If Your Compass Could Talk…

This post is from one of our favorite blogs in BA: casa saltshaker 

At the corner of Av. de Mayo is this odd looking statue of Don Quijote – sort of riding out of a cloud or a rock or a something, clearly in battle – I suppose it’s meant to be one of his fantasy battles and the whole cloud thing is to give it a dream-like quality. Who knows? The statue was a gift from Queen Sofia of Spain when it was installed in 1980, commemorating 400 years since the founding of Buenos Aires.

If you’ve spent any serious time abroad you know that at some point you end up back where you started: at home. Especially around the holidays hoards of travelers pack their bags to head back home to see friends and family to experience the holidays with those that they love. Its strange though, isn’t it? After traveling, living abroad, seeing things your friends can’t even relate to, the transition home can be a hard one. You’ve been traveling frugally and experiencing lives that are anything but like the comforts of home. Heading home for the holidays can be nice, but also hard when adding culture shock into the mix. Keep those heads up and try and remember that you’ve been there, you’ve seen and done it too – your friends are only hearing about it. Bear with them. And then go travel again.

Of course its not surprising that Argentina is having economic issues. A long standing battle with the economy is sure to rear its ugly head during this economic recession the world is now facing. Read this article in the economist about Argentina and how Cristina is dealing. Or not dealing rather…

http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12725187

ATTN: Starting January 1st, 2009 all residents of the United States traveling into Argentina will be expected to pay a reciprocity fee for entrace (good for five years) at the cost of US$ 130.

 Good to know before heading down South.

Or maybe not quite so old. But its pretty common among the backpacker community to pack these two things when traveling: Duct Tape and Toilet Paper.

Duct Tape – Solves a lot of problems

Toilet Paper – Solves your biggest problem.

 Happy Travels!

Buenos Aires is most famously known for the Recoleta Cemetery (well as cemeteries go that is) however, there is another very note worthy cemetery visit in chacaritas, one of Buenos Aires’ lesser known barrios (neighborhoods). Check out the chacaritas cemetery for gravesites on a large scale. If you thought there was a lot to see in Recoleta, Chacaritas will knock your socks off.

 It’s the perfect visit for you ‘I want to go where no other tourists go, tourists’. Consult your guia’t for buses that run out there daily.

In Buenos Aires, and much of South America, things get pretty hot in the months of Janurary and Februrary. As such, the city gets pretty vacant after Christmas time when hoards of Argentines and Brazilians make their way to Punta del Este to cool off on the beaches of this high end resort town.

Punta del Este can be reached by ferry from Buenos Aires or after a bus ride from Montevideo, Uruguay’s capitol. The town isn’t very tranquilo, with thousands of tourists invading the beaches for a shot at some surf, sun and high end shopping in the weeks following Christmas, New Years and well into February.

Its a great vacation spot and tons of fun. Check it out and rub elbows with the BA elite.

The monedas crisis in Buenos Aires is no big secret. Here is a great article though about whats going on with the world’s most annoying financial crisis.

 CLICK HERE for the article.

Aconcagua is Argentina’s tallest mountain and the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. You can climb the mountain from access from Mendoza although the heigth of the mountain means it will take you weeks to climb in order to adjust to the climate.

Smaller hikes around the base boast beautiful views and it is a landmark visitors point for those visiting the north of Argentina.

Aconcagua is a qualifying mountain for climbers who want to climb Everest. Meaning that if you complete the climb up Aconcagua, you are certified to attempt Everest. You can probably guess then, its pretty alto.

Traveling by plane out of Buenos Aires? Then here are a few airport resources to help you along your way…

First things first, there are two airports in Buenos Aires. EZE or Ezeiza which is the International Airport and Jorge Newberry which is the domestic airport. Ezeiza is located much further outside the city, while Newberry is located just North of the Palermo Parks.

If you’re leaving the country you’ll need to first get there. Calling TAXI EZEIZA will reserve you a taxi for the safest and best rate of only AR$ 68 pesos. Additionally you’ll need to know that you have to pay airport taxed AR$ 89 pesos and any additional fees if you’ve over stayed your visa, etc. This isn’t much only $AR 50 pesos and is quicker and easier than doing other renewing processes.

 Enjoy your flight and these airport resources!