Argentina

check out Cahors, from the SW of france, where Malbec comes from. some really tremendous wines.

 

Awesome! I'll be in Brazil visiting friends in late December '06/early January '07. Can't wait either!

 

If you visit Mendoza, be sure to visit a local bowling alley. It's great fun bowling with the softball-sized balls and occassionally nearly hitting the guy in the back running around that's putting the pins back in place after each frame... Or at least, it was 12 years ago... perhaps their technology has improved since then.

 

I spent a considerable amount of my life there. Let me know were your staying.

-Remeber the seasons are switched.
-Bring your own clothes coz the quality down there aint so good.
-I dont know what your GF is like but 80% of the US females that I met at some point started crying coz the "boutiques" didn't carry there size. 0-3 is normal, 5 and up is FAT.
-I dont know what bank you use but you could save some $$$ if your bank has a branch or affiliate down there. There are plenty of Citibanks, Fleet/Boston, and HSBC.
-Renting an aparment is a b**** but not difficult. you can go through an agency which is gonna charge you US prices for a furnished 1 bedroom (+expenses) or you can do what I did and thats look in the newspaper for deals. Here's the tricky part, you have to have a "gaurantee of proprty" to rent a flat. That means you or someone you know must own property in Argentina and put it up as collatoral. Yeah I know it's wierd. Most likely you dont know anyone. So one way to circumvent this process is paying everything up front. This is what I did and I saved 50% of what an agency wanted to charge me. The only benefit of using an agency is they work around the "gaurante" coz they only rent to foriegners.
-also, you have to pay for Water, Gas, Elec, and maintanance if your living in a building.
-Most places dont take credit cards. The tourist areas will but mom and pop shops wont.
-At clubs or bars forget about "opening a tab" no CC allowed. Also, when you order a drink they're gonna ask you if you want "nacional" which means the national brand (Vodka, Whisky, Rum). This **** is nasty. The imported stuff runs about the same as US. Oh... and if you do go clubbing your entrance fee includes a drink. Usually beer or a set wells drink.
-Clubs and Bars open till 6-8am in the morning. On the weekend Dinner didnt start till 11pm-midnight. No one shows up to the club untill 2am.
-Making friends with Argentians is a bit difficult. Most likely your gonna gravitate to other Fullbright students or foriegners.

I have more info if you want it, This is just off the top off my head. I spent most of the time in BA, but I did some time in Mar de Plata, Rosario, Mendoza, and La Plata.

Let me know if you need more info.

 

Some more info.

-If you havent decided on a place to go I HIGHLEY recommend Buenos Aires.
Aside from it being the political, economic, and cultural center of the country it's were the US embassy is located. And that can be very comforting, especially if you loose your passport. I'm not sure if the US has consulate offices anywhere else.
-Your girlfriend will likely get a student visa for the duration of her stay. You, if your just tagging along, will use your tourist visa. This is good for three months and then you have to leave the country and come back in again for a new 3 months. This is a serious hassle if your far south or somewhere in the interior. Not so bad in Mendoza coz you can just take a 5hr bus ride to Chile in the early morning and come back on the last bus from Santiago.

This process is easier in BA coz a ferry ride to Colonia, Uruguay is just three hrs. Also, the immigration bureau is in BA and if you cant get on a ferry you can go over there and ask for a three month extension without having to leave. But this only works once.

-There are 2 prices for air fare within Argentina. 1 for argentians and 1 for foriegners. Not need to tell you who pays three times as much. Bus travel is the same for all and cheaper. But sometimes roads are blocked, stupid protests, and your stuck.

-There are no such things a college towns. Nothing like Austin. Everyone in Argentina, at least those that can afford it, send there kids to Buenos Aires. It's were the best universities are located. The only public university in BA is la UBA. This is were the majority of the country goes coz it's free. Because it's free its a beaurocratic nightmare of Kafkian proportions. Actually most universities in Argentina are beaurocratic nightmares. The private ones less so. My friend did an exchange program with a private catholic university in Mar de Plata in 2000 and as of 2005 she still hasn't gotten her grades. I had to wait 2 years for some credit transfers before I could graduate.

anyway if you can steer your girlfriend towards BA do so.

 

That's right...and I had a Fulbright scholarship as well (that's how I ended up in Houston...was supposed to go to Emory, but then they decided to save money and sent me to a cheaper school ).

I was only in Argentina for a few days, but can't wait to go back...great country...good wine, good steaks, beautiful women, party all night, sounds like my country.

I stayed in Buenos Aires for a few days and went to Iguazu...that was it in Argentina for me...next time, I shall see much more.

Because I was only there for a few days, percicles' info is of course much better than anything I could provide .

 

I got back from Buenos Aires around 1PM today.

We stayed at the Emperador.
I liked being able to smoke in the mall. Cigarettes are only like 1.25.
There were demonstrations...and lots of craziness. We saw some dudes destroy this bank's plate glass windows.
The women are the best.

 

Yeah well I didn't realize that we had a naturalized Argentinian here.