The Guía T — The Buenos Aires’ Bus Bible
At first figuring out Buenos Aires’ complex bus system can seem like a harrowing task. There are 110 bus lines; each with their own complicated routes crisscrossing the city. Get your hands on a Guía T, a guide to the bus system that can be bought in a handy portable version at any newsstand for [...]
Maradona — Goal of the Century
The World Cup and The Hand of God Diego Maradona appeared in four World Cup tournaments— more than any other Argentinian. He had his moments in 1982 as a youngster and in 1994 as a veteran and cunningly helped his team to the final in Italy ‘90, but the tournament that will forever be [...]
The Irish in Argentina
“The first thing to note is that in my son’s veins flowed the blood of the Irish rebels.” —Ernesto Guevara Lynch, speaking of his son, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. Everyone knows the iconic image of Argentina’s Che Guevara, but few know that the revolutionary was of Irish heritage, along with roughly a half a million Irish [...]
Radio Taxi Companies in Buenos Aires
It can happen so easily in Buenos Aires — you need to call a taxi but have no numbers handy. You look in the phone book and the numbers listed are out of order or just plain old not answering the phone, you need to get to the airport and time is running out. When [...]
Taxis
In most major cities of Argentina taxis are abundant. Buenos Aires in particular, with its 40,000 cabs is one of the best cities in the world to take taxis. The black and yellow cars abound and it’s fairly easy to hail one on any major avenue, rain or shine. The only exception is when, due to [...]
Lunfardo
Lunfardo is a jargon of about 5,000 words that emerged among the lower classes in Buenos Aires in the second half of the 19th century. It first grew out of cocoliche, a pidgin used by immigrants during the first wave of immigration to Argentina. The Argentine Creole was born out of a need to communicate [...]
Argentinismos
The most Argentine word in existence is che, a filler word that was maladapted from the native Mapuche language and has since become widely used across the country. It’s commonly used to call someone’s attention, express surprise or emphasize a statement; it oddly seems to resonate with the English word ‘hey!’ Although used to [...]
¿Spanish, Castellano, Lunfardo? — Intricacies of the Argentine Idiom
Those who come to Argentina to learn the language will find that its interpretation of the Spanish language is every bit as unique as the country itself. Visitors quickly find out that those textbook Spanish classes can serve as a comfort but not a compass when trying to navigate this country’s Italian-flavored version of Spanish. Argentines [...]
Current Exchange Rates
With its wealth of natural resources and fertile land, Argentina enjoyed an abundant beginning to the 19th century as one of the world’s richest countries. Through the years a chaotic political landscape, corruption and free-for-all privatization in the 80’s and 90’s has wreaked havoc on the economy since the golden (or in Argentina’s case, silver) [...]
Money — Credit cards, ATM’s and Finding Change
• While in Argentina be sure to hoard (yes! hoard!) your small bills and change. There is a huge problem with the flow of currency in Argentina. It’s not uncommon for subway workers to let passengers ride free because they don’t have the change to sell tickets or for the grocer to hand over a [...]
