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Here is the site for Argentina Direct TV… http://www.directv.com.ar (yes 1 T) it’s amazing in BA and Mendoza how the apartment building are peppered with the Direct TV antennas – quite a sight – up and down the buildings – I’m not surprised – the cable companies suck so much – thinking they can change whatever they want any time without letting their customers know or consulting them…I hope Direct TV sends them a fat wake-up call http://directv.users.wiroos.net/1_productos/promociones.php Their basic monthly price is 89.99 pesos – http://directv.users.wiroos.net/1_productos/121.php (click here to return to topic heading) Re: We are tourists. We want to purchase a car. We have the easy papers (domocilio). Do we need a CUIL or CUIT? Or can we do it without? Thanks. Historically speaking, you should just get a CDI (clave de identificaion ) from AFIP/DGI, at least, that’s what AFIP/DGI would like. As a matter of current interest it would be good to see what your car dealer calls out for requirements and post it here if you can From: tango_kiwi, August 10, 2006 Having just bought a new car. You need CUIT and DNI From: Laura Zurro, August 11, 2006 Patricia, according to our dealer where we are considering buying, we only need our passport and our CDI nothing else. No Cuil or Cuit is neccessary. By the way if you don't buy from a dealer you might considr using the services of a reputable "gestores" who will take care of getting your car registered for you - much less headache for you. From: Patricia Bennett, August 14, 2006 Success! Only needed passport and CDI. (click here to return to topic heading) I had a car stereo from the US installed at a place on Libertador, between Belgrano and Nuñez. If you drive from Recoleta towards Nuñez, go through the tunnel and then after that it is between 5 and 10 blocks, on the left hand side. I can't remember the name, but it has a pretty big sign, I think that the back ground is Black, a ton of stereos in the window display and an entrance for you car, right next to the store front. They did a good job installing my stereo and my husband's. I would go back if I ever needed to do the same thing again. (click here to return to topic heading)
From: Peter J. Macay, Feb 10, 2004 We had no problems buying tickets and finding a place to stay the day of the parade. However, we didn't get front row seats like we did the first time we saw the parade.
(click here to return to topic heading) I had a good experience with a carpenter, who showed up on time, did what was contracted to do, and even. . . insisted on giving me a factura! The first time any worker has offered to do so. my Argentine boyfriend was floored, as was I. We took it of course. Charlie 1569162772 he´s a bit of a character but he is willing to do smaller jobs, such as resizing a window (which he did for me) which other carpenters won´t take. he speaks only Spanish. (click here to return to topic heading)
From: Frances, January 30, 2008 Stan of BA Gatos looked after my house/cat while I was abroad a couple of weeks ago. He was great, sent me updates every couple of days and I will definitely use the company again. From: Samuel Warde, January 06, 2008 While I have not yet used Stan's services yet, I will later this year when I go back to the States for a short spell. I know him personally and am proud to be a reference for him. (click here to return to topic heading) About catering don't know much... here's a place you can start: http://www.mercadofiesta.com.ar/ver.asp?r=4&c=17 (click here to return to topic heading)
From: Peter J. Macay, August 15, 2005 When we purchased our apartment almost 3 years ago, you did not need a DNI to purchase an apartment. A CDI (Clave de Identification) is required if you don't have a DNI and it's very quick and easy to get and it's almost free, 10 pesos or something. A CDI is just another way for the government to track you in order to pay your home owners yearly taxes (the taxes are cheap by USA home taxes standards as a percentage of the home value). (click here to return to topic heading) We bought a cool new Nextel phone in the USA for a friend here. When we came back we did not have customs sign off on it, you know how they have on the customs form "Do you have a cell phone?" Well, we gave it to our friend who then tried to activate it. First problem was that custom's hadn't signed off on it. Next problem was the receipt was made out to Ron and not our friend. They said they could only setup the billing account in the name of the person who is on the receipt. Sigh............... (click here to return to topic heading) Below is my posting from 18 months ago. The major change from that article's date is that GSM (International, not North American frequencies) is making inroads in a big way, and both Telecom's Personal and Telefonica's Unifon are offering it (along with others). In fact, they are pushing it, even though nationwide coverage with GSM is not at par with TDMA. If you have an unlocked GSM phone and don't plan to travel outside Gran Buenos Aires, Ezeiza, Mendoza, and major metropolitan cities (Cordoba, Rosario, ...) and heavily traveled areas, then go with GSM. Otherwise, you can buy a