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View Full Version : A few unpleasant experiences, among many pleasant ones



ToledoGuy
07-07-05, 02:33
My overall experience in Buenos Aires was positive, very positive. The chicas were hot (see my travel report and a few reviews on individuals if you wish) People were generally friendly. Many expressed concerns with George Bush and United States foreign policy, but they did so in a dignified and polite way. Many are politely furious at the World Bank and IMF. But they understand that the average tourist is not a government representative, and, overall, they were kind, interested in me, and thoughtful. Still, I did have a few problems in the town, so I made the following list that might be helpful to fellow newbies. On reflection, I know for a fact that I would have had a lot more problems if I had not benefited from the great advice on this website by people like Moondog, D. Rulz, and Dickhead.

Rip-offs:

1. The fare was 5 pesos, so I gave the driver a 10 and asked for 4 pesos in return. He had been a friendly driver. He asked for un peso while waving a rubber-banded stash of 5-peso notes. I gave him the coin, and he gave me a 5-peso-note. I was immediately suspicious of the clean note and looked at it. He said "Gracias" enthusiastically. I stuffed it in my wallet. Later I tried to buy a drink at New Port, and it was embarrassing to hear that I was trying to pass falso money. OK, it's just a couple of bucks, or less. Still. COUNTERFEIT.

2. Restaurante el Verde, at Reconquista 878 (this place looks like a pub, near Jaz Boliche): They charged me 25 pesos for ½ bottle of wine, that was not spectacular. I asked for the list of prices after I got the bill. There was no list. Clearly I should have been charged from 9 to 15 pesos. OK, it's not a lot of money, but I hate the sense of being cheated. The chica at the cash register was cold as ice: "vino muy bueno" and back to her cell phone. The moral is to get the price list in advance.

3. The waitress (not the nice one who actually served me) at New Port gives me the bill and says "diez why ocho". The bill clearly says 16. I point that out. Everyone laughs, except me. I had to put my glasses on. Why would someone try to cheat someone out of 2 pesos?

4. Near the end of Florida where the park starts, there are always 3 or 4 girls who are unusually pushy in getting you to go into a lower-level bar. They promised that the drink would be 10 pesos and that interesting things would happen. I tried it once. Three girls and I sit down in a little semi-circle, otherwise alone in a gaudily decorated bar. They insist that I had agreed to buy them drinks at 30 pesos each. I refuse to order, get up to leave, and get yelled at in apparent obscenities. Later in the week I am approached by two other girls in succession, working the same gig in the same place. After saying no politely twice, I say no with emphasis. Out of nowhere, some big chico starts to spit at the girl: huge torrents of saliva. She screams and tries to protect her face from more spit. Maybe the guy has a mouthful of 7-up all set to release. I don't know what is going on, but my best guess is that he was hired to keep the chicas away from potential customers in the legitimate stores. It is only the guess of a newbie.

5. I personally hate it when someone insists on a tip for opening a cab door. The guys at Boliche Jaz kept the cab door open against my wishes and practically insisted on a tip. Finally I had to say no (one time I said mañana)

6. Did the bartender at Club Jaz (a place I otherwise like) cheat me or not? I just do not know. Do you ever have that feeling? I give him a 100-peso bill to pay the 30-peso fee for pulling chica #1. My best recollection is that he gives me a 50 and a 20 for change. A little later, after much negotiation with chicas, I give the bartender what I think is a 50 to pull chica #2. There is a delay. Then the bartender returns with a 20 and asks for 10 more. I say "cinquenta, cinquenta". I look in my wallet and there are no 50s. But, maybe he did not give me a 50 in change for pulling the first chica. I give in, and I give him the extra 10. Did I get cheated? I just do not know. The moral is to treat every transaction in chica-land as a possible opportunity to get cheated. I sincerely hope that I am not unjustly accusing anyone. Next time: I will be vigilant.

7. The whole cell phone system is a rip-off. Both the caller and the called pay high rates per minute. I didn't use the phone much, but I went through 50 pesos of phone card minutes. For twenty minutes of talking to someone on a cell phone from a regular phone, you could have bought a steak dinner. A consequence of this is that three different chicas tried to use my apartment phone for calls, as opposed to using their own phones. They were annoyed to learn that my apartment phone could not ring cell phones unless a phone card was used.

