Relocating and Living in Argentina

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	Information I have compiled and saved on vacationing, living and relocating to Argentina. W Topics

Walkathons, 10K or 5K / Organized Jogger Clubs

From: Vanjalbright, December 04, 2007

Try the following websites:

Club de Corredores http://www.clubdecorredores.com/carreras.php?seccion=3 "calle" at upper right is road races, "aventura" at upper left is adventure races.They also have a retail store in Belgrano you can call or visit.

FC Max http://www.fcmax.com/ Choose "carreras" from the gray bar under the "adidas" trademark.

I don't know of any sites that list races in English, but you can e-mail or call the guys at the RunnersShop, one of the owners speaks good English. Their store is near Barrio Norte/Centro on Cordoba.

http://www.therunnersshop.com.ar/ click "contacto" and e-mail or call Patricio Strauss.

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Want Ads

Grippo classifieds are pretty active I guess http://clasificados.grippo.com.ar/

In English http://buenosaires.craigslist.org/

There is also mercadolibre, local analog of ebay. http://www.mercadolibre.com.ar

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Washers and Dryers

Culturally most households have a maid, most all my friends (who are NOT rich) employ a maid once or twice a week to clean and do their laundry (my friend Pedro's maid even irons his TShirts he wears to the gym!). Not all apartments have a "servicio" or an area for a washing machine. There are "lavadarios" everywhere to have your clothes washed, they usually have machines to do this if you don't want them dry cleaned. If the apartment has room for a washing machine, almost never do they have clothes dryers, only large "expensive" apartments will have a clothes dryer. It is common to have a drying rack in the laundry area to air dry clothes. Many apartment buildings have open common areas on the roof where you can dry clothes (and sunbath if you like). We remodeled our apartment and had a washer and dryer installed. It was great after 2 years of air drying our clothes not to have hard crunchy clothes. They do have fabric softener for the washing machine, however, because dryers are rare here, "Bounce" style fabric softener sheets are nowhere to be found, we bring huge CostCo sized boxes back of "Bounce" whenever we visit the USA.

From: Frances Perry, August 26, 2006

Re: Washer/dryer combo machines

I bought one of those combos years ago and ended up never using the drying function as it just took too long and only dried half the amount of clothing as it washed. Also if one part goes, both do. If you have the space, buy one of each. You can stack the dryer on top of the washer if you buy front loading. In buying a washer, look for high RPM on the spin cycle as that makes a huge difference in drying time. I went from a 1,200 rpm to a 900 rpm and the clothes took a good 30 minutes more to dry. Also the load capacity on many washers here is only 5 kilos. There are some machines with 6 kilos and a larger drum – Ariston and Whirlpool are two that come to mind. This is very convenient when washing bedding – which you’ll be doing lots of once the baby comes. Also CHECK THE DOOR HINGES. Every wash and dryer – except the current one - I’ve bought here has lost the front door within 6 months to a year. Candy was the worse by far. I bought cheap as it was an emergency purchase just around devaluation. Do not buy Candy. The hinges were plastic and the drum is too small. The motor went out after two years, but luckily was still covered under warranty. I bought a whirlpool dryer about 1-1/2 ago which has a light weight metal door – no glass peep hole - with good hinges and a big drum. It’s model no. AWZ 222. I’m very pleased with it. While house sitting in Martinez last year I used the owners Whirlpool washer. I don’t remember the model number but it was top of the line. It worked well and the door didn’t fall off, so I would recommend it. I’ve been planning to replace the worthless Candy for a while now, so I’ve been researcher washers. - Frances

From: Shahrukh Merchant, August 27, 2006

The rumours are all true. I have an Ariston (Italian), which is one of the better ones, and one of the few that actually dry the whole load (5-6 kg) rather than require you to take 1/2 load out (or only wash 1/2 to start out with) for the dry cycle.

