Aires

An overview of some neighborhoods

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• Marriage Info

Previously Argentina had legal civil unions for same sex couples, however on July 15, 2010, Argentina legalized same sex marriage, it's not a civil union, but REAL Marriage!  WOO HOO!  I proposed to Ron on his birthday on July 24th, and we got married on November 12, 2010  After 28 years, I'm no longer living in sin!

(click on photo above if you would like to see our personal pictures of our wedding!)

From: Katie Metz de Martínez, April 18, 2011

Re: MARRYING AN ARGENTINA ... DNI ... AND OTHER STUFF

I recently wrote two posts on my blog about getting married in Argentina and seeking Argentine residency through marriage (the precursor to obtaining your DNI). Perhaps they will be of some use to you:

http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2011/03/getting-married-in-argentina.html

and http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2011/04/argentine-residency-through-marriage.html 

I just got married and applied for residency last month, so my information is up-to-date; however, as we all know, Argentine bureaucracy can be very fickle. J

If you’re getting married in the U.S., I agree with Sean’s advice about contacting the Argentine consulate.

Best of luck to you, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

Best regards,

Katie

Re: I am a US and she is Argentina. What paperwork do I need and how long does the process usually take. Should I get a lawyer to handle it. I am still here on a Tourist visa so do I need a DNI.

From: Veronica Salvetti, January 05, 2008

You don´t need anything except for your passport. You go to the CGP of your address or your girlfriend´s, scedule a date, they will give you some papers to fill, they will send you to get some medical exams that must be done at a public hospital, the judge may want to talk to you prior to the ceremony to make sure you understand what you are doing ( because of the language ), if she considers, she may ask you to get an interpreter ( you have to go with him and he will translate for you ) not all judges do this however. And that is pretty much it! you have to choose the witnesses and take their ids to fill in some forms, and you are all set =)

From: Richard, July 31, 2006

Re: When getting married as an expat in Argentina (to an Argentine), what will I need to give to the justice of the peace?

Your immigration status has nothing whatsoever to do with getting hitched... just show up at the 'registro civil' with your passport.  Just in case:

http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/areas/registrocivil/

Dirección General de Registro Civil
Uruguay 753
Tel. 4373-8441/45

Not long ago, I was at the embassy doing some "tramites" and asked for some "off-the-record" advice about which was the best way to go: 1) start the fiance/spouse paperwork abroad, or 2) get a tourist visa for my "better half" and do everything once we were both in the States.  The advice was "2"...

From: Sean, Aug 2, 2006

Re: Where can I find info on finace visas for bringing an Argentinian fiance to the US?

Here is the mother of all links on the famous K visa :

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/fiance.htm

I suggest you read it two or three times and then go or call the embassy to get a good idea of lead times these days. The citizen services folks there are pretty friendly.

From: Karin Hosenfeld, Aug 3, 2006

When Carlos and I were married six years ago, my understanding of the laws at that time were that a foreigner must have the legal documentation to stay in the USA  independently of you. This means that if you just "up" and marry a foreigner while living in the US, that person could still be deported to their country of origin while his/her paperwork is waiting to be processed (could take up to six months)

From: Sean, Aug 3, 2006

Karin you are right – there are only 2 ways to do it “safely”:

1) Fiancee visa – allows fiancee to enter USA and marry the within 90 days (the USA person must show ability to finncially support the fiancee)

2) Get married overseas and apply for paperowrk from that country (did you have to show financial support for Carlos? He he)

From: Laura Zurro, Aug 5, 2006

While that is true, we did it a different way - I was already living in U.S. and my husband (who wasn't "officially" my fiance) came to the U.S. on his tourist visa and we simply got married less than three months later with a tiny wedding ceremony. It was more than enough for immigration, although we had an attorney handle the paperwork (it's very possible to do it yourself just a lot of paperwork and headache).  Because we applied for his residency before we had been married for three years we must have the conditions removed from his permanent residency card this coming year, but it has been relatively easy for us. When we did our interview last year I prepared a huge info packet with photos, bills, mortgage info etc, and the interviewer didn't even care to see it. They know if it's a real marriage or not. Anyway to keep this short, I was going to go the fiance visa route and it was just too much trouble, but then again, we never had to have a huge wedding so it made it easier.

