Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 46

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known as a bombilla , is a whole world unto
itself, with special rules of etiquette and
ritual involved. It is almost exclusively
drunk at home.
Argentina's beer is more thirst-
quenching than alcoholic and mostly
comes as fairly bland lager. The Quilmes
brewery dominates the market with lagers
such as Cristal; in Mendoza, the Andes
brand crops up all over the place; while
Salta's own brand is also good. Most
breweries also produce a cerveza negra ,
a kind of stout. Patagonia produces some
excellent artisanal ales, some of them
available in bottles. If you want draught
beer ask for a chopp or a liso .
Argentine wine is excellent and
reasonably priced - try the Malbec grape
variety. The locally distilled aguardientes
or firewaters are often deliciously grapey.
There is no national alcoholic drink or
cocktail, but a number of Italian
vermouths and digestifs are made in
Argentina. Fernet Branca is the most
popular, a demonic-looking brew the
colour of molasses with a rather bitter,
medicinal taste, invariably combined
with cola, whose colour it matches,
and consumed in huge quantities by
students and young people.

NATIONAL PARK
INFORMATION
The National Park Headquarters at
Santa Fe 690 in Buenos Aires (Mon-Fri
8am-2pm; T 011 4311 0303, W parques
nacionales.gov.ar) has an information
o ce with introductory leaflets on the
nation's parks. A wider range of free leaflets
is available at each individual park, but
these are of variable quality, and limited
funding means that many parks give you
only ones with a basic map and a brief
park description. Contact the headquarters
well in advance if you are interested in
voluntary or scientific projects.

contexts, Argentines greet with one kiss
on the cheek (men included), even on
first meeting.
Table manners follow the Western norm
and, in general, visitors are unlikely to
find any huge culture shock in Argentine
etiquette. Service in shops or restaurants is
generally very courteous and conversations
should be started with “buen día”, “buenas
tardes” or “buenas noches”.

SPORTS AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES
Argentina is a highly exciting destination
for outdoors enthusiasts, whether you're
keen to tackle radical rock faces or prefer
to appreciate the vast open spaces at a
more gentle pace, hiking or on horseback.
World-class fly-fishing, horseriding,
trekking and rock-climbing options
abound, as do opportunities for
white-water rafting, skiing, ice climbing,
and even - for those with sufficient
stamina and preparation - expeditions
onto the Southern Patagonian Icecap.
The Patagonian Andes provide the focus
for most of these activities - particularly
the area of the central Lake District
around Bariloche and El Calafate/El
Chaltén, but Mendoza and the far
northwest of the country, around Salta
and Jujuy, are also worth considering for
their rugged mountain terrain. If you're
keen on any of the above activities (bar
angling, of course), take out appropriate
insurance cover before leaving home.

CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
Argentines are generally friendly,
outgoing and incredibly welcoming to
foreigners. In all but the most formal

ARGENTINE WINE
Argentina is the world's fifth-largest
producer of wine, and more than
three-quarters of the stuff flows out
of Mendoza . Enjoying around three
hundred days of sunshine a year and
a prime position at the foothills of the
Andes, Mendoza's high-altitude vineyards
are now producing premium vintages on
a par with Chile's. The idyllic desert climate
(cool nights, little rain and low humidity)
works especially well for reds: Malbec
- brought over from Bordeaux - is
Argentina's star grape, producing rich
fruity flavours that go down superbly well
with the ubiquitous steak.