Nightlife Safety for Women
Nightlife It’s no wonder that Buenos Aires vies with Rio de Janiero for the title of ‘Party capital of Latin America.’ In Buenos Aires clubs often don’t open until 12:00 a.m., don’t fill up until 3:00 a.m. and party nights can easily last until 7:00 a.m. Travelers from sleepy towns where the pub closes at [...]
The Real La Boca — Barrio of Solidarity
La Boca is a major sightseeing hot spot in Buenos Aires, but visitors rarely stay here at night. The ‘hit-and-run’ style tourism in the southern neighborhood causes some to write it off as a gimmicky tourist trap. If you peak behind the colorful façades though, La Boca is one of Buenos Aires’ most authentic barrios [...]
Ten Tips for Hitchhiking in Argentina
Hitchhiking is legal throughout Argentina and is making a comeback among young backpackers. In some areas locals hitchhike everyday as it is the only mode of transport available. Be ready for anything as hitchhiking can be testing and occasionally fun and exciting. Here are ten quick tips to make your hitchhiking adventure more enjoyable and [...]
Hitchhiking in Argentina: Gear, Patience and Safety
Hitchhiking in Argentina is smelly, exhausting, wet, sweaty, cold, hot, windy, dry, uncomfortably awkward and highly rewarding. Thumbing rides in this huge, sparsely populated country can mean days in a variety of miserable conditions, from icy Patagonian wind to a tropical Andean heat. Still nothing compares to a ride well earned, that sudden thrill [...]
Street Smarts for Female Travelers
Every urban jungle has its predators and Buenos Aires is no different to the world’s other great metropolises. Random crimes do happen, but bad guys can also sense fear and disorientation just as their potential victims may sense danger. A subtly-cultivated but effective way to stay safe while traveling is not to be perceived as [...]
The Caudillo Argentino — From Rosas to Néstor Kirchner
Ex-president, Néstor Kirchner, who passed away October 27, 2010 was the latest in a long line of charismatic and single-minded leaders who have shaped Argentina’s history since independence. In the ragged history of Argentine politics, he was part of a phenomenon which remains constant amongst all the turmoil-–the figure of the all-powerful leader known as the [...]
Safety for Female Travelers
Argentina is a relatively safe country for women to travel alone. Argentina’s men have a reputation for freely expressing their appreciation for women passing by on the street and as being charming devils who will say anything to get what they want, but it is much more likely that a single female traveler will suffer [...]
Money Exchange & Other Hustles on Florida St.
Walking along Florida Street near LaValle on downtown Buenos Aires’ pedestrian mall, it’s inevitable to come across some shady-looking characters yelling out or whispering, ‘cambio, cambio!’ These ‘unofficial’ (read: illegal) money changers, known in Lunfardo as arbolitos, do offer dollar and euro exchange rates that are lower than the banks, but it’s not recommended to [...]
The Buses of Buenos Aires
The buses of Buenos Aires are like old men in a bar – loud, smoky, rough around the edges, but dependably, they always show up –usually sooner rather than later. The buses, called colectivos, or bondis in the local lingo, lunfardo are quite reliable, inexpensive and comprehensive, moving six and half million passengers a day. [...]
How to Take a Bus in Buenos Aires
The Buenos Aires bus— so noisy, so smokey, but so darn affordable and practical they’ll get you anywhere. Here are the steps to take a bus in Buenos Aires: 1. Figure out your route First you’ll need to figure out which bus you need using the Guía T or the internet. Look at this post [...]