decent TDMA phone new for $150 pesos including $50 pesos credit. If you have a US TDMA phone (AT&T Wireless NON-GSM, or many former Cingular areas), bring it along and it will work with Telecom or Telefonica. (click here to return to topic heading) One option is to hook up with CTI on a monthly 1 year-minimum billed (no prepaid cards needed) plan to get the under $0.35 (peso) a minute deal - you will need a passport and maybe CDI – depending on the policy dejour. They may or may not ask you for a 6 month reasonable and refundable depost based on lack of local credit. Otherwise expect to pay over $0.50 a minute for on-the-spot plans using prepaid cards you buy at mini-markets, etc. – no 1 year contract needed. Plus the cost of the phone no matter which way you go. CTI has countless stores scattered through out the country and seem to be on every block of the big cities. www.cti.com.ar If you want to rent a phone, one option is www.phonerental.com.ar CTI also has a plan for even small companies with as little as 3 users where most calls are FREE between the 3 phones – CUIT or CUIL #’s required. (click here to return to topic heading) Try this: 011-54-911-XXXX-XXXX From: Belliappa Pattada, April 13, 2006 for eg. if ur cell number is 15-6176 8990 here in BsAs, then they would have to dial 00-54-911-6176 8990 if they are calling from outside argentina. And from USA i had to dial 011-54-911-6176 8990. but from other countries u may not have to use the prefix 011. From: Jvanka, April 13, 2006 011 54 9 11 + your number (omit the 15 of your number when use locally) (click here to return to topic heading)
From: Gaucho Gringo, August 29, 2006 You may get a reply, but the trend now in cell-phones is to actually bring your own phone and continue to use it, so you know exactly how to handle it, and keep your photos, ringtones, and certain numbers and messages in the phones´ memory. When you get here you buy a cheap "tarjeta chip" i.e. phone-chip-card. (ALL this is ONLY valid if your current phone is chip-equipped) This allows you to keep your original US or other country-of-origin cell-number, and even still re-use it when you travel back or visit there. Of course there must be some payment plan, that takes into consideration your prolonged absence and lack of use of the cell-system, so you could probably just pay a minumum "number maintenance fee" while you´re away, something to ask your current cellular company before coming down here. So, with the cards, you would switch them between countries, but your phone is always your own, one-and-only. This is also waaaay cheaper than paying roaming rates. When you store your new local numbers, you can save your local contacts only on the chip-card for each country and as you switch them you will see how these contacts actually appear and disappear according to the country you are in. However certain family or best friend numbers can be stored directly into the phone memory, so they will ALWAYS be available. no matter what card you insert. Another problem with older non-chip units is they still may contain numbers and data that don´t concern you, or others, so this means before transfering a unit, the prior owner will want to delete their info, which they may be afraid will not fully erase, so they may be reluctant to hand over the phone. Also this would mean you would still have that prior owners´ cell number, so you´ld be bombarded with calls coming in not meant for you. You can of course change the number of an older phone, but that implies an added service charge, higher than the cost for a new chip-card. I guess I covered it all, but you still may want to get a second-hand unit, just wanted to let you know you may not actually need it. From: TB W, August 30, 2006 The answer to both questions is yes--I have done both. I am using my cell phone here with an Argentine account, but you need to make sure it is "unlocked" before you bring it: getting it unlocked here is possible, but it is easier in the US--eBay lists companies which will unlock phones for less than U$S 10. As to the Vonage box, I transferred my US cell number to the Vonage box before I left the US, and arranged for automatic payment through American Express--this is necessary since Vonage wants a US address and a US credit card when they set up the account. It also helped to iron out the kinks with the box and my service while I was still in the US. Once that is done, you can take the box anywhere and just plug it in. I talk to my children every day and to my friends in the US more than ever, all for less than U$S 30 per month, and anyone in the US can call me from a payphone. Some acquaintences didn't even know I had moved, and were surprised when I told them that the number they called was ringing in Buenos Aires--if you haven't done so already, make sure you list your cell on the "Do not Call" list for telemarketers, so that those calls don't follow you down here. Good Luck! From: Gaucho Gringo, August 29, 2006 It depends on your cell-phone, the make and model. If it uses the removable chip, then it´s as easy as buying a cheap new chip here, with a fully operational local number. The only problem is if your phone is "locked" meaning you need to "unlock" it to change companies, and