The basic problem is the way they dry: Since there is no vent, the only way that they can dry is to heat up the clothes as they tumble till the water evaporates into steam. Since there is no outlet for the steam, this humid air passes through a primitive condensor, which appears to be nothing more than cold water cooling the outside of pipes to condense some of the steam which drips into a drain and is pumped out along with the water that was used to cool it. This has to be SUCH an inefficient process that (a) it takes a long time--maybe 2 hours or more for the dry part of the cycle and (b) your clothes are being baked/steamed for all this time, which can't be great for the fabric or colour.

In summary, I would say:

1. If you have the space and dryer venting capability, get separate washer/dryer.

2. If you have space for just one, it works OK for small loads (up to 3 kg). Even so, I would stay away from bottom- or middle-line, and forget about drying towels or highly absorbent stuff (or delicate stuff). (The washer part works just fine, it is the dryer part that is iffy.)

A good solution would be a VENTED all-in-one but I don't believe they exist in the Argentine market. (Someone please let me know if it does and where to get it.)

From: Laura Zurro, August 27, 2006

There's a great dryer by Ariston that is ventless and is very efficient if you are willing to spend a little more money. It has a container that captures all the water which you then dump out, so no need to have a vent out your window. It also drys the clothes to a slightly damp dry unless you want them really really dry, and this helps preserve your clothes.

From: Jvanka, August 28, 2006

We own an LG washer-dryer all in one unit (owned it for 3 years now) It is ventless. This is a big load capacity 11 kg, and dries 6 kg (we use the full load and works fine, I guess the 6 kg is a manufacturers safe limit) We like it a lot, but we had to get used to the machine. Typically we programmed the machine so washes and dries overnight and by next morning all is done. The drying process is LONG. It uses high temperature steam, that's why it can take up to 3 hours for drying.

http://ar.lge.com/proddivergent.do?categoryId=050403&modelCategoryId=&parentId=0504 where to buy:

http://www.dmimportaciones.com.ar/fichaProd.php?ItemID=123

You have to evaluate if this can work for you. If you don't have much space or any way to vent outside your laundry room/closet, this machine (the good ones) can be great. If you have tons of room, large family and your laundry habits are different, this machine could be a nightmare.

Benefits: These washer-dryers use less water and energy, no vent required, space saving, super quiet, motor is linked to drum-no belts, load and forget feature ;-) (many times with regular washer and dryer I had forgotten clothes in the washer and had to re wash and then remind myself time for drying)

Falabella has a couple of other brands:

http://www.falabella.com.ar/webapp/commerce/command/ExecMacro/falabella/macros/ProdDisp.d2w/report?product_rn=4560188&cgmenbr=1891&cgpadre=2477066&cgnieto=2477123&division=0&prdisplay=0&StrOrige n=0&StrMos=1&nivel=1&cghijo1=2477118

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Web Designers

From: David Chapman99, April 26, 2009

Try www.guru.com or www.elance.com - dozens of companies will bid on your design project worldwide.

From: Deby Novitz, April 25, 2009

You might try Sammy Ward. He does web design, speaks english, writes content and is reasonable. His email is <samuel@wynnswoods.com>

From: Pia, April 25, 2009

I also recommend Samuel!
samuel@wynnswoods.com
Have a great weekend!

From: Daniela Buira, April 25, 2009

Samuel Warde is a great website designer and he speaks English as his native language. www.wynnswoods.com , phone number: (54-11-) 4771-7101. Wynn Woods Solutions is a professional website design company specializing in interface design, usability, content architecture, graphic design, content development website re-design and maintenance, Spanish to English translation of websites and content development.

From: Kenn Schroder, January 27, 2009

Kenn Schroder, expat from NY, and web designer and marketing consultant, helps you use the Web to get clients, increase sales, and grow your business. Read Kenn's article, "Three Things Every Successful Website Has" at http://www.k3nn.com .

