Category Archives: Travel Style

Update: How did I forget to add that if you enter on an American, Canadian, or Australian passport, you must prepay a $160 entry fee and print off your receipt for proof in order to enter the country? The one time fee is good for ten years of entry.

Pay here, and pay with a no-foreign-transaction-fee card to save yourself 3%.

I’ve been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for about five weeks, and I wanted to share some things I’ve learned in case you’ve got an upcoming trip to la ciudad porteña. This is not anything like a guide book, and it’s a bit scatter shot. Feel free to ask specific questions in the comments.

1. The Exchange Rate

The official exchange rate, and that paid by banks and ATMs is about 5.1 Argentine pesos (ARS) to 1 dollar. There is a “blue market” in dollars here, though, where the dollar is worth about 8.4 pesos according to ambito.com, a leading Argentine financial paper

If you get 8.4 pesos per dollar instead of 5.1, that’s like getting a 39.3% discount on everything. Unfortunately blue market dollar transactions with crisp $100 bills in cuevas are illegal. Also keep in mind that you can’t cross US or Argentine borders with more than $10,000 in cash without headaches.

Because of the exchange rate situation, I’ll quote prices in pesos for consistency.

2. Prices and Quality

Prices here are very low. I think I can get by with about half the money I need in the US.

Taxis cost 9.1 pesos for flag drop + 4.55 pesos per kilometer. Today I crossed the city for 56 pesos. A similar length trip in Los Angeles would have been about $23 plus tip. And you don’t tip taxi drivers here.

Restaurants are very cheap here because of the cheaper groceries, and the much cheaper labor. A mountain of meat and potatoes at the high quality parrilla (meat restaurant) on my block costs 149 pesos and serves three men. I’ve eaten a lot of incredible meals here in the 60 pesos range for a steak, and had my share of empanadas at 6 pesos a pop.

I’m not saying you can’t spend a lot more than 100 pesos per person on a meal, drinks, and tip. But you don’t have to do that to eat like a king.

Argentina’s mighty steak reputation is well deserved. They barely season the meat here and rarely eat it with sauce–maybe chimichurri or salsa criolla, but never A1. And yet the meat never disappoints–it blows me away every time.

Groceries are cheap. Chicken breasts are about 25 pesos per pound. Filet mignon is about 55 pesos per pound. Beer is 8 pesos per liter and up. Wine is 15 pesos a bottle and up. I see a ton of wine in the 25 to 30 peso range that must satisfy most people as an every-day-with-dinner bottle.

Unfortunately the selection at the biggest grocery stores is paltry compared to even small American grocery stores. Produce selection is limited to what can be grown in the country in that season, and is generally of far lower quality than even the worst American grocery stores.

Also, imported products are very expensive. A bottle of Tabasco is 75 pesos. A bottle of Ragu pasta sauce is 50 pesos. For the best selection of imported products, gluten-free products, vegan products, and anything else not typically in the Argentine diet, head to barrio chino.

Rent is cheap. I am renting a furnished two bedroom, one bathroom apartment in an incredible building on what I would consider to be literally the best located block in the city. We’re paying $1200 per month, which is obviously a fraction of what one would pay for something like that in a US city–even unfurnished.

Cleaning service is incredibly cheap at 30 pesos per hour. Usually this is included in the cost of short term rentals.

Language classes vary a lot in price. You’ll find better deals with independent teachers. My roommate is paying 500 pesos per week for three two-hour sessions one-on-one with a teacher and one two-hour group discussion.

3. Language

Argentine Spanish is different than varieties with which you may be more familiar. The main difference is the voseo.

Tú is replaced by vos and the verb forms related to vos are different than the tú forms you know. The good news is that through subtitled and dubbed TV and movies, they will understand your Spanish, no matter where you learned it.

The level of English here is low, but higher among the younger and wealthier, as in most places in the world.

4. Late Starts

I see most restaurants open noon to four and eight to midnight for lunch and dinner. Peak times seem to be 2 PM and 10 PM.

