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THE
COUNTRY :
Argentina
is a fabulous and vast country to visit. Amazingly varied
country, with its snow-capped Andes, humid jungle and
penguin colonies is still a major destination for travelers.
It measures 5000km by 1500km and, it ranks as the world's
eighth largest state. Thanks to its longitudinal position,
standing between the Tropic of Cancer and the most southerly
reaches of the planet's landmass, the country encompasses
a staggering diversity of climates and landscapes.
The
mainland points down like a massive stalactite on the
map, from the hot and humid jungles of its northeast and
the bone-dry highland steppes of its northwest down through
windswept Patagonia to the end-of-the-world archipelago
of Tierra del Fuego, a territory that is shared with Chile.
It was once said that Argentina is actually the most American
of all European countries.
Argentina
is a highly exciting destination for outdoors enthusiasts,
whether you're keen to tackle radical rock faces or
prefer to appreciate the vast open spaces at a more gentle
pace, hiking or on horseback. World-class fly-fishing,
horse riding, trekking and rock climbing options abound,
as do opportunities for white-water rafting, skiing, ice-climbing,
and even – for those with sufficient stamina and
preparation, expeditions onto the Patagonia. The Patagonian
Andes provide the focus for most of these activities,
most particularly the area of the central Lake District
around Bariloche.
The
huge metropolis of Buenos Aires, home to two-fifths of
the population, is one of the most exciting, charming
and fascinating of all South American capitals. It's
an immensely enjoyable place just to wander about, stopping
off for an espresso or an ice cream, or people watching,
or shopping, or simply soaking up the unique atmosphere.
Its many barrios, or neighborhoods, are startlingly different,
some old-fashioned, others trustingly modern, but all
of them oozing character. Added to that, Buenos Aires
is the country's gastronomic Mecca and boasts a frenzied
nightlife that makes it one of the world's great round-the-clock
cities.
FOOD:
You
can find the best "beef" of the world in Argentina.
The barbecue or asado is an institution, every
bit a part of the Argentine way of life as football and
tango. But that's not the whole story. In general,
you always eat well in Argentina, portions are always
generous and the raw ingredients are of an amazingly high
quality. The produce of Argentina's vineyards is increasingly
available abroad; they make the perfect companion to a
juicy grilled bife de chorizo. Fast food is extremely
popular but you can snack on local specialties such as
empanadas and lomitos if you want to
avoid the ubiquitous multinational burger chains.
Argentineans
love eating out, even if that only means sharing a pizza
in a shopping mall or grabbing a dozen empanadas,
and in Buenos Aires especially eateries stay open all
day and till very late. The quality of restaurants is
high.
The
sacred national delicacy dulce de leche is often
provided for spreading on toast or bread, as is top-notch
honey. The restaurant opens for dinner before 8pm, and
in the hotter months – and all year round in Buenos
Aires – few people turn up before 10 or 11pm. Don't
be surprised to see people pouring into restaurants well
after midnight.
To
ring the changes in your diet, you can tap into the variety
of cuisines reflecting the mosaic of different communities
who have migrated to Argentina over the decades. Italian
influences on the local cuisine are very strong, and authentic
Italian cooking, with a marked Genoese flavor, is available
all over the country. Spanish restaurants serve tapas
and familiar dishes such as paella while specifically
Basque restaurants are also fairly commonplace. These
are often the places to head for if fish or seafood takes
your fancy. Chinese and, increasingly, Korean restaurants
are to be found in nearly every Argentine town. Japanese,
Indian and Thai food has become fashionable in Buenos
Aires, where nearly every national cuisine from Armenian
to Vietnamese via Persian and Polish is available.
On
the other hand, Arab or Middle Eastern food, including
specialties such as kebabs and kepe, seasoned
ground raw meat, is far more widespread, as is German
fare, such as sauerkraut (chucrút) and frankfurters,
along with Central and Eastern European food, often served
in choperías or beer-gardens. Welsh tearooms
are a specialty of Patagonia, where tea and scones are
part of the Welsh community's identity.
