This past week the UC-EAP Argentina students travelled with Expanish to Puerto Iguazú, Argentina to visit “Las Cataratas de Iguazú” (the Iguazú waterfalls).  After eating dinner on board the bus and catching just a bit of shut-eye the students awoke in the sunny Misiones province. We checked in at the Hostel Inn Iguazú and then all the students headed straight for the hostel’s huge pool.  We spent the next few hours swimming, playing volleyball in the pool, relaxing, and soaking up the sun.

In the late afternoon we all boarded the bus once again and headed to the “Hito Tres Fronteras”.  The “Hito Tres Fronteras” is the magical spot where the borders of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil meet.  One can stand in Argentina, but clearly see buildings (and sometimes even people!) in Brazil and Paraguay as well.  Students took photographs and watched the sun set over the three countries.

Then we all returned to the hostel for a group asado, or Argentine barbeque, complete with lots of salads and all different cuts of meat.  After the barbeque we were treated to a wonderful samba show! Samba is a traditional Brazilian style of dance that is very fast paced and in which dancers usually wear brightly colored costumes.  Several students participated in the show, learning how to samba as the Brazilians do.

The next day we all woke up early, grabbed a quick breakfast at the hostel, and boarded the bus to head to the Parque Nacional Iguazú, which was just a short drive away.  Once inside the park we all got on the train and then hiked the last bit of trail to “La Garganta del Diablo” or The Devil’s Throat, Iguazú’s largest waterfall.  La Gaganta del Diablo is a truly awe-inspiring waterfall— it makes you understand why the Iguazú waterfalls were recently voted one of the seven natural wonders of the world!

Later in the day students took advantage of different activities offered in the park, such as the Gran Aventura, which is a ride through the jungle on a 4×4, then a thrilling boat ride up to the base of several waterfalls.  We ended the day by hiking both the lower and higher circuit trails, to get views of the waterfalls from both below and above.  We were very lucky in that we had perfect weather and students were able to see several rainbows (caused by the sunlight mixing with the mist coming off the waterfalls).  Everyone left the park late that afternoon exhausted but happy.  Students spent the night exploring the town and mingling with the locals.

The next morning everyone checked out of the hostel and then students had a free day.  Many students stayed poolside, to take advantage of the last few hours they’d have in the Misiones sunshine, but others opted for more adventurous activities such as rappelling, or zip lining through the jungle canopy. Later that afternoon we all boarded the bus, said goodbye to Iguazú, and headed to the amethyst mines in Wanda.  Students toured the mines, learning how amethyst is made (gaseous bubbles trapped below the earth’s surface), how it is mined, and finally how it is cut and polished to make in to beautiful jewelry.  After a bit of shopping, we all got back on the bus (for the last time) and headed home to Buenos Aires.

Many of our students complete a Spanish course and experience everything Buenos Aires has to offer.  After spending a couple of weeks (or months) here, foreigners tend to get the travel bug and want to explore Argentina more.  It comes to a surprise to many foreigners that travelling around the country by plane is not very common, but rather by long-term bus (called omnibus in Spanish) is the choice of the typical Argentine.  At first many are aprehensive to an extremely long bus trip over a quick plan ride.  For example, a plane from Buenos Aires to Iguazú Falls is about 1 hours and 30 minutes while a bus takes about 20 hours.  Sounds crazy, right?  Don’t be afraid as a 20-hour bus ride is not as scary as it sounds.

Since planes tend to be much more expensive and not have as many destinations, a bus is the way to go.  The long-term buses in Argentina are actually quite luxiourus, especially if you choose a higher class bus.  All buses (should) have air conditioning, heat, and bathrooms.  Longer buses also serve food (similar to airplane food).  They usually show movies as well and some even stop at restaurants or bus stops along the way for passengers to get off and stretch their legs or buy something.

To give you an idea of the different options of seat/bus types, I have compiled a short list.  Each bus company varies in terms of exact services, but this can hopefully give you an idea.

Semi Cama

• Seats recline 120° (like a “normal” airplane seat).
• This option sometimes has food, but mostly things like crackers or alfajores.
• It is a good option for shorter bus rides where you will not be sleeping much, like heading to Rosario or Mar del Plata.

