Expat / Nomad Life in BA

[Oatmeal]

Hello all. I wanted to introduce myself as I am a new forum member. Browsing on my phone last night I found this site, immediately bookmark for this morning to create an account. I am not sure if I am an expat or a nomad (mix of both), however I might fall in the category of geographical arbitrage. I work remote and for the past 4 years live in Colombia, prior in the US. While my time has been overall good, the reality, I do not think Colombia is the place for me long term (too much to list). I had been planning and wanting to purchase a home but those plans are out the window. So this past year my GF and I have been discussion our next steps. Buenos Aires is high on our list. I've never been to BA but we are visiting next month.

I would love to hear other expats/nomad's experience living in BA? Pros? Cons? For me looking from outside, culture and international cuisine is plentiful. This is something lacking in my current location. Crime seems to be slightly lower than in Colombia. Oh, I do love Amazon and sending stuff from the US, but this sounds like not a possibility? Anyway.. any perspective would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[earlyretirement]

Welcome to our forum. Do you remember how you found the forum? It would be great if people can spread the word. I had some members of this forum told me they tried to mention my forum on the www.BAExpats.org website and the owner, immediately banned them. Please everyone spread the word over at the BAExpats.org forum and let them know the funner, cooler, better looking version of them has arrived.

My forum is much more powerful and utilizing tagging technology and you can bookmark your favorite articles.

I don't think it matters what you label yourself. Expat or digital nomad. The one thing we all share in common is our love and passion and desire to come visit or live in Buenos Aires.

Colombia is mostly dumpy. Sure there are some OK towns. My wife is originally from Colombia and I traveled around many cities in Colombia. You will like Buenos Aires much better than any city In Colombia. Buenos Aires is a world-class city.

I don't have any cons at all about Buenos Aires. Especially if you're coming from Colombia. Food there is mostly fried and there isn't a large variety of food. After all, there are only so many empanadas and arrepas you can eat there! Buenos Aires has a wide variety of international cuisine. I find most of Colombia totally overrated and it's not that cheap either.

The friendliest people are from Cali but the city is a dump and ugly. Cartagena is beautiful but it gets old after a while and very touristy. It's too small for me. Bogota is a traffic clogged mess! Medellin is probably the best of the bunch but the locals are getting tired of Expats there and it's not that cheap. I couldn't stand it for too long. Buenos Aires is a REAL city.

The Argentine version of Amazon.com is www.mercadolibre.com. It works very good but you can't set up an account as a non local without ID but odds are all of your local friends will have an account so you can just pay them cash. I do that all the time for our rental guests.

 

[Oatmeal]

Hey earlyretirement! I found this site from a post on reddit. I was searching 'buying a home in Argentina' and found a really nice comment and this was how I found this place. You are correct about Colombia, I currently reside in Medellin. However, objectively it is really hard to trust people, doing anything here can be an exercise in frustration. What I mean by this is there is no trust and everything is always done incorrectly based on either incompetence, dishonesty or low effort. This is a shame overall. I do realize this is something that I need to get used to as South America in general operates like this.

Food options is limited and I have found myself importing stuff that is simply not available. We already go to all the restaurants that we like but we yearn for more. Forget about Asian cuisine, only disappointments. I used to buy jasmine rice from Price Smart (Costco), however they no longer sell it. This seems to be a minor thing but a stupid problem to have in 2023. A lot of things here are driven by overall cost over quality, cutting corners or the lowest cost. This I understand because of the economic situation but this point of view impacts a lot of how things are done. Regardless if it is a premium product or a premium service.

I'll check Mercardo libre but it looks like I will have to import some stuff. Are you aware of any shipping luggage services to Argentina? I used to use sendmybag.com however they do not operate for Argentina. I recall in Peru my friend used some services where they have people traveling who will bring an extra check in luggage for a fee. Not sure if there is something similar in Argentina.

Thank you.

 

[earlyretirement]

Hey earlyretirement! I found this site from a post on reddit. I was searching 'buying a home in Argentina' and found a really nice comment and this was how I found this place. You are correct about Colombia, I currently reside in Medellin. However, objectively it is really hard to trust people, doing anything here can be an exercise in frustration. What I mean by this is there is no trust and everything is always done incorrectly based on either incompetence, dishonesty or low effort. This is a shame overall. I do realize this is something that I need to get used to as South America in general operates like this.

Food options is limited and I have found myself importing stuff that is simply not available. We already go to all the restaurants that we like but we yearn for more. Forget about Asian cuisine, only disappointments. I used to buy jasmine rice from Price Smart (Costco), however they no longer sell it. This seems to be a minor thing but a stupid problem to have in 2023.

I'll check Mercardo libre but it looks like I will have to import some stuff. Are you aware of any shipping luggage services to Argentina? I used to use sendmybag.com however they do not operate for Argentina. I recall in Peru my friend used some services where they have people traveling who will bring an extra check in luggage for a fee. Not sure if there is something similar in Argentina.

