Ask TheMetetron about living in or visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina

[TheMetetron]

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Argentina is definitely the safest South American country... and has a lower rate of violent crime than any country in both North and South America except for Canada*.

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LOL.

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I used a few too many absolutes in that statement and I believe I later clarified and added Chile as around as safe as BsAs. I also said Argentina when I meant Buenos Aires in this context.

I can look it up by I'm fairly certain the violent crime in Argentina is below the United States which is the point I was trying to get across. I certainly feel as safe if not safer in Buenos Aires than in many cities in the United States.

[Chairman Wood]

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whangarei,

There is absolutely no need to have a car within the city of Buenos Aires. It will be far more of a headache than anything and won't help you get around any quicker. People drive crazy here and I wouldn't want the liability.

You can rent a car to go explore the rest of the country, but it is generally very expensive at like $50-100 a day if I remember correctly. For this reason, everyone takes buses or flies to other parts of the countries depending on where it is. The buses are pretty cheap and a good way to get to parts of the country under a 10 hour bus ride away.

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I share the same sentiments as Met about driving here. I wouldn't want to do it within the city. I've only heard of one city that might be worse and that is Mexico City. But just for completeness it really depends on what feasible means to you. You would have to find a parking garage which really shouldn't be too hard and I don't think they are that expensive to rent by the month. I believe I've seen numbers before and they didn't strike me as alarming although I can't remember them right now. The cost of owning a car I believe is very near what you would pay in the US. You will pay for it of course in dollars as you would with any big purchase due to the fact that the peso can change pretty significantly on a day to day basis. Financing though, for foreigners would be nonexistant. Another thing though, gas prices are much much cheaper. It gets cheaper in other places but today gas in buenos aires was around $1.40/gallon

Buses are a good way to get around the country. A little time consuming but affordable and convienent.

[ChicagoTroy]

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The stuff you said about not being able to pick up chicks unless you are with a girl and girls liking you better if you are cheating on them... Is this based on your personal experiences or what other people tell you?

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That was me but not quite what I said. I could have done fine there without a girl, but in venues like clubs it would have been a lot harder.

As for cheating and your stock going up thing, that was my personal experience, as well as what long-time ex-pats and native girls told me. The girls wouldn't come out and say that, but we'd talk about relationships and [censored] and it was pretty apparent, especially given their behavior.

A lot of jealousy, spying, drama comes with this territory.
Argentine women liking you better if you cheat? Wtf? Just retyping that makes me feel silly.
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Argentine women liking you better if you cheat? Wtf? Just retyping that makes me feel silly.

I will say however that nearly 100% of Argentine guys cheat, and the women are all in a kind of unspoken denial.

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How do you think 100% of men in relationships cheat if there aren't lot of willing women? There's certainly denial in a lot of women, but it doesn't change the behavior.

I'm also not saying they "like" you more if you cheat, they "want" you more if you do, and there's no social stigma attached to it if you're discreet.

[Boquense]

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The stuff you said about not being able to pick up chicks unless you are with a girl and girls liking you better if you are cheating on them... Is this based on your personal experiences or what other people tell you?

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That was me but not quite what I said. I could have done fine there without a girl, but in venues like clubs it would have been a lot harder.

As for cheating and your stock going up thing, that was my personal experience, as well as what long-time ex-pats and native girls told me. The girls wouldn't come out and say that, but we'd talk about relationships and [censored] and it was pretty apparent, especially given their behavior.

A lot of jealousy, spying, drama comes with this territory.
Argentine women liking you better if you cheat? Wtf? Just retyping that makes me feel silly.
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Argentine women liking you better if you cheat? Wtf? Just retyping that makes me feel silly.

I will say however that nearly 100% of Argentine guys cheat, and the women are all in a kind of unspoken denial.

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How do you think 100% of men in relationships cheat if there aren't lot of willing women? There's certainly denial in a lot of women, but it doesn't change the behavior.

I'm also not saying they "like" you more if you cheat, they "want" you more if you do, and there's no social stigma attached to it if you're discreet.

