This family is a serious Racing Club fan and you can join them and their football fans friends at Juan Domingo Peron stadium in Avellaneda twice a month.

Check out their website to discover authentic Argentinean football passion!

You will probably lack the social aspect of backpaking hostels or the local advice you can get at the front desk of a hotel but you win privacy, the opportunity of cooking your own meals (specially for those that have been on the road for a while and are starting to get tired of restaurant food) and it might even work out cheaper!

Now the hard part comes to finding the right place. There are so many rental agencies that the whole process can be very stressful!

I have put together some of the main details. Not all agencies work the same, but do be suspicious of the ones that don’t offer or include any of the points I am talking about on this article. These are basic specifications that any agency should be able to comply with.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

First I would recommend you choose an area of town. Don’t be that specific either. Of course each area has it’s own charm and style but remember that wherever you are, you are never further than a 10 dollar cab  back home.

Agencies will also recommend their areas of expertise. Sometimes this means they will insist on a flat they need you to rent, so do your own research. Agencies won’t usually give you the exact address before making a deposit (this is so that you don’t go on your own trying to find the same property on a cheaper website or contacting the owner directly) but you can use travel forums and interactive maps to check out the coordinates they should be able to provide.

When talking about location think about your personal interestest and needs: Would you be buying lots of groceries to cook at home (you need shops near by)? Partying? (bars and restaurantes), Writing? Resting? (quiet, avoid avenues!), not much time in town and doing sightseeing only (look for polaces nearer to the city centre), etc.

AMENITIES

If you have never rented an apartment for your holidays, you might be pleasantly surprised. Short term rentals are “ready to use” . The apartment comes with all the furniture and utensils you will need.

Most rentals include a TV, DVD player, microwave, stereo and in some cases even a computer.

Internet and cable services are, in most of the cases, included as well.

Most of the time a once- a-week cleaning service would be included too. You can usually book more cleaning if you need to (for an extra price)

All your utility bills are paid for, no matter how much A/C you use.

Local phone calls are also usually included. In a lot of caes, though, you would need to buy a local phone card with credit to put on your phone, but that comes pretty easy too.

Don’t forget to ask your landlord/ agency how to use the voice mail service! You will need an access number an d a PIN code…Don’t think you won’t have much people calling you…You might be on a stand by list on a flight or waiting for an available place to book an activity and if anyone calls would assume you’ll have access to your voicemail…Don’t miss out on this detail!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Agencies will ask for an advance deposit. That’s usually anything between 5- 15 % of the rent.

Upon arrival, a representative will meet you at the front of the property and together, you will go through the “inventory” of every little thing inside the apartment: From amount of forks to whether the DVD player works or not.

WATCH OUT! I know that after a long flight or bus ride the only thing you want to do is lay down and relax BUT it is very important that you pay attention to this moment!

A lot of times apartments are rented to two or more different agencies. The agencies don’t usually have communication between each other so, let’s say that the last person staying at the flat broke the DVD player, the new agency, if not doing a proper “check in” process will assume it was working and at the end of YOUR stay will make you responsible for it!

Go ahead and feel free to test everything yourself…Go around the house and turn on and off fans, A/C, DVD players, TV’s…Check on the kitchen stove, the microwave, the phone…even the bell at the door! It just takes a few minutes and you might not only save a few dollars they might try to keep from you after “check out” but you will also make sure you get what you are paying for instead of spending your whole stay claiming every little detail!

After you have “checked in” you shouldn’t need to hear from the agency again. Do make sure that you arrange a convenient “check out” time before the agent leaves. You will need a good hour to go through the whole inventory again to make sure you get your full deposit back (if applicable).

Most agencies will ask you to bring CASH (dollars) to the “check in”. This can result quite inconvenient because the last thing you think of when getting on a plane, is taking out 2000 dollars to have ready upon arrival in Buenos Aires.

The other problem is that most ATM’s won’t give you more than a specific amount of money and currency per day (in some cases you cn only take up to 300 dollars a day!)

Do plan ahead about this point! If you are already in Argentina, start taking out money a few days before, and if you are flying from home, it might be worth it taking out the money at a local fee and carrying it with you.

PRICES

Don’t expect prices to be any cheaper to what you are probably paying back home! Short-term rentals are EXPENSIVE compared to what local people pay for their places.

Locals rent cheaper because they commit to a 2-year contract, they are backed up by some sort of guarantee (another property, larger deposits, payment in advance), the apartment doesn’t come with furniture or any services are included.

Short- term rentals exist to make this easier. The idea behind it is not having to worry about paying any bills, cleaning, getting furniture…and you pay for that!

Prices can be anything from 200 to 2000 dollars a week! It could actually still work out cheaper if you are traveling with more than 2 people together  but don’t be fooled with the “I’ll save on restaurant money”: Eating out in Buenos AIres can be REALLY cheap (as cheap as 5 dollars for a full meal) and even though groceries are pretty cheap themselves, after a long day walking around the city you might just find it easier to stop at a small cafe for your dinner.

And now to the links…It’s really hard to recommend specific rental agencies. Most of the times, they all do offer the same properties, the same amenities and services are included…So do look for customer service. Check the internet for feedback and look for rasonable prices.

I am listing some of the most popular, or most affordable or with nicer customer service ones…I have even personally tried some of them! It might be a good idea to stick to just a few agencies, contact them asking them what you want and study the options. Too many agencies with too many options usually ends up in disaster: You get confused and end up making a sudden decision!

And last, do remember that you are renting in Argentina…Some things might not work as efficiently as they do back home. Don’t expect them to come fix something as soon as you claim it, don’t expect everything to work 100%…This way you won’t crash your expectations!

Rentbaires

Tobaires

B.A.R.T.S

Stop in Buenos Aires

Don Augusto is situated in Pilar, Polo capital of the World and only 45 minutes outside of Buenos Aires. It is surrounded by some of the most famous polo clubs. The area is 37 hectares big. The club has two official playing fields, a practise field for stick & ball, two country houses, a swimming pool, 40 stables and a picturesque lagoon. The club is an official member of the AAP, the Asociacion Argentina de Polo, which guarantees their quality.

POLO LESSON

A typical polo lesson takes about an hour and a half. If you have never been on a horse, that is no problem. They receive a lot of beginners so they know how to give you a worthwile experience. They explain the basics of riding the horse, holding the mallet and hitting the ball.

ASADO

After a polo lesson you would want to regain some of the lost energy. An asado is the perfect way to do that! The asado is the Argentinian style barbeque accompanied with salad, dessert and drinks. This means lots of excellent meat and good wines, preferably Malbec.

SPANISH

Practise your Spanish in a natural environment while learning how to ride a horse, sipping a Malbec or enjoying a juicy argentinean “asado”. relax and let your conversation skills flow

DAY AND ASADO- USD 50 POLO LESSON (OPTIONAL) U$75

TRANSPORTATION

Return around 50 argentinean pesos. It will depends on how many people we are, We will be leaving on Saturday at 10 AM (Please, RSVP)

They do pretty much what they say they do: They offer free tours of Buenos Aires.

To enjoy this 2 hour walking tour, simply show up at any of their two open times…11 am or 5 pm.

The morning tour meets at Rivadavia Ave and Rodriguez Peña st. in the Plaza del Congreso. And the afternoon tour  meets besides the San Martín monument in the square that bears his name, in Maipú st and Santa Fe Ave.

You can also read more about them on their own website.

Enjoy!

Some people will find it very challenging to be environmentally responsible whilst traveling because…

• Travel consumes energy just to move from one place to another
• Travel involves other people who supply you food and lodging, information and medical support
• There is limited access to Recycling,
• Less opportunity for composting our waste
• Little or no opportunity to grow food or produce other things

True Travel Costs

Knowing the true cost and accepting responsibility for our impact is a major step towards finding sustainable solutions.
Travel allows us to:

• Acknowledge  our place in a global context
• Build peace through understanding.
• Learn technologies from current and ancient examples.
• Encourage others and sharing our knowledge.

Benefits of Travel

The advantages of travel can be optimised by knowing what can be achieved and following a path that accomodates the ideals of sustainable travel.

For example, if we know that sustainable travel requires interaction between fellow travellers and the people we are visiting, then we will choose accomodation that has shared facilities (kitchens, bathrooms, lounge) where our chances of meeting others in increased.

Ideas for Sustainable Travel

• Walk to get around.  Today is is easy to walk, there is luggage with both wheels and back straps.
  Walking is quieter, the air is cleaner and we have time to stop to meet people and smell the roses.
  Before you embark on a major journey, organise a 3 day hike starting at your own front step.
  You may decide to walk to the next city or somewhere away from civilisation.  Most journeys can be accomplished with a little planning.  Planning is an essential tool for sustainable living because not planning results in waste.  Your journey can have walks of 11km per day and you can book lodgings ahead of time and if you don’t make it all the way, organise to catch a bus or train.  What is the point in whizzing around?  do we do fast journeys simply because we can? who is the traveller- you or the technology?
• Arrange a swap or work-accomodation exchange
  so that you can be productive, helping on their site whilst  learning about life in another place.
• You will learn a lot more as you travel if you talk to the locals and don’t just look at objects, monuments and landscapes.
  In fact, you could be looking at something far more interesting if asked a local what to look for.
• Stay where you can cook most of your meals,
  preferably in a communal kitchen where you get to meet others and learn how they cook.
• Buy fresh seasonal fruit and veg that grow locally, try new foods – this is all part of the experience.
  