numbers, etc. For other non-chip phones the process would depend on that particular model. You are not clear either on the second part. Do you mean you want to continue to get your US calls to your current cell number, but answer them here in BA? If so you can transfer your current cell number to call Argentina at your new cell phone number. This actually will be quite cheaper than paying roaming charges and using your US number down here. I have never used Vonage but if you transfer calls to it, and then want to answer them here, you better ask others if the process is fast enough not to lose most calls for people hanging up too early. If they don´t know they are being routed via the internet they won´t know they need to give it more time to connect and ring properly. From: BANewComers - william thelen July 21, 2005 Some more info about using "foreign "cellulars in Argentina! The unlock question,..and changing sim-cards,..well,....that is not as much of an issue! Just be sure,..that the cellular you bring from another country, to Argentina,..is using the right frequency!!!! All GSM's here work on the 850 or 1900 Mhz band! So,..when you come for instance ,from Europe,...and bring a dual-band gsm,..you are out of luck,..cause those use the 900/1800 Mhz band! So make sure,...your cell uses the right frequency.......or well support Argentinian economy,..and buy one here! From: BANewComers - Christian Rodriguez July 20, 2005 To my question about what is locking and unlocking on cellphones: From: BANewComers - Bob Hannan July 20, 2005 To my question about what is locking and unlocking on cellphones: From: BANewComers - Jvanka July 19, 2005 To my question about what is locking and unlocking on cellphones: Cell phones can be use pretty much anywhere, the problem is when you are out of your country/region you pay international roaming. It is about USA $1 a minute when you use your US phone in Argentina. Now some phones are GSM meaning they use a card with your account info and contacts. This removable card/chip some places is sold at kiosk allowing you to get a new phone number in Buenos Aires and swapping your US chip for a ARG chip. Then you have a local number at a local rates. When big companies figured this out they don't like the fact that you can use the same phone in other markets, better keep the business so they decided to "Lock" their phones making impossible to use other chips. Even if the intend of GSM phones was the convenience of swapping services. So now, if you want to unlock your phone there are services for that and also buying "unlocked" phones are more expensive. From: BANewComers - Deby Novitz July 18, 2005 This is for the person who has the GSM cell. If your phone is locked they charge 75 pesos to unlock it here. There is a great website you can go to and for $5 you get the codes to unlock it yourself. I paid via paypal. I don't remember if you could pay direct via credit card. http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/unlockingfaq.htm From: BANewComers - Jvanka July 18, 2005 If your phone is Unlock you will be able to use it in Argentina. Make sure it is unlock. If you purchased direct from T-mobile then unfortunately the phone most likely is LOCK . The only way to find out in US is by inserting a card-chip from another carrier like i.e. Cingular. If the phone works with a cingular card then is unlocked. In the US go to a store where they have multiple carriers and ask about unlocking it, they may refer you or even doing in the shop. Or you can try on line services by searching over the web. http://www.motounlocknow.com/vxxximei.htm
Another comment from the BANewComers list: Otherwise you can buy prepay packages like the "personal light" including a phone an activation kit w/ some pre pay time. This service is pay as you go and there are other companies as well. http://www.personal.com.ar/prodlight/prodlight_adquirir.htm (click here to return to topic heading) An Argentine friend of mine told me about a foundation that may be of use to me (and hopefully you too). I have not checked it out but he loves it and is taking English classes there for a very cheap price. http://www.centroculturalkonex.org/ It is on Av. Córdoba 1235 near Libertad. (click here to return to topic heading) Please be careful when budgeting for floor tile repairs. One might plan to repair a floor using new, inexpensive calcareo tiles. The engineers society, INTI, tells me that most of the new ones are very poor quality. I bought some from calcareo tiles from BALDOSONES D'ELIA. The finish started coming off within a few weeks of use. Any one who knew tiles would have known by looking at the back of these, that the finish would come off. BALDOSONES D'ELIA offered to replace the tiles, but I wanted them to pay for the labour too. So, two years later all I have is a legal problem, but no refund nor proper tiles. (click here to return to topic heading) Banco Piano sells certified checks. Address: San Martin 345/347, just half a block south of the corner of San Martin and Corrientes. Telephone: 4321-9200. (click here to return to topic heading) My mother works ad-honorem as a therapist at a place called HOGAR CAMINO NUEVO, where they help drugadict children to recover. I