From: Spicycurrynews, Aug 5, 2006

I am an American, engaged to an Argentine and have just started the process of applying for the fiance visa.

You are correct that you must show that you can support you fiance in the US. However, to do this you must technically have made at least 16K per year for the last couple of years and have the tax returns to prove it. So, if you've been living and working in the States that shouldn't be hard to do. But, if you've been living down here, like I have, showing that kind of income is impossible.

I was in the same situation, looking everywhere for info and advice and everyperson and website gave me a different answer. I decided to consult a professional about some very specific questions I had. What I discovered is that there are loopholes for everything. For example, if you can't make the financial requirement yourself, you can instead get a sponsor, such as a parent, who will send over copies of their bank records, tax returns, and sign off as being the "responsible" person who can support your fiance/fiancee while they are still unable to work in the US. Of course, you'll probably be able to support he or she just fine so it's really just a governmental formality.

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• Mass in English

Re: Does anyone know of a church service in English other than the Catholic service downtown? Thanks!

From: annemarieashley, January 18, 2009

There is also an English Church in San Isidro. It is a bit outside of the city center, but easily accessible by train. I believe that there is also a free shuttle from the city. I live in Belgrano and it only takes me about 15 minutes to get there by train

http://www.unitedcommunitychurchba.org/

From: Cherie, January 17, 2009

Absolutely! There is the Anglican Cathedral on 25 de Mayo (between Av de Mayo y Corrientes). A very beautiful church, older than most, if not all, in BsAs.

Not sure of the time of the English services; you need to call.
They also have special music programs from time to time.

cherie
http://tangocherie.blogspot.com

From Ryan Cassidy, January 17, 2009

Jehovah's Witnesses have English services downtown at the Salon de Reino. And free home bible studies too.
Sarmiento 1753 (bell #1)
Sundays 1pm
Mondays 8pm

From: lifeissososobeautiful, May 8, /2007

Starting this Sunday, May 13, there will be a Catholic Mass in Capital  Federal in English. It will be at 10 am every Sunday at Madre  Admirable Catholic Church, Arroyo 931 near Suipacha. Basically  downtown. Confessions at 9:30 am before Mass, if you like. And mini- brunch after Mass. 

www.madreadmirable.com.ar

Let me know if you have questions (or if you can sing)  christine@dhomeandgarden.com

From BANewComers: Nadia Taylor August 29, 2005

That Church is on Sarmiento and Gutierrez(in Matinez). It is an English speaking church but it isn't Catholic- its the International Bible Church and celebrates mass on the last Sunday of each month. All denominations are welcome- I'm Anglican and I go there.  Church details are also published in the Buenos Aires Herald.

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• Massage / Shiatsu

From: SusanK, March 11, 2010

Yes, I can recommend an excellent massage therapist. His name is Owen and he is from California and uses a combination of styles but specializes in deep tissue and sports massage.

I think his prices are excellent and he comes to you, which is even better!

A$R 70/ 60 minutes
$100/ 90 minutes
$130/ 120 minutes

Owen - 11-4195-9561 or okworks@mindless.com

Enjoy!!

From: Corinne, March 9, 2010

Re: Can someone recommend a good massage therapist for deep tissue, who is not too expensive (no less than $100 pesos)?

Todd Morrill (a fellow expat) specializes in deep tissue (Rolf) massages. He may be a little more expensive but he is fabulous and definitely worth it. I think he occasionally offers discounts on his facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anatomy-Architect-Certified-Rolfer/337870813816

For your reference his website is: http://anatomyarchitect.com/

From: Nat, August 19, 2006

I do perform this dicipline and of course is good for chronic pains. Of course it will take a while to make pain disapear but you

will achive relief after one or two sesions.

You can find some more information in this link and please fill free to call me if you have any further question.

http://www.indextar.com/ba/buenos-aires-personal-care-massages-zen-shiatsu-massage-l316?cat=295

or go to Indextar.com and look for shiatsu.