Anti-Americanism / Rudeness.

1. At a currency conversion place on Florida, a young chico took my dollars and gave them to another young chico, who made a nice little pile of pesos. They were slow as can be in doing so, but there was no problem so far. My pesos sat there on the counter while I looked at them through the bars in front of me. Other customers were served. They offered currency, and received currency in return. I stood and waited. No one made eye contact with me. I went to another window and asked for help. The young chico refused eye contact and ignored me. After quite a long wait, I blocked other customers' access. People in line looked at me like a crazy person. Trying to keep some semblance of cool, I pointed to my pesos sitting on the counter, just out of reach. Finally, with the hint of a smile, but no eye contact, the original chico gave me my pesos. I swear I did nothing to elicit this kind of treatment.

2. One night, the McDonald's at Corrientes and Pelligrini (at the Obelisk) was taken over by about 50 leather-jacketed, bearded young men who made a mess of the place, beat on drums, gave interviews to television reporters, restricted access to the door, and waved anti-American and anti-imperialism flags. I stood and watched impassively, but one particularly creepy little guy approached me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. He circled me, like I was one of the statues out there on Avenida de Julio. Hey, I hate McDonald's too. But I found myself being a little angry at these self-righteous little punks (and me a liberal, and proud of it)

The little incidents above did not come close to spoiling my good times in Buenos Aires. Generally, the restaurants and bars bent over backwards to be accurate and fair. So many receipts! Small tips for good service were clearly appreciated. People were interested in America despite their hard times economically. So the above comments have to be taken in context. Things could have been much worse. I had no trouble with pickpockets, and chicas clearly could have stolen my watch or loose pesos but did not. However, I thought the incidents above were worth noting for the newbie. The above constitute a small addition to all the great advice given on the site.

El Aleman
07-07-05, 08:44
Toledo,

As you say yourself, the unpleasant experiences were far to few to overweight the good ones - and, at my opinion, they were not even typical for Buenos Aires, but typical for what happens to tourists anyplace in the world.

Show me a tourist who stays a few days in Prague or New York without getting ripped off by a cabby. It happened to me in my home town, where one thought that the fact that I was legally too drunk to drive home also meant I did not know the way home.

The restaurant things happen all the time in southern and eastern Europe. And if one does not ask in advance what things cost, well, then they cost what the waiter considers appropriate.

5 pesos, 2 pesos, 10 pesos - small amounts if you earn your money in Dollars or Euros, but a lot for somebody who works for a couple 100 pesos a month. Most of the people who cheated you will not consider what they did crimnal, they just see it as same sort of "self created tip" they got from you. Except maybe the guy giving you counterfeit money, that's jail time in all countries I know.

Bottom line: be as cautious in Bs. As. As you would be in any big city, and any touristy place in the world. Know what to expect - that's what the forum is for.

And be happy that they cheat you for 10 pesos. And not kill you for it, like it could happen in Rio.

My 2 centavos, leaving nueve con noventa why ocho to cheat.

El Alemán

Daddy Rulz
07-07-05, 14:48
2. Restaurante el Verde, at Reconquista 878 (this place looks like a pub, near Jaz Boliche): They charged me 25 pesos for ½ bottle of wine, that was not spectacular. I asked for the list of prices after I got the bill. There was no list. Clearly I should have been charged from 9 to 15 pesos. OK, it's not a lot of money, but I hate the sense of being cheated. The chica at the cash register was cold as ice: "vino muy bueno" and back to her cell phone. The moral is to get the price list in advance.Doesn't matter what I buy I find out the price ahead of time. Our lovely Anna Luna was picking me up at the airport, I had met a coworker on the way down and offered to have him share the ride. As I'm a smoker and he's an ultra marathoner He declined politly. When I ran into him later I found out I paid 40 or 45 pesos, and He got gouged for you$S 70 FUCKING DOLLARS. He of course didn't ask how much before hand. In my mind I see his remisaria happily multiplying what he will charge on the trip into town.