TRANSPORT:
TAXIS:
There are two main types of taxi in Argentina: regular
urban taxis that you can flag down in the street; and
remises, or minicab radio taxis, that you must
book by phone or at their central booking booth. Urban
taxis are fixed with meters and each municipality has
its own rates. Buenos Aires, like New York, is a city
that seems to be suffering from a taxi plague: you'll
rarely have problems finding one. Remises operate with
rates fixed according to the destination.
PLANES:
Argentina's most important domestic airport by far
is Buenos Aires's Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. There
are connections from the Aeroparque to all provincial
capitals and major tourist centers of the country, including
Bariloche (Patagonia), Córdoba and Ushuaia. Most
people who are keen to get an overview of Argentina's
tremendous variety in a limited time will rely heavily
on domestic flights to combat the vast distances involved
(what takes two hours by plane might take twenty by bus)
– and even if you're not pushed for time.
BUS:
By far the most common method of transport in Argentina
is the bus. There are hundreds of private companies, most
of which concentrate on one particular region, although
a few. A high proportion of buses are modern, models designed
for long-distance travel, with video, etc. On longer journeys,
snacks, and even hot meals, are served (included in the
ticket price). Some of the more luxurious services have
waiter service and are usually worth the extra money for
long night-rides: coche cama and pullman
services have wide, fully recumbent seats; and semi-cama
services are not far behind in terms of seat comfort.
Buying
tickets are normally a simple on-the-spot matter, but
you must plan in advance if traveling in peak summer season
(mid-Dec to Feb), especially if you're taking a long-distance
bus from Buenos Aires or any other major city to a particularly
popular holiday destination, when you must often buy your
ticket two to three days in advance.
CHANGE
MONEY AND GET CASH:
ATMs
(called cajeros automáticos) are plentiful
in Argentina. All machines take all credit cards or helpfully
display those that can be used: you can nearly always
get money out with Visa or Mastercard, or with any other
cards linked to the Plus or Cirrus systems. Machines are
mostly multilingual.
Traveler checks can't be used like cash but they can
be changed in all banks.
Another
way of getting cash is through to Western Union. This
Company operates through all post offices in Argentina
at all towns.
VISAS:
Citizens
of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South
Africa, Switzerland, Britain, Ireland and other Western
European nations do not need a visa for tourist trips
of up to ninety days – which can be extended by a
further sixty days – at the time of going to press,
but always verify this in advance with your local consulate,
as the situation can change. You only need a valid passport.
INTERNET
SERVICES:
Argentina
is fast catching on to the Internet, and is one of the
best developed of the Latin American countries in terms
of using it as a business tool. All towns in Argentina
have a public place for accessing the Internet, with inexpensive
rates: less than US$0.33 per hour. All cities have hundreds
of Internet cafés, office rooms, and telephone call
centers. You can find free access in libraries and cultural
centers.
ELECTRICITY:
220V/50Hz is standard throughout the country. The sockets
are two-pronged with round pins, but are different to
the two-pin European plugs. Adapters will probably be
needed and can be bought at any electrical shops.
LAUNDRY:
Most towns and cities have a plentiful supply of laundries
(lavanderías or lavaderos). Many
of them also do dry-cleaning, though you may have to go
to a tintorería. Self-service places are
almost unheard of; you normally give your name and leave
your washing to pick it up later. Rates are inexpensive.
The quality is good and the service is usually quick and
reliable. One important word of vocabulary to know is
planchado (ironed).
TELEPHONE
JACKS:
Argentina uses international standard telephone jacks
(the same as those used in the USA), compatible with all
standard fax and email connections.
AIRLINES
in USA and CANADA:
Aerolíneas
Argentinas (US tel 1-800/333-0276; Canada tel 1-800/688-0008;
www.aerolineas.com.ar). Daily non-stop flights
from New York and Miami with connections from other major
cities in the US and Canada.
American
Airlines (tel 1-800/433-7300; www.americanair.com).
Daily non-stop service from Miami and New York with connections
from other major cities in the US and Canada.