From BANewComers: Cheryl Delaney December 16, 2005

Cheryl Delaney - Yoga classes and Thai Massage

Traditional Medical Massage of Thailand: A combination of penetrating massage, gentle yoga stretches, and acupressure leave you feeling deeply nourished, relaxed, and filled with energy. The massage is performed on a mat on the floor, the work is done fully clothed and no oils are required.
 
Call or write for more info, recommendations, or to make an appointment:
15-5610-1272   mmmyup@hotmail.com - cheryladelaney@yahoo.com

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• Massage and Skincare

From: mimi villegas galdi, July 3, 2007

www.fundacionestetica.org     native speakers, please refer!!!!!

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• Meat Cuts: Argentina vs. USA

An educated consumer is a better consumer... :-)

Restaurant - Menu Terms / also see MEAT CUTS Below:

Argentine Cut Comparison Translation Aguja Chuck, Chuck roast Asado Short ribs, Roast prime ribs batatas fritas French Fries made with a kind of sweet potato or yam. bife de chorizo Ribeye or New York Steak, rump steak - no bone Bifes de costilla T-bone steaks bife de lomo filet mignon, shin of beef Bola de lomo Shin of beef chorizo sausage costilla de cerdo pork  rib cut across the ribs matambre parrileros thin peace of meat (not rolled) and grilled very slowly matambre relleno (or rollado) Flank steak stuffed with eggs, peppers, carrots, onions, etc.  Served cold as an appetizer or hot as an entree milanesa fried and breaded thin beef cutlet milanesa neopolitan friend and breaded chicken cutlet with a slice of ham, cheese, and pizza tomato sauce on it milanesa suprema fried and breaded chicken cutlet - you can specify pecho (breast) or muslo (thigh) mollejas sweet breads morcilla blood sausage (I LOVE THIS!) panceta bacon usually used to flavor other dishes like stews, etc. and is rarely eaten on it's own papas fritas french fries papas fritas provenzal Order them bien crocante.  Crisply fried french fries, topped with fresh chopped parsley and garlic papas pie very thinly cut french fries sorrentinos Large round pasta raviolis stuffed with cheese and ham tira de asado beef rib cut across the ribs

Butcher Terms:

Argentina

1  Costillar  2  Marucha o Paleta  3  Azotillo  4  Bife de costilla  5  Lomo  6  Cuadril  7  Nalga  8  Vacío  9  Matambre

USA

A  Chuck  B  Ribs  C  Loin  D  Sirloin  E  Rump  F  Round  G  Brisket  H  Foreshank  I Plate  J  Flank  K  Hind shank

MEAT CUTS

Lista de cortes de carne argentinos

Externos:

• Aguja: corte immediatamente posterior al cuello.
  Azotillo: corte del cuarto delantero.
  Bife de chorizo: también llamado bife ancho o bife angosto, es el músculo interno de la costilla que ha sido despojado del hueso. Puede ser ancho (segmento delantero) o angosto (segmento trasero).
  Bife de costilla, costilla o chuleta: bife con el hueso de la costilla aún adherido.
  Brazuelo: antebrazo del animal.
  Carnaza: este nombre reúne a la paleta y a la palomita.
  Colita de cuadril
  Costillar: tira de asado o asado a secas. Generalmente se corta transversalmente en tiras más o menos gruesas.
  Cuadril: corresponde a la grupa del animal.
  Falda: última parte del costillar, con huesos cartilaginosos y generalmente mucha grasa.
  Garrón: corte de la pata.
  Marucha: también conocida como paleta, es un músculo con hueso cartilaginoso que proviene del cuarto delantero.
  Matambre.
  Palomita: corte lindero con la paleta.
  Tapa de asado: es la punta final del asado y "tapa" el costillar. Puede venir adherida a las tiras de asado.
  Tortuguita: corte del cuarto trasero.
  Vacío: músculo que une a las costillas con el cuarto trasero, recubierto por una membrana.

Internos:

• Bola de lomo: músculo del cuarto trasero.
  Entraña: músculo plano y extenso del interior de la res.
  Lomo: músculo cónico y alargado, su parte más ancha apoya sobre la cadera y su parte más angosta termina en el centro del bife de costilla.
  Peceto.
  Tapa de nalga: "tapa" de la nalga o muslo trasero.

Otros: Cabeza, Rabo.