4. Near the end of Florida where the park starts, there are always 3 or 4 girls who are unusually pushy in getting you to go into a lower-level bar. They promised that the drink would be 10 pesos and that interesting things would happen. I tried it once. Three girls and I sit down in a little semi-circle, otherwise alone in a gaudily decorated bar. They insist that I had agreed to buy them drinks at 30 pesos each. I refuse to order, get up to leave, and get yelled at in apparent obscenities.

5. I personally hate it when someone insists on a tip for opening a cab door. The guys at Boliche Jaz kept the cab door open against my wishes and practically insisted on a tip. Finally I had to say no (one time I said mañana)Do what Richard T does, if you think the girls look hot, tell them your not going into the bar but they can give you a BBBJ at the closest transitorio. I understand He turned his personal Maria out in exactly this manner.


6. Did the bartender at Club Jaz (a place I otherwise like) cheat me or not? I just do not know. Do you ever have that feeling? I give him a 100-peso bill to pay the 30-peso fee for pulling chica #1. My best recollection is that he gives me a 50 and a 20 for change. A little later, after much negotiation with chicas, I give the bartender what I think is a 50 to pull chica #2. There is a delay. Then the bartender returns with a 20 and asks for 10 more. I say "cinquenta, cinquenta". I look in my wallet and there are no 50s. But, maybe he did not give me a 50 in change for pulling the first chica. I give in, and I give him the extra 10. Did I get cheated? I just do not know. The moral is to treat every transaction in chica-land as a possible opportunity to get cheated. I sincerely hope that I am not unjustly accusing anyone. Next time: I will be vigilant.Portenos will pretty much rip you off whenever they get a chance. They don't see it as theft but rather God's blessing by sending a careless person in front of them. Never be afraid to tell them to fuck off. If your not sure as was this case, suck it up. You probably were correct though, otherwise why would he have left. If you didn't give him enough money when you paid he would have told you right then. Whenever your dealing with money, stop whatever else your doing, do not be distracted by anything. Get her hand off your dick until the transaction is finished.


Anti-Americanism / Rudeness.1. At a currency conversion place on Florida, a young chico took my dollars and gave them to another young chico, who made a nice little pile of pesos. They were slow as can be in doing so, but there was no problem so far. My pesos Sat there on the counter while I looked at them through the bars in front of me. Other customers were served. They offered currency, and received currency in return. I stood and waited. No one made eye contact with me. I went to another window and asked for help. The young chico refused eye contact and ignored me. After quite a long wait, I blocked other customers' access. People in line looked at me like a crazy person. Trying to keep some semblance of cool, I pointed to my pesos sitting on the counter, just out of reach. Finally, with the hint of a smile, but no eye contact, the original chico gave me my pesos. I swear I did nothing to elicit this kind of treatment.

2. One night, the McDonald's at Corrientes and Pelligrini (at the Obelisk) was taken over by about 50 leather-jacketed, bearded young men who made a mess of the place, beat on drums, gave interviews to television reporters, restricted access to the door, and waved anti-American and anti-imperialism flags. I stood and watched impassively, but one particularly creepy little guy approached me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. He circled me, like I was one of the statues out there on Avenida de Julio. Hey, I hate McDonald's too. But I found myself being a little angry at these self-righteous little punks (and me a liberal, and proud of it)Unfortunatly happening more and more, it really got worse when we reelected our present Baby Doc. I was there on election day and people were actually crying. They used to look at us very differently. Anyway a helpful stratigy is to wear a "No Mi Gusta Bush" t-shirt. Otherwise keep your head down. Except with situations like the one at the cambio. First find a good black market one. Most of them are Russians and all they fucking care about is the color of your money. You could be a Putin supporter and they won't care. Try the one in Galaria del Sol just before the corner of Paraguay and Florida. Avoid ALL demonstrations except for working girls walking fro their rights. You might get some free pussy if you walk with them.

Rickster
07-07-05, 20:47
ToledoGuy,

Thank you for your excellent and thorough review. I am a newbee to BA and am arriving in few weeks so I will take you report to heart.