Cama

• This option has large seats that recline to between 140° to 150° with foot rest.
• Translated it means “bed”, so the idea is that you can sleep while you travel.
• This option is good for both short trips and long trips.

Ejecutivo

• Seats recline 150° to 160° with foot rest.
• This options usually serves cold and hot food (dinner, lunch and breakfast) with wine, whisky and champagne.  It sometimes has personal televisions, but depends on the company.  If you are looking for service and comfort, this is the way to go.

Super Cama

• Sometimes called Tuto Letto or “Todo Cama”.
• Seats recline 180° with foot rest.
• This options usually serves cold and hot food (dinner, lunch and breakfast) with wine, whisky and champagne.  It also has personal televisions with headphones where you can watch movies and listen to music.  It is the ULTIMATE option for travelling by omnibus.

Recently I travelled to Iguazú Falls with the Super Cama option and was completely surpised by how nice the service was.  Not only was each seat bigger and nicer than first class in an airplane, we had personal televisions with about 20 movies to choose from and about 200 songs to listen to.  The seats also had little curtains that you can pull across to give more privacy.  Although the bus ride was 20 hours, it went by quickly as I was so busy either eating food, watching movies or sleeping.

Here is a breakdown of my trip:

8pm – Got on bus, got settled, chatted with neighbor
9pm – Started watching movie #1
9:30pm – Dinner served with wine/soda/water
10pm – More wine served
11pm – Finished movie #1
11:05pm – Started movie #2
11:10pm – Champagne/whisky served
12:00pm – Paused movie and fell asleep
8am – Woke up
9am – Breakfast served
10am – Started watching movie #2 again
11am – Finished movie #2
12pm – Arrived at destination

By the end of the drive, I was so comfortable and happy that bus attendent kept bringing me food and drinks that I did not want it to end.  I could have spent my entire vacation on the omnibus!

My general message to visitors to Argentina is to try out the omnibus option for travelling.  It allows you to go to a lot of destinations, see the scenery along the way and travel like a local.

Buenos Aires is one of the biggest and most important capitals in South America. It’s characterized by its European architecture, its tango, the mate and why not, its night life. When a person thinks of Buenos Aires, he or she may think of it as super crowded and busy city, as any other big capital of the world. In fact, it is. So if you are not a big fan of being surrounded by the hustle and bustle for too long, you can always get away and enjoy a day out in the country side. Outside the Capital Federal, there are many estancias which offer different activities, including horse riding, gauchos’ shows, asado, and more!

So, let’s say that you’ve just arrived and you want to take the traditional tour in Buenos Aires. Expanish can help you with that! We offer two tours kind of tours: one that goes around the south of the city, visiting the neighborhood of La Boca, with its famous and popular street called Caminito; the exclusive Puerto Madero, the newest and most modern area of the city and also San Telmo, full of antique stores and little streets with European style.

The other tour that we offer consists of visiting different museums in Recoleta, a very fancy neighborhood, full of parks and known around the world for its cemetery. Yes, this cemetery far from being a sad and depressive place, it’s considered a *must* on every tourist’s checklist. The richest and most traditional families are buried there, including many presidents and important people such as Eva Perón (the most visited grave).

So now that you’ve done the tours around the city and want a twist in the landscape, you can visit an Estancia, which is a ranch in the outskirts of the city. The estancias are usually big houses in the middle of the countryside, which have its own cattle, horses, crops and more. Some of them offer to spend a day out there, and some others offer the possibility of staying overnight.  This is an excellent way of getting to know the other side of Buenos Aires, and you only need a 40 minutes’ travel to get there.

Now that you know the different sides of Buenos Aires, the busy and the quiet one, you won’t have the chance of missing the opportunity to visit the city.