Achuras (vísceras)

• Bofe: pulmones.
  Chinchulines: primer segmento del intestino delgado.
  Corazón.
  Criadillas: testículos de terneros o novillos
  Hígado.
  Lengua.
  Mollejas: timo, "sweetbreads" en inglés.
  Mondongo: uno de los estómagos del rumiante.
  Riñones. kidney
  Sesos: cerebro.
  Tripa gorda: intestino grueso.
  Ubre: glándulas mamarias de la vaca.

Información extraída de: Todo bicho que camina ... Manual del asador argentino de Gabriel Sagel, Editorial Planeta, Buenos Aires, 1997. ISBN: 950-742-830-5.

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• Mendoza Area - San Rafael

From: cj g, January 31, 2010

Tom (and anyone else wanting the peace and beauty of the campo minutes from the city), my husband and I enthusiastically recommend Hostal Parque San Blas in San Rafael, Mendoza province: http://www.mendoalquila.com.ar/blas.swf

We absolutely loved both our stays there.  It is a huge, historic yet welcoming house built in 1939 with bedroom suites available for rent and lush, verdant, extensive grounds and a huge pool.  Breakfast is included in the price which we found very reasonable after BsAs. The city center is only about a 15 minute drive (cab, your rental, or maybe their van).  And lunch and dinner can be prepared for you at an additional cost--we had dinner there most nights.  Peti is a great cook—the food is elegant and homestyle at the same time, with care taken to assure the meals are nutritious, delicious, and nicely varied.  The fact that we were vegetarians was no challenge for her. 

They can arrange tours (from welcomeargentina.com, “San Rafael is a real touristic choice due to the joint of imposing areas like Valle Grande, Cañón del Atuel, El Nihuil, Los Reyunos Dam and Lake, El Tigre Lake, Agua de Toro Dam, The old 25 de Mayo Village (among others) that provide the tourist with various alternatives to enjoy nature with peace and safety for the whole family.  San Rafael City is the place of departure to go on entertaining activities such as rafting, hiking, mountain bike rides, jet ski, wind surfing, kayak excursions, fishing, diving, horse-riding , motorcycling, four trax excursions, paragliding and rapel which can be enjoyed in an area of incredible natural beauty and rich in geological and paleontologic beds. The tourist can also visit traditional cellars that produce excellent wines and champagnes or do agrotourism in fruit establishments or vineyards.”)--if there is anything you want, just ask.
The Hostal is owned and run by a husband and wife team, Juan and Peti San Blas, both speak Spanish, but sons and daughter-in-law speak English.  As for the city of San Rafael, you will find a large Casino (in the Tower Hotel), Yancanelo where you can learn all about making olive oil, Bianchi’s very large Champagnerie which has tours, and much more. 

If you want to know more or see pics of the grounds, feel free to email me off list.

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• Mendoza, Argentina’s biggest wine growing region at the base of the Andes!

http://www.welcometomendoza.com/

Sean lives in Mendoza with his Argentine wife and children.

From: Cherie, macfroggy, Aug 14, 2009

Mendoza is gorgeous!  We had a lovely room in the center of town at the Plaza Italia B&B--
http://www.plazaitalia.net

And Javier, the owner, does fantastic wine tours, and also can arrange
a day at the fabulous spa close by, Cachueta (not sure of the spelling).

Have fun!

Cherie
http://tangocherie.blogspot.com

From: Michael Weldon, August 15, 2009

Have fun in Mendoza. I have used the Villagio three times over the past few years and
my last rate there for a double was 281 pesos per night. Excellent staff and service and
they are just one block from the Hyatt Regency. http://www.hotelvillaggio.com.ar/

From: elizajanecurtis, August 16, 2009

I have done a full-day tour with Ampora Wine Tours, http://www.mendozawinetours.com/   and it was excellent! I've recommended them to a number of friends and everyone always has a great time with them. They have a few different types of tours available, I believe. The one I did, they picked us up at our hostel in downtown Mendoza at 9am, we drove in a little van with 6 people in total, plus a really charming and knowledgable guide whose name I can't remember right now. we went to 5 or 6 different vineyards in total, with different types of tours and tastings at each one. We had a really fabulous lunch at Ruca Malen, a bunch of small courses with wine pairings. I think they did a nice job of choosing a wide variety of vineyards to bring us to, no two were alike. At the end of the day they dropped us off back at our hostel, around 6 pm.
Hope this helps!  Eliza

From: R.W. Alexander, August 18, 2009

There are several wonderful restaurants now in Mendoza.