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Well, if you go to any foreign country, being with friends of any gender will help you pick up women.... because frankly, people who are alone are creepy. Think about it. What women look for in a guy go like this:

1. Don't rape me or kill me.
2. Money, looks, looks personality etc... etc...

Guys with friends aren't as likely to be planet roaming serial killers. Guys hanging out with girls even moreso.

I've lived here for almost 2 years, and am very deep in Argentine culture, and I can without a doubt tell you that your 2nd statement is almost entirely false.

Women may be a little more indifferent to the cheating, as it's kind of ingrained in the machismo culture here, but I promise you, when boyfriend actually gets caught and the cheating is out in the air, the [censored] hits the fan here just like anywhere else.

Just think "The Sopranos" or any other show or movie you've watched with Italian culture. The women all know deep down that their men have mistresses, but live happy content little lives until the definite proof accidentally surfaces. ... Then Carmela kicks Tony out. GO BACK TO YA WHOOOA.


Oh, y Valenzuela... puto chileno de mierda (j/k).... what Metetron says about violent crime is 100% accurate, although it is on the rise (just like in Santiago).

Just follow obvious rules of safety (aka don't walk into ghetto at night) and you're extremely safe.

I've never once felt threatened here, and my blond 5'3" girlfriend has even taken a couple cabs home at 3-5 am without ever a problem (although I wouldn't recommend that).

[TheMetetron]

I just got medical insurance so I can finally answer the questions I got earlier about it.

There are many private hospitals and private insurance carriers in Argentina. The private hospitals are somewhat cheaper than the private insurance compnies. It should be noted that you don't technical need to pay for one of these as there is a public health system that will cover foreigners as well, but I'd prefer not to deal with that bureaucracy and wait times.

The private insurance company that I went to was Swiss Medical. They had two all-inclusive plans: one for just specific places Buenos Aires and one that was good all over Argentina at practically anywhere. The limited plan was 140 pesos. My plan was 190 pesos. I'm sure this is adjusted based on your age (I'm 22).

It includes pretty much everything without any co-pays or deductibles. It also includes full dental and they pay for half of any orthodontics you may want/need. You can see a doctor within 15 minutes of showing up at one of their facilities in most cases. Most doctors speak English and you can request one that does so when making your appointment.

My first time using this will be in a few days when I get my teeth cleaned. I'll let everyone know how it worked out in doing so.


Edit: Whoops. Forgot the exchange rate. 3.1 pesos is 1 US Dollar.

[Audi]

Great thread.

My $0.02.

I left the UK nearly 4yrs ago...to pursue a Perpetual Traveller lifestyle, online poker being my source of income. Ended up in Buenos Aires two years ago.

It's possible to live here for many years on a tourist visa....just hop on a ferry to Uruguay every 3 months.

TheMeteron is bang on with pretty much everything he says.

You don't necessarily have to bother with language school. Get yourself a local GF....a much more fun way to learn [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Biggest downsides to BA:

The noise.
I live on Av Cabildo in Belgrano...pretty much 24/7 traffic.

The food.
Man am I fed up of pasta, pizza, meat and empanadas! Thank god for Barrio Chino (ChinaTown).

The dirt.
Have to say most Argentines don't seem to give a [censored] about litter, have yet to see a Porteno use the bins on the street. Also there's dog [censored] all over the pavements in Belgrano. (All those f-ing poodles!).

I've never once felt in danger here. Argentina is WAY safer than Paraguay for e.g (the GF is Paraguayan). In the better off barrios there's practically a cop on every block. I'm actually more fearful of them than strangers. (Always carry a 100 peso note in your wallet....usually solves any 'misunderstandings').

The people are what make this place IMO. They are warm, friendly and welcoming as a rule. Never had a problem with being English, locals love to joke about the 'hand of god', and I always tell them that Las Malvinas (The Falklands) are theirs. Usually goes down well. The girls are beautiful and plentiful...99% dark skinned, dark haired....if a little high-maintainance at times.

Rents are rising fast. I got lucky last summer and found a studio flat in a brand new building, fully furnished (all brand new), AC, cable, broadband, cleaner service (said Paraguayan [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])....and best of all pool for 600USD/month, all-in. Expect to pay $800...especially if going through an Inmobiliaria (estate agent).