think they need all kind of help (food, clothes, furniture, TIME, etc). You can contact her at 1567327773 Carmen Strucelj From: Anil and Juhi Manwani, December 07, 2007 i suggest u contact sra. cielo or her daughter alejandra of the comedor buena voluntad. this is an organization that does not receive any support from the government and anything u donate, used or new, will be put to good use. i highly recommend them and sra. cielo and her daughter hv done a great job making it work involving the not so well off in the community and boost their self-esteem. their e-mail add is lavoluntaddelcielo@hotmail.com . sra. cielo´s no. is 4686-0278 and alejandra´s cell is 15-5734-8689. they r located in villa oculta, in mataderos area. From: alex, December 11, 2007 Conviven is an NGO oriented to promote social and community development for children, teenagers, young people, and families living in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods of Buenos Aires – "aka" Villas Miserias/Ciudad Oculta at the border of Mataderos and Villa Lugano, where around 16,000 people live in marginality, and below the poverty line. We have a wonderful community and recreational center that serves as an learning space for children, adolescents and adults who are committed to eduction and staying out of trouble. We provide art, photography, theater, English and computer workshops to children from the ages of 6 to 22. It's our goal to provide a nurturing and caring environment for children who are up against a lot in the world. You can read more about Conviven on our weblog and website. www.centroconviven.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html (click here to return to topic heading) The best way to go is to get a "cuenta corriente" (account) with an agency and make sure they give you a discount. The cost of hiring a chauffer outright, including salary, insurance, and social coverage, is relatively high in Argentina. Hiring someone to work "en negro" (under the table) is too big of a liablity risk. (click here to return to topic heading)
From: chegringo57, January 12, 2008 My wife and I have 2 young daughters, a 3 year old and a 3 month old. Getting around the city with a stroller is a royal pain in the ass. The sidewalks are always uneven, rarely a handicap-accessible ramp to the curb, stores do not cater to strollers nor babies. Finding changing stations for a baby is near impossible unless you enter a really nice restaurant or a nice shopping center. Galeria Pacifico even offers free diapers and a changing area, which is so very rare. Men's restrooms nearly never have a changing station for babies. For young children, public restrooms are few and far between, so your kids will have to acclimate to 'holding it'. Travel around the city is terrible with family-in-tow if you want public transportation. Taxis rarely have seatbelts, at least functional ones. Many refuse to take you if there's 4 and a stroller. Subways sometimes have escalators going up, but rarely down. That's IF they have escalators. Most don't. So you'll be dragging the stroller and the kid down dangerous steps. There are a couple of subway stations with elevators; which I find pointless (if you're handicapped, how can you go back up once you reach your destination that has no elevator?). If you haven't been here, buses drive like madmen on steroids. They don't make exceptions for families. We get on the bus and I immediately throw my 3 year old in the nearest chair available before the bus driver hammers the gas; while my wife is thrown to the back of the bus with the 3 month old over her shoulder. Many people don't get out of their seat for kids, and the buses are too violent for a 3 year old to hold on. People usually get up for my wife and 3 month old, but then everybody thinks that the 3 year old should be sitting with her mom too; so she ends up holding on to both of them for dear life as my 3 year old begs for a seat. To get off the bus, they don't wait for you. You must get up and ring the bell and be ready to jump off when the doors open. The other day my wife was nearly taken to the next stop because the bus driver hammered the gas while she was getting off. Only because everybody outside the bus and on the bus yelled did he stop. Luckily, she had yet to try to step off, as there is nothing to hold onto. If he would have gunned it while she was stepping down, disaster would have been the result. So getting around with a family is a pain in the ass. If you have a car it would be nice. But you get only 30 days with a car, legally, and then you have to wait to get a DNI before getting a license (see previous conversation). I could not even begin to imagine the difficulty of public transportation with 3 young children. All of this only applies to the Capital. I can't speak for outside the city. However, I do know that regardless where you go, it is very dangerous for children to play unsupervised in open areas. Kidnappings are very rare, what isn't rare is children getting run over by cars. So you have to make sure your children learn very young how dangerous going near the roads is. This is my experience. Buenos Aires is not the place for a family; at least one that enjoys venturing beyond the confines