Azafrán is located in the heart of centro. This is a "review" of our dining experience:
http://imagineargentina.blogspot.com/2009/04/dinner-time-in-mendoza.html

La Tupiña is a personal favorite nestled in the wine country. This is another "review" of sorts:
http://imagineargentina.blogspot.com/2008/09/restaurant-pick-la-tupia.html

As for activities and tours, we hosted a wine group this past March in Mendoza and here are some photos and ideas:
http://imagineargentina.blogspot.com/2009/03/vineyards-mountains-with-imagine.html

ps - Sean Maddox is a great contact to have! We all miss him very much since returning to the States. Welcome to Mendoza is an outstanding resource that we also promote on our website.

-Wade
www.imagineargentina.com

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• Men's Clothing

From: Dan Goldberg, June 29, 2007

I recently returned to New York City after four terrific months in BA. I wanted to share a few recommendations...

 I was amazed by the quality and design at various men's boutiques in BA. My favorite was SANVARVAS in Palermo Hollywood. The clothes there are classic (with a modern feel), exceptionally well-made and creatively designed. Particularly amazing are the prices... we're not talking C&A level here but still their prices are very competitive.  There is a lovely guy there who owns the shop and designs the clothes... he is super-friendly and very helpful. Sanvarvas, Fitz Roy 1879 (Palermo Hollywood), 4779-0521

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• Messenger Service

From Andrew Fileta, Aug 2, 2006

This is for anyone who does business and needs a courier to do tramites downtown. I am a north american starting up my own bike messenger business. I am available to do any type of bank deposits, send invoices, personal errands or deliver anything from one point in the microcentro to the other. I speak good spanish and am in fact for immediate translations as well. if anyone wants to get a hold of me you can email me or call me at home 4812-0520. I am in the process of beefing up my cell phone situation but that should be up and running by August 3rd

Una abrazo, Chau, Andy Fileta

andrewfileta@yahoo.com.ar
andrewfileta@hotmail.com
aprovechar1@gmail.com

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• Money / Cash / Credit Cards

Don't bring a lot of cash with you, maybe $100 or $200 in small bills.  There are ATMs everywhere and you can get pesos out of them at an excellent exchange rate.  However, if you already have USA dollars with you, there are privately operated change “Cambio” businesses which will give you better rates then a bank to exchange dollars.  However, if you’re taking out pesos from your bank account (and not actually exchanging USA dollars already in your pocket), the bank gives a better exchange rate.  Don't bother with Travelers checks, the only one who will cash them is a bank and they charge a huge fee to cash them, don't believe their commercials that they're accepted everywhere, they're not.  Along with your ATM card, I would bring one or two credit cards.  Your credit card may charge you 1 - 2 % on purchases (our USA visa card does this) so using cash while you're here may be better, but if you want to charge things, it's the price you pay.  Many of the small "mom and pop" restaurants that we like to go to don't accept credit cards, until the recent economic situation this was a cash society (to avoid paying taxes), but things are slowly changing.  Since we get charged 2% on credit card purchases, we pay cash for almost everything.

Notify your ATM and credit card companies BEFORE you come here with the dates you will be in Argentina.  There is a lot of credit card theft here and Argentina is “hotlisted” with banks, if they see a lot of withdrawals or charges on your card, it may get automatically disabled.  CitiBank did cut our ATM card off once thinking it was stolen, and they would NOT reactivate at a local CitiBank here, they insisted we had to reactivate the card out our local branch in California, USA. We offered to go to the USA Embassy to prove who we were and they wouldn't reactivate it here. Apparently, CitiBanks can't talk to one another across country lines (maybe this is for security / money laundering reasons??)

