Is Argentina a safe country for tourists?

[citygirl]

In relation to the French press saying Argentina is dangerous, I can honestly say that after a year and a half here, I have never felt unsafe.

I think you don't feel unsafe until something happens to you. For me, personally, I felt fine until in a relatively short timeframe, I had friends mugged and attacked, saw a guy get hit over the head with a wooden board in Canitas at 9:00 at night by a street kid and a mugger tried to snatch my purse/phone in the middle of the afternoon on Maure and Libertador. After that - yes, I certainly became a lot more cautious and aware of my surroundings.

I live about 45 minutes outside of Cap Fed now and there have been several cars (stolen natch) burned in front of the property. It's a little disconcerting to leave at 6 a.m. and see a car still burning - it means there were some not very nice people around the house. There are guard dogs, alarms, walls around the property and cameras and there is a reason for them. And this is a nice area.

Do I think BsAs is unsafe? Yes and no. It's not the worst place I've ever been but I think your odds of being a victim of a crime are pretty high - higher than in a lot of other big cities.

 

[steveinbsas]

I live about 45 minutes outside of Cap Fed now and there have been several cars (stolen natch) burned in front of the property. It's a little disconcerting to leave at 6 a.m. and see a car still burning - it means there were some not very nice people around the house. There are guard dogs, alarms, walls around the property and cameras and there is a reason for them. And this is a nice area.

Someone recently posted that not many expats want the climate or the lifestyle where I live, but I bet most would love the level of security (650 KM from Cap. Fed. and two from the Atlantic Ocean). This area is not a hotbed for tourists, but as foreigner who lives here I can say that I feel much safer here than I did in in Cap. Fed. (where my girlfriend was mugged and I witnessed two muggings myself).

Occasionally I forget to lock my kitchen door at night...as well as the galpon where I keep my garden tools and supplies. Nothing bad has happened (the dogs sleep in the kitchen...they're my alarm). The previous owner lived here with his family for over 30 years without a single incidence of crime. They never had locks on the galpon and they had at least 20 times more stuff in it than I do now...as well as a 22' power boat in another galpon/jardin de invierno which could not be locked.

Once in a while there is a burnt out old clunker on the highway, but I doubt they've been stolen. The rubber gas lines have probably cracked from age and leaked gas onto the engine block...nada mas.

Regarding the weather...it is sometimes a degree or two colder here at night (in the winter) than CF.

As for the lifestyle. Being a ranchero suits me just fine.

Besides, "My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiEZCqTo1Bg

 

[RobinsonGO]

Someone recently posted that not many expats want the climate or the lifestyle where I live, but I bet most would love the level of security (650 KM from Cap. Fed. and two from the Atlantic Ocean).

Occasionally I forget to lock my kitchen door at night...as well as the galpon where I keep my garden tools and supplies. Nothing bad has happened (the dogs sleep in the kitchen...they're my alarm). The previous owner lived here with his family for over 30 years without a single incidence of crime. They never had locks on the galpon and they had at least 20 times more stuff in it than I do now...as well as a 22' power boat in another galpon/jardin de invierno which could not be locked.

Once in a while there is a burnt out old clunker on the highway, but I doubt they've been stolen. The rubber gas lines have probably cracked from age and leaked gas onto the engine block...nada mas.

Regarding the weather...it is sometimes a degree or two colder here at night (in the winter) than CF.

As for the lifestyle. Being a ranchero suits me just fine.

Besides, "My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiEZCqTo1Bg

What is your exact address Steve and more importantly your neighbors? And what model of Power Boat is that? Haha. I am truly jealous of your Argentine country life. Someday.... It is such a great country for that!
Saludos!

 

[steveinbsas]

What is your exact address Steve and more importantly your neighbors? And what model of Power Boat is that? Haha. I am truly jealous of your Argentine country life. Someday.... It is such a great country for that!
Saludos!

The boat (I think it's a SeaRay) is no longer on the property, but it is for sale. So is land similar to mine at $12 U$D per mtr2.

 

[RobinsonGO]

The boat (I think it's a SeaRay) is no longer on the property, but it is for sale. So is land similar to mine at $12 U$D per mtr2.

This is a great place to have a boat, but right now I'm looking at horses.

Ohhhh noooo man dont tell me that. I can not move out there for a few years yet. I am curious however what size the pieces of land, near you, have been broken into. How many Hectares? Enough to have a small farm, shoot clay pigeons, and own a horse? Thats all I need.

 

[deeve007]

No moonshine distillery?

 

[steveinbsas]

Ohhhh noooo man dont tell me that. I can not move out there for a few years yet. I am curious however what size the pieces of land, near you, have been broken into. How many Hectares? Enough to have a small farm, shoot clay pigeons, and own a horse? Thats all I need.

A quarter hectare (2500 meters 2) would be enough to have a nice house with a pool as well as plenty of space for a huge garden and a small barn for a horse. I am using 2916 mtrs2 to do the same. The soil is rich but there isn't enough rain to really have a farm here (without irrigation). AT $12 per mtr2 that would mean a "get in " cost of 30K USD for the land (near my house).

There are 8000 meters for sale for $60,000 USD on the "edge" of the village (thats $7.5 per meter) that could be subdivided into 11 smaller lots (one with a small house in need of recycling) and sold into the local market for $12 per mtr2.

The property is too close to other houses in the village to shoot clay pigeons or provide as high level of peace and tranquility as I have less than 1 KM down the road but it would appeal to the locals. One young couple came to my house this week and asked if they could reserve two of the lots if someone I know buys the property and subdivides it.

It's a small town and word spreads fast. Fortunately, even though everyone in the village knows that a foreigner is living here, there has not been an increase in the crime rate.

It's still zero.

 

[mairerielo]

The same can be asked about the USA, especially Miami.

This occurred in April of 2011:

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2011/04/murder_of_two_british_men_in_s.php

And 1993 was a very bad year for foreign tourists in Miami:

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/11/w...urders-in-miami-terrify-foreign-visitors.html

I've been living in BA for 2 years now and nothing happened to me, while in Miami I got my car stolen 3 times. It all depends on how careful you are, I go out and see people using their cellphone on the Subte, on the streets and nothing happened to them. I really don't like the racist comments of some people here that say that Miami is unsecure because of latin people.