Also, like many places in the world, people tend to show up late here.

Night clubs don’t get going until after 2 AM.

5. Change Issues

Like many poorer countries, there is an issue here where taxi drivers, kiosks, and vendors might not have the correct change. You’ll make your life easier if you make sure to break your 100 peso notes at grocery stores, fast food places, or anywhere else that has a lot of cash to make change easily. Then you’ll have correct change when you deal with people who don’t.

6. Internet and Phone

Everywhere you go in Buenos Aires there is wifi. The speed isn’t quite as fast the US, but it is fast enough to stream live video without too much buffering.

I highly recommend getting a local SIM card even for short trips. The three big players are Movistar, Claro, and Personal, and they are equally detested. A SIM card costs 10 pesos, then you can load credit onto your phone at any kiosk. 3G internet is 1 peso per day. Calls and texts are surprisingly expensive, but a smart phone here should cost you a quarter per month of what you were paying in the states.

If you want to call back to the US, there are a lot of options. I use google chat inside of gmail for 1 cent per minute. It’s good sound quality with no drops.

7. Palermo: Where You Want to Be

Buenos Aires has a lot of interesting neighborhoods, but I think Palermo is the clear choice for where to stay and go out.

Palermo is (hilariously) divided into Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho by Avenida Juan B Justo. Both halves are fine. The main strip of Palermo is Honduras Street, which is packed with restaurants, bars, and clubs. The area is touristy and ex-patty, but there’s a reason: it’s the best place to hang out and live. There is a subte (subway) stop where I’ve marked with an X on the map. The parks in the northeast of Palermo are a popular place to run, bike, and rollerblade. Just beyond them is the domestic and near-international airport–Aeroparque (AEP).

I don’t see any chain hotels in Palermo; they are mainly in the microcentro. To stay in Palermo, check airbnb.com or stay at a boutique hotel.

8. A Few Tourist Destinations

I’ve been to a few tourist destinations. Here are my thoughts, though you might be better off consulting a guide book.

Plaza de Mayo is worth a stop at 3:30 PM on Thursdays to see the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo protest. The whole thing took less half an hour today including a media-covered speech that praised the current Presidenta.

The original cause is worth reading up on, and it’s amazing to think about the dedication of the madres. If you can combine this with checking out the Casa Rosada, which is right on the Plaza, it’s a worthwhile afternoon.

Boca is worth fifteen minutes, which is luckily all it takes to walk the two or three safe and heavily touristy streets. You can sit at an overpriced restaurant for a snack or meal, watch a simple tango, pose with a tango dancer for a tip, buy some touristy kitsch, and take a picture in front of the colorful buildings. Or you can skip the whole thing and not have missed much.

Recoleta Cemetary is totally worth the free visit. Evita is buried here in a (comparatively) simple mausoleum that is not well marked. Hint: she’s in the Duarte mausoleum. Far more interesting than her grave are the graves of presidents, lined with plaques commemorating anniversaries of their births and deaths. It’s fun to walk through the rows at random admiring the workmanship and inventing elaborate stories for the people buried here.

Chinatown is a really fun place to go shopping, though there probably isn’t much there for tourists.

9. Cafe Culture

Every nice day in Buenos Aires is an excuse to sit on a corner and watch the world go by. Whether people are eating dinner, having coffee, or enjoying a cocktail, when the weather is nice, every corner is full.

It’s a slow, enjoyable pace of life that I see in a lot of Europe and rarely in the Americas. It’s actually not my preferred pace, but if you enjoy France, Italy, and countries like that, you will love Buenos Aires.

10. Kiss

If you are introduced to someone or greeting an old friend, and at least one of you is a woman, there will be a kiss on the right cheek. Enjoy!

And then something you should never talk about in polite company: politics…

Argentines have very strong opinions on the president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, and her economic policies. A lot of times my banal questions to the taxista about how business is are redirected to his thoughts on her. If you like to talk politics or soccer, Argentina could be your heaven. Just be aware that people here have very strong views on the subjects.

