[Alpha Mind]

I'm planning on leaving Texas for several months in Jan/Feb....

I would love to hear opinions on which is a better destination for 2-3 months.

I'll be traveling alone and living on at least 2K per month from my web business.

It seems that apartments in Argentina are substantially more expensive than all other living costs, but I do have a female friend down there who speaks fluent Spanish, so who knows. Obviously, my money will go further in Thailand.

Thoughts and considerations?

[lew]

Not many Argentines speak English so I would go to Thailand if you don't have decent Spanish skills.

[skua]

Why are you going and what are you planning on doing? There are a lot of ways to spend 2-3months, especially if you're spending 2-3kusd/mo.

I haven't been to Argentina yet but from reading various travelblogs and conversing with backpackers, I can compare it with Thailand, where I spent almost a year (in that time I've probably seen more of the country than most Thais, which isn't hard if you don't settle down, but just saying).

The angle I'll try to flesh out is the game/foreign flags one:
If the trip is about this, both countries have differing ideals of beauty, and it's worth thinking about optimizing based on that.

Main points I can think of:
1-If you are on the short side and your game isn't at a level where approaching a girl much taller than you alters nothing, shorter (on avg) asian girls will be better from a numbers perspective.
2-language barrier issues won't differ significantly if you don't go too far from the main tourist cities. can probably pipeline both pretty well, if thats your thing. not mine fwiw.
3-physically, apart from height: pale skinned asians are the ideal in thailand, I believe a darker tanned look is more sought after in Argentina.
that should get you started. theres probably a lot more information out there, even on this forum, about the differences im pointing out. may depend on your preference of women. I'll say I think for the average caucasian, average height/build, this is kind of a wash.

hope that helps,

[Alpha Mind]

It's just time to travel around, spend a few months abroad, and chase tail.

After staying up wayyyy too last night reading various threads on this forum, I may want to travel around more, as opposed to staying in 1 country.

Thanks for the input.

[Armenian]

(08-02-2012 12:04 AM)Alpha Mind Wrote:  

I'm planning on leaving Texas for several months in Jan/Feb....

I would love to hear opinions on which is a better destination for 2-3 months.

I'll be traveling alone and living on at least 2K per month from my web business.

It seems that apartments in Argentina are substantially more expensive than all other living costs, but I do have a female friend down there who speaks fluent Spanish, so who knows. Obviously, my money will go further in Thailand.

Thoughts and considerations?

I spent a few weeks in Argentina back in December. Went to Mendoza, Cordoba and Buenos Aires.

If you are white, you will look like one of them. I often got asked for directions while in Buenos Aires.

Argentina have some of the most beautiful women in the world. Not too many fatties. They are obsessed with their looks. They dress well. Plastic surgery is very popular but they don't over do it with the gigantic porn star size breasts.

Cordoba is a student city. Lots and lots of young good looking girls. If you arrive in January/February it probably will be dead as school is out for the summer.

The younger girls are more receptive to foreign guys because they probably haven't met too many yet.

In Buenos Aires, Recoleta is a rich neighbourhood with hot women everywhere.

Argentinian girls are not easy. One night stands don't happen or they are rare. I had little time to travel so I wasn't staying more than 5 days in one place. I suggest you stay in one place for some time so you can date a girl. If a girl asks how long you are staying, lie or be vague about it. If you are not staying for long, she will lose interest.

Some gringo friendly bars in Buenos Aires that I liked were Gibraltar in San Telmo and The Shamrock in Recoleta.
Gibraltar is a pub with lots of English speaking expats going there. Go there on weekends late.
Shamrock gets pretty busy after work hours.
I don't recommend clubs. I wouldn't recommend clubs anywhere in the world.

If you have a female friend there, try to meet girls through her social circle.

Argentinians are good people to know on a personal basis. They are very confident, social, enjoy to party but overall they are arrogant douchebags who think they are better than everyone and they take pride in this. They are proud to have a don't give a shit type of attitude.

[travelbangenjoy]

Having been to both here's what I would say. If you like a challenge go to Argentina. If you want it easy go to Thailand.

