I have been reading the various threads on EZE and GIG. I am planning a trip to EZE in June. I can stay in SA for two to three weeks. A few questions:

1) I don't speak any Portuguese and only know a little travelers Spanish. Should I stay in Argerntina--mostly BA--and travel around or make a trip up to Rio for a few days? I've never been to SA and will probably not go again soon.

2) I will be using an award ticket. Should I try and open jaw--into EZE out of GIG--and buy a one-way ticket EZE/GIG, of should I fly in and out or EZE and try to find a cheap rt EZE/GIG when I get to BA?

3) I've read about Bayres B&B and Friendly Apratments on FT and have sent a pm to a couple of people, but I'd love to know of any other first hand experience. I think I am leaning toward an apartment, not necessarily through "Friendly," but am curious about the disadvantages for someone like me who doesn't speak Spanish.

1) You do learn the important words really fast. People in BA understand English better than in Rio. You should visit Sao Paulo as well.

2) You do not need to have separate tickets if you want to do an itinerary like that at least if you use United Miles. You are allowed a stop over or open jaw. The stop over is better in this case IMHO.

XXX- EZE (stop over) - GIG (destination) � XXX

Hello OP,

Rio de Janeiro is most spectacular cities I've seen in this world. It's physically stunning. I don't speak a word of Portuguese, but everywhere I travel I do learn how to say "please," "thank you," "good morning," and "are you sure your wife is away for two hours?"

Go to Rio. If you want the hotel to stay at, then I highly recommend the Copacabana Palace Hotel.

There are three major sections to Rio: Ipanema, Copacabana, and Centro. The latter is the downtown. Stay in Ipamema or Copacabana. If you can stay along the beach.

If you like art, on Saturday (I think it's Saturday) nights, they have local artists sell all their work and it's dirt cheap.

I bought 12 piece set of Portuguese china for around $350 -- and it's well made china in Rio Sul shopping center.

Go to Rio!

David

Thanks, you two. It's good to know that I could get around in Rio with a few helpful phrases. I would really hate to miss visiting this beautiful city.

I'm flying on a DL award and they don't have any obvious South American partners unless I could fly TAM using a codeshare on KLM or Air France. I'll have to look into this. Otherwise, I would have to do an open jaw rather than a stopover and buy a ticket between the two cities. I think UA partners with both TAM and LH so that would work if DL were only a part of Star Alliance.

If anyone has knowledge about flight possibilities, please post.

Also, if anyone knows about the B&B mentioned above vs apartments in BA, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

I wouldn't worry about language in either place. Argentines are quick (too quick...) to point out that they are "Europeans" who just happen to live in South America, and are thus well-educated and understand a lot of English. They aren't really impressed if you speak Spanish anyway, although they so like it when foreigners call their Spanish "castellano" instead of "espa�ol" (even though most of the Spanish immigrants came from Galicia and not Castilla). Brazilians, on the other hand, know that few people learn Portuguese and that most assume it is the same as Spanish. Most will be EXTREMELY impressed if you can just say hello and how are you to them. It's an easy way to start up a conversation with a Brazilian ;-)

Taking English classes is a status symbol in Brazil and pretty much anyone in the middle class has at one time or another taken a course, if for no other reason than because everyone else was doing it. The courses are not taught in schools or universities, so they are paying a lot of money for them...

I would recommend spending time in Rio as it is very beautiful and distinctively Latin American (while Bs As is deceptively European), and the people are a little warmer there than in Bs As. But definitely learn a few phrases in Portuguese.

I would not miss RIO. It is one of the world's most beautiful cities! The people are very friendly and is very inexpensive.

I am currently in Buenos Aires, I have been here for 3 months and absolutely love the city! If you are looking for a place to stay I would suggest you contact www.friendlyapartments.com they have great furnished apartments in the best part of the city "RECOLETA".

For an amazing day spa for men check out: Markus Day Spa www.markusformen.com

Now if you want info on clubs here...

Thursday: Club 69
Friday: Drinks... Bulnes Class. Dancing... Glam
Saturday: Pacha and then Amerika (starts at 3am)
Sunday: Palacio and then Amerika

I would stay at the Orla Hotel in between the Ipanema and Copabana beaches. Check out their website. Remember no flashy jewellery and expensive watches in Rio. Nice city really hot people. I will be doing that rout myself in October. Flying from YYZ and into GRU and then onto GIG and EZE and back to GRU. All ticketed separately, that is, the GRU-GIG-EZE-GRU will be a separate tkt. Good luck and no you do not need to know Portuguese, simple words like Obrigado(thank you), etc will be nice. Have fun. ^

Total consensus: DONT MISS RIO DE JANEIRO, the wonderful city!