I agree with Daddy Ruiz and El Aleman, these conditions exist in most major cities. I know I have experienced similiar problems while in Havana and Puerto Vallarta. Especially with cabbies.

Nickoarg
07-07-05, 21:20
Rip-offs:

1. The fare was 5 pesos, so I gave the driver a 10 and asked for 4 pesos in return. He had been a friendly driver. He asked for un peso while waving a rubber-banded stash of 5-peso notes. I gave him the coin, and he gave me a 5-peso-note. I was immediately suspicious of the clean note and looked at it. He said "Gracias" enthusiastically. I stuffed it in my wallet. Later I tried to buy a drink at New Port, and it was embarrassing to hear that I was trying to pass falso money. OK, it's just a couple of bucks, or less. Still. COUNTERFEIT.If you have any suspicion. You're probably right, follow your guts. It' very common to find people here in Buenos Aires looking for chances to do that. It's also wide known now that Taxis are currently one of the main routes to insert false money into the market.


3. The waitress (not the nice one who actually served me) at New Port gives me the bill and says "diez why ocho". The bill clearly says 16. I point that out. Everyone laughs, except me. I had to put my glasses on. Why would someone try to cheat someone out of 2 pesos?2. 1. Doesn't make any difference. What's wrong is wrong. Again. People are always waiting for the chance. But, in general, they take the chance but inmediatelly correct their "mistake" when confronted.


4. Near the end of Florida where the park starts, there are always 3 or 4 girls who are unusually pushy in getting you to go into a lower-level bar. They promised that the drink would be 10 pesos and that interesting things would happen. I tried it once. Three girls and I sit down in a little semi-circle, otherwise alone in a gaudily decorated bar. They insist that I had agreed to buy them drinks at 30 pesos each. I refuse to order, get up to leave, and get yelled at in apparent obscenities. Florida st. Is packed with people seeking for tourist looking people. Pickpoketing, handbags ripping, "accidentally" bumping into you. Common techniques. Anything out of the ordinary in florida is suspicious. Be aware.


Later in the week I am approached by two other girls in succession, working the same gig in the same place. After saying no politely twice, I say no with emphasis. Out of nowhere, some big chico starts to spit at the girl: huge torrents of saliva. She screams and tries to protect her face from more spit. Maybe the guy has a mouthful of 7-up all set to release. I don't know what is going on, but my best guess is that he was hired to keep the chicas away from potential customers in the legitimate stores. It is only the guess of a newbie.Good guess. Common practice.


5. I personally hate it when someone insists on a tip for opening a cab door. The guys at Boliche Jaz kept the cab door open against my wishes and practically insisted on a tip. Finally I had to say no (one time I said mañana) Just ignore them. That's what you do. They don't want to know the meaning of no, specially when your notes are green.


6. Did the bartender at Club Jaz (a place I otherwise like) cheat me or not? I just do not know. Do you ever have that feeling? I give him a 100-peso bill to pay the 30-peso fee for pulling chica #1. My best recollection is that he gives me a 50 and a 20 for change. A little later, after much negotiation with chicas, I give the bartender what I think is a 50 to pull chica #2. There is a delay. Then the bartender returns with a 20 and asks for 10 more. I say "cinquenta, cinquenta". I look in my wallet and there are no 50s. But, maybe he did not give me a 50 in change for pulling the first chica. I give in, and I give him the extra 10. Did I get cheated? I just do not know. The moral is to treat every transaction in chica-land as a possible opportunity to get cheated. I sincerely hope that I am not unjustly accusing anyone. Next time: I will be vigilant."There is a delay.". Man. That was it. The same as before, challenge them.


Anti-Americanism / Rudeness.Guilty. You have to understand that the opposite efect that the media is creating in Argentina than in the you. S. It's a constant against the IMF, USA, Bush. You name it. Please forgive the stupidity of some individuals.