For further information on activities around Buenos Aires the following two links can help you pick your activities:

1. Tours in buenos aires

2. Things you must do in buenos aires

 

ALWAYS TAKE RADIO TAXIS

Taking taxis in Buenos Aires is really easy. Even if you don’t know Spanish very well, a few simple phrases and a knowledge of where you’re actually going is all you need. The important this is to make sure you flag down a taxi with the yellow writing on both doors as they are whats called “Radio Taxi”. Writing on the front doors doesn’t cut it, as they are independent contractors, and are less safe. The logic behind the recommendation to call a radio taxi is that the company will have a record of the pick-up so the taxi driver is accountable and therefore unlikely to rob or kidnap you. Radio taxis are generally thought to be more reputable. Finding a taxi is not an issue, if it is not rush hour, there are lots of taxis on the streets of Buenos Aires city. At rush hour it is a nightmare. If you have to be at some place at an specific time, I would recommend you to book a taxi (or better, a remis) way in advance. A remis is a hired car and driver, booked through a remis office. They’re the best way to get to and from the airports and useful for times when you need to be certain your car will arrive on time as they can be booked ahead.

INFORMING YOUR DESTINATION

Most of the times, you have no time to check on a map where you’re going, but if you do have time is always a good idea. You can check on a guía T or on internet what is the best way to get from where you are to your destination and so, you would be able to argue the taxi driver any unnecessary “short cut” that can end up being a way to charge you more. Another tip about informing your destination would be: try to avoid giving addresses like “Peron 698”, instead I would advise you to give cross streets (ie. Perón y Maipú). That way it shows you have an idea of where you’re going.

TRY TO PAY WITH CHANGE

Taxi drivers have been known to switch real bills for fake bills. Here’s a typical scenario, the passenger, usually an unwitting tourist who speaks no Spanish, gives the driver a 100 peso bill. The driver takes it and does a quick switch, returning a fake 100 peso bill to the passenger and explaining that the bill is no good.Taxis at the Retiro train station have a particularly bad reputation for trying to rip-off passengers. It’s best to keep small bills on hand to pay taxis.

FLAGGING DOWN A TAXI

One more note about taxis: they may not stop for you if you are standing on the driver’s side of the street. They are only supposed to pick up passengers on the passenger’s side of the street. Personally, I have flagged down more than 100 taxis in the street, including regular taxis, and never had a bad experience. However, I know lots of people who suffered some of these cases, that is way I wanted to shared this information with you all, so that you can be alert and do not let a taxi problem ruin your stay in the beautiful Buenos Aires…

“Colectivos” or “bondis” -in a more colloquial word-in Buenos Aires can take you almost everywhere, in fact sometimes it is the only way to get to certain neighborhoods, as the subway net is quite short compared to other countries…
You have to be really carefull when taking a bus, because a same line may have many different routes, and if you don’t pay attention to the sign on the lower left hand corner of the windscreen detailing its routing, you may be in for a surprise. This being said, the systemworks and is used by many hundreds of thousands of commuters daily.
Before you even venture onto a bus, you’d be foolish not to lay out the AR$5 it costs to get a bus guide. The “Guia “T” de Bolsillo” is published annually and includes all the information you’ll need. They can be purchased at most news stands around the city.

Finding out what bus to take

To use the guide, first look up the street from which you will be departing. It’s located at the beginning of the book. You will see a MapPage and a set of co-ordinates listed next to the street name. Were you looking for 698 Tte Gral Juan D Peron – Expanish address ,for example, the numbers listed to the left of the name refer to the range of street addresses, whereas the 17-B-4 on the right refers to Page 17, Co-ordinates B-4.
Now go to the map section and find the one listed as well as the co-ordinates. Each page is divided into quadrants , the left with thebus lines and the right with the maps. If you are departing from the area within quadrant B3 on the map page, you look to the left andfind its match. The corresponding B3 quadrant on the left page will list all the buses that operate in this area. Now you repeat thisprocedure with your final destination. Find its quadrant on a map page, match it up with the bus page on the left, and see if there are any bus lines common to your departure point. It may take a little detective work, but eventually you’ll find a bus that departs or arrives in a zone not too far from your ideal points.
Anyway, if you have access to internet, the best option is the web site: http://mapa.buenosaires.gov.ar/
There you click on “como llegar” and complete the information: “desde” (from) and “hasta” (to). You click on the search icon and you will get a list of all the possible options to travel with the stimated time… if you click on one of them, you will get a map and a whole explanation of where to take the bus/subway and where to get off… I just love that page!
The guide also has a listing of all the bus lines that operate in Buenos Aires with color photos that show you the unique paint schemeeach bus line features. This makes it easier to identify a bus. The listing goes into minute detail, listing every street the bus uses as it finds its way to its final destination. It’s another useful tool in doing the detective work necessary to find the ideal line that will get you to where you want to go in the most direct manner.
Street by street listed, both outbound and ingoing. They use a slightly different route in either direction due to most streets being uni-directional.