Quote:

Argentinians are good people to know on a personal basis. They are very confident, social, enjoy to party but overall they are arrogant douchebags who think they are better than everyone and they take pride in this. They are proud to have a don't give a shit type of attitude.

Yeah I found this too. They think everything Argentinian is the best in the world, steak, wine, beer, coffee, women, nightlife, food etc. In some cases they aren't far off but it's not true that everything is the best. Don't tell an Argentinian that though.

[Armenian]

(08-02-2012 11:14 AM)travelbangenjoy Wrote:  

Having been to both here's what I would say. If you like a challenge go to Argentina. If you want it easy go to Thailand.

Quote:

Argentinians are good people to know on a personal basis. They are very confident, social, enjoy to party but overall they are arrogant douchebags who think they are better than everyone and they take pride in this. They are proud to have a don't give a shit type of attitude.

Yeah I found this too. They think everything Argentinian is the best in the world, steak, wine, beer, coffee, women, nightlife, food etc. In some cases they aren't far off but it's not true that everything is the best. Don't tell an Argentinian that though.

Their steaks were good. Quilmes beer is shit.

And they always have to one up you. A girl suggested I watch a certain movie, I suggested one from my country (Canada), then she enthusiastically suggested one from Argentina. If I would have continued, this could have lasted forever.

What I gathered from some Argentinians and some travelers is that Argentina has no future. Politically and economically they are a mess. They see themselves as a first world country but they have third world problems. The trains in Buenos Aires are shit. One broke down when I was on it and earlier this year there was a train who's brakes failed and 49 people died. They have a lot of economic restrictions. Argentinians cannot buy US dollars. Their 2 and 5 peso bills look like year old used kleenex. A lot of theft and gun crime.

Why do they waste their time with issues such as women or gay rights when they have all these other problems they should address first?

[Alpha Mind]

Interesting.

Looks like I'll probably end up going to Thailand instead. My money will unquestionably go substantially further there.

Does being tall, white, and handsome land you the same kind of points as it does in Taipei?

Soooo glad I found this forum. I can't believe I've been missing out on this..

[travelbangenjoy]

Quote:

Their steaks were good. Quilmes beer is shit.

The steaks and wine are amongst the best in the world but their beer is shit (Quilmes tastes foul), their coffee isn't up to scratch compared to other parts of Latin America, their women are pretty and in good shape but stuck up and arrogant, the food has no variety it's just steak or involves cheese and ham with no vegetables or fruit (I got sick of all of it) and the night life isn't good it just doesn't kick off to stupidly late i.e. clubs opening at 3am and staying open till 10am but what is the point, does no one have anywhere to go the next day?

[Armenian]

(08-02-2012 07:47 PM)travelbangenjoy Wrote:  

Quote:

Their steaks were good. Quilmes beer is shit.

The steaks and wine are amongst the best in the world but their beer is shit (Quilmes tastes foul), their coffee isn't up to scratch compared to other parts of Latin America, their women are pretty and in good shape but stuck up and arrogant, the food has no variety it's just steak or involves cheese and ham with no vegetables or fruit (I got sick of all of it) and the night life isn't good it just doesn't kick off to stupidly late i.e. clubs opening at 3am and staying open till 10am but what is the point, does no one have anywhere to go the next day?

All true.

I don't know how they keep in such good shape with a diet that consists of mostly meat and bread and no vegetables or fruit. Typical breakfast is bread with dulce de leche and coffee. There is lack of variety in restaurants but I found their food tastes better than in North America.
According to a report by The Economist, they are not that active either. Must have good genes to not have the obesity problems like in North America.
Although they do know how to live life. Eat dinner at around 10pm and go out at midnight until 6 am and no last call at the bars.

[travelbangenjoy]

The lack of choice in food was an annoyance. Everything seemed to involve cheese and ham, it was on baguettes, in pastries, on pizza, in pasta or you could eat steak. I love ham and cheese and steak. I hated it after a couple weeks in Argentina.

I'm all for bars and clubs being open as late as people want to party but I didn't like that bars would be quiet until 1am and clubs wouldn't get busy until 2/3am. If I want to go out at night I get bored waiting until midnight to start getting ready or I'm blind drunk by that point. It doesn't work for me. Partying until 10am meant the next day didn't happen.