• Share your transport, food and other resources with other travellers
• Stay in places that support shared resources, recycling of waste, and helping out -
  this helps them to stay in business as well as meeting some of your responsibilities.
  It also encourages other places to be sustainable.
• Stay where you can meet others and give them items you have spare such as books you have read,  equipment you no longer need,
  wholefoods that are in perfect  order but too heavy to lug home.
• Recycle your clothes by looking for places to leave them.  Good places to leave clothes are in collection bays at churches.   Sometimes, you may just have to take a risk and leave warm coats or sturdy boots in a church doorway rather than throw it away.

HIGHLIGHTS

* The Juan B. Castagnino Museum of Fine Arts is one of the most important museums in the country
* Kayaking along the high delta of the Paraná River
* The “Paseo del Caminante” and the pier “Costa Alta”, offer a magnificient view of the Rosario Victoria bridge and the City center
* The Independence park, is the most popular in the city

Even though I enjoy that feeling of the “unexpected”, I do usually prefer to be a bit prepared since airports have become the nest of several scams where new confused arrivals are the victims.

Unfortunately (maybe taking advantage of this situation? Maybe just because most airports are located far away from the big cities) transfers in and out of major airports don’t come cheap but I’ll try to include as many options as I can to give you a hand when arriving into Buenos Aires.

First of all, Buenos Aires is served by two airports. The international Ezeiza airport (EZE) and the regional Newbery airport (AEP). Most likely you will be arriving thru EZE, so we’ll concentrate on that one (at least today)

Ezeiza airports located 22 km (13.6 miles) south-southwest of Buenos Aires or Capital Federal, the capital of Argentina.

Ezeiza airport sends and receives flights to/from:

* Aeroméxico (Mexico City)
* Aerosur (Asunción, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
* Air Canada ( Toronto-Pearson)
* Air Comet (Madrid)
* Air Europa (Madrid)
* Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
* Alitalia (Rome-Fiumicino)
* American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York-JFK)
* Avianca (Bogotá)
* British Airways (London-Heathrow, São Paulo-Guarulhos)
* Continental Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
* Copa Airlines (Panama City)
* Cubana de Aviación (Havana)
* Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, New York-JFK)
* Gol (Lima, S.Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão)
* Iberia (Madrid)
* LAN Airlines (Santiago de Chile, Miami, Punta Cana, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Guayaquil, Quito, Lima)
* Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
* Malaysia Airlines (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur)
* Mexicana (Mexico City)
* PLUNA (Montevideo)
* Qantas (Sydney)
* TACA (Lima, San José)
* TAM Linhas Aéreas (Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Florianopolis, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Asunción)
* United Airlines (Washington-Dulles)
* Varig (Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos)
* Aerolíneas Argentinas (Auckland, Asuncion, Barcelona, Bogotá, Caracas, El Calafate, Florianópolis, Lima, Madrid, Miami, Montevideo, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Rio Gallegos, Rome-Fiumicino, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Sydney, Ushuaia)

At the airport you can find basic services: Money exchange, ATM, stores, restaurants and duty free shop, most of them 24 hours available.

The transfer options (in/out the airport) are:

Car rental
You can arrive in Buenos Aires driving your own car from Alamo, Annie Millet-Hertz, Avis or Localiza.

Taxis
To avoid scams, find the stands of the Ezeiza Municipality Taxis or  Buenos Aires Municipality Taxis INSIDE the arrivals hall.  You can actually pay for the fare (fixed rate) in advance here (The taxis from the Ezeiza Municipality are the cheapest at US$35 and they will also give you a coupon to return to the airport for US$25) and avoid any kind of misunderstandings with the taxi drivers.
The trip takes less than 45 minutes.

Remises
This is the name for chauffeur cars, basically a regular car with a driver.
This service is offered by Manuel Tienda Leon, Transfer express and Vip Cars and they work with a fix rate of around US$40
The trip takes less than 45 minutes.

Buses
The bus 86 takes you all the way to the city for less than US$2 but expect sitting in a crowded local bus for over 2 hours and be alert for pickpockets!
It could be a fun adventure for those wit a little spanish knowledge!

Airport Shuttle
Manuel Tienda Leon offers an airport shuttle service for  US$40 (To the City’s port of Puerto Madero) . Even though there are always local taxis upon arrival in the city, I find the location a bit unpractical and bond to be a victim of a scam by a local cab once in BA.
Manuel Tienda Leon offers a return ticket for US$70 and discounts for students.

