ADDRESSES These are nearly always written with the name
only followed by the street number - thus, San Martín 2443; the
only exception is with avenues, where the abbreviation Av. or Avda.
appears before the avenue name - thus, Av. San Martín 2443. Pasajes
(Pje.) and Bulevares (Bv.) are far less commonplace. The relatively
rare abbreviation c/ for calle ("street"), is used only to
avoid confusion in a city which has streets named after other
cities: thus c/Tucumán 564, Salta or c/Salta 1097, Tucumán. If the
name is followed by s/n ( sin número ), it means the
building is numberless, frequently the case in small villages and
for larger buildings such as hotels or town halls; we do not
include the s/n abbrevation in the addresses we list. Sometimes
streets whose names have been officially changed continue to be
referred to by their former names, even in written addresses. In
most cities, blocks or cuadras go up in 100s, making it
relatively easy to work out on a map where house no. 977 or a
restaurant at no. 2233 is located.
BARGAINING There is no real tradition of haggling,
although you can always try it when buying pricey artwork,
antiques, etc. Expensive services such as excursions and car rental
are obvious candidates for bargaining sessions while hotel room
rates can be beaten down, off season, late at night or if you're
paying cash ( efectivo ). But try and be reasonable,
especially in the case of already low-priced crafts or high-quality
goods and services that are obviously worth every centavo.
CONSULATES A very large number of countries from all five
continents have embassies in Buenos Aires, mostly in the Barrio
Norte, but in the provinces few countries maintain consulates. In
the big provincial capitals you'll find diplomatic missions
representing some other South American countries, along with those
European countries with large communities in Argentina, especially
Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, plus the Netherlands.
EARTHQUAKES Seismic activity is very much a reality in
western and, to a lesser extent, in northwestern Argentina, since
the Andes lie along one of the world's most unstable fault lines.
Some of the planet's strongest ever quakes have hit the cities of
San Juan and Mendoza over the last hundred and fifty years. Since
then all buildings have been quake-proofed. It's unlikely that
you'll find yourself in a violent tremor but, if ever you do, the
first rule is not to panic. Don't use lifts or rush out into the
street, whatever you do - this is how most injuries and fatalities
are caused. Electricity supplies are programmed to go down if the
quake is over five on the Richter scale.
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 a string of electrical shops along Calle
Talcahuano, in Buenos Aires; some but not all of the multi-adaptors
on sale at airports will do the trick, so check the
instructions.
HOMOSEXUALITY The word that best sums up the attitude to
gay men and lesbians in Argentina is ambivalence. Discreet
relationships are quite well tolerated, but in this overwhelmingly
Roman Catholic nation any "deviance", including any explicit
physical contact between members of the same sex (let alone
transvestism or overtly intimate behaviour) will be almost
universally disapproved of, to say the least. Violent
manifestations of homophobia are rare, however, especially now that
the Church and the military have less influence on mores. Gay and
lesbian associations are springing up in the major cities, notably
in Buenos Aires, where nightlife and meeting places are
increasingly open, but rural areas still do their best to act as if
homosexuality doesn't exist. The same goes for even the most
liberal-minded parents and, in this country where psychotherapy has
become a pseudo-religion, don't be surprised to see analysts and
"parapsychologists" advertising their "cures" - even in gay
magazines. Arbitrary decisions by the mysterious but powerful
National Media Commission in recent months have resulted in raids
at the offices of NX , the main gay and lesbian magazine (on
sale in kiosks in downtown Buenos Aires and other big cities),
because it printed pictures of "two men dangerously close to each
other".
LAUNDRY Most towns and cities have a plentiful supply of
laundries ( lavanderías or lavaderos ), especially
since not everyone has a washing machine. Laverap is a virtually
nationwide chain of laundries and is mostly dependable. Some 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.
Laundry is either charged by weight or itemized, but rates are not
excessive, especially compared with the high prices charged by
hotels. Furthermore, the quality is good and the service is usually
quick and reliable. One important word of vocabulary to know is
planchado (ironed).
PHOTOGRAPHY Photographic film is not cheap and
black-and-white and fast films, especially slides, are not always
easy to lay your hands on, though standard film, of all brands, is
widespread and reliable. Since fast film is recommended in places
like the altiplano, bring a plentiful supply with you, and the same
goes for all camera spares and supplies, which sell for exorbitant
prices here even in the rare duty-free zones. Developing and
printing are usually of high quality but are also quite expensive;
slides aren't processed in that many places and black-and-white
film won't always be accepted - outside Buenos Aires the situation
is extremely erratic. A constant, how ever, is that you should
watch out where you take photos: sensitive border areas and all
military installations, including many civilian airports, are
camera no-go areas, so keep an eye out for signs and take no
risks.
STUDENT CARDS These are not as useful as they can be in
some countries, as museums and the like often refuse to give
student discounts. Some bus companies, however, do give a 10-15
percent discount for holders of ISIC cards, as do certain hotels,
laundries and outdoor gear shops, and even one or two ice-cream
parlours. ASATEJ, Argentina's student travel agency, issues a
booklet that lists partners throughout the country. The
international student card often suffices for a discount at youth
hostels in the country, though membership of the Youth Hostelling
Association may entitle you to even lower rates.
TELEPHONE JACKS Argentina uses international standard
telephone jacks (the same as those used in the USA), compatible
with all standard fax and email connections.
TIME DIFFERENCES After some confusing experiments with
daylight saving and even different time zones within the country,
Argentina now applies a standard time throughout the year,
nationwide: three hours behind GMT.
TIPPING Apart from the odd rounding up of taxi fares, for
example, tipping is not common in Argentina. Restaurant bills
increasingly include a percentage for service but any extra
gratuity ( propina ) is discretionary. That said, Porteños
have always traditionally tipped when eating or drinking out -
recent austerity seems to have killed that custom off, or at least
curtailed it.
TOILETS Occasionally central city squares include public
toilets among their facilities, but otherwise public toilets or
baños (men: caballeros, hombres, varones or
señores ; women: damas, mujeres or señoras ),
are very few and far between. The toilets in modern shopping malls
tend to be spick and span and are often the best place to head for.
In bars and cafés the toilets are usually of an acceptable standard
and not all establishments insist that you buy a drink, though you
may be made to feel you should (the legal position is unclear).
It's worth knowing that toilet paper (carry your own), hot water
and soap ( jabón ) are often missing. In bus stations,
airports and large shops there is often an attendant who keeps the
toilets clean and dispenses toilet paper ( papel higiénico
), sometimes for a small fee, usually $0.50. Note that, in rural
areas or small towns, toilet paper must often be left in a bin
rather than flushed down the pan, to avoid blocking the narrow
pipes.