We use CitiBank and they allow us a daily withdrawal of $1,000 USA worth of pesos from our ATM cash debit card. Strange thing is if we use CitiBank ATMs here they charge us $1.50 per withdrawal but if we use any other bank that has Banelco (Banelco is an electronic banking verification system like Cirrus), there is no charge (or it's built into the exchange rate)

Unfortunately, counterfeit bills are not uncommon.  Almost everyone will hold your bills up to the light and inspect them when you pay for things, don’t take offense to this, they are just being cautious, it would be wise to look closely at the bills you get from the bank so you can be aware of what the money looks like.  There are old and new designs of bills in current circulation, so they are not all identical.  Things to look for are sparkly ink on the numbered lettering, water marks, and the strip that runs through the bill that you see when you hold it up to the light.

From: Walcott, April 03, 2006

Re: There definitely seems to be a "funny factor" built into the CitiBank rate.  What is the funny factor then?  At banelco machines (except Citibank locted ATM banelco machines) they payout local market rate minus a penny. Clear as day.  Let me know – thanks.

From: Spoony Luv, March 29, 2006

IF you open up an account at HSBC you can get international ATM withdrawals for free.

From: unaportena, March 29, 2006

I bank with HSBC in Canada and there were no charges on my account for withdrawls,

when I used the HSBC ATMs in BA.

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• Monitors / PC

From: Gaucho Gringo, August 24, 2006

About the monitors whatever you do, make sure of 2 things:

1. Don´t buy anything without seeing it actually working furst (best is to see many different models to compare under same viewing conditions) and check for general picture quality, contrast, screen reflections and glare, etc. Samsung has the best pictures I have seen but this was a year ago, others may have caught up by now.

2. Make sure you don´t get tricked into thinking ANY bigger screen is better than a smaller one. Many larger monitors has FEWER PIXELS, so the picture is actually WORSE!! Make sure you see how many x how many pixel resolution it has, ie 480 x 640, 600x800 and so on. The bigger either number is the better. In widescreen formats the width will be a little higher resolution than a similarly sized regular format monitor, while the height may be identical on both.

Either way it boils down to how much you can spend, so you may need to compromise on size or resolution.

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• Mosquito Nets

From: Peter Winterble, Sept 2, 2006

You can also have mosquiteros (screens) made for your windows, usually at a very reasonable price.

From: Frances Perry, Sept 2, 2006

I saw mosquito netting in a furnishing store.  The store carries items with a strong Asian influence.  It’s in Unicenter on the ground floor, to the left of the escalator, as you enter the building on the East side, next to the entrance leading directly to Jumbo.  This is the entrance (with an escalator just in front of it) on the opposite side of the building from Falabella department store.  It’s been a few months since I saw them there. 

Today’s weather should help blow the mosquitoes away.  In the meantime, check your ceiling carefully each evening before going to bed.  Mosquitoes tend to rest there. Kill these mosquitoes by throwing a standard size pillow up against the cieling, squashing them between the ceiling and said pillow.  This will either kill them directly or knock them off the high ceiling and slow them down enough to kill them once they hit they floor.  Andres taught me this and said this is what he’s been doing since he was little.  Also close your windows and doors just before sunset and / or put screens on the ones you tend to leave open.  Check the garden area for any items or places where water collects for more than a few hours after rain and either move the items – planters, plates, toys - or fill the holes. - Frances

From: Bob Stapp, September 02, 2006

jumbo on avenida bullrich, two blocks from the 3 de febrero station on the suarez or mitre train line (1st stop from retiro), sells mosquitero of different meshes and strengths by the meter... almost every coto, norte, carrefour, plaza vea, and disco have various mosquito-killing devices and sprays... i use the raid 40 noches which does indeed last for 40 nights but can only handle one room and that's without an open window or door... in mosquito season (i'm surprised to find people complaining about them now), i sleep under mosquitero... i've looked for a frame to put on the bed that i can drape the mosquitero over, similar to those i've used in more tropical environments, but i haven't found one, so i make do with poles and string lashed to the ends of the bed... looks really tacky, but works just fine...

From: joeinventor2006, September 02, 2006

That classy furniture store is OKKO. The largest outlet seems to be that one mentioned in Unicenter, But for those of you in Capital, there are others.

There´s a big one in the B. A. Design home decoration shopping center, at Libertador and Pueyrredon.

