On this my last morning in Buenos Aires, for the time being, and knowing that a couple of people are planning trips here I am closing with some generalised observations/hints. This is a city that I really thought would excite me. It hasn’t, but that is more about my search for the crazy, new foods, backstreet eating and a new buzz. It is very different to what I expected; far more orderly, less colourful, more sedate and less dramatic.
Customs declaration on arrival
It asks questions about what electronics etc you have with you. Don’t fill it in as they don’t ask foreigners for it. It had me a bit perplexed and when I asked for help they took it off me and threw it away.
ATMs - not as frequent as in most cities and often located in bank foyers rather than on the street. The HSBC terminal screens are confusing. Ignore the start button and just bang your card in, then enter your passcode on the prompt. Dont press ‘start’ - it will take you to the enter your passport bit which you don’t need. On e you have entered the password it will eventually bring up English - max withdrawal $A2,000 ($NZ150).
NOTE There are NO ATMs in the La Boca neighbourhood.
WIFI - almost everywhere but not always with a decent signal. There doesn’t appear to be free wifi at the main airport but I did manage to hook into something.
I didn’t find the need for a local SIM but I use wifi through a VPN for security.
Finding your way round:
The MiBsAs guide available at hotels is a great wee booklet with small maps and lots of info. Don’t go buying anything else. This book does it all. There is also a larger map published by the same crowd if you want to venture further afield.
Streets are set in a grid and so easy to find your way around. There are great street signs which also show the property numbers within that block. Great for figuring out where you are and easy to tell if you are heading in the wrong direction.
I stayed in the Retiro neighbourhood which although a bit sedate was so handy in that it was close to Recoletta and Micro Centro. The train station was a five minute walk away and metro trains and busses all stopped nearby. My hotel the Argenta Towers was perfectly placed and reasonably priced and I will go back there on my return.
Short tours
If you want free walking tours go to http://Bafreetour.com.
BA walking tours also do tours but I would not recommend them. Urban Adventures (part of Intrepid) only do three trips and I have done two of them. Both were great.
Transport
Heaps of options. Black and yellow cabs a plenty and quite reasonable. Hotels can also call a car, slightly more expensive than a cab but good if you want to pre-book.
You need a sube card for all public transport. Buy from kiosks or the main train station.
A great bus network going all over the place.
The inner city metro is great, dead cheap, quick, clean enough. Map is inside the wee MiBsAs guide. But it stops early so don’t go out late thinking you will catch it home. You’ll have to grab a bus or a cab.
Also a good train network to the outskirts.
A phenomenon I have never seen before. In a city street were two very long queues of people. I sat and watched and soon saw a bus arrive. One of the queues progressed and people boarded the bus until the bus was full and the rest of the people in the queue stayed in the line. This was at a bus stop where a number of different bus routes stopped. The story is that you ask the people already in the queue which bus they are waiting for and if it is yours you join the queue, otherwise you ask at the next queue etc. It was so orderly it was scary.
Traffic is mellow by most standards. Crossing the road is easy, controlled intersections have a good lights system that show how much longer you have before the lights change or cross when you find space.
Getting from/to the international airport. You’ll need cash - around 900 - 1,000 peso for a pre ordered cab to Retiro/Recoleta. If leaving from the Airport they have taxi kiosks (similar price) and you can pay in USD. About 45 minutes to the central on a good day.
The domestic airport is much closer to the city centre.
On the street:
Footpaths need care so watch where you are going. They are in a terrible state of disrepair. NZ H&S would have a field day here.
You will find few food vendors, takeaway bars, street sellers or buskers.
The first busker I saw was in Florida St and she would have been about 80 not out with a phenomenal voice. Tango dancers are also on Florida St at night.
I only saw two people with selfie sticks - yay! And one of them was using it as an extension of their arm to get the camera closer to the subject.!!!!
The streets are filled with litter despite large rubbish skips being everywhere. At the moment autumn leaves make the streets look even messier. Around dusk you can see people emptying the skips looking for stuff to recycle. Often they dont bother putting back the stuff they have taken out and have left it strewn on the sidewalk. It looks awful and its dangerous.
Many parks have a child’s playground and basic gym equipment for the fitness conscious. Nothing like the fancy places in Vientienne but at least it is something.
I felt really safe walking around even at night but take usual precautions. Leave the glitz at home, camera out of sight, hang on to your bag.
The best coffee shop in my neighbourhood is right across the road from my hotel and I just discovered it. But I can check it out again when I get back. I still have more exploring to do.
People
There are many ladies of an age with over done makeup, dyed hair and trendy clothes, known as Recoleta ladies. I have not seen a grey haired woman, nor have I seen a woman with short short hair.
The people are just as scruffy as we are at home. For some reason I expected to see a city of immaculately dressed women like those in Italy or France. Sadly I didn’t.
I have seen many Dads totally fawning over the little kids in their care. Mom seems totally indifferent but Dad is besotted with this little brat (assuming they are their Mom and Dad).
Although some people I met made an effort to help, the majority of people were not the friendliest of people service wise. It reminded me of the dismissive attitude the French have for foreigners. But having said that there was no visible handwaving, screaming or shouting at each other either.
By our standards most people are slim/ish, in fact I have only seen a few fat people and they all spoke Portugese.
Abortion is illegal and can result in a murder sentence and jail time.
The people I spoke to were not fans of the current political regime with fears that a broader distinction is being made between rich and poor. The previous government had made in roads into helping the poorer sector of the population but this right wing government has taken away many of the privileges.
My favourite things from Buenos Aires
Its very pretty, organised, sedate and I felt safe here. For me it misses the vibrancy I expected and reminds me of Paris, which I didn’t like at all.
The Foodie trip with Urban Adventures - although not backstreet food it gave me an insight into the local food culture and the best taste treats. Well worth it. I wouldn’t have found the places without it.
Tango, tango, tango with Urban Adventures. A great introduction to Tango Etiquette and a local Milonga; this one I would never ever have found and it was perfect.
Recoleta Cemetery - great to see. They have free tours there as well which I believe are very good and give insight into those that a buried there. Many wonderful stories about the residents, famous and otherwise.
El Ateneo Splendide - worth a look, give it some time, grab a book and settle in.
Tigre and the trip up on the train and back in the boat. Tigre was a breath of fresh air and the boat trip really interesting.
San Telmo -I have to get back to that market, and oh yes! the bag shop where I spied something I want.
More to come
My next post will be from Santiago, Chile. I return to Buenos Aires towards the end of my trip and am looking forward to sussing out Palermo, hanging in La Boca, hopefully getting to a footbol match and sussing out some of the museums and art galleries. There is a lot to do in this city if you like looking at stuff but despite having learned snippets of the language and done heaps I’m not feeling the love.
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