From: Ashwini Kumar, August 31, 2006

We are a web developer company that operates out of Los Angeles, Denver and are opening an office in South America, you can see a list of our client sites at http://www.liquidmediadesign.com/clients.htm

I also work for Google which can help with some of your website search engine optimization.

Shawn Kumar
Web Developer
Liquid Media Design

From: Spoony Luv, September 01, 2006

I have two design/development companies, one US-based and one Argentine-based. The US entity exists to offer clients legal protection and local point of contact. The Argentine entity is the production center, although we are beginning to get Argentine clients as well.

Argentine company: www.southernsolutions.com.ar

US company: www.xagax.com (pronounced like ZAGAX -- similar to xerox)

I only use top talent and follow design / coding best practices. I have yet to have a complaint from a client or deliver a project that was not on time and on budget. / Carlos Astrada

From: Laura Zurro, September 01, 2006

Try Craig at Casa de Vida http://www.vidachiropractic.com/ Excellent chiro from the States who relocated here several years ago.

Also, I could recommend the girl who is working on our website, in addition she's a graphic artist so she's been designing our brochure, company logo etc. she's an excellent designer as well as being fairly priced. email me at zurrolaur@yahoo.fr if you want her contact info.

She's here in BA and does speak some English if you don't speak a lof of Spanish.

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Why I love Argentina!
People who dress to go have afternoon coffee with friends and actually take the time to have a nice conversation, talking for hours over one cortado (an espresso coffee “cut” with milk) and the servers don't look annoyed that they're staying too long.
Ordering 4 media lunas (croissants) for 2 pesos (USA 73 cents) and they wrap them in paper with ribbon, like a little gift.
Having a café and they fill the table with a little glass of seltzer water, a juice (in the morning), and little cookies, all for the price of a coffee
Waiters/waitresses who actually seem to care about serving you and they're wearing bow ties and vests in a neighborhood restaurant
Buying 2 HUGE filet mignon steaks in the supermarket for 5 pesos (USA $1,81) that are the best you ever had, EVER
The porteros (doormen) that I don't know personally, but walk by every day, and I say "Buenos Tardes" to and they greet me in return
The friendly street vendors who sit on the sidewalk and sell better quality vegetables then in the supermarket (why is that?)
The guy in the "San Antonio" fish market who waves at me every day even though Ron does all the shopping and I've never been in there
Walking through a park and seeing someone pick up a kid they've never seen, spinning them around and talking to them as if they're a real person, and the parent doesn't freak out thinking someone is molesting their kid
Did I mention ladies in fur coats?? Being from California fur is such a NO NO, but God they look elegant and beautiful in their furs, don't they?!!??!?!
Ordering cat food and litter sand and they deliver
Walking down the street at 9 am and all the porteros are polishing the brass on the doorways, AND they look happy
The store that makes fresh pasta that is to DIE FOR, even though we have to go to another store that makes a better salsa sauce to put on it (which is also TO DIE FOR)
Flowers on every other corner, even if you don't buy some, you can smell them as you walk by
Watching the dog walkers gather the dogs for their walks, and the dogs are all behaving and not fighting
I laugh every time I see a dog carrying his/her own leash in their mouth
I laugh every time I see the old dogs with gray muzzles and whiskers who the dog walkers don't even bother to leash because they're not going to run off for NOBODY, they just follow all the dog butts as they walk down the street
Hearing the knife sharpener play his pan flute as he makes his way down the street, the pan flute seems to be only used by knife sharpeners, they ring your bell to ask you if you want any knives sharpened and if you didn't hear the flutes first, you pick up your reception phone and you hear 20 of your neighbors saying "Hola? Hola?"
Feeling that rush of adrenaline when you find cheddar cheese, the funny thing is I don't even like cheddar cheese, but when you can't have something, it makes you crave it.