TheMetereon: fancy a few cervezas sometime?!

[TheMetetron]

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Biggest downsides to BA:

The noise.
I live on Av Cabildo in Belgrano...pretty much 24/7 traffic.

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If you live on an Avenida then yeah, you are going to get noise. I live two blocks from Santa Fe but that is far enough away to block out any noise problems.

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The food.
Man am I fed up of pasta, pizza, meat and empanadas! Thank god for Barrio Chino (ChinaTown).

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I'm going to disagree but I haven't been here long enough. I actually get to eat out more often since it is so damn cheap. I've actually only had pasta once so far and it was when a friend cooked it. I just don't eat at the traditional stuff all the time. There are good chinese, sushi, Indian, Mexican, and Thai restaurants here that help balance out all of the meat and empanadas and pasta. I keep a pretty good balance and haven't found myself getting sick of anything yet. The wine is amazing for $3-4 a bottle. Makes the meal.

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The dirt.
Have to say most Argentines don't seem to give a [censored] about litter, have yet to see a Porteno use the bins on the street. Also there's dog [censored] all over the pavements in Belgrano. (All those f-ing poodles!).

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This is any big city though. Walk down NYC and there is trash thrown on the street and dog [censored] everywhere. I personally don't think it is that bad, but when I see one of those dog walkers with 25 dogs have them all simultaneously crap at once in front of my place and he just keeps walking, I want to strangle him. That said, this is like NYC or Dublin in dirtiness... not Mexico City.

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I've never once felt in danger here. Argentina is WAY safer than Paraguay for e.g (the GF is Paraguayan). In the better off barrios there's practically a cop on every block. I'm actually more fearful of them than strangers. (Always carry a 100 peso note in your wallet....usually solves any 'misunderstandings').

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Yeah, there is definitely a cop every few blocks in my area even in the middle of the night. Have yet to run into a problem with them.

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99% dark skinned, dark haired

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Wait... were we in the same Argentina? I'll give you the 90%+ dark-haired, but almost no one has dark skin. They are 90%+ white.


And yes I will take a few beers anytime.

[Audi]

I have one Mexican place about 5 blocks from me, and about 40 'typical' restaurants/parillas within the same distance....practically 40 identical menus [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
Guess I should jump in a cab now and then to get to a chinese/indian/thai restaurant. I cook a curry once a week, the rest of the time I eat out.

There really is quite little real diversity here, I have yet to meet (or even see) an Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi in BA for e.g. Sure you get plenty of Chileans/Bolivians/Paraguayans etc.

I have 'lived' (more than 2 months) in London, Cape Town, Sydney, Perth, Christchurch and Toronto, and visited Boston, NYC, LA, San-Francisco and Vegas in the past 4yrs. All have a trash problem, none on a par with BA in my experience. As for las Provincias......

You haven't seen white until you've seen British white (I mean that in a self-derogatory way!). By dark-skinned I mean tanned/Mediterranean. Very sexy.

[TheMetetron]

I didn't mean to imply parillas didn't vastly outnumber other types of restaurants, just saying that they do exist. It clearly doesn't have the vast number of ethnic restaurants like NYC or something of that nature, but if you are willing to hop in a cab its definitely doable.

You are correct on the complete lack of diversity in BsAs which is odd for a city of 10 million people. Only once in a while will I see an Asian person. Even less often do I see blacks or middle easterners.

I guess the trash thing depends on where you are then. I don't really see it too much here near where I live... not even close to as bad as Dublin was when I was there a few months ago.

Yes, they aren't pale, but they are Caucasian for the most part. And yes the Mediterranean thing is hot.

[Audi]

Can you recommend a good ethnic restaurant TheMetetron? I'm guessing Palermo might be the best shout? I'd love to find a good Thai place.

Not trying to paint a bad picture of BA, I love it hear 99% of the time. Nowhere's perfect.

It's great to step out of the West's culture of fear for example. The media isn't plastered with terrorist threats, parents don't assume that every stranger who talks to their kid is a paedophile etc etc.

Of course, the weak peso also helps. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]