Canadian
Airlines (Canada tel 1-800/665-1177; US tel 1-800/426-7000;
www.cdnair.ca). Daily flights from Toronto via
São Paulo with connections from other major Canadian
cities.
United
Airlines (tel 1-800/538-2929; www.ual.com).
Daily non-stop service from Miami and New York with connections
from other major cities in the US.
AIRLINES in EUROPE:
Aerolíneas
Argentinas (tel 0845/601 1915; www.aerolineas.com.ar).
Daily flights from London Gatwick and Heathrow to Buenos
Aires via Madrid, in conjunction with Iberia Airlines.
Air
France (UK tel tel 0845/0845 111; Ireland tel tel
01/814 4060; www.airfrance.fr). Flies daily from
London Heathrow, Birmingham, Dublin and Manchester via
Paris and São Paulo.
American
Airlines (UK tel tel 0345/789789; tel Ireland tel
01/602 0550; www.aa.com). Daily flights from London
Gatwick and Heathrow via Miami or New York.
British
Airways (UK tel tel 0845/773 3377; Ireland tel tel
0141/222 2345; www.britishairways.com). Five flights
a week from London Gatwick to Buenos Aires: the only carrier
offering highly convenient non-stop flights between the
two cities.
Iberia
(UK tel 020/7830 0011; Ireland tel tel 0990/341341; www.iberia.com).
Non-stop daily flights from Madrid to Buenos Aires, with
connections from London Gatwick and Heathrow, Manchester
and Dublin. One free stopover allowed with some fares.
KLM
(tel 0990/750900; www.klm.nl). Three flights a
week from Amsterdam via São Paulo, with connecting
flights to and from a dozen airports across the UK, including
Manchester, London Heathrow, Stansted and London City
Airport.
Lufthansa
(UK tel tel 0345/737747; Ireland tel tel 01/844 5544);
www.lufthansa.co.uk). Flies daily from London
Heathrow or Stansted, and from Dublin, all via Frankfurt.
Swissair
(tel 020/7434 7300; www.swissair.com). Flies four
times a week from London Heathrow via Zurich and São
Paulo.
United
Airlines (tel 01426/915500; www.ual.com).
Two flights a day from London Heathrow, via Chicago or
New York. Stopovers may be possible with some fares.
Varig
Brazilian Airlines (UK tel tel 020/7287 1414; Ireland
tel tel 0845/603 7601; www.varig.com.br). Daily
from London Heathrow via Rio or São Paulo, with stopovers
possible en route.
AIRLINES in AUSTRALIA
and NEW ZELAND:
Aerolíneas
Argentinas (Sydney tel 02/9283 3660; Auckland tel
09/379 3675). Two flights a week from Sydney to Buenos
Aires via Auckland: onward connections to all Agentinian
provincial capitals and major South American gateways.
Air
New Zealand (Sydney tel 13/2476; Auckland tel 0800/737000
or 09/357 3000). Several flights a week from Brisbane,
Melbourne and Sydney to Papeete where you can connect
with Lan-Chile for flights on to Buenos Aries via Easter
Island and Santiago.
Lan-Chile
(Sydney tel 02/9244 2333 or 1800/221572; Brisbane tel
07/3407 7188). Flies once a week from both Brisbane and
Sydney to Buenos Aires, and via Auckland, Papeete, Easter
Island and Santiago – you may have to overnight in
Santiago on some flights. Onward connections to major
Argentinian cities.
Qantas
(Sydney tel 13/1211; Auckland tel 09/357 8900 or 0800/808767;
www.qantas.com.au). Code-shares with Aerolíneas
Argentinas to provide an additional two flights a week
to Buenos Aires from Melbourne via Auckland.
United
Airlines (Sydney tel 13/1777; Auckland tel 09/379
3800; www.ual.com). Daily service from Sydney
to Buenos Aires via Los Angeles or San Francisco and Miami.
Varig
Brazilian (Sydney tel 02/9321 9179; Auckland tel 09/379
4455). Several flights a week from Miami to Buenos Aires
via Río.
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