Once on board
Once you’ve decided on which bus line you want to take, you’ll make your way to the street on which it’s listed as running and find the appropriate bus stop. Most of the time buses that stop on a designated corner share the same bus stop and/or shelter. It’s not like that in Buenos Aires. There are far too many buses, so they stop at designated areas in the middle of blocks as well as every available corner,each being unique to a few bus lines.

 

Buses in Buenos Aires do not automatically stop when they see passengers waiting at one of their designated stops. You must flag them down. Just show the driver the palm of your hand, as if you were gesturing him to stop or slow down. Unlike buses in many areas,drivers in Buenos Aires will almost always stop, no matter how full they are. Since there are so many buses that have the same routes, if your bus seems too full, wait a few minutes for the next one. It will often be as empty as the previous one was full. Riding an emptier bus will also hinder pickpockets which favor the crowded colectivos to ply his trade.

Once you board the bus you have two options. You either tell the driver your destination (cross streets or point of interest), allowing him to program the automatic machine with the correct fare, or you merely walk on board and tell the driver the fare if you know it. Regularbuses are never more than $2 / $2,50, but there are also some buses called “semi-rapidos” they go through the highway and can take you out of town in 30/40 minutos and therefore are more expensive. Depending which of these “Semi-Rapidos” you take (according to your destination) they tend to have just one fixed rate and it can be from $3 to $8. You can identify these differential buses because they all have a red sign that says either “semi-rapido” or just a red S on the lower left hand corner of the windscreen.
Paying less than you are supposed to, can subject you to a fine if an inspector boards the bus and discovers your ticket was a few centavos short.

Once your fare has been determined, you use the automatic machine, usually located behind the driver, and insert your coins. The machine does not accept paper currency, but does provide change. A ticket will be dispensed together with any applicable change.Keep the receipt, in case the bus inspector makes his rounds, find a seat and enjoy the view. Nowadays, due to the shortage of coins,you can only use a Monedero or Sube card. You can get a Sube card in most post offices (Correo Argentino, Oca or Andreani) and Monedero cards can be found at:

Estación Tribunales – Subway Line D (Monday to Friday from 7 to 20 hs).
Estación Independencia – Subway Line E (Monday to Friday from 7 to 20 hs).
Central Hall af Station Fco. Lacroze from FCG Urquiza (Monday to Friday from 7 to 20 hs).

When you’re ready to leave the bus, simply buzz the driver using one of the buttons located on many of the vertical poles and departusing the back door. If the bus is too crowded to make your way back, or you’re sitting close to the driver, using the front door is acceptable.

Having said all of this, make sure to use the colectivos! For tourist they are a cheap and fun way to explore this great city.

Summer has finally started in Buenos Aires. In December the weather here in Capital Federal starts to get hot and the temperatures are rising over 30 degrees. January and February will be the hottest months of the year so life in a metropolis like Buenos Aires can be quiet hot without any swim opportunity.  Here we have many options to enjoy a pleasant sunbath after work…

The capital of Argentina offers many public Swimming pool or “piletas” how they are called in Buenos Aires. After an exhausting working day, it is always much fun to catch up with some porteños in a “pileta”, watching the people, gossip with some girlfriends or just relax by yourself and reading a book between jumping in the fresh water from time to time.  Public Swimming pools are a great alternative to the beaches from Buenos Aires.

The following “piletas-suggestions” are very popular ones, they should give you an overview, and the Porteños love to spend their spare time there. Away from the busy life in Downtown, no traffic and noise to hear, just relax. However try to visit the “piletas” during the week, on the weekend they are just packed and it is not that enjoyable anymore.

