Featured Country: Argentina Welcome to BootsnAll's first South America Newsletter! As we publish both this and our other regional newsletters, you'll learn about different countries throughout each region, and we'll focus on one country per newsletter. For this debut South America Newsletter, we'll give you info and resources on Argentina, from Argentinian organizations to BootsnAll articles and advice from our own Insiders. Located in southern South America on the coast of the South Atlantic Ocean, Argentina is bordered by Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. The second-largest South American country after Brazil, Argentina's 37 million people live in an area about three-tenths the size of the U.S. The plains of the Pampas cover the northern half of the country, and run to the rolling plateau of Patagonia in the south. The Andes Mountains form the western border, and it is there that you can also find Cerro Aconcagua, at 6,960m (22,835 ft) Argentina's highest point. Capital Buenos Aires lies on the eastern coast, and from South America's southernmost point, frigid Tierra del Fuego, the next port is Antarctica. Argentina is mostly temperate, but arid in the southeast and subantarctic in the southwest. Spanish is the official language, but Argentines also speak English, Italian, German and French. Dosh-wise, the official currency is the Argentine Peso (ARS), and there are 100 centavos to a peso. Current exchange rates (approx.): US$1=ARS.99 AU$1=ARS.51 CA$1=ARS.62 GB£1=ARS1.45 EU€1=ARS.89 Well, those are a few nuts and bolts. Keep reading for more info on Argentina, as well as other travelers' experiences there. What's in this issue? Airfare Deals Featured Content Featured Message Board Thread What Our Insiders Say Links & Resources Tell a Friend and/or What Do You Want? AIRFARE DEALS Brought to you by the BootsnAll TripPlanner Plan and book your round-the-world or multi-continental trip! By the way, we're not talking about air-hotel-and-car-rental stuff, but multi-destination air tickets, so packaged to help get you a better deal. Perhaps you don't like trains or buses; perhaps your schedule is tight; in any case, use BootsnAll's TripPlanner to build your itinerary, not only for getting to South America, but for flying from country to country. Here are some examples we found: $2200 US London - Buenos Aires - Ushuaia - Buenos Aires - Caracas - Miami - London $2800 US Sydney - Buenos Aires - Ushuaia - Buenos Aires - Quito - Mexico City - Los Angeles - Sydney $2400 US San Francisco - Mexico City - Lima - Buenos Aires - Ushuaia - Buenos Aires - Sao Paulo - Los Angeles - San Francisco Now, log on to the TripPlanner and put together an itinerary of the places you want to see! More Specials & Deals The only thing better than flying to South America, is getting a bloody good deal on the ticket. We work with other companies to bring you low, hard-to-beat round-trip fares, to help you fly not only to South America, but to wherever you want to go: BootsnAll Farebeater Hotwire Cheap Ticket Links Back to top FEATURED CONTENT Villages, mountains, the coast, Patagonia, Buenos Aires – BootsnAll writers have been all over Argentina. Here are a few pieces from some of them: Blood on the Rocks - Aconcagua is advertised as the highest trekking peak, but Robert Geier warns that it deserves much more respect than that. Puerto Madryn and the Peninsula Valdes - Philip Blazdell has spent a great deal of time in South America, and he can tell you pretty much all you need to know about this part of Patagonia. Tilcara - It's not just the altitude that takes your breath away in this small village, says Cheryl Morris. We also have travel guides on various places inside Argentina, so be sure to check out those as well. For other articles on Argentina, click the link for travel stories. If you would like to submit an article on your travel experiences, check out our Writer's Guidelines, then send it along. Back to top FEATURED MESSAGE BOARD THREAD Why Not Argentina? On the Central & South America Discussions board, JuanCarlos points out some of the many great things about his country: food, wine, people, and the land itself. This post has been around a while, but what he says remains true. What are some of the other reasons you should travel to Argentina? And how is that steak and wine, anyway? Log in or register your handle, then jump into the discussion and throw down your two centavos on why you should go to Argentina. Be sure to check out the other discussions on our boards as well: http://boards.bootsnall.com/ Back to top WHAT OUR INSIDERS SAY BootsnAll Insiders are a great source of information, and they can tell you what the guidebooks can't. We asked some of our Insiders for their take on Argentina, and here's what they had to say: Cathrin Eszbach, North of Tucuman: Hidden Places When I was in Argentina I spent quite a while in San Pedro de Colalao. The reason: it is missing on almost all travellers' maps and therefore is a beautiful, quiet little town. Accommodation is possible at the "El Balu"; the owners speak Spanish, English and German. The surrounding of San Pedro is amazing. You are amidst beautiful mountains, but there in the valley you can see almost rainforest-like vegetation. I did the walk to the "Puente del Indio", a rock bridge, covered with ferns. Other attractions are the "Piedra Pintada", the carved stone, and a 2-day trip up the winding road onto the mountain. Great view. Philip Blazdell Drink...Drink...Drink Buying beer and wine in Argentina is best done in local stores where a bottle of beer will cost about a dollar and a bottle of wine a little more (water is way more expensive). Buying booze in restaurants is always more expensive, and a beer will set you back about $5. El Calafate: Late Arrival Most buses which arrive at El Calafate arrive close to midnight and the bus station is normally devoid of people offering to rent out rooms, so you are best to book something in advance or spend the night sleeping at the bus station. El Calafate: Banks There are only 2 cashpoints in El Calafate, and both of these are prone to run out of cash or break down over weekends. It's best to arrive with some cash if you are arriving late at night or during the weekend. Eva Peron: Evita Recoleta (Recoleta Cemetery) is the final resting place of Eva Peron. Her tomb is tucked away on one of the side streets and well worth visiting; the rest of the cemetery is also worth a pleasant hour or two. Being a Brit There is still some bitterness about the Falklands war in Argentina, and the older generation may make the odd sarcastic comment to any visiting Brits – it's best to try to take this on the chin, and respect their views on the conflict. Back to top LINKS & RESOURCES Use the following sites to learn more about Argentina, what it offers to travelers, and how to plan your trip. Tierra del Fuego Tourist info for this region at the tip of South America, where people are blue and where you are closer to Antarctica than you are Buenos Aires. We recommend a scarf for surfing. Buenos Aires Hotels Your trip will most likely have you spending time in Buenos Aires, the capital and largest city. The above link can help you learn about and arrange hotel accommodation before you get there. Patagonia-Argentina.com Celebrating "Planet Earth, the way it used to be," look for all the info you could possibly need on Patagonia, from people to climate to eats. Also can be read in español. GoSki Argentina Ski season for the Andes runs June-October, and the folks at GoSki bring you slope and conditions reports from Argentina's major ski destinations. Back to top WRITE AN ARTICLE If you have a story of your own that you would like to submit on Argentina, have a look at BootsnAll's Writer's Guidelines: http://writers.BootsnAll.com And then send it along. We're always looking for new content and new perspectives, and we hope to get yours soon. TELL A FRIEND If you feel that BootsnAll.com is a valuable resource, or that others might think so, please tell your friends about us. As many of you know, we respond personally to every email we receive in an ongoing effort to build a true traveller's community. Many have responded positively. If you have comments both positive and constructive, we would love to hear them. Tell us what we have done well and how we can improve. We would appreciate it greatly. Back to top

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