I have many Argentine friends who say Argentines are rude, but I have never experienced that, I think Argentines are one of the most courteous, polite and friendly people I've ever met. Maybe they treat me different because I'm a foreigner, with my accent I'll never be confused with a native. Sure, sometimes you have to play "snow plow" when walking down the sidewalks (because they don't seem to notice you or care) but I still don't worry when I see a bunch of teenagers walking towards me at 2 am in the morning, in the USA I would change sides of the streets in such a situation, but here I'm not worried at all.

From: Carla Horton, May 27, 2007

Feria de Mataderosom a Sunday morning A walk around Parque Patricios on a sunny weekday morning A visit to Plaza Arenales in Devoto on a summer evening Walking around Barracas all day long Sit in any cafe to read a book

From: Zurrolaur, January 23, 2007

I LOVE the fact that pregnant women get to go to the front of the line, as well as people who have little babies. And, that breastfeeding is much more accepted here.

From: Rick Jones, August 10, 2007

When describing life in Argentina, Rick Jones said,

“Overall, it's a very good life. There is definitely an edge to it, and although that edge makes some people fearful or angry or whatever, my wife and I find it invigorating and interesting.

Winston Churchill said, "Without a measureless and perpetual uncertainty, the drama of human life would be meaningless." On a somewhat smaller scale than he was probably referring to, that measureless and perpetual uncertainty is the stuff of daily life here.”

From: Maria Cristina, Tenerife, 2006

A really nice PowerPoint slideshow of photos taken around Buenos Aires, nice music too! You will need a PowerPoint viewer, the file is 4.2 megs large.

Click on image above to download the 4.2 meg PowerPoint slideshow.

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Wi Fi Connections / Internet Cafes

From: Greg, July 8, 2008

La Nacion published a Wi-Fi article and map of Buenos Aires a year ago. Click on image above to see the PDF version (2.2 MB in size).

From: Sean, August 30, 2006

I share your pain totally and when I travel or am downtown any city, I always pop into the nicer hotels’ bars, lounges, living rooms, etc – where wifi and a waitress is ready and waiting for me. Most times you get quiet corners where you can conduct Skype type calls through headphones with a mic – anyway that’s my proposal – be respectful and not shouting through skype and they will take care of you and welcome your tips - good luck and cheers

PS – I was issued a wifi code card today with my lunch at a McDonalds (okay I know, but it’s fast) and a security guard later asked me if I “had authorization to plug my laptop into the electric outlet” LOL. I was in a bad mood so now I feel guilty about the tongue lashing I gave him.

From: Jvanka, August 30, 2006

wimax now is available in BA, I don't know if you need a different card in your laptop or the standard wi-fi card will do it, but appears you can have an account with a provider and forget about wireless routers, Ethernet cables etc in your home. Velocom website doesn't show product pricing, but email them to find out ;-)

http://wimax.velocom.com.ar/productos.htm

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Wild Bird Animal Rescue

Re: Or if anyone knows a place where I could take the pigeon (like a pigeon orphanage--or rescue) I would love to get that information.

From: Marina, October 3, 2010

You could try taking it to Reserve Ribera Norte, in Acassuso, in the north of the province. I know they take care of wild animals in rehab before setting them free.

Marina

From: Daniela Melton, October 3, 2010

You can take the birdie to Ribera Norte wild animal rescue in Accassuso- they rescue and rehab till he is ready to be on his own.
Tel: 4747 6179

From: Julio Cesar Losua, October 3, 2010

Hi Katharine:
Try Federación Colombofila(pigeon) Argentina http://www.fecoar.org.ar/index.php
Saludos,
Julio

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Wine Appreciation Courses

From: Frances Perry, Sept 8, 2006

I’ve worked with the Escuela Argentina de Sommeliers (EAS) since 2002 in arranging quality wine appreciation courses in English geared toward the expatriate market. See below for more informaiton. If you are interested in taking the course contact me directly at fperry@fibertel.com.ar . - Frances

Exploring Wines

Quality wine appreciation courses in English in conjunction with the Escuela Argentina de Sommeliers (EAS) will be offered again starting this October 12th, 2006. EAS is an accredited wine academy and member of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (A.S.I). Teachers are professional and experienced Sommeliers accredited by the A.S.I.

