Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 48

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Making local phone calls in Argentina is
cheap and easy. In cities and towns, you
are never far from a locutorio . It's worth
asking about phone cards offering cheap
minutes if you are planning to make a
number of national calls . Mobile calls are
expensive, but mildly cheaper if calling
someone with the same phone company.
The main ones are Claro, Personal and
Movistar. If you're in Argentina for more
than a couple of weeks, you may want
to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card (chip)
to avoid extortionate roaming fees on
your mobile.
Cheap internet cafés are everywhere in
Argentina and, in all but the most remote
areas, the connections are fairly fast.
Many cafés and restaurants, as well as
most hotels and hostels, have free wi-fi.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Ambulance T 107
Fire T 100
Police T 101
Tourist Police T 011 4346 5748

one down, rather than take a waiting cab,
particularly in affluent or tourist areas.
Avoid walking around the quieter
neighbourhoods after dark, and be
especially wary near the main bus and
train stations in Once, Retiro and
Constitución; avoid carrying valuables
around with you. In La Boca, stick to
the main touristy areas like the Caminito
- the non-touristy part is to be avoided
and is considered dangerous. In the rare
event of being held up at gunpoint, don't
play the hero.
Theft from hotels is rare but, as
anywhere else in the world, do not leave
valuables lying round the room (most
have a safe). Some hostels have lockers;
it's worth having a padlock of your own.
Drugs attract far more stigma than in
most European countries, and Argentine
society at large draws very little in the
way of a line between “acceptable” soft
drugs and “unacceptable” hard drugs.
Although they are commonly found in
clubs and bars, you're advised to steer
clear of buying or partaking yourself
- the penalties are stiff if you get caught.

CRIME AND SAFETY
Argentina is one of the continent's safest
countries and, as long as you take a few
basic precautions, you are unlikely to
encounter any problems during your stay.
Indeed, you'll find many of the more
rural parts of the country pretty much
risk-free: people leave doors unlocked,
windows open and bikes unchained.
More care should be taken in large
cities and some of the border towns,
particularly the northeastern ones, where
poverty and easily available arms and
drugs make opportunistic crime a more
common occurrence. Some potential
pitfalls are outlined here, not to induce
paranoia but on the principle that to be
forewarned is to be forearmed.
By Argentine standards, Buenos Aires
is currently suffering something of a
crime wave, and incidents of violence
and armed robbery are definitely on
the increase. It's sometimes difficult to
know how much local anxiety is due to
a genuine increase in crime and how
much to middle-class paranoia, a lot
of it provoked by sensationalist news
channels. But, in general, serious crime
tends to affect locals more than tourists.
Nevertheless, you should not take
unmarked taxis. If possible, it is better to
call a radio taxi (hotels and restaurants
will be happy to do this for you), or flag

HEALTH
Health issues are rarely a problem in
Argentina, which has a generally good
health service and clean drinking water.
Vaccines are not really needed, but if
you're planning on significant travel
in rural areas within Salta, Jujuy or
Misiones provinces, malaria tablets are
recommended. Yellow fever vaccinations
should be considered before visiting
forested areas in the north of Argentina,
including Iguazú Falls. All travellers over
1 year of age are advised to ensure they
have the hepatitis A vaccination at least
two weeks before arrival. If you're
heading off the beaten track, vaccinations
against typhoid and rabies are also
recommended.