1. Parque Norte:

Parque Norte is a very popular Swimming Pool in Buenos Aires and there are a lot of locals to meet. It has the biggest pool complex in South America and each Pool is about 4500 m2. The prices are reasonable and it is daily open from 9am – 8pm.

Address: Av. Cantilo and Av. Guiraldes- 4787-1382

 

1. Punta Carrasco:

Another favorite Swimming pool is Punta Carrasco. It is the place where families take their children; friends are having a barbecue after work or just enjoying a few hours of sunshine. It is also a complex of three different pools and daily open from 10am – 20pm. The prices vary from $15-25 depending on the age and weekdays.

Adres: Costanera and Av. Sarmiento, 4807-1010

The Oasis Clubhouse:

A fancy clubhouse located in Palermo Soho to cool off during the hot Buenos Aires summer, more of a Party ambiance. They offer pool with garden bar where refreshing cocktails such as Mojito etc. will be served. Every Sunday they’re having a pool party with DJ’s and international artists.

There are plenty of other “piletas” options and you see that also in Buenos Aires summer is not coming too short to enjoy. ..

Finally! You’ve made your decision: next trip will be Buenos Aires! “Nobody is going to stop me, I am going to experience every great part that the porteño culture has got to offer!”

But then a couple of questions arise. Who am I going to bring? Where should I go? What should I bring? I cannot help you with the first question. If you want to have answers to the second question you’ll find the blogs written earlier pretty useful, and now I will try to guide you through the third question.

First of all I think I need to save you from the mistake I made (what better way is there to learn, than from other peoples mistakes, right?!). For all the people from the northern hemisphere: Winter and Summer are working the other way around here. I know that South America sound warm, but Buenos Aires is pretty cold in July and August, and do not expect a white Christmas in December because the sun will shine and it will be very hot and humid. So  check the average temperature for the month(s) you’re a going to visit and pack your clothes carefully.

In case you will be traveling around in Argentina you will probably be in buses a lot. Buses are very well organized in Argentina and they are pretty comfortable as well. However, there are two minor things you should think about when you will travel by bus:

1. Argentine is a very big country, so don’t be surprised if the time it takes to get from Point A to Point B takes  15+ hours  The more expensive companies will give you food/blankets/pillows etc. during the trip, but not all companies do this . So don’t forget to bring your travel pillow and blanket and some snacks.

2. Somehow, not every bus company understands the use of air-conditioning. Especially in the winter, they somehow tend to switch  it on, full blast which will result in you muriéndose del frío  the trip, and not getting a lot of sleep. So please  don’t forget to take a blanket and some extra warm clothes on the bus. You might need it…

Being a male, I apologize, I cannot really advise women on  the amount of shoes they should bring. In the end I will always advise the wrong amount, so I will not even try to go there! But I can advise you on two kinds of shoes you should definitely bring when you are down in Argentina. First of all, when you are in Buenos Aires, you have to try dancing the Tango. Even people who are not able to dance at all (as myself) should try it once to really experience the porteño culture.  Thus, having comfortable dancing shoes is something you should  consider bringing down. Secondly, Buenos Aires is, despite the crazy porteño drivers, is a great walking city, so it’s nice to wander around the different neighborhoods. Which means that good walking shoes are a must. I can tell you from my own experience that walking around Buenos Aires a whole day in flip-flops is not exactly the most enjoyable experience.

Language-wise, Buenos Aires is pretty cosmopolitan, and plenty of (young) people will be able to help you in English. But most portenõs love to see you (at least try) to speak a bit of Spanish. Their help will be a lot better when they actually see that you want to try talking with them in Spanish. Bringing a small dictionary could be a great addition to your trip. Start your conversation with a friendly “hola, que tal?” and the porteños will start loving you just a little bit more.

In the end do not really worry amount the stuff you need to pack. You will always bring too much stuff and you will regret not being able to buy more souvenirs because they will not fit in your bag. Do not forget that Buenos Aires is city with about 12 million people, which means plenty of shops