In my giveaway last week of Express Passes into Australia, I mentioned that you can also enter Australia quickly if you have Global Entry. I want to give a little more information about the process because it’s another reason to get Global Entry in you haven’t already. See Why and How I Got Global Entry.

The process is very simple. To be able to use Australia’s SmartGate entry program, you need to be 16 years or older, have Global Entry, and have a USA ePassport. All USA passports issued after 8/2007 are ePassports.

To use SmartGate, simply find the SmartGate kiosk upon arrival, which sounds identical to a Global Entry kiosk. After answering the declaration questions at the kiosk, you get a SmartGate ticket.

Next you use the ticket to access the SmartGate. A camera compares your photo to the digital photo in your ePassport. Go through the gate, collect your bags, and head to customs.

The whole process looks really simple.

The SmartGate and Global Entry combo does not change the fact that you have to apply online for a visa before traveling to Australia and pay a $20 fee.

This is another great reason to get Global Entry, which gets me from airplane door to curb at LAX in seven minutes. Global Entry costs $100. The process includes a cumbersome application form and a twenty minuted interview at an international airport.

The $100 fee is rebated if you pay with your American Express Platinum. The best AMEX Platinum offer right now is the Mercedes-Benz version of the card. (Don’t worry; you don’t have to drive a German car to get the card.)

The full SmartGate information is here.

Does anyone have any experience with SmartGate?

I travel very differently than many of my readers. I’m up front in a premium class, but then when I land, I take my one carry on and zero checked bags to the house of a complete stranger where I stay for free. I couchsurf.

Couchsurfing refers to two things: the act of sleeping on a strangers couch or guest bed for free and the website couchsurfing.org–the main facilitator of couchsurfing in 2012.

Couchsurfing enriches and “en-cheapens” my travels so significantly that I wanted to evangelize about it for a post. Hopefully I’ll dispel any fears and confusion you might have about couchsurfing, and maybe even talk you into couchsuring.

Couchsurfing.org is the starting point. Interested parties put up a profile that’s a cross between a facebook profile and information about your living situation.

Here’s part of the profile of a guy whose couch I surfed in Warsaw, Poland last month:

As you can see, the left is about his “couch,” which in his case is actually a spare bedroom that I slept in. I probably sleep on couches less than half the time. On the right side is information about the person. It helps you determine whether your personalities, temperaments, and interests would be a match.

Not pictured are some biographical info like age, information about what languages you speak to avoid language barriers, pictures, and most importantly references and verifications.

Crucially couchsurfing.org offers an optional two-part verification process. One part verifies your identity because you have to give a donation by credit card, which lets them know who you really are. The second part is a postcard with a code sent to your address. If you type in the code, you must live where you say you do.

Many people are verified, but not a majority. When using couchsurfing, you can easily decide to interact only with those who have been verified.

The second, and probably better, security tool is the references section. The references let other people write on your profile what their experience with you was. I have over 30 references from former strangers who hosted me or surfed my couch. That’s a good indication that I am a safe person to host or stay with.

Another security feature is that couchsurfing.org archives all messages, so if anything happened, it would be pretty clear who the perpetrator was.

How Couhcurfing Works

Most people start as couchsurfing.org members when they hear about it and decide that it sounds fun and cheap to surf on an upcoming trip. Once they set up an account, they can use the CouchSearch feature to find hosts in a geographical area.

After perusing the profiles to find compatible hosts in the area of town they want with whom they would feel safe, they send a CouchRequest. The request is sent out any time from several months in advance to the night before. Usually the request indicates the traveller’s plans and why he wants to stay with that particular host.

In popular cities in America and Europe, hosts are inundated with multiple requests per day, so usually a prospective surfer will send out a dozen or more CouchRequests.

The potential host accepts or declines the request. If he accepts, he includes his address and maybe a telephone number. The surfer and host meet up at the agreed upon time and place. The surfer stays the agreed upon days and heads out, never paying the host a dime. (It is customary to give a thank you gift, cook a meal for the host, or buy him a few drinks as a token of appreciation.)

