Ok Buenos Aires here we come...

[SaraSara]

I hope it is not as dangerous as they make it out to be.

My car got stolen twice in 'very safe' Australia in a short time- in Brisbane then in Sydney.

It's a matter of luck. My house in "safe" Colonia was broken into, with the caretakers in residence. But my BA home in "dangerous" San Isidro hasn't been touched, despite being left vacant for months at a time.

 

[simon.richards]

Yes def take the bus for cheap way, make sure you get a cama seat (not semi cama) its a long trip, sometimes 20 hours so buy some valerian!
Retiring in your 40s??? lucky you!

Area depends on your money, If you have loads of dough I would suggest palermo as its going up in value, if you have less money Caballito as it has tons of shops, a big park and a subte station and its middle class and is friendly.
Of course if you dont mind being out of town and have some decent money.... san isidro.

But if you really are retiring and dont need the biggest city I would really suggest mendoza not bsas.... its really awesome, but less diverse, but a fast growing investment region.

 

[arockwell11]

Janet & Chad,
Make sure you check out Mendoza before you decide on Buenos Aires.

Completely different than Buenos Aires and wonderful. It'll make you think of the Texas Hill country. But the hills are mountains, the wine is great, the people are also friendly and courteous, but no Mexican food.

We're just finishing 3 weeks in Argentina to determine if we want to live here. We're planning to move to Mendoza from Rio de Janeiro. So we're already accustomed to kinds of the things you haven't experienced yet that you may find annoying. We speak Portuguese which is a lot closer to Spanish than English. We can get by without much trouble.

Remember, being a tourist is easy, being is resident can be very different.

Good luck!

 

[SaraSara]

Mendoza is laid back and friendly, and the climate is wonderful - dry and sunny. Salta is also beautiful, but much smaller.

 

[emilyr]

Here are a list of all the lines that go to Puerto Iguazu. You will need to know the names of the empresas or companies that go because when you walk into Retiro you will be hit with 100s of little stands for purchasing bus tickets, though they are mostly nicely arranged by region of the country.
http://www.omnilineas.com.ar/bus/retiro/puerto-iguazu/ Buses here are a whole different ballgame than Greyhound, comfortable, safe.

You don´t have to stay overnight and could just turn around and sleep again on the bus if you JUST want to see Iguazu. After spending one long enjoyable day at the falls and sunburned, we decided that was definitely enough. Still, turning right back around sounds like it would be a miserable trip to me. Buses are comfortable but not THAT comfortable! There are so many cheap hostels and high season is winding down.

I wanted to post this just to put my two cents in and recommend Rio Uruguay. My fiance and I both agree hands down that it was the best bus trip we have ever taken so far in Argentina-the best line! Best service, best food, best seats, best everything! This is not a scientific or expert opinion by any means and may have been an isolated incident, but we will definitely take them again if headed north.

 

[jp]

Ugh..

We did the 20 hour bus journey to iguazu. Never again. Some bus journeys are great (BA to mendoza for example) but iguazu is just too far to spend sitting in a bus.

The money we saved getting the bus - we lost in time. Needed a day to recover from the trauma of the bus journey.

Treat yourself to flights!

And BA is ace. We moved here blind - had great recommendations from people we trusted, but essentially just took the plunge. 2 years on we still love living here, warts and all. And if it really doesn't work out, there's always home. Not like you have to burn your passports on arrival.

Hope you have an amazing trip

 

[janet&chad]

***UPDATE***
First thank you ALL for your thoughts, suggestions and hearing ALL the comments has been a lesson for sure.
We are arriving in BA spending the first couple days venturing, eating, wine tasting, and supplying our frig with "things". Then headed to meet a wonderful expat in Palermo area who was so kind to show us around on Monday. Tuesday headed to Tigre to do alot of checking out... then Wed meeting more expats in another town... Thurs making sure to check out Plaza de Mayo... after that, not sure.
Wanted to post our tentv schedule so any of you can maybe give us some more suggestions and thoughts.
It's AMAZING how much all of the posts have helped, and I do mean ALL.
We think each of you were great to take time to post and share-even about another country we are not going to ...haha... it was still a great lesson.
The exciting countdown has begun...
Janet & Chad

 

[SaraSara]

First, can we leave off asking the same damned question anytime anyone has something negative to say about Buenos Aires? I.e., "why are you here?", "why don't you go home if you're not happy, etc." I have a reason for this, which I will explain in a moment.

Second, this is an expat website. This is a place for EXPATS to post their honest experiences and feelings and help other expats figure out how best to live here. These are complicated things. Very few people can just say "I love this place and won't worry about the slightest thing that would cause others frustration, etc." At the very least it is common for Americans to complain about everything - INCLUDING THEIR OWN COUNTRY. I post what I honestly feel, always, and sometimes I feel like I have some little "conscience/PC guy" riding my shoulders, in the form of locals who read and post on these forums. I don't feel like I post negative about Argentina, but it sure is honest what I post, as I see things.

For you locals, get off it. If you don't like the comments we make, you don't have to be on this site, or you don't have to read the posts that disturb you. I think that you all provide, usually, honestly beneficial information, which is why I hope you're here. You are a valuable and appreciated resource, but part of our learning to live here is blowing off some steam about the adjustments that have to be made.

I resent (not greatly, but it's there) the feeling that I feel a pressure to not talk honest in a place where talking about these things should be very honest. If I do talk honest, I get the "why do you live here if you don't like it."

Argentina has some real problems and if you can't acknowledge that, you live in a different world than I do or you're simply not being honest. That doesn't mean that the US [or insert any other country here] doesn't have it's own set of problems - they all do. If you were living in the US, I would expect you to complain about things that you didn't like! This isn't anything personal, it's something that people who think about moving here need to know.

Well said, ElQueso. Please, forget about politeness and keep voicing your honest opinions.

As a local and a repat, I don't agree with the "love it or leave it" attitude of many Argentines. Personally, it does not surprise me that people complain about Arg. - rather, it is surprising that some stay here despite BA's shortcomings and inconveniences. Cheap filet Mignon and Malbec wine are not good trade-offs for personal safety, free public libraries, or reliable mail service.

I could go on forever, but we are all familiar with local problems. So, I am curious to know what is it that makes people want to stay, despite all those drawbacks. What makes it worth it for you? For me, it is being near my family.

 

[janet&chad]

WE MADE IT! It's been just what we expected so far... have eaten, had a few drinks, now headed for a nap listening to the hussle and bussel... it will put me to sleep quickly... then out on the town tonight... Citi Bank was great about exchange of US currency too....will keep things updated as much as possible...

Janet & Chad