[lew]

Yeah I agree - the food is terrible and limited in Argentina. Though you can get good cheap cocaine there which is probably why people can party into the morning.

[travelbangenjoy]

The coke was the worst I tried in all of South America, it was usually just amphetamine and once I'm sure it was MDMA I was sold (nice surprise). Coke was much better in Bolivia and Peru, the real deal, and cheaper too except strangely at the infamous Route 36 cocaine bar in La Paz which actually sold meth. Couldn't work that one out.

[Belize King]

Honestly you do your research the answer is too easy. Three questions you can ask yourself and you will have your answer.
How much do you want to get laid... How much money to blow... How strong is your Spanish...

If you want to get laid then dont go to Arge. Not saying you will never get laid but if you go for three months do you want to smash 3-5 birds or 15-20? Plus the tourist you will have access to in Thailand. If you arent going only to smash then maybe Arge could be better.

2K is a good amount but in BKK you are living large. Do you want to drop 40-60 dollars a day on food if you dont cook yourself or 15-25 on some Thai, Chinese? Plus you have a chance to hit up Vietnam, Cambodia, and Philippines isnt too far away and just as cheap.

Finally, is your Spanish strong. If you read the threads, you see that Arge women are mostly social circle, arent overly friendly, and dont care for English too much.

In my eyes the choice is easy. Although, in SA you could visit other countries what countries would you really be interested in seeing? Brazil and Columbia. Maybe Santiago and Lima. Other than that there isnt much. Plus your really on vacation it seems so I would want to smash everything in site and be able to party. Seem like you need to put in work for the women. If your up for a challenge, maybe Argentina is for you. In my eyes BA is a side trip from SP. Only a 3 day visit at the most. Thats just me.

I guess if you arent into Asian chicks then maybe the choice isnt that simple.

[Don_Johnson]

(08-02-2012 12:07 PM)Armenian Wrote:  

Why do they waste their time with issues such as women or gay rights when they have all these other problems they should address first?

There is a strain of Marxism that originated in the works of Leon Trotsky that demands more than what Marx actually advocates. It is not simply capitalists versus workers. Trotsky extrapolated from this the concept of oppressor and oppressed, and it quickly merged with every "ism" you could think of. Men oppress women. Whites oppress blacks. Strait white men oppress queers. As much of the "oppression" is not volitional, you need broad, pseudo-religious indoctrination - what we today call political correctness.

Particularly after the Cultural Revolution in China, actual Communist regimes were very quick to severely curtail this strain of Marxism.

But the elites in Anglosphere realized they could use this system to their advantage. Instead of everyone focusing on the capitalists, or shalll we say the corrupt elite in general, they blame all of society's problems on racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.

[whosyourdaddy]

Just curious, women aside, how is the quality of life in Argentina? Like setting up shop in Mendoza or Cordoba? So the food isn't that great, i didn't find the food in Thailand to be that amazing either, although it was decently healthy.

I'd imagine being able to find more locals to party/spend time with. When i travelled in Mexico in the early 2000's, the Argies i met were quite friendly. A lot more friendly than Europeans. I'd imagine hanging in cafes, going out at night, etc would be a lot more fun in Argentina, again the issue of banging women aside.

And i'd imagine prices outside BA wouldn't be that much higher than in Thailand?

The one advantage to Argentina over other Latin American countries like Brazil/Colombia/Peru, is that you're not likely to be shot/murdered, although i'm sure property theft, muggings and petty crime are probably rampant.

[momolove]

I've lived in BA for almost 5 years, but have spent limited time in Cordoba, Mendoza, and other parts of Argentina, so I can only really give my opinion on BA. Never been to Thailand.

First, BA IS expensive. While it's a bargain compared to other large cities like NY or London, Argentina is still getting hit by 20-25% annual inflation. If you have dollars, you can trade them at black market exchange houses at get a 6 peso to 1 dollar rate instead of the normal 4.5 peso to 1 dollar rate, but you have to be willing to take the risk of trying to communicate with these people in Spanish, as I doubt they speak much English.

However, your rental contract (if you rent your own apartment) will be in dollars, so you will not save anything there. A temporary studio apartment with everything included will be about $800/month with everything included, so not particularly cheap. You can rent a room in a nice area of town for $400-$500/month. 2k/month is more than enough to get by in BA assuming. You just have to be more careful than probably in Thailand.

