Hi all,
My friend told me in gernal, South America is not safe.
Is Argentina friendly to you. S. Travlers?
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Hi all,
My friend told me in gernal, South America is not safe.
Is Argentina friendly to you. S. Travlers?
I have been four times, have visited all parts of the country, and can tell you it is safe. Be observant, like you would anywhere, but just relax and don't worry.
I feel safer in Argentina then I do in most countries. I would rather be walking around Buenos Aires late at night then in most american cities!
I agree, I have been to BA five times and I have only had one problem and I partially blame myself. I was in a taxi and the guy engaged me in friendly conversation saying his brother was going to the US and he, the taxi driver, was trying to get US dollars for him. He offered to exchange pesos for dollars at the rate of 3 to 1. Slightly better than the 2.94 to 1 at the time. Turns out he gave me a bogus 100 peso bill. I didnt notice it until he drove away. I was pretty peeved at the time but figured it was a small loss and at least I wasn't robbed. Other than that, I have had NO problems in BA and have walked around Recoleta, Puerto Madero and downtown late at night. But as it's been said before. Take extra precautions and you should be fine. Don't wear your camera around your neck and don't wear a fanny pack or something else that screams "Tourist". I think it's pretty easy to blend in in BA because there is no one particular look for portenios. Some are fair skinned some are dark. It varies. And that's my two cents.
Art
[QUOTE=Art Vandalay]Turns out he gave me a bogus 100 peso bill. I didnt notice it until he drove away. I was pretty peeved at the time but figured it was a small loss and at least I wasn't robbed.
Art[/QUOTE]Um, it sounds to me like you were robbed.
I guess Art meant getting robbed with violence. It's very different. I guess also he maent do not look like the woman on the paint (attached to this message)
[QUOTE=MCSE]I guess Art meant getting robbed with violence. It's very different. I guess also he maent do not look like the woman on the paint (attached to this message)[/QUOTE]If you can make yourself look more like the chair, you should have nothing to fear. Except a 300 lbs woman.
Recoleta is safe. The only problem I ever had was getting a stinky liquid sprayed on me and that was outside of Recoleta. The old "I can clean you up for a fee" scam.
The main problem I had in Buenos Aires was taxi cab drivers trying to pawn off counterfeit pesos. I make it a point to carry several smaller bills so I don't need to get much change when I hop into a cab. I got scammed with a bad 10 peso bill.
Otherwise, I wandered about safely.
Perhaps, you should NOT look like the woman. (this is Art's advice)
Having consumed one too many whisky nacionales, I left a club called las Pompitas and I can't remember where it is. Got there too late to score with the chicas as the club closed 20 minutes after I arrived. On exiting I was tapped on the shoulder from behind and cold sucker punched right in the shnaazola. Stunned I feel to my knees, while 2 guys went through my pockets and left with me with out a centavo.
Thankfully a cabdriver saw me get heisted and drove me to my apt for free. My door lady who has been opening the door for me for 2 weeks refuses to let me in cause I didn't have my key. She called the cops and I explained I just got mugged and lost my keys and they let me in. I was let into my apt by the person who rented to me. Man, that she didn't let me in irked me to no end.
This would have never happened if I would have just used some common sense. Stay in the tourist area, las Pompitas was all full of Joe Argentino. If you must slum around don't go alone. If you must go alone, don't drink!
I was tipsy and had aggravated an already sprained ankle earlier that evening, so here comes limping, drunk Joe Tourist out of a boliche at 5:30 in the am in a part of town where you don't see policemen on every corner.
All I was missing was a t-shirt that read "mug me, I won't fight back very hard".
Well I hope this is a lesson to you my friends, course most of you are too smart to do what I did. Comming to the end of a 28 day vacation in Argentina and even with this experience I can say I had a fantastic time. Argentinians are for the most part, very polite and nice people. I have traveled the world and never have I seen a city as beautiful, fun and what a night life scen!
I'll be back, cause what happened to me can happen in any big city. I've seen people stabbed in the streets of Hamburg, Germany, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and I really should have known better.
Got a fake 100 peso bill from the Banko Francias ATM at Cabildo and Fred La Croze. Bank wouldn't change it. Check your money carefully it wasn't even a good fake I just didn't look at it because I got it from an ATM.
Thanks, Lunico, for sharing your experience with the forum instead of just staying quiet about it. I wonder where this las Pompitas Club is? You must have been really out of it to not even know what part of town you were in. If you remember, please tell us.
I felt surreally safe in tourist parts of BA, and when I went to Flores with Capt. Dave and Jackson, it also seemed extremely safe there.
[QUOTE=Dickhead]Pampitas = Nuevo Estilo[/QUOTE]Thanks, Dickhead. Is that an area normally considered off-limits to mongers?
I'm going to try to find on one of Jackson's maps.
[blue]Hi HeadGames,
It's on one of my maps. In fact, because it's off by itself in Barrio Norte, it has it's own map.
Still, Lunico story surprises me, because it is in what I would call a relatively safe area. For example, I've been there dozens of times, and I've NEVER seen any suspious-looking street thug types hanging out anywhere in the area.
Thanks,
Jackson[/blue]
I looked at the map and I remember the street outline. I walked about 1/2 a block away from the club before I was mugged. Thankfully no guns or knives were drawn on me, unlike my other mugging experiences in Los Angeles, and Mexico City.
Still I have zero regrets about comming to BA. Beautiful town and it is extraordinarily safe. I was really asking for that one, After 28 days in town I felt like a local. I was making friends with locals and their still my friends. Looking back I took a lot of risks moving late at night alone, walking through unkown territory. Soon as I threw my good friend alcohol into the mix I probably lost the ability to see a sherman tank comming down the street.
I posted this just as a reminder that in any big city we are always in a bit of danger. Especially with our hobby, I mean no chica I know takes credit cards.
Damn, only 10 minutes from Recoleta. I'm really surprised.