Another small one in Palermo "Soho", on a street that intersects calle Serrano-Borges about where the Sullivan´s pub is or one more block, either way, not sure now. Ask for the OKKO store.

Then on Santa Fe, there´s a beautiful one built into a old cinema-theater. Way far into the back is a cafe and even small restaurant, where it´s really fancy to sit at the balcony tables and watch the shoppers on the lower level. It´s across from the McDonald´s, between Uruguay and Parana I think.

If I were in the city I´d go to this last one first, and ask if Unicenter may carry more products than the others.

For the mosquito nets I guess OKKO will only have the type that go over the bed, plus the wooden structure, but it won´t be cheap. For cheaper alternatives you might first check out OKKO, and then compare or search for other options.

For those of you who still get bitten, in order to stop the itch, take a regular bar of hand-soap, and after slightly wetting it rub it on the bite. Make sure the soap is a bit gooey or creamy, and let it dry as you blow it. Since the bite hurts from the acid of the insect poison, the alkali soap neutralizes it very quickly. Cold water or ice on hot days also helps before the soap. Either that or it´s just a placebo but it works for me! / Cheers, Joe

From: Cisco, September 02, 2006

Camping store "La Ardilla", on Juan B. Justo 831 , just a block or two from Santa Fé.

http://www.ardillacamping.com/como_llegar/como_llegar.html

I bought all my gear there in Jan 2005 when I flew to Indonesia to volunteer (tsunami relief). Mosquito nets were a MUST, as Malaria was a big problem in that area at the time.  / Greg / www.gonegaucho.com 

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• Movers / Shippers

From: Eliza JaneC, December 22, 2009

I've been researching shipping companies to see if there is an affordable option for shipping less than one cubic meter of cargo.

this company:
http://www.pluscargoargentina.com/
seems really affordable, much cheaper than the other companies I've gotten quotes from.

Does anyone have experience with this company?

From: chenegrita, April 1, 2006

We are moving in two weeks from London to Bs As, and after a very extensive search (I've asked for quotes from around 10 companies), I've decided to use one called South American Agency. Details below:

South American Agency Ltd
South American House
102 High Street, West Wickham
Kent, BR4 0NF, United Kingdom
Tel no: Int ( 44 - 020 ) 8249 2328
Fax no:Int ( 44 - 020 ) 8249 3251

http://www.south-american.co.uk 

A friend of mine knows them quite well and recommended them to me. They seemed to be one of the cheapest from all the quotes I got (the differences between some of the quotes were enormous). I can't yet say whether they are good or not, as my stuff is (supposedely) being shipped this weekend, so until I get everything safe and unpacked at home I won't make any judgement. Obviously, for my own sake, i hope I will be able to recommend them to you!

They seem a bit informal, but very friendly and quite adaptable to different circumstances. I spoke to someone called Juan Pablo there.

PS: Be warned though- shipping stuff over is not cheap! Think carefully whether you need to do it at all.

From: Pete Macay, April 10, 2006

We used Crown Relocations, www.crownrelocations.com   Very good.  Since every case is unique, you might see if there is a branch by you and go visit them and ask your questions.

Also, TransPack http://www.transpack.com.ar/  is here in Buenos Aires and they have are very involved in in the expat community here.

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• Movers / Within Buenos Aires / Flete Companies

From: Julio Cesar Losua, April 23, 2010

Cosflet has been in Zona Norte forever!!!
Empresa: COSFLET N°: 1491
Direccion: Av Santa Fe 1339 CP: 1640
Localidad: Martinez Tel: (011) 4792-1570
Provincia: Buenos+Aires

From: Juhi, November 30, 2007

call m.g. buenos aires minifletes and fletes. tel. nos. 4373-2450 and 4371-7025.

From: ambialexander, Aug 2, 2008

Thanks for the flete referral. We used this company yesterday for our move and they were great! on time, very nice and careful with our things. I would definitely recommend them...

