^^- Is basically the exact thing I was hoping to hear. Made my day. I like to consider myself a sociable chick-hunting piss tank, and am extremely glad to hear the socialising extends past sitting around comparing ram sizes and debating the pros and cons of macs v PC

Hmm the New Zealand winter is crap too, what to do what to do. Ok im definately going to have to keep following this thread, cheers for the very helpful response. I understand the answers were provided in the thread somewhere, but especially for number 1, its good to have a definitive answer.

Hi, just wanna give a shout to the boy and girl who are blogging brenren.com.. I really like to read your new daily adventures in Buenos Aires. Really fun!

Just got myself a ticket also.. I'll be arriving 1octobre in BsAs. Still a long time before i'll be there, but i choose it cuz then summer will be starting and things will be a lot easier that way i guess.

Just a warning, if you're into hunting and hooking up with women you may find Argentine girls very frustrating. I mean everything is still possible etc, but I can testify its a very different game to what it is in New Zealand. You'll still have a ton of fun over there, just making sure you don't get your hopes up that your trip will be a giant orgy with easy women

Quick q for the locals...I know the city pretty well, but I'm headed back in a week and have a few apartment options. One is located on Fitz Roy between Cabrera and Niceto Vega, and I honestly don't know if I've ever gone down Fitz Roy past Honduras (bar unico). Anyone know how this section is? Does it start to get more sketchy towards Niceto Vega, or is it kosher like the rest of the Hollywood area? It would be big plus for me to be close to all the resto's around there...

Evin, start counting me in for dinners after the 13th!

Thx, Cory

I'd say it's all fine down there. How fast do you need this? I can go take some pictures for you if you want.

Whereas perhaps you can perceive some difference between Fitz Roy & Niceto Vega and, say, Honduras & Thames, you're still very very close to the restaurant scene and I would never call it sketchy.

I doubt you'll have restaurants in that same block, though. You'll have to walk 2-3 blocks to get into the circuit.

Conclusion: don't pass on a great appartment offer just because it's in Fitz Roy and Niceto Vega. On the other hand, if the offers are comparable and you're really picky, I could see this being a factor for you.

Thanks for the offer on pics and the other info...seems like there are lots of apt options now, and they are really competing on price. Now it's just a question of who's gonna give the gringo the best rate...

Thinking of entering the LAPT in Punta del Este, but will have to get the cash together. Anyone know is it possible (easy even) to withdraw $4000 US from an Argentine bank with Cirrus/Maestro or Visa (issued in Irish bank).

Would probably take you about 10 days or something ridic given the withdrawl limits per day here.

I've got a citigold account and I've taken over 500 pesos out from the citibank atms. I don't know what the upper limit is per day, but I was told it was 500. Maybe 1000?

The citigold account waives international transaction fees and is, I think, the "best" bank account citibank offers [ie need to have a high balance], so maybe thats why I've had good luck.

I think getting the cash together is going to be easier in Uruguay. Not sure though.

Haha cheers for the heads up. Whilst pulling hot Latino girls would be a nice bonus, its more the fun of going out with the lads, drinking, and at least attempting to get with the girls that I was hoping for. I guess my trip will just have to be a giant orgy with tough to get women then. If that fails, there is always beer goggles/drop in standards to fall back on

One more question? How many people of the 20 or so 2+2ers are expecting to still be there in August/September? Looking at flights today, there are cheap flights that can be taken as late as Aug 31, would probably head across sometime towards that date, as it was earlier suggested to avoid coming during winter.

This is exactly what i'm talking about, the 'avoid the queues, go ugly early' type thinking doesn't work. I'd probably unlearn everything you know and start from scratch, tbh. You'll see what I mean . Also the girls here aren't 'latin' like Mexico or Columbia or one of the more stereotypical latin countries, they're pretty white.

I'll be there in September I think, there's always a core group that seem to have been there a while you can rely on to be there.

Haha not so much avoid the cues go ugly early, more 'at 4am if all else fails....'. But fair enough, I look forward to unlearning the little I know haha. But surely there are ex pats/backpackers around, thats always a good fall back and you may not even have to drop your standards haha.

Sweet, will start seriously looking into those tickets, was leaning towards Thailand before, but Argentina is definately pulling ahead, regardless of you trying to convince me I wont pull :P

OK, as always, Tuesday at 9pm. Reservations are at La vinería de Gualterio Bolívar, Bolivar 865 in San Telmo.

buenos aires: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C9HANU35_s

Anyone going to the LAPT Punta Del Este? Right now, I'm debating whether I should go or not.

I got a PM from someone looking to stay in either BsAs or Bangkok and he wanted me to compare the two since I've spent significant time living in both. I won't copy his PM for privacy sake but here is the answers I gave. He didn't ask me about a lot of stuff so if anyone wants me to expand on something or had something different they were curious about, let me know.

