Buenos Aires - Argentina - page 70

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offer limited mailing ser vices. The purple-signed and ubiquit ous OCA ( & 0800/
999-7700; www.oca.com.ar) is a privat e postal ser vice that can mail it ems overseas.
Safety If f ormer pr esident Geor ge W. Bush 's daught ers, surr ounded b y S ecret
Service and local cops, can still get r obbed, as they did in 2006, it sa ys a lot about
crime in Buenos Air es. Visitors need t o be a ware at all times . Crime in Buenos
Aires—especially pickpocketing, robberies, and car thef ts—has increased sharply
in recent years as the ec onomy has c ollapsed and br ought naive tourists search-
ing for bargains. Still it's generally safe to walk around Recoleta, Palermo, and the
MicroCentro both da y and night. S ome t ourist areas deemed saf e b y da y, such
as La Boca, should be a voided at night. Be car eful at night when in San Telmo,
especially in out door restaurants. Never leave a bag or purse unatt ended or on
the ground. (Though official accounts differ and/or deny the Bush daughters were
robbed at all, the method by which they were likely hoodwinked was the “soccer”
method: A purse on the g round under a chair is k icked to another thief who then
takes it a way.) I also w ould warn t ourists against walk ing ar ound at night in
Monserrat, though with incr easing gentrification and t ourist spillo ver fr om San
Telmo, the ar ea will c ontinue t o bec ome saf er. Visitors should walk in pairs or
groups when possible and a void the c onspicuous appearance of being a t ourist.
Do not flaunt expensiv e possessions, par ticularly jewelry. Call for a radio -taxi or
remise when leaving a place of business. The number-one rule is that thieves take
advantage of naiveté and opportunity, but real violence is unlikely. Pickpocketing
is likely to be your top problem, so be careful in large crowds, subways, and buses,
and especially when wat ching street per formers.
Taxes The 21% sales tax (or VAT) is alr eady included in the sales pric e of y our
purchase. Foreign tourists are entitled t o a VAT tax r eturn for certain purchases
over 70 pesos, but you must request a refund check at the time of pur chase from
participating shops (the shop should displa y a “Global Refund ” logo). Bef ore
departing the c ountry, pr esent these r efund checks (in voices) t o C ustoms, and
then your credit card will be cr edited for the r efund, or y ou'll receive a check b y
mail. Be a ware when check ing into hotels that the post ed or spoken pric e may
or may not r eflect this tax, so make sur e to ask f or clarification.
Taxis See “Getting Around,” above.
Telephone Unless y ou ar e calling fr om y our hot el (which will be expensiv e), the
easiest way to place calls in Buenos Aires is by going to a locutorio or telecentro, found
on nearly ev ery city block. Private glass booths allo w you to place as many calls as
you like by dialing directly, after which you pay an attendant. A running met er tells
you what you'll owe. Most locutorios also have fax machines and broadband Internet
computers. Calls to the U.S. or Canada run about a peso or less per minut e.
Although some c oin-operated public phones still exist in Buenos Air es, most
require a calling car d, available at k iosks, which ar e specifically branded f or the
various communication companies. Local calls, like all others , are charged by the
minute. Dial & 110 for information and & 000 to reach an int ernational opera-
tor. To dial another number in Ar gentina from Buenos Air es, dial the ar ea c ode
first, then the local number ; this applies t o cellular numbers too. Note: If you call
someone's c ellular phone in Ar gentina, the call is also char ged t o y ou and can
cost significantly more than a standar d land-line call .

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