Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina

[mbillie1]

I have to admit I didn't read all the responses here, so apologies if any of this has been covered. I'd like to move to Buenos Aires specifically, possibly as early as the end of this summer. Are most of the touristy-rental places available long term, like for a year or so? Obviously I'd be willing to pay whatever their regular tourist rate is, they're pretty cheap anyway judging by craigslist. Are you still living there? Do I need citizenship to stay longer than a month or so, or any type of special arrangements, visa, etc? Recoleta is where most of the nicer places I've looked at have been, plus Borges writes about it glowingly which is as much of an endorsement as I need. Is it generally dangerous, are there bad areas? How much cash should I reasonably bring with me to get on my feet? (I'd be playing online poker for a living). I speak zero Spanish, can I get by like that? Thanks in advance

[TheMetetron]

Well you missed pretty much the entire thread if you don't know any of this, but I'm feeling nice so I'll do this provided you ship monies to TheMetetron on Stars. K thx.

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I have to admit I didn't read all the responses here, so apologies if any of this has been covered. I'd like to move to Buenos Aires specifically, possibly as early as the end of this summer. Are most of the touristy-rental places available long term, like for a year or so? Obviously I'd be willing to pay whatever their regular tourist rate is, they're pretty cheap anyway judging by craigslist.

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Yes, but you have to pay the rent up front. So obviously it is in your best interest to only book for 3-6 months then rebook again and pay for the next 3-6 months when your first are up. I've paid my rent through July, for example.

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Are you still living there? Do I need citizenship to stay longer than a month or so, or any type of special arrangements, visa, etc?

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Yes, I am. I'll be here until at least December. Very likely longer. You can't get citizenship so clearly its not needed. You can stay on a tourist visa for 90 days at a time, it needs to be renewed then by going down to the immigration office (only can be done once every 180 days) or by leaving to another country (Uruguay being the popular choice as a speed ferry puts it only an hour and a half away). So you have to leave once every 6 months. Other than that, no problems.

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Recoleta is where most of the nicer places I've looked at have been, plus Borges writes about it glowingly which is as much of an endorsement as I need. Is it generally dangerous, are there bad areas?

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Recoleta/Barrio Norte is where I live and is generally pretty safe. More south towards Cordoba it isn't as nice, but anything around Sante Fe and north towards the cemetary is as safe as you can get anywhere. In Recoleta, there are no bad areas. In Buenos Aires, obviously there are.

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How much cash should I reasonably bring with me to get on my feet? (I'd be playing online poker for a living). I speak zero Spanish, can I get by like that? Thanks in advance

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I don't quite understand the question. You mean on you or saved up? You could get by like that but you won't enjoy it. I'd recommend taking some Spanish classes once you arrive. Most people here don't speak English so don't expect it to be like Northern Europe where you can just speak English everywhere. It will quickly become a pain. It doesn't take long to learn the basics to get around during your day. A few months at most.

[whangarei]

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TheMetetron,

I'm coming down there in a few months, and I need to set up some sort of foreign bank account to work with Party Poker. Any advice against using an Argentinian bank?

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Don't use an Argentine bank.

A) Because you can't.

B) Because it's not safe.

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Have you looked at Banco Nación -- this web page says you can open an account there with only a CDI and address certificate. From this Wikipedia article, it is Argentina's largest bank but also ranked last in a survey of Latin American banks in ethics and transparency.

[LuckyDevil]

What is a CDI?

[whangarei]

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What is a CDI?

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My understanding is that it is some sort of social security type / ID number that even visitors can get if they want to go through the bueauracracy of getting one. It is useful to have one since many services require one. Many long-term visitors get one.

[TheMetetron]

Let me rephrase.

It's incredibly difficult to get one. There are much easier offshore options, but it is possible after going through a lot [censored]. But I can't imagine why you would trust Argentina with your money. I'd probably open an account at the Bank of Neteller first.

[whangarei]

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Let me rephrase.

It's incredibly difficult to get one. There are much easier offshore options, but it is possible after going through a lot [censored]. But I can't imagine why you would trust Argentina with your money. I'd probably open an account at the Bank of Neteller first.

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I wouldn't trust Banco Nación with much of my money. But I could see using the bank to transfer quickly from PokerSite -> Banco Nación -> SaferBank.

[RoundTower]

I got a sweet reply from Metetron already. But I'm going to repost my PM here in case anyone has any more useful recommendations (I've read the threads now)

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Hi
I know you probably get a lot of PMs about this even now, but I was hoping you could give me some advice here.



I fractured my leg three days ago while travelling. I'm now in a cast and decided the best thing to do is to rest up in BA for a little while. I'm staying in the Milhouse hostel on Avenida Yrigoyen, my friends will be leaving here in a few days and I intend to stay another week or more. I'm meant to be resting now but in a few days time I should be able to get around short distances on crutches with no problems.



