First Time In Buenos Aires (and why we can't wait to go back)

"We learned about Buenos Aires through International Living--so we thought other International Living readers might be interested to hear what we found when we got there…"

Every January and February, we usually go to Florida to escape the North Carolina winters. But this year, the Florida hurricanes and rising rental costs prompted us to want to try something different... something adventurous…and we thought of Buenos Aires.

We'd read the story in International Living's March 2004 print issue about Paul and Maria Reynolds and their move to Argentina. We sent an e-mail to Maria, and she helped us find a short-term rental apartment in the Recoleta area, where Evita Peron is buried.

We thought other International Living readers might like a glimpse of what we found when we got there:

The apartment Maria helped us find was large, airy, and convenient to everything. We'd heard that Argentina is warm and beautiful during our winters, which is summertime there, and we feared it might be too warm…but it was perfect. In 60 days spent in Buenos Aires we had only two days of rain and the rest were filled with sunshine.

Everything in Buenos Aires is remarkably inexpensive. (I want to say "cheap," but that's the wrong connotation!) The rent for the apartment was $800 a month; the equivalent apartment in Florida last year was $2,100 a month, more than double. At an ATM we regularly took out 500 pesos, which looks and feels like 500 dollars, for which our U.S. account was debited $172. That 500 pesos went a long way.

We took in marvelous tango shows and attended two concerts at Colon Theatre, one of the most famous in the world. And it's true, the wide boulevards and European-designed buildings really do make Buenos Aires the Paris of the Southern Hemisphere. There are statues everywhere. We saw a lot by walking miles through the city, enjoying the parks and the shopping. (The leather goods are outstanding so we bought seven or eight leather jackets and coats for family and friends, five leather purses, and three belts.) And the security is fantastic. There are at least two policemen on every corner and all the buildings have guards--even the grocery stores or "super mercados." We never understood why the security is needed. We never saw any problems of any kind.

Traffic in Buenos Aires is heavy, mostly bus and taxi cabs, but it moves quickly. We never saw a time when traffic was "stop and go." It was always go. We found taxis to be the best way to travel in Buenos Aires--they're very inexpensive. You can go across town for $3.

In our experience the people are friendly and helpful, and most speak at least some English, which helped us to get along. And as for eating out, the steaks are really something to write home about. Order a filet mignon, and you'll find it weighs at least 12 ounces. And everywhere is very reasonable. We never bothered to look at the prices on the menus--just ordered what we liked.

During our time in Argentina we also visited the estancias, which are ranches where they feed you well and entertain you with horse riding through many acres of beautiful land. One on of these trips we picked out silver jewelry in San Antonio, north of Buenos Aires, near one of the estancias. The bracelets and chains were exquisite and inexpensive, made by a family who work together. We met all of them. They were friendly--like family.

While there I had an eye problem, and the girls at the Reynolds' office found me an eye clinic close to our apartment. The doctor fixed my problem for 30 pesos (around $10.40), and he and I became friends.

We're now looking forward to going back to Buenos Aires. In fact, we're going back next year to see all of our new friends again.

Carolyn and Jim Taggart
For International Living