of their own home; but many do it obviously. From: Brenden, January 12, 2008 While I think there are some very astute observations regarding some of the significant differences newcomers will notice when coming from the US (and I have no idea from where CheGringo came), I only want to add that I could not disagree with his conclusions more. For me, Buenos Aires is a far better place to raise a family than the city from whence I came. But everyone is different, and I certainly respect that others may not feel the same way. From: Benjamin J. Schwartz, January 13, 2008 Yeah, having been living in BsAs for the past 2.5 years, and being been a father for the past 10 months, I can say that BA is a great place to have children. Every time my wife and I get on buses with our daughter people practically fall out of their chairs trying to give us a seat. It's true that the sidewalks are uneven and that the handicap ramps are often broken, but just go around it and prop the buggy up on the curb, it works fine. People have an amazingly happy and very positive reaction to children and particularly babies in this country, and in BA too. Banks, the post office, or any government office in general goes out of the way to help out, or put you through first when you have a baby. There are a lot of things I can complain about living in BA, but treatment of children is not one. This country, and this city love children and babies. Sorry for your bad times Che Gringo, but it's amazing how different people have different experiences. From: chegringo57, January 13, 2008 Well, it's obvious a lot of people have a different opinion than me. Or perhaps it was because my post was a little too 'Cestelmo'-like. Anyway, it sounds to me like I'm the only one that's voiced an opinion who actually raised a child in the States for 3 years before moving her here (from the Midwest). I think it is her opinion that I am reiterating; and she doesn't like it here. She loved her public swimming pools (the closest one that will allow us and her to swim together is a 45 minute bus ride), her parks (1/2 a mile walk from our place, and it isn't a park like the state or city parks in the States), and her ability for a stroller ride without being dumped out on the sidewalk from all the potholes and uneven sidewalks (the handicap-accessible ramps are usually non-functional as they don't meet the street evenly - in fact, push someone in a wheelchair down that same path Justin and then get back to me.) The only advantages I put in Argentina's favor is health care and education (yes, believe it or not, I would rather enroll my daughter in school here). Yes, being pregnant or having a baby in your arms does bring its advantages. I wasn't saying people aren't friendly to children. I was saying the city isn't friendly to children. I like Buenos Aires, I just don't like having my family here. Also, people do get up for my daughter if it is only her....sometimes. However, if it's my wife and 3 month old, they get up for her and then feel that 2 seats is just too much to give up I guess, and my wife has to hold on to both girls, as I'm left holding the stroller. However, I also notice that many have decided to strike out against one of my issues with having a family here in an attempt to negate my whole statement. I mentioned about 10 issues about having kids here. Nobody offered any argument to the lack of seatbelts question, and that's a law on the books here. Or the lack of accessibility in public areas (like subways) for stollers and small kids. I'll mention another. It's a highly polluted city with no regulation on emissions. Health-wise, it's not a ideal environment for children; let alone everyone else. It's a blessing that smoking was banned in restaurants and public areas; as smokers here generally have little concern for children or pregnant women. I know this post, and the first, sound like rants on Buenos Aires. However, the question asked for experiences, I interpreted it to mean that someone was interested in knowing how Buenos Aires compares to other cities in the world for families. Would I ever recommend someone to move their family here for the purpose of a better life for their kids and a happier family? Absolutely not. Cities in the United States are much more considerate when it comes to a healthy and happy environment for children. I can't comment on Europe, but my guess would be the same. Buenos Aires, and Argentina, give preferential treatment to babies and pregnant mothers at check-out lines and buses, but it's the environment that is unforgiving; and the treatment stops once the child reaches 2 years old. I think Buenos Aires offers many benefits. A healthy environment for children is not one of them. This has been my experience. (click here to return to topic heading) there are several great things for kids in BA: . an interactive science museum in recoleta . a great dinosaur museum in parque centenario . many theatres have shows for the little ones (most are in spanish, though, but some would be easy to follow). we went to the museo del titere in san telmo, great puppets and good shows. . the museo de la ciudad has a display of old toys . the parque de la costa on a weekend . boat ride on the tigre . the caballito tramway on weekends . palermo parks . street entertainment in san telmo (my kids have loved the human statues, the boa constrictor, the fortune-telling parrot, thedrunk puppets) . ice cream!! there's much more but i have to go now. email me off list if you want. From: wheresleslie, July 6, 2007 The better zoo to me is Temaiken -- beautiful setting, small but very high quality. White tigers there as well (although there are the cubs at the Palermo zoo -- which is nice, but not nearly as beautiful as Temaiken). Also, there is the zoo at Lujan. I don't know how you feel about this, some people think it is wrong, but there you can actually pet the lions! I haven't been out yet so someone else might know more, but supposedly they are all raised with their own puppy to calm them, and you can go to visit them at different ages -- newborn all the way to full grown adult. Get there early in the morning or go during the week. From: lexy5612b, August 16, 2006 Re: Does anyone have any tips on being in the city with a toddler, fun things to do, restaurants/places that are especially child-friendly, or any other advice? One is the planetarium in Palermo, there's also a Zoo there. Another thing, is the Abasto mall. There are weekend events for kids all the time. Check the site. Unicenter also has a play area for kids, that's about 20 minutes from BA. Also, there are many parks with swings and carousels. Just today, I was on Las Heras and Cantilo (by a big church, almost near El cemetario de la Recoleta) and I saw kids riding a carousel and playing on swings in a park. There's also el museo de los niños. I think I have a kid's guide for Buenos Aires, so if you don't mind, we could meet, and I could give it to you :) (click here to return to topic heading) I’m married to an Argentine (14 years and counting) and have two Argentine children (ages 11 and 8). I had official travel documents – permits to travel solo and / or together with my kids – written up using my US Passport rather than DNI (which I had at the time but didn’t think of the importance of using one over the other.) Since then I have had to show my old expired passport to the emigration officials each time I leave the country with my children. Also, as my husband and I were married in the US and not Argentina, we must show the same legal document to prove that the children are ours each time we leave the country together with the kids. Once again I need to show my expired passport as my current one has a new number that does not correspond to the one on the legal document. Argentine emigration officials would not allow us to leave Argentina without this expired passport, so yes it is a requirement for our travel. ALSO country visas can be valid pass the expiration date of the passport. (click here to return to topic heading) Ron is chocolaholic and we found the best chocolates just a block from our house (how convenient!) El Viejo Oso (The Old Bear) - 3 branches Debenedetti 602 - Local 10 - La Lucila 4794-5778 Arcos 2057 - 4787-4362 Montevideo 1594 - 4811-0211 (click here to return to topic heading) Yes, you can go to Vivero Faifful in Almagro on Francisco Acuna de Figueroa, between Corrientes & Rivadavia. I bought my first one 4 years ago, a blue cedar, and it recently passed away. So last Sunday I went back and got some kind of fir tree/bush, that is very pretty. But most nurseries, if they carry any at all, only have tiny ones. From: Daniela Melton, December 05, 2007 on the 1300 - 1400 block of Soldado de la Independencia in Las Canitas there is a vivero with some small live trees. I bought one last year and put it in the ground and its doing fantastic! Im decorating it outside this year- (click here to return to topic heading) Regarding clothes for tall men: I am a cruiser class gringo (6'2", 240 lbs) and generally can not find off the shelf clothes that fit in BA. There is a Big and Tall shop for men on Santa Fe in Palermo (I think close to Ortiz). It has nice clothes, but the prices are higher than in the U.S. for many, if not most, items. From: Nat, September 07, 2006 Reading this message an image came to my mind: "a swede man trying to buy a pair of troussers in a regular japanese store... In Argentina is not that easy to find clothes for people who´s bigger or taller than the average, even though there was an attempt of legislation about it... But there are few store specialized in bigger sizes ( I have a friend from Switzerland who visit me for a month and he was desperate to find a pair of trousser... he is 2.02 cm). Here goes a link with some stores: http://www.indextar.com/ba/buenos-aires-shopping-sizes-for-big-and-tall--c412 Remember, in Argentina big sizes are "talles grandes" or "talles especiales", that includes tall and big people, over the 46 trousser / skip size. (click here to return to topic heading)
A friend of ours runs a 12 unit apartment building in Colon in Entre Rios. We went there by a bus out of Retiro. It's a nice small town next to the river with nice beaches along the river, kayaks, rental bikes, they also have public thermal baths there. I think by direct car it was about a 3:45 trip, by bus it will be a little longer. Contact: 15-6265-2149 (from Buenos Aires) or 03447-425428.