1) Easy to meet people is hard to answer. There are definitely 2+2 groups in both cities that are very easy to meet and hang out with if that's your thing. So I'd give 2+2ers a wash.

For locals, it's 1000% easier to hook up with Thai locals but that is mostly a product of a lot of the expat hot spots being filled with hookers / girls looking for Western boyfriend. A lot of these girls aren't hookers in the normal sense and money often never comes up but your choices seem to be either pay them in the morning or deal with some annoying girl trying to lock you down (and occasionally both). In Argentina, this entire scene just doesn't exist. When you go out to a bar/club every girl there is a normal Argentine girl so one would think it would be just as easy as normal to pick up on girls.... except it really isn't. It's hard to explain but Argentine girls are bat**** insane sometimes and play a ton of games with you. Expect to be stood up multiple times as part of the normal courting process.

Meeting expats aside from 2+2ers is probably marginally easier in Thailand simply because there are way more expats here than in Argentina and consequently more clubs/sports leagues/bars/restaurants/etc are geared towards them.

2) Thailand is the clear winner is living cheaply. Legitimate flats can be found for US $500 in BKK whereas that costs around US $800 most of the time in BsAs and may even be more now. If you leave Bangkok, and head to the islands it gets even cheaper. That said you could spend as much as you want anywhere.

Taxis in Bangkok run around $1-3 depending on distance. Argentina, they are just slightly more but certainly not much. The SkyTrain in Bangkok will cost you between 50 cents and $1.50 to go most places, the subte/buses in Argentina will cost you under 50 cents for any distance.

Food is a lot farther apart. Thailand has tons of delicious food you can get for $1-2 per meal, Argentina expect to spend $3-5 at a typical resto. Both have a good variety of different international cuisines available at reasonable rates.

3) The nightlife scene in Buenos Aires is waaay better than the nightlife scene in Bangkok mostly for the sole reason it is a real nightlife scene. BsAs has some of the best night clubs I've ever been to and they run all night long until the early morning. In Bangkok, you don't get a real night club but instead a dance floor with 100s of tables in the middle of it. Everyone just buys a bottle (like US $50) and dances at their table. These places close at 2am and after that you have to go to an after hours club that stays open much later. These are the places that are 100% hooker filled but if you really want to get laid every night this is the place for you. Prices are rarely discussed and if you are a good looking young guy the price can often be $0. Shipping her $30-50 and saying it is for the taxi ride home in the morning is better if you want to avoid her turning psycho and calling you. Also, no matter how long you live in BKK you are always just leaving a few days later.

4) Bangkok wins for weather. Winters in Buenos Aires just suck. They don't suck like it is snowing and freezing, but they just aren't fun and the rain/cold is annoying. Winter is just wrapping up in Bangkok and I wore shorts every day. Bangkok's summers get hot and humid, but it is similar (though not as bad) in Buenos Aires. BKK does have a crappy rainy season that should be starting soon for a few months but I haven't had the displeasure of experiencing it yet so I can't comment.

Another advantage is that if the weather ever sucks in Bangkok you are a $50-200 plane ride away from your pick of world class beaches. Argentina has Punta, but meh no comparison.

Overall, the choice comes down to your preferences.

Something you didn't ask about was language. In Thailand the language required is nil if that is your desire. In Argentina, you are going to hate life if you never learn to speak passable Spanish even though it may be possible to survive (barely). Of course, even in Thailand learning Thai will enrich your life a ton but I understand some (many) don't want to make that kind of time commitment.

There's been close to (generous) 0 talk in these threads of: theatres, art scene, galleries, museums, music, architecture, design.
Not much wrong with that, just thought of it 'cause I'd like to know how Bangkok compares to BsAs in those respects.

It's not even close. Buenos Aires blows Bangkok away wrt cultured things. A lot of that requires a good knowledge of Spanish in BsAs though. Now, Bangkok is a very close flight to a lot of great cultural centers though.

Having lived in both cities, I would say, for me at least, the biggest difference was just generally 'walkability'. One of the best things about BA is being able to walk all over the city, enjoying the architecture, the tree-lined streets, the dog walkers, the full cafes along the sidewalk, etc... Though you can walk through a lot of Bangkok, you encounter tons of cramped sidewalks, ridiculous traffic, bad pollution, pickpockets, oppressive heat etc... Its just not a city designed for walking. I think this environment harbors feelings of isolation and leaves a city devoid of character and charm.

imakefrush,

Agree with your sentiment.

I was going to go to a museum one night but praetor wanted to get drunk at the alamo instead

Surely not. When did this happen?

I should organize the official "2+2 meets culture" weekly outting.