I'm flying on a DL award and they don't have any obvious South American partners unless I could fly TAM using a codeshare on KLM or Air France

DL has daily nonstop flights GIG-ATL, so no problem, you can fly to EZE and return from GIG.

From EZE to GIG you better book your ticket in advance because flighst are usually fully booked. You have the following options:

AR: operates twice daily nonstop
RG: operates twice daily nonstop
GOL: operates daily with stop-over in GRU (probably the cheapest option. You can buy your ticket online if you live abroad with AA cards: www.voegol.com.br GOL is a LCC.
TAM: one weekly nonstop on Saturdays (dep. EZE 3am arrives GIG 6am), flight will be increased to daily in June/06. Two daily via GRU.

Alternative, you may fly EZE-GRU with LH B747 or BA B747 and buy a separate ticket GRU-GIG with TAM, RG or GOL.

Hope the info was useful.

Rgs,

Both cities are worth visiting. very few people speak English in either place, but you will be OK regardless. Air travel is relatively expensive in South America so try to get both destinations on one ticket. Friendly Apartments offer great service but they have become very popular so during the high season they are not always able to offer a wide selection. I have had very good experiences with them though so it's definitely worth checking what they can offer you. I believe they mauy also have some apartments in Rio. Also check with Carlos Contini. I rented from him on my last tip and he was very attentive and professional. Highly recommended! His email address is [email protected]. Send me a PM if you want me to make a personal referral for you since I have good relationships with both of these agents. Not sure if it would make any difference or not, but it couldn't hurt.

You guys are great. I've decided I'm gonna go to both cities even if I end up traveling alone. Thanks for the direct answers. I would still like to hear about Bayres B&B. I think Catwood may have stayed there, so maybe I'll hear from him. Again, thanks. I'm really pumped. Oh. BTW. I guess June will be winter in BA. Any thoughts on packing?

Winter in BA is much like winter in SF--not terribly cold but some chilly days. You can buy really nice leather jackets at very good prices down there. Don't bring too much clothes. It's cheap to buy there.

Hello Sushibear,

I was there in late July and I remember that during the day the weather was hot (80s?) but at 5 PM, the skies turned dark -- a bit chilly -- and the air was gritty. Weird. I even got a tan during the day just by walking around.

Seeksreal is right in that you can buy clothes there.

My preference is Rio Sul Shopping Center. It's five or six story shopping center. A ton of stores. I cold kick myself for not buying Christofle silverware. I guess I have to go back!

David

I've read about Bayres B&B and Friendly Apratments on FT and have sent a pm to a couple of people, but I'd love to know of any other first hand experience. I think I am leaning toward an apartment, not necessarily through "Friendly," but am curious about the disadvantages for someone like me who doesn't speak Spanish.


You didn't mention if you were traveling on your own or with someone. It would be my personal preference if traveling alone and with limited spanish to stay at B&B. The personalized attention and the fact that there is someone there who you can speak to and ask questions, is IMHO very good. Traveling alone I prefer a B&B to meet people and to ask questions, its always nice after a full day out sightseeing to come back and be offered a cup of coffee and be able to chat with someone. But that's just my preference.

I have stayed at Bayers, last year and the year before. Carlos and Marcelo and their staff are fantastic! The place is nice, and I have always met other travelers to go to dinner, daytrips, etc. Marcelo speaks great English, but the rest of the staff doesn't.

Bayers is located a bit out from the center, but pretty close to all the cool restaraunts and shops in Palermo. The bus stops one block away and the metro is a ten minute walk. And no one in BS AS know the party scene better than Marcelo.

This year, I stayed at B&B opened by a freind of mine. It is right in the center of the city. It is not exclusively gay, but rather gay freindly. See www.liheul-calel.com

Feel free to PM if any questions

Thanks once more for all of the helpful info. I think all of my major questions have been answered. And I do love leather jackets. Planning to buy one down there as well as a few other things makes a lot of sense.

The chances that I will be traveling aone are 50/50. I have a friend who would like to go, but he may not be able to make a decision for sure until the last minute. We both have our award tickets, though, so at least that's taken care of. If I am by myself, I think the B&B advice is good. If I am down there for a couple of weeks by myself, having other tavelers and the owners to interact with would be a plus.

Thanks again to all of you for taking the time to post. I'm sure there are others who will find all of the thoughts helpful, as well. It seems like half of the people I know are going to Argentina this year. I'm getting really excited. I think my next step will be finding a community course in traveler's Spanish.

I *loved* Buenos Aires, but amazingly and contrarily enough, the one thing I was unimpressed with was the shopping. It was either as expensive as I could find (if you know where to look) in NYC or if cheaper, of lower quality. I brought home two belts, each cost $24 US. Maybe I just didn't know where to go.

Love or hate the shopping, I can't wait for a chance to return.