Couple of things I'd appreciate some advice on.
1. Can you recommend a hospital? People have recommended the British and German hospitals to me, I'm not sure if this is because of parochialism or because they genuinely have better facilities/better hygiene. I don't expect to be in for surgery or to stay a night, just to get my leg seen to. Money shouldn't be an issue as I hope my insurance is paying for it.



2. I'd like to learn Spanish since I have so much free time here. I've seen at least one course advertised so I shouldn't have much trouble finding one, but if there is anywhere in particular you could recommend that would be even better. I speak French and studied Latin but practically no word of Spanish so I would be looking for a beginner level crash course. Again money isn't a huge problem and I could do either one to one or a small group.



3. If there is nothing much I can do without being able to walk, I'd like to set up in an internet cafe somewhere and play some online poker, maybe 6+ hours a day on the days when I'm not filled up with painkillers. Anywhere you could recommend?



4. Any other advice? I'd love to see a bit of the city, in a few days I'm sure I'll be able to manage a bus tour but I think walking tours, etc are out. Anything interesting I can do in my condition, I'd love to hear about.



Sorry for the long message, I didn't have time to write a short one. I posted a shorter version of this in the BA thread in TLDR earlier today, someone suggested I should PM you.



Thanks
David.

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[Cancuk]

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Do you think living in Uruguay would provide a similar living experience in terms of prices etc. to the one you've described in this thread?

How about Chile?

If a magic force field appeared over BA and you couldn't ever enter it, what is the one city/region of Argentina you'd choose that is most similar?

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I don't think there is one in Argentina. The city is just too big compared to the rest of the country. I've never been there so this is totally pulling it out of my ass, but if I HAD to choose a city in SA, I'd go with Santiago.

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Santiago was my least favourite SA city, even more than Lima. If I had to choose another city in SA that I had to live in it would be one of these cities in no particular order (note: I've never been to Brazil.):

- La Paz, Bolivia - Absolutley loved it here. So exciitng, so cheap and so beautiful. Doesn't have the beautiful women like Argentina though.

- Valparariso, Chile - Beautiful, on the ocean. An hour away from Santiago. GoogleImage it, it's archeticually stunning.

- Montevideo, Urugauy - Beautiful, like a small BA. Great food (Asado (BBQ)). On the water and close to beaches (La Paloma, Punta del Este) and close to BA.

- Mendoza, Argentina - Loved it here. Great climate, laid back, foothills of the Andes. The wine...

I liked Cuena, Ecuador a lot too but I don't think I would ever live there. Same goes with Bariloche, Argentina. It's stunning, but it's a little small and a little touristy (Argentinans and westerner's alike).

[TheMetetron]

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I got a sweet reply from Metetron already. But I'm going to repost my PM here in case anyone has any more useful recommendations (I've read the threads now)

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Hi
I know you probably get a lot of PMs about this even now, but I was hoping you could give me some advice here.



I fractured my leg three days ago while travelling. I'm now in a cast and decided the best thing to do is to rest up in BA for a little while. I'm staying in the Milhouse hostel on Avenida Yrigoyen, my friends will be leaving here in a few days and I intend to stay another week or more. I'm meant to be resting now but in a few days time I should be able to get around short distances on crutches with no problems.



Couple of things I'd appreciate some advice on.
1. Can you recommend a hospital? People have recommended the British and German hospitals to me, I'm not sure if this is because of parochialism or because they genuinely have better facilities/better hygiene. I don't expect to be in for surgery or to stay a night, just to get my leg seen to. Money shouldn't be an issue as I hope my insurance is paying for it.



2. I'd like to learn Spanish since I have so much free time here. I've seen at least one course advertised so I shouldn't have much trouble finding one, but if there is anywhere in particular you could recommend that would be even better. I speak French and studied Latin but practically no word of Spanish so I would be looking for a beginner level crash course. Again money isn't a huge problem and I could do either one to one or a small group.



3. If there is nothing much I can do without being able to walk, I'd like to set up in an internet cafe somewhere and play some online poker, maybe 6+ hours a day on the days when I'm not filled up with painkillers. Anywhere you could recommend?



4. Any other advice? I'd love to see a bit of the city, in a few days I'm sure I'll be able to manage a bus tour but I think walking tours, etc are out. Anything interesting I can do in my condition, I'd love to hear about.



Sorry for the long message, I didn't have time to write a short one. I posted a shorter version of this in the BA thread in TLDR earlier today, someone suggested I should PM you.



Thanks
David.

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Repost my response too if you still have it, because I didn't save it.