The Porteñas (girls born and raised in BA) ARE stuck-up and think their shit doesn't stink, but want to fuck just like any other human being. You win major points being a foreigner since most Argentine dudes don't have a fucking clue and the local women hate them, but it is normally just that: points -- not a guarantee. It's ridiculously easy to make-out with a chick at a party, club or bar (which like someone said above get going around 1am and don't close until about 7am), but fuck on the first night is somewhat uncommon. If you do get their number and manage to get a date (a TON flake. Argentine people IN GENERAL flake all the time), they'll almost always fuck on the first date. They're not going to be as submissive and foreigner lovestruck as the Thai women, but they are fun to flirt and talk to. Most young people in BA speak passable English. Not so much in Cordoba or other cities in Argentina. To me, however, learning the language is part of the fun, and it's FUN to struggle and flirt with cute little 18 year old Argentine girls in broken Spanish. They absolutely love it, and I kind of wish I could sometimes go back to the days where I didn't fluently speak Spanish

The women are hot and in good shape.

The people in BA are, for a big city, quite nice, although they do have the big city asshole-ness/Argentine arrogance. You might enjoy Cordoba or Mendoza as Argentine people outside of the Buenos Aires capital are some of the most warm, friendly, and gracious people I've ever met. The majority of my friends here in BA are Argentines from outside of Buenos Aires who came to the city to study/work.

The steak is good, Quilmes does suck, and the food is kind of bland, but I love it here.

[travelbangenjoy]

Quote:

Why do they waste their time with issues such as women or gay rights when they have all these other problems they should address first?

I think they just love to protest. When I was there I stayed near that massive boulevard (I cannot think what it's called right now, but apparently the biggest in the world) and there were protests, marches and hunger strikes every day for 2 weeks about different things each day. I think they just love to exercise their freedom, maybe something to do with them being a former communist state.

Quote:

The one advantage to Argentina over other Latin American countries like Brazil/Colombia/Peru, is that you're not likely to be shot/murdered, although i'm sure property theft, muggings and petty crime are probably rampant

I spent 2 weeks in BA and I met about 10 people who were mugged in that time, mostly at knife or gun point, often in broad day light. I probably met around the same amount of people who were robbed in Rio / Brazil in the space of 3 months but met no one who was robbed or had any trouble in Peru where I spent a month. In Thailand I've never met a single person who has been robbed or mugged. Haven't heard of anyone being shot or murdered in any of them.

[chochemonger1]

(08-04-2012 07:39 PM)travelbangenjoy Wrote:  

Quote:

Why do they waste their time with issues such as women or gay rights when they have all these other problems they should address first?

I think they just love to protest. When I was there I stayed near that massive boulevard (I cannot think what it's called right now, but apparently the biggest in the world) and there were protests, marches and hunger strikes every day for 2 weeks about different things each day. I think they just love to exercise their freedom, maybe something to do with them being a former communist state.

Quote:

The one advantage to Argentina over other Latin American countries like Brazil/Colombia/Peru, is that you're not likely to be shot/murdered, although i'm sure property theft, muggings and petty crime are probably rampant

I spent 2 weeks in BA and I met about 10 people who were mugged in that time, mostly at knife or gun point, often in broad day light. I probably met around the same amount of people who were robbed in Rio / Brazil in the space of 3 months but met no one who was robbed or had any trouble in Peru where I spent a month. In Thailand I've never met a single person who has been robbed or mugged. Haven't heard of anyone being shot or murdered in any of them.

Lets simplify things. If you want to bang like a champ, with cute young women, then go to Thailand or the Philippines. If you want headaches, blue balls, hysterics, sexual represion, seeing but not banging regularly with the local hot women, and prefer steak and wine to poon, then please go to Argentina.

[Merenguero]

I would pick Thailand in a heartbeat. Like some other posters here, I used to live in Argentina. Argentina has many positive and negative qualities. Unfortunately, people tend to only concentrate on its negative qualities in this thread and others. The vast majority of information I have received on Thailand has been completely positive. It is a no-brainer.