Hope this helps,

Nickoarg, a "native"

ToledoGuy
07-09-05, 12:23
Thanks for the dialogue concerning some unpleasant experiences that can occur within the context of an otherwise spectacular trip. El Aleman is definitely correct that these kinds of things can happen in any big city. With our new 10- and 20- dollar bills, there have been several occasions when I could have sworn I gave the guy a 20 when I get change for a 10. It is no coincidence that these events occur during moments of distraction. At Jaz, there might not have been a chica's hand on my dick (as D. Rulz suggests) but I must have looked awfully excited to have arranged this 3-some. The bartender could tell that my thoughts were elsewhere. I was very close to refusing to pay and walking, but then I thought of the lovely ladies and the fact that I was already out the pesos I had paid for the first chica. A salient fact is that there were no other gringos present at 4:00 AM, so the bartender did not have to worry about the loss of someone else's business.

On reflection, the thing I remember the best was the bartender's body language: the phoney smile, the apology with signor, and the fact that he braced his hands onto his side of the bar, with elbows fully extended, probably in some tension.

These events have to be considered in the context of the overall trip. I urge anyone who reads this to read what I had to say in the Trip Report section. When it came to the real money paid for services (mostly the ladies but also the steak, wine, and museos) great value was attained. Ten of eleven of the chicas put a little of their hearts into it, and the 11th had one hell of a lengua. I woke up to take a pee at 3:30 this morning, and I wish I could have hopped into a cab to check out New Port, Ness, and even Jaz, despite the possibility of getting ripped off a little.

Rickster, the handle is familiar. By chance do you post either on a certain Windsor, Ontario, site, or a certain Costa Rica site? Cross-city comparisons with BA might be interesting. For me, BA proved superior by almost any measure to Canada, Costa Rica, and Thailand (except cost in Thailand) I'm planning trips to Budapest, Prague, Kiev, and St. Petersburg, so it will be interesting to make these comparisons. One thing is certain: I'm returning to BA, and I'm even trying to think of ways to institutionalize it as a place I just have to go to for work reasons.

Daddy Rulz
07-09-05, 14:18
I give Toledoguy 3 years and 7 visits until he buy an apartment and becomes Barrio Norte Guy. Anybody want to get a pool going?

Spassmusssein
07-11-05, 01:51
JAZ is a place with two or.20 faces. If they're knowing you, you are safe if not.

BA is a big City with all the probs of poverty and drugs.

For me it ist safe.

Yesterday I made my big "vuelta" (all the good and bad places of San Thelmo) and lateron (3.00AM) I caught a taxi telling the driver to bring me to " Constitucion" (a really bad place, if you know the city) and I added "dejame en el lugar mas peligroso de esta zona"(take me to the most dangerous place of that zone)

OK, my fault, he DID it.

I left the taxi in front of two ugly transvestites who wanted to have some fun, I was (half) lucky, as I was able to flee.

Entering a bad bar, ordering a beer I found that the two "girls" robbed my money. Fast, good, perfect done (think they saw in which pocket I put it. Cool.

No beer.

No adventure with a lovely women in that zone,

1 1/2 hour walking home by feet.

Do not try this if you do not speak good spanish.

El Aleman
07-11-05, 07:11
Daddy: make it 2 years and 5 visits.

Toledo: hurry up, real estate prices are going up!

Toledo, about your travel plans. Budapest was good in the years immediately following the collaps of communism. I was there in 1993 or 4, and had a good experience. Today - according to info in WSG and some German forums - you can forget it, run by the mafia, bad and expensive.

Prague went through a similar development, however not as bad. There are good places, but as a tourist newbee you are likely to end up in the rip offs.

No Info about Russia and Ukraine, except that the organisation that really runs Russia is not Mr. Putin's Government.

If you are planning a trip to Europe: consider visiting some German FKK clubs. IMHO the best deal available on the old continent!

And after the trip, you will return to BA, and again, and again, and - see line 1 of this post.

El Alemán

OslersVoice
09-07-05, 19:06
Sounds like a good place to wear my Canada hat. After travelling alot in the Middle East, I've found looking "not American" is very helpful. Besides, who hates Canada?

By "not American" I mean not from the USA.

Daddy Rulz
09-08-05, 03:55
Nobody hates Canuks.


Sounds like a good place to wear my Canada hat. After travelling alot in the Middle East, I've found looking "not American" is very helpful. Besides, who hates Canada?