From: Claudine Van Hemelryk, Mar 13, 2003

Here is the guy who is helping you to move:  His name is DARDO, his colleague ALEJANDRO. Trustworthy both.Tel them that Juan, the architect, recommended them. You can ask them to bring 'canastos' a few days before.
Phone: 4554-6800/3046 (that is in Chacarita), and DARDO's cell phone: 15-4578-5776

Note from Pete: We used Dardo at the recommendation of Claudine and they were awesome.  He showed up with 3 guys, we were only moving personal effects since we rented a furnished apartment, but it was still quite a bit of stuff.

They use something here called 'CANASTOS' which are big wicker baskets to put your things in, actually it's a great idea as you don't buy tons of boxes you have to throw away later.  They will ask you how many you need, and a few days before the move they drop them off for you to fill.

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• Movies / Spanish Titles for USA Movies

Re: Does anyone have a good website or way to look up the title of a movie in Spanish? Sometimes it's a direct translation of the USA title but other times they totally change the name. It's kind of hard to go to the video store and try and figure out what "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" is in Spanish!

From: Malfalda, May 6, 2007

I'm always using Wikipedia for that.  Type in the title in english - if you get the result in english you can often switch to the spanish version in the left menu.

Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy 

 => see "in other languages"  =>

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%ADa_del_autoestopista_gal%C3%A1ctico   :-)

From: Katina Metzidakis, May 6, 2007

With current movies, you can always check the Buenos Aires Herald. They list the movie title first in Spanish and then in the native language. But in the video store I am lost! I am also hoping someone can answer this!

From: zurrolaur, April 29, 2007

if you know the name of the film, look it up on www.imdb.com  and get the names of a couple of actors and then check the movies in spanish by actor. that's been the easiest way for me. Of course you can do the reverse as well to find the english name. I've had to do this a few times.

From: Michael Waldrop, April 29, 2007

Expanding on what Laura said, if you have the actors or director name, you can look it up on www.mdvdclub.com.ar

From: rshpuntoff, April 29, 2007

One good video store that will help you out is El Ciudadano which is on Independencia between Saenz Pena and Cevallos. The owners have every film listed by actor and director with the year so with that information they can help you.

good suggestion, but watch out because sometimes the film may have a different title here if the local distributor thought a different title would work better

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• Musical Instruments

From: A. December 22,2009

Re: Does anyone have a xylophone for sale?

If i remember well, i´ve seen something like you are looking for in casa nuñez in Sarmiento 1500, near teatro san martin.http://www.antiguacasanunez.com/

That´s the website, you can call them and ask them if they had a xilofón.

And in Paraná street, between bartolome mitre y sarmiento you have many music shops, sure they have the instrument you search.

From: Greg, December 08, 2007

Re buying a new guitar: there are a lot of musical instrument stores on Talcahuano between Sarmiento & Rivadavia, and on Sarmiento between Callao & Talcahuano. 

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• Murder Rates / Robber

From the BANewComers list Christian Rodriguez Sunday, June 05, 2005

Some statistics about murder and robbery were published today in Pagina 12. Murder is measured per 100,000 inhabitants. All numbers are taken from the article except when noted:

2004:
Japan: 0.5
France: 1.7.
UK: 2.
Buenos Aires City: 4.
New York State: 4.9 (2003, FBI).
Argentina: 6.
USA: 6.
California: 6.8. (2003, FBI).
South Carolina: 7.2. (2003, FBI).
Brazil: 23.
Venezuela: 33.
Sao Paulo: 37.
Colombia: 65.
Caracas: 70.
Mexico DF: 70.

Murder showed a 21% decrease from 2003 to 2004. Robbery showed an 11% decrease (Im assuming this is for Argentina, not for the city). The article claims that murder rates are more reliable to measure "safety" because they are all reported. Robberies are not, since not all of them are reported to the police.

This doesn’t mean you should not be cautious. I’ve been back in Buenos Aires less than a year and I was robbed at gun point once already. So Im still fighting my paranoia (I still get really nervous when someone approaches me on the street, etc, I wont bore you with the details). So please don’t read this as a nationalistic attempt to erase reality or to claim that Buenos Aires and Argentina are the safest place in the planet. I just thought the numbers may bring some perspective to a topic that has been discussed several times in this list.

The article from Pagina 12:
http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-51991.html

The FBI report on Crime (2004 is preliminary, thats why I used 2003): http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm

Xtian

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