Who is this course aimed at?

Our Exploring Wines course is aimed at the enthusiastic beginner and no previous wine knowledge is required. The course and all material are in English.

Course goal

Our goal is to provide an excellent introduction to the complexities and challenges of the world of wine with an emphasis on Argentina. Beyond the basics of wine you’ll learn which wines to buy, how to taste, pair, and order from a wine list, and how to serve and store wines.

Class Size
To insure full participation and enjoyment, class size is limited to 15 participants.

If you miss a class
You can recover missed classes on a future course date (subject to availability).

Time and days
7 pm – 9 pm. Classes run six consecutive weeks on Thursday evenings.

Location
In Recoleta on Callao between Santa Fe and Marcelo T. Alvear

Course Content and Syllabus
1. What is wine?
Varietals, terroir, quality factors, aromas & tastes

2. Making of Red and White Wines
How wine is made, styles, aging plus wines of Mendoza

3. Service and Storage
Buying, keeping, glassware, and serving plus wines of Salta & San Juan

4. Wine & Food / Barrels and Stoppers
Conventions, ignoring conventions, pairings, restaurants plus wines of Patagonia

5. Sparkling Wines / Myths & Legends
How each is made, styles, quality, tasting practice plus myths & legends

6. Sweet and Fortified Wines
How each is made, styles, quality, tasting & pairing practice

Tasting of 3 wines with each class except first with 2 wines.

How to Reserve

You can reserve via email to Frances at fperry@fibertel.com.ar

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Wine / Malbec / Recommendations

Re: What brands of malec or other wines do you all fine reasonably priced and pleasant to drink? My own favorite is Norton Reserve.

From: jasonphos, July 1, 2007

I bought a Luigi Bosca 2004 reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Reserve Malbec the other day, and the Cab was freaking awesome. I'm looking forward to trying the Malbec :)

I paid $34 pesos at a chinese supermarket in the Province, so I imagine 35 to 50 pesos is where its priced...

From: Sean, June 30, 2007

Luigi Bosca 2003 reserve malbec DOC – runs 35 to 50 pesos a bottle – heaven under a cork. http://www.luigibosca.com.ar/es/gam_detalles.asp?id=7

From: Romy Natalia Goldberg, July 1, 2007

Finca Flichman has a Malbec Roble from 2006 that is great. Plus it is only around 12 pesos!

From: anjalbright, July 1, 2007

"Reasonably priced" is of course the key word here.

When we first arrived in BA, I randomly tried about 30 wines under $10 pesos. The clear Malbec winner was Colon. It's everywhere in a bright orange color and sells for the budget-friendly $6 pesos, yes that's pesos, not dollars. Some of the locals may consider it to be the Sutter Home of Argentine wines, but I like it for everyday drinking. If you're willing to step up to $10 pesos, Callia offers some decent wines that are more California style, heavy on the oak and less fruity.

From: Rick Jones, July 1, 2007

I've been partial to Orfila.

From: Alvaro G. Feuerman, July 1, 2007

1- Trapiche Roble Malbec 2- Bianchi Genesis Malbec

It is important -it tastes much greater- that they are "criados" in "roble" (oak?).

From: Carla Conde-Freudendorff, July 2, 2007

Maybe you will pay a little bit more, but buy a Míele. I have had the best experiences with the "Míele family". I had them in Argentina and I have them in Germany again. Míele - http://miele.com/ Here you can ask where you can get it, if you still can buy them in Argentina. Equipos Alemanes Servicio Técnico Oficial Sr. Osvaldo Cota tel. 02320 - 440540 e-mail: equipaleman@infovia.com.ar

From: ambialexander, July 2, 2007

some of my argentine friends love Lopez and consider it the "high end" wine for the working class and its only 8 or 9 pesos. its ok but i prefer Callia for a reasonably priced wine at 10pesos. my favorite pricier malbec is Nieto Senitiner 19pesos which i'll ususally bring to a friends house for dinner.