Great! Thanks Oatmeal for posting how you found my forum. It's only a few days old and I'm still improving it. It will keep improving and it will be the dominant forum for Buenos Aires hopefully within 1 year.

I posted for 13.5 years on www.BAExpats.org and the owner just got whacko with moderation and deleting posts he doesn't personally agree with so I started my own forum and now members of that site are starting to migrate over which is great. Spread the word and tell everyone about this new site.

I think you will have some "exercises of frustration" in Argentina as well but things here are all first world compared to Colombia. South America in general has those types of issues and Argentina is no different. The key is to used trusted people which is why I created this forum. The sharing of valuable information. That's what life is all about.

Yes, there was a rice shortage this year for Jasmine rice I heard so they limited where they exported it but I think it's all cleared up now. I'm not aware of formal services but my friends in Argentina have flight attendant friends that bring stuff all the time for them. I think they charge something to do it. I will ask around for you.

Maybe I will start a new section where people can request to bring something for them when they come to Argentina. I'm still figuring out all the various ways we can all engage with one another and help one another out. Thanks for participating in my new forum!

 

[Oatmeal]

OMG. When you said "13.5 years on www.BAExpats.org" I finally checked the site. It seems oddly familiar but for me back in 2006-2008 I remember searching about Argentina and what life would be like there. At that time this was not attainable for me but it was a nice dream to live in Argentina. I recall a site I found of a person (Asian) who promoted a lot on the benefits of owning property. I was really envious of this person and appreciated him sharing his life. I do recall he promoted a lot on Recoleta and beautiful apartments forsale/rent. Anyway life went on and now in some way has come full circle. I wonder if the owner of buysellba.com is the same person, unless there is another east Asian expat that is doing the same thing still.

Anyway.. people can be crazy when they want to monetize information. I'm glad I found this site and hope it goes up from here!

 

[earlyretirement]

OMG. When you said "13.5 years on www.BAExpats.org" I finally checked the site. It seems oddly familiar but for me back in 2006-2008 I remember searching about Argentina and what life would be like there. At that time this was not attainable for me but it was a nice dream to live in Argentina. I recall a site I found of a person (Asian) who promoted a lot on the benefits of owning property. I was really envious of this person and appreciated him sharing his life. I do recall he promoted a lot on Recoleta and beautiful apartments forsale/rent. Anyway life went on and now in some way has come full circle. I wonder if the owner of buysellba.com is the same person, unless there is another east Asian expat that is doing the same thing still.

Anyway.. people can be crazy when they want to monetize information. I'm glad I found this site and hope it goes up from here!

I posted on www.BAExpats.org for a long time but I NEVER gave my identify or promoted my company. No one knew who I was until a few months ago when a member of BAExpats posted my identify. But I had NO agenda other than post helpful information. The owner, didn't even know who I was for 13.5 years. He just found out a few months ago.

I'm not sure who this Asian person is but I never posted my identity on the website. But on other blogs like Travelersur - www.tinyurl.com/sawthefuture2 I did post under ApartmentsBA and told how real estate was going to skyrocket. (Read all of those old posts. I tell people I can really see the future. I've always had that gift. If you read those old posts you will believe it).

http://www.travelsur.net/forum/messages/20/185.html - Real Estate in Argentina

http://www.travelsur.net/forum/messages/20/20.html - Travel Sur Forum



Yes, if it was on that site or others, it was me. I'm American but my parents were originally from South Korea. But I don't know anything about the culture or the language. I wish I learned but never did. I consider myself first and foremost American where I was born and raised and grew up. Then Argentine and now also Mexico where I will get my Mexican passport next year.

Yes, life has come full circle. I was the largest buyer of residential real estate In the world for Buenos Aires. I bought up much of Recoleta and Palermo Soho - https://buysellba.com/news-/-media?blogcategory=ApartmentsBA. You probably read about me in many of the Global newspapers or magazines. It was hard to hide my identity as I was buying up hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate in Buenos Aires. I also was on 4 episodes of HGTV's House Hunter's International. I'm told they were the highest rated show in the history of their network.

There is only ONE earlyretirement! Ha, ha.

Basically EVERYTHING I predicted would happen in Argentina happened. In the USA too for that matter. I totally predicted what was going to happen in the USA real estate market and I bought at the bottom there too. Now I'm doing it all over again in Buenos Aires. I thought I had a once in a lifetime chance to buy stuff cheap there. But I have a twice in a lifetime chance and buying up much of Buenos Aires again.

I sold 95% of my portfolio in Argentina and my investors as well in 2018/2019 at the absolute peak. I watched it fall almost 5 years in a row and it's at bottom now and loading up again. It's funner this time. I already have the investors, know how, network (lawyers, bankers, developers, Escribanos, accountants) and I'm hiring my exact same team - https://buysellba.com/about-us

 

[Oatmeal]

Ha maybe it was you! Super impressed with the work you are doing BTW. Serious, you are on another level! Sidenote I bookmarked a few Korean restaurants. I welcome any suggestions. Have a great day!