During the stay, anything can happen. Sometimes the host spends all day with you and gives you tours; sometimes he gives you a key to his place, works all day, and you barely see him.

After the stay, you each write a reference, and you probably never see each other again. But if either of you is in the other’s city again, you’ve got a friend for life.

Why I CouchSurf

The experiences are incredible and cannot be replicated if you are a tourist in a distant city, and you don’t know any locals.

My favorite CouchSurfing experience was last year in Copenhagen. I stayed with a dreadlocked guy named Ingolf who owned a Christania bike.

He gave me a tour of the city as we alternated who peddled and who hung out in the big, pillowed basket–all the while sipping Carlsberg. I could not have done anything like that in Copenhagen without couchsurfing.

Or on my last trip to Ukraine, my host in Kharkiv took me to a park in his neighborhood where a freezing spring emerges. Joining the polar bear club jumping into it was a locals-only experience that not many visitors to Kharkiv get.

Or when I host people in LA, I take them to the best indie improv shows, pick up dodgeball games, and twice-a-year events like cicLAvia that no guide book or hostel would possibly mention. Plus we eat at the best taco trucks and go out to the places that young locals go out to.

The cool thing about couchsurfing is that it’s self-selecting. The reason I’ve never had a bad experience (in 30+ experiences) is that people who think couchsurfing sounds fun instead of horrible have a lot in common. We’re adventurous travelers with a similar outlook.

Who Couchsurfs?

Couchsurfing is mainly a young persons’ activity. I tend to host people and stay with people between the ages of 20 and 30. But there are definitely older people involved. Don’t let your age stop you. If you’re older and don’t want to hang out with young people or vice versa, one of the search filters you can use when CouchSearching is age.

Couchsurfing is done solo, by couples, and by groups of friends. I usually roll solo, but a ton of couples request to stay with me. I also get a lot of requests from groups of three or four European girls who have been in the US for a year as au pairs and are traveling at the end.

Couchsurfing attracts different types like freegan hippies, party animals, and every type in between. I wouldn’t say there is really a type, but some common traits are open-mindedness and a love of travel.

Drawbacks

I don’t think safety is a major drawback. I would consider surfing at someone’s house to be as safe as staying at a hotel. Beyond the safety measures addressed above, a person who wanted to harm a couchsurfer would only be able to do it once since the correspondence would clearly show who committed any crimes and where they happened. Couchsurfing is a bad way to exploit people, so I think crimes are exceedingly rare.

(I think hosting is more dangerous. Anyone can sign up for an unverified account, and then be invited into your house. I protect myself by hosting people with good references and verification.)

The real drawbacks are minor nuisances. My least favorite hosts are overly solicitous. I don’t want to inconvenience them, so I don’t like when they try to cook me every meal, change plans to accommodate me, or worry about my tastes too much. I prefer them to live their own lives normally and let me tag along to the fun stuff they’re doing.

Another drawback is that there are clearly people on couchsurfing who see it as a dating site. A new feature allows you to see people who are seeking a host in your city and how many hosts have offered to host them. Cute girls always seem to be in the 3+ category while guys are often offerless. Solo girls should be aware that they will be popular, but I don’t think they’re in danger.

Another potential drawback that I actually see as a positive is the location of hosts. Couchsurfing usually leaves you in a “real” part of town where people live and not the tourist trap centers. This means you may have to take public transport to sightsee, but I think it’s cool to be out in a district with no other tourists.

Recap

Couchsurfing is awesome. You’ll have more fun traveling, and you’ll cut out hotel costs. (I barely mentioned cost because I don’t see couchsurfing as primarily a way to save money. And that’s a sore spot among hosts if you imply you are surfing to save cash instead of to meet new people and see new cultures.)

Couchsurfing.org is the major hub to connect hosts and surfers. There are some drawbacks that potential couchsurfers should be aware of, but in my experience the fun of couchsurfing far exceeds any drawbacks.