Click on the Colon map above for a lager version. (click here to return to topic heading) DEFENSORíA DEL TURISTA
http://www.bue.gov.ar/servicios/?menu_id=67&info=cits
From: BANewComers, Karin Hosenfeld July 17, 2005 My Argentine husband says that you should contact the ombudsman http://www.defensor.gov.ar/index-en.php of Argentina. He says they are specifically there for people who were taken advantage of and will fight for you. (Kind of like the "Attorney General" position in the US). The link I posted is in English. (click here to return to topic heading) New stuff: www.garbarino.com.ar New and used stuff: www.mercadolibre.com.ar From BANewComers: Jvanka August 25, 2005 you can access online merchants at yahoo Argentina, not quite sure all of them show prices: From BANewComers: Christian Rodriguez August 25, 2005 for computer parts, Id just go to Galeria Jardin (Florida & Lavalle intersection) and walk around there and see what the prices are. Galeria Jardin is the place to go to buy computers (to buy a clone computer) or computer parts. Its a mall that has almost all stores dedicated to computer stuff. You can get a good list here: From: Bob Stapp, April 05, 2006 Fravega http://www.fravega.com/ From: Laura Zurro, April 05, 2006 http://www.rodo.com.ar/productos/default.asp?idcat=28 From: Sean, April 5, 2006 www.Fallabella.com.ar They are upper crusty though – not surprised if they jack on a good dose of profit over and above what the government already does on electronics. From: Peter Winterble, April 5, 2006 I've purchased several things and they seem okay price-wise and etc... shops all over the city. From: Walcott, April 5, 2006 The neighborhood around Parana & Corrientes is where all the cool shops with guy things are. (click here to return to topic heading) Jonathan Livingston is a 22 year old English speaking Computer Engineering student at the UBA, and fixes computer hardware and software on-site. Call him @ 15-5456-5359 or email to: jalancito@gmail.com From: Alejandro Saks, December 04, 2007 Re: tech geek wanted I know a guy calle Diego who has been installing new Norton versions in my notebook and looking after it for the last 3 years and he seems to be quite good. I don´t know if he speaks English. He is based in Malabia 34, in Villa Crespo. Diego: 4856-0047 / 155-7810871 From: Anil and Juhi Manwani, December 03, 2007 i´ve been usin david for years and all the people i hv recommended him to only hv good thigns to say abt him. he doesn´t speak much english or at all, but he can explain thgins to u in very simple spanish. he is also a very nice person to deal with and his prices r reasonable. his nos. r 4951-3046 and 15-44151476. let me know if u use him. tc. From: Kara Bauer, August 16, 2006 There is an Apple store on Ayacucho between Arenales & Santa Fe. Maybe they can help. From: Justin Martindale, August 16, 2006 There is an Apple store on Ayacucho between Avenida Santa Fé and Arenales. I have an Applecare Protection insurance and they accepted that. (As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the computer, just the operator.) From: Gaucho Gringo, August 16, 2006 Galeria Jardin on Florida street 537 between Viamonte and Tucuman is FULL of computer stores. If they don´t have it, they can tell you where to get it, but hard-drives are abundant. Prices are good but can vary 20-30% between stores. Go well before 7:30pm when they start to close. (click here to return to topic heading) You can also try your luck at meeting a English language partner through Conversation Exchange... http:///www.conversationexchange.com I've met two really great partners that way. Rick Jones (click here to return to topic heading) Lipo As many of you know, I had lipo done on my legs about six weeks ago. Dr. Carlos Van Thienen of Clinica Van Thienen performed the surgery and I am thrilled with the results. Before I had the surgery, I had a really, really tough time finding people to speak with regarding plastic surgery performed by Dr. VT. There are dozens of you out there (I can already hear the giggling over the internet connection!), but many of you are not “public” so I was not able to contact you without revealing that someone had mentioned your name. Soooooooo. . .if any of you out there are considering lipo but would like to speak to someone about it first, feel free to phone me. (Again, I won’t be able to respond to e-mails, so please call.) I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions, provide you with the gory details, tell you what it cost for my procedure, and whatever else you want to know. If you would rather contact the Clinica Van Thienen directly, you can call them at 4742-9003. (click here to return to topic heading) Last year it was something like an 18% increase, this year, it's up nearly 25%. We have Medicus, but I'm guessing other providers will be doing the same. Just thought I'd get the topic rolling again and see if everyone else is experiencing the same thing. Thoughts? From: Peter J. Macay, December 01, 2007 We have Hospital Aleman and we just received our Dec bill: Ron: Increase from: 614 / To: 735 pesos a month Pete: Increase from: 374 / To: 448 A 19.7% increase in one month. In the beginning of the year it went up 3 times in 6 months. Since Dec of 2006, it has gone up 41%. Here are my caculations,