From: Peter J. Macay, July 2, 2007

When I heard someone quote $30-$50 pesos for their reasonably priced wines, I let out a yelp!

Ron and I are pretty frugal and I like to drink wine nightly with dinner (dinner isn't dinner without some good Argie vino), so we do look for good palatable table wines for every day use.

Some wineries we like are: "Rodas", "Santa Julia", and "Postales del fin del Mundo" (cool label too). These are all under or around 10 pesos a bottle.

When I want to "splurge" my consistent favorite bodega is "Terrazes", for $14-$18 pesos you can get a truly wonderful wine that I would be happy to bring to a guest's home for dinner.

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Wine Tasting

From: Karin Hosenfeld, August 13, 2006

I have the contact info for a person who would love to have a wine tasting for our group. Here's his info:

Alex@terroir.com.ar
Alejandro Audisio
Proprietor, Terroir Casa de Vinos
Buschiazzo 3040, Buenos Aires

Tel. 4778-3443/3408

www.terroir.com.ar

He speaks beautiful English and spent about an hour with us last time we went in to buy wines at his shop. He's so knowledgeable that we really changed some of our thinking about how long to cellar Argentine wines, what to look for in the varieties, etc. We've been serious wine shoppers for five or six years now, so we've spoken with many wine people in BA and he was by far the best.

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Wood Floor Refinishing

From BANewComers: Paul August 16, 2005

I highly recommend Juan: for price, quality, honesty and all round versatility, for refinishing floors and repairs and renos of all sizes!

Juan: 155 721 8166 or 115 721 8166

Juan does not speak much English, so if need be, please email me and I can try to help: p_beith@yahoo.com

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Work - Billing someone if you are not a resident - CUIT

From the BANewcomers list. I have the opportunity to do some freelance consulting work and I understand to be able to bill the client I need a CUIT. Can anybody tell what is the best way to go about obtaining one?

Reply: Go to the nearest AFIP office. Stand in line, they will tell you what to do. It doesnt cost much. It is just an idenfication number. You need it to do almost anything here. The AFIP offices are all over. Look in the guide to the city, or ask a neighbor.

Here is the link to AFIP http://www.afip.gov.ar I only have a CUIL which I had to get to buy an apartment. I got my CUIL at ANSES. I got it in less than 15 minutes. Hopefuly you can the CUIT in the same time. The difference between the two is that in order to have invoices printed you need a CUIT, which indicates that you are self employed, whereas a CUIL means you are employed.

Another tip: Once you quit invoicing with a CUIT you need to unregister from the AFIP because, by law, you need to pay a minimum ($90.00??) monthly tax, whether you're invoicing or not!

Another Reply: April 1, 2005 - This is the one thing that is actually quite simple (in comparison).

A) Go to any AFIP office and ask then which AFIP office is FOR your zone. (you must go to the AFIP office that corresponds to your address.)

B) Go to your local police department and ask for a "Certificado de domicilio". (takes a couple of days to get that - they deliver it to your house) They may charge 10 or 20 pesos for it.

C) Take a copy of your passport and the cert. de dom. to the correct AFIP office (from step A) Don´t take "no" for an answer. You will walk out of there with a stamped certificate and a CUIT number

D) take that Certificate (CUIT) to any print shop and get Facturas printed.

E) Pay the prescribed taxes by the 7th of every month.

Note: step E is optional. I didn´t pay for a year - then needed to for a good job later and it only cost me about 200 in interest to get back on track. This is not the USA. The Gov. here doesn´t have an IRS and as always ALL laws are optional here. (Ask any 12 year old as he buys his liter of Quilmez.)

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