All of the options above (except the local bus) offer transportation to the Regional Newbery Airport as well.

If you are only staying in Buenos Aires for a few hours and don’t want to bother your way into the City, there are a couple of lodging options:

Bernie’s B&B
Posada de las Aguilas

Both offer a shuttle service in/out the lodge.

Always remember that you can also count on the bilingual staff at the information desk. Count on them to confirm or update any of the information provided here.

Welcome to BA!

Local young students have started to consider this alternative to help them afford their housing costs while practicing a new language and meeting people from different parts of the world.

Travelers are able to live with locals and learn about the language and culture from a first hands experience.

It’s a catch 22!

Please, feel free to use the comments section below to post your search for roomates or for roomsharing.

Good luck!

PS: For easier searching purposes, please post you ad in the following form (just for the title):

AREA/ # ROOMS/ PRICE

Coaches in Argentina are not only comfortable but a whole V.I.P. experience!

Most basic services include a bed seat, beverages and a small snack.

For a few extra pesos, your coach will come with a hostess that will serve you red wine or champagne and a nice dinner while you watch a film. Next thing you know, you arrived to your destination!

This comes to a relief when it comes to calculate distance, since rides are certainly not short! Expect anything between 8 and 40 hours!

Here’s a list of the major destinations and travel times:

Mendoza – 14 hours
Rio Gallegos – 36 hours
Salta – 20 hours
La Quiaca – 26 hours
Iguazu – 18 hours
Puerto Madryn – 17 hours
Trelew – 17 hours

Anyways, BA’s bus station has a great website where you can check updates and contact each individual company (you will find several companies doing the same routes at different fares and services).

Buen viaje!

Mucho tequila!

Si, Por favor!

You have probably done quite well if you tried one of those, but have you ever thought that you could be saying something completely different to what you intend?

Spanish and English have literally thousands of cognates (words that are basically the same in both languages having the same etymology and similar meanings)

But combinations such as decepción and “deception” are so-called false cognates (known more precisely as “false friends” or falsos amigos) word pairs that look like they might mean the same thing but don’t. They can be confusing, and if you make the mistake of using them in speech or writing you’re likely to be misunderstood.

Following is a list of some of the most common, funny or interesting false friends:

* Actual: This adjective (or its corresponding adverb, actualmente) indicates that something is current, at the present time. Thus the day’s hot topic might be referred to as un tema actual. If you wish to say something is actual (as opposed to imaginary), use real (which also can mean “royal”) or verdadero.
* Asistir: Means to attend or to be present. Asisto a la oficina cada día, I go to the office daily. To say “to assist,” use ayudar, to help.
* Atender: Means to serve or to take care of, to attend to. If you’re talking about attending a meeting or a class, use asistir.
* Carpeta: Although this can refer to a type of table cover, it doesn’t have anything to do with carpets. It most often means a file folder (including the virtual kind) or a briefcase. “Carpet” is most often alfombra.
* Compromiso: Meaning a promise, obligation, or commitment, it does not usually convey the sense that one have given up something to reach an agreement. There is no good noun equivalent of “compromise” that would be understood that way out of context, although the verb transigir conveys the sense of giving in to, yielding to, or tolerating another person.
*
* Despertar: This verb is usually used in the reflexive form, meaning to wake up (me despierto a las siete, I wake up at seven). if you’re desperate, there’s a true cognate you can use: desesperado.
* Embarazada: It might be embarrassing to be pregnant, but it isn’t necessarily. Someone who feels embarrassed tiene vergüenza or se siente avergonzado.
* Emocionante: Used to decribe something that’s thrilling or emotionally moving. To say “emotional,” the cognate emocional will often do fine.
* Fábrica: That’s a place where they fabricate items, namely a factory. Words for “cloth” include tejido and tela.
* Introducir: This isn’t truly a false cognate, for it can be translated as, among other things, to introduce in the sense of to bring in, to begin, to put, or to place. For example, se introdujo la ley en 1998, the law was introduced (put in effect) in 1998. But it’s not the verb to use to introduce someone. Use presentar.
* Pretender: The Spanish verb doesn’t have anything to do with faking it, only to try. To pretend, use fingir or simular.
* Realizar, realizacón: The verb can be used flexibly to indicate something becoming real or becoming completed: Se realizó el rascacielos, the skyscraper was built. To realize as a mental event can be translated using darse cuenta (“to realize”), comprender (“to understand”) or saber (“to know”), among other possibilities, depending on the context.
* Recordar: Means to remember or to remind. The verb to use when recording something depends on what you’re recording. Possibilities include anotar or tomar nota for writing something down, or grabar for making an audio or video recording.
* Sopa: Soup, not soap. Soap is jabón