The yearly % change over 7 years is simple interest, not compounded, so it's not exactly correct, but gives you an idea that over 8 years our health care as averaged over a 34% yearly increase. From: Deby Novitz, December 01, 2007 I have English students at Swiss Medical. (Executives) The rise in insurance rates is mandated by the government. The government tells them how much they can raise their rates. It is a group decision, not one by one with each of the companies. When one raises their rates, they all raise and at the same percentage. The letter sent out is drafted by the government and put on the letterhead of the company sending it to its enrollees. What you are going to find is that essentially the plans and prices are close to the same for all the companies. The rates were stablized for companies who provide group plans to their employees. It was not stablized nor was their any protection for people like us, who purchase private insurance. The other thing I did not know is that we help to subsidize the public health services. The prepagos must give the government a percentage of their profit. Swiss Medical and Osde are a litlle more expensive (but not much). However when you compare the size of the cartilla of these companies (the provider network) you need to weigh the benefit of a smaller cost and more doctors available to you. My health care providers say they are the easiest to work with. From: chegringo57, December 03, 2007 Just throwin' my hat in the ring once again for Staff Medico. Staff Medico is the cheapest. OSDE will rob you blind. I pay 540 pesos for an entire family of 4. I'm with Staff Medico and very pleased with it. Contact me if you would like a sales rep (who speaks Spanish).web site: http://www.staffmedico.com.ar/ For 2 adults, and 2 wee little ones: Dec: 540 PesosNovember: 449 Pesos Also a 19.7% increase. However, we were quoted a lower rate for December, so we're calling tomorrow to figure it out. However, it is still leaps and bounds lower than what I've been reading for the rest of you's. From: jasonphos, December 03, 2007 OSDE 310 Plan. 23% increase. My wife, myself and our son. November - 731 pesos/month. Dec - 899 We're going to have to switch to the 210 plan soon, if not this year, the next :) From: Justin Martindale, December 04, 2007 The best seem to be OSDE or MEDICUS and I know that with OSDE you can buy protection outside of Argentina. Everyone seems to have their favorite. Right now I pay 470 pesos per month and that will go up next month to around 580 pesos for OSDE. Or you can take your chances and if you get sick, go to the emergency room at a public hospital. Some are actually OK. Also, you can just pay to see a doctor; last time I did that it was around 50 pesos. (click here to return to topic heading) Someone posted a message on what things cost here, and what it would cost to live here comfortably. This got my wheels cranking and I thought I would give my experience on what it costs to live here at this point and time in history. In January 2002 Argentina went off a 10 year peg of 1 Peso = 1 USA dollar, the currency devalued to a current value of about 2.9 Pesos = 1 USA dollar, however, prices haven’t gone up that much in restaurants or for clothes (some would argue with me on this. I think of it this way, a meal in a good restaurant here is in pesos about what you would pay in a fine restaurant in California in dollars, about $16 to $25 Pesos, however, in USA dollars the cost to you is about $5.50 to $8.60. However, in many local restaurants you can get great dinners for 7 Pesos or $2.40 USA. You can see Argentina is a great bargain right now. Like any city in the world, prices vary by neighborhood and "tu cara", (your face) and how you dress, believe me, once I open my mouth to speak, prices go UP. People even look at my clothes and start speaking to me in English before I ever open my mouth. Argentine friends groan when I tell them what I pay for things. An Argentine friend of mine spit wine across the table when I told her what I paid for our dining room light! Ron and I, in my opinion, are both frugal, by frugal I mean we watch what we spend money on, compare prices and look for values, we spend money on things that matter to us, like sushi and vacations. We don't have a car, you don't really need one if you live in the city, buses here are cheap, safe and fast, taxis are EVERYWHERE and very cheap also. The subway is also cheap, safe and faster then buses, but there are only 5 lines so it doesn't cover the city really well like in Paris. Another thing to remember is Argentines are VERY frugal, they will act like you're ripping their heart out no matter what they charge, it seems to be part of their national heritage, to get the most money from anyone they can and avoid paying any taxes, it's not that you're a foreigner, they do the same thing to their brother or sister, (Please no offense to my Argentine friends, but I think you will agree this stereotype is true!) That said, just to give you some numbers, here's some info from our Excel budget (That's Ron's job, I just spend it, he tracks it) Like anywhere bargains can be found, we happen to live in an expensive part of the city so you have to search or travel further for real bargains. Basmati rice for 22 pesos a box is NOT an option for me, it's a necessity, I could NOT LIVE without it. For me, trying to budget myself, I always want to budget on the high end, so that if I can get things cheaper, I have money left over, instead of budgeting for something lower and then not being able to find things that inexpensively. That's why I quoted the clothes prices as what you see in the stores on Sante Fe, that's "regular" store prices, not discount prices. I was surprised when I looked at Ron's spreadsheet and I saw how much we spend on groceries, eating in restaurants and deliveries, many of my friends don't earn 700 pesos a month at their jobs, and that's what we're spending on groceries and restaurant meals alone! Pete’s List for What things Cost in Buenos Aires / Circa July 2004 Everything below is in pesos, to get USA dollar amounts, for this date and time divide all figures by 2.90, http://www.dolarhoy.com.ar or http://www.dolarsi.com to check on current exchange rates.
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