Pedestrians: As noted here, stop signs are rare in the capital city of Argentina. In place of one there may be a speed bump to prevent full speed crashes, but more often than not avoiding accidents takes luck and courage. With several cars coming from both (as opposed to 4, since most streets are one way) directions, who has the right of way? The speeding cab, the speeding bus, or you, the pedestrian on foot? In the states this answer is easy: the pedestrian. Here in Buenos Aires, not so much. Try expecting traffic to stop for you (or at least slow down) when you cross the street and instead be faced with a blaring horn and a heavy foot on the gas pedal. I hope you have your running shoes on. And health insurance. Your best bet when crossing the street is to wait until one way is clear, and cars coming from the other way are slowing down for the speed bump. Another option is to run across in the same direction of whichever cars have decided to go. And I say "decided" because there doesn't seem to be any method of taking turns.Cabs: Available cabs will have their red "Libre" light on in the front windshield. Cabs are fairly easy to flag down, especially on main streets. There will always be a line of them slowly driving past bus stops in hopes that people will get impatient waiting for the bus or realize they don't have enough monedas (coins). Pay attention to where you're going so you don't get taken for a ride, especially if you're obviously a foreigner, which is almost always obvious even if you speak the language. As far as tipping, just round up to the next peso. Take the above no-stop-sign-lesson into account and wear your seatbelt!
Subte: With all the lines starting downtown and branching out into the city, the subway layout is not the most practical, but luckily there will be a bus to take you anywhere the subte doesn't (see below). One-way on the subte is AR$1.10, no matter where you're going. There are no machines to buy your ticket from, but instead you go up to the ticket window, and bills are accepted as well as coins (but save your monedas if you can). Specify how many viajes (trips) you want and usually receive one ticket for each. Once you enter the platform you don't need your ticket anymore. Trains usually arrive within a few minutes of each other. Especially during rush hour expect to be packed like sardines in the hot cars. Make sure to watch your bag, as this can be a prime spot for pickpocketers.Bus: The bus is tricky and takes some time to master. First things first: buy a Guia T, which is the bus guide and also a map of the city, at any newsstand. Extremely intimidating at first with all the maps, lines, and hundreds of routes, it actually makes perfect sense once you understand it. There are bus routes
down almost every street and luckily they run all night, since the subte closes at 10PM. There's no schedule since you never have to wait more than a few minutes for one. Buses only take coins and there's currently a coin shortage in the city, hence all the talk of saving monedas above. Get on and either specify your direction to the driver, or say "uno, viente" or AR$1.20, which is the standard fair. If you're going less than 10 blocks it's AR$1.10.. but I'd save your coins and walk. Put your coins in the machine and retrieve your ticket. If you're the last one on and there's a line for the machine, step in as far as you can because the driver will continue on even with the door open, as long as no one is still waiting on the curb. When your stop is coming up hit the button that says "timbre" and wait near the exit because the bus will only stop for a couple seconds, if that. While on the bus, hold on tight. Like the rest of transportation in BA, it's a bumpy ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment