I should caution that people be very careful with all of this. It really sucks that awful governments put people in terrible situations like this. With that said, it is ripe for scams, theft, etc. so do try to get as much trust as is possible in the venue that you seek to exchange in. Don't just see a random 2+2 guy saying "i'll do it" and snap meet up. Do your homework.

is there any kind of standard visible flaw in counterfeit pesos that people can look for? for ex. when i was in thailand a few years ago, there were fake 1000-baht notes circulating that you could identify because they didn't have this silverish stripe on them.

anything like that to look for when exchanging for argentine currency?

Same silverstrip and a watermark, but mostly it is the quality of ink and paper. Being 12USD the biggest denomination I don't think they are faking much nowadays. I wouldn't sell dollars on the street anyway.

When you say on the street, what do you mean? Are you saying only to people that you know?

What about exchanges houses that are throughout the city?

I'm selling a new I-phone 5 16 GB. I had a friend buy it in the states about a month back. Used it for less then a week before I went back to my awesome Nokia from 2007. Will accept Stars, Moneybookers or cash. I don't post here much, but I got plenty of references if anyone wants them. PM me.

I'm just saying not to the "arbolitos" on florida street that many tourists end using. And if I was a tourist I would be a lot more strict about it because tourists are an easier target for scammers.

I wouldn't use exchange houses because they are not allowed to pay the right amount and they are not alllowed to sell at all. So I just use some cuevas when I need to, they usually operate inside an established business so they are much safer than a complete stranger from the street.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if many of this temporary rentals businesses that appeared during the last 10 years or so are working as "cueveros", if I came from abroad I would ask them if there's any chance they knew where to sell dollars at a decent rate.

All,

I'm looking to send some flowers to my gf in Buenos Aires and I'm really lost. Can someone help me if I were to pm them? Thanks.

Looking for a 30in monitor if anyone has one they want to sell

hi all, looking for an appartment for me and a friend from march 17 for a month. if anybody can be of help please PM me.

Anyone in this thread got any experience of Bariloche?
I want to move there in June for the ski season.
Any tips on the city/looking for accommodation would be much appreciated.

I am coming down tonight. Anyone I know still there?

How long you gonna be around for?

Let's grab lunch. It's my last week before I migrate for Winter...

i've heard BsAs is a pretty fashion-conscious city, can anyone elaborate on this?

i'm going to go to school there for 1 semester from July-Nov. and wondering what wardrobe adjustments i should make. basically, i can't remember the last time i wore anything besides t-shirt/jeans or hoodie/sweatpants and some cheap old sneakers =o

Girls care how they look here. A lot.

If you are a dude, it doesnt matter.

oh ok lolz

How did BA go from extremely popular among poker players and in this forum to a complete ghost town here?

a few of us moved away and Argentina got less cheap.

Of course, Argentina is cheap again but that is partly due to the lack of stability. President Cristina wants to be Hugo Chavez and has put Argentina on course for a crisis.

LC is right. I'd just like to add that there are some clubs here that won't let you in with tennis shoes/sandals or jeans/shorts. I don't think they are particularly concerned about being fashionable; just that you have pants and proper, non-sneakere shos. I haven't been to a place like this in years but they are out there.

Albeit less, there are still poker players here.

I believe this thread served and this city allures to young single male poker players. Lots of time has been spent talking about places to go at night, restaurants and women. This thread -speaking as if it is just a continuation of the first thread- started 5 years ago while most of us were in our mid 20's. Although a lot has changed in this country since then as LC notes, the biggest thing is that the lives of the poker players around here have changed. People are getting married and having kids. They are starting projects other than poker.

I believe this place is still a great place for poker players and anyone looking to try something new during their mid 20's. The effect of the economic changes that LC alludes to I don't think have much effect with poker players coming from the outside to live here. There are a few more hassles but it is manageable. If you're trying to do something in addition to poker, yeah, there are a lot of changes you have to manage.

Mr Chairman, I disagree just a little bit. The economic problems are a pretty big barrier for the guy moving here for the first time. Argentina isnt cheap right now if youre on the "official" exchange rate. If you are new to the country and dont speak Spanish, that is intimidating. So it is tougher to move to BA if you havent lived here before.

And that seems to be what has actually happened. Folks that travel the world playing poker are still coming back to BsAs for half the year, but there arent really new folks coming anymore.

I said there are some hassles but is it really that hard for a non-spanish speaker to bring cash here and exchange it at an exchange house? Is it that hard for them to use Xoom or an European equivalent?

Maybe people read in foreign newspapers and magazines about the high cost of living here and they decide not to come. That is cause cost of living is calculated in pesos, turned into dollars at the official rate and then compared to other cities in the world. But a foreigner who comes here should be able to figure out how to reduce their cost of living by 50% by exchanging on the "blue" within a week. I don't think it is that hard.

Agree to disagree, I guess? Yes, I think it really is a bit complicated for your average 20-something. It is doable, but you can only bring 10k in at a time, you dont speak the language, you dont know anyone for awhile, etc.

Thailand is cheaper and less complicated, which is why i think most folks go there instead.

aren't there any dangers to a foreigner who is new to the area needing to plunge into a black market? seems ripe for scams, theft, etc.

I avoid all exchange houses simply by using a guy on stars. He comes to my house, I transfer to him on stars, he give me pesos, ezgame.