 

[earlyretirement]

Ha maybe it was you! Super impressed with the work you are doing BTW. Serious, you are on another level! Sidenote I bookmarked a few Korean restaurants. I welcome any suggestions. Have a great day!

Thanks for the kudos! Yes, it's been a wild ride. I'm writing my autobiography - 3 Years to Live. www.3yearstolive.com. Netflix has already expressed an interest In buying the streaming rights. I'm just too busy to actually write now. But I will hopefully finish by the end of 2024.

You can read a few Chapters here:

How I ended up in Argentina - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1719711559415451831?s=20


My First Girl I loved - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1703892732065038827?s=20


How I met my Wife - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1701732259890684198?s=20


How I met Herb Kelleher, the CEO of Southwest Airlines - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1710532464396116017?s=20


Me Forgiving my Mother - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1711088659804696885?s=20

As for Korean restaurants, there are a few that are decent places in Buenos Aires. Nothing like Seoul! But eating steak every day can get old. Here are the ones I like:

Una Canción Coreano - https://maps.app.goo.gl/UKfpbSCFn4Nyqnip7

Bi Won - https://maps.app.goo.gl/BHZ2CwsAAQ1YwyUP6 (I've been going to this place for a LONG time).

They have an all you can eat Korean BBQ called The Night Market - https://maps.app.goo.gl/pbBgjzSDnCPahE1EA. The quality isn't that good but it's a fun experience. I honestly don't know how they make money. When I go with my kids they eat so much. I'll post a review of that place in the Food and Drink section.

 

[IrishLad]

Hello all. I wanted to introduce myself as I am a new forum member. Browsing on my phone last night I found this site, immediately bookmark for this morning to create an account. I am not sure if I am an expat or a nomad (mix of both), however I might fall in the category of geographical arbitrage. I work remote and for the past 4 years live in Colombia, prior in the US. While my time has been overall good, the reality, I do not think Colombia is the place for me long term (too much to list). I had been planning and wanting to purchase a home but those plans are out the window. So this past year my GF and I have been discussion our next steps. Buenos Aires is high on our list. I've never been to BA but we are visiting next month.

I would love to hear other expats/nomad's experience living in BA? Pros? Cons? For me looking from outside, culture and international cuisine is plentiful. This is something lacking in my current location. Crime seems to be slightly lower than in Colombia. Oh, I do love Amazon and sending stuff from the US, but this sounds like not a possibility? Anyway.. any perspective would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Welcome to the forum! You will really like Buenos Aires. I have been to Colombia many times as I had a Novia from Bogota. I agree with earlyretirement with his assessment of Colombia. It is an ok place. But once my girlfriend moved out of Colombia she never wants to go back. She only goes back once a year at Christmas to visit her family.

You will love BA. There is a lot to do culturally that you won't find in Colombia.

 

[Oatmeal]

Thanks for the kudos! Yes, it's been a wild ride. I'm writing my autobiography - 3 Years to Live. www.3yearstolive.com. Netflix has already expressed an interest In buying the streaming rights. I'm just too busy to actually write now. But I will hopefully finish by the end of 2024.

You can read a few Chapters here:

How I ended up in Argentina - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1719711559415451831?s=20


My First Girl I loved - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1703892732065038827?s=20


How I met my Wife - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1701732259890684198?s=20


How I met Herb Kelleher, the CEO of Southwest Airlines - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1710532464396116017?s=20


Me Forgiving my Mother - https://x.com/BuySellBA/status/1711088659804696885?s=20

As for Korean restaurants, there are a few that are decent places in Buenos Aires. Nothing like Seoul! But eating steak every day can get old. Here are the ones I like:

Una Canción Coreano - https://maps.app.goo.gl/UKfpbSCFn4Nyqnip7

Bi Won - https://maps.app.goo.gl/BHZ2CwsAAQ1YwyUP6 (I've been going to this place for a LONG time).

They have an all you can eat Korean BBQ called The Night Market - https://maps.app.goo.gl/pbBgjzSDnCPahE1EA. The quality isn't that good but it's a fun experience. I honestly don't know how they make money. When I go with my kids they eat so much. I'll post a review of that place in the Food and Drink section.

I think many agree, your story is quite interesting. Wishing you the best and looking forward to the autobiography once it is finish.

Thanks for the links, amazing story on how things turned out with your wife and how you ended up in Argentina. Funny how things turn out. I'm very much looking forward to my trip and your suggestions will be on my list. Thank you.

 

[Oatmeal]

Welcome to the forum! You will really like Buenos Aires. I have been to Colombia many times as I had a Novia from Bogota. I agree with earlyretirement with his assessment of Colombia. It is an ok place. But once my girlfriend moved out of Colombia she never wants to go back. She only goes back once a year at Christmas to visit her family.

You will love BA. There is a lot to do culturally that you won't find in Colombia.

I'm curious on how things will turn out for me and my GF, I'm optimistic and we both are ready and looking for a change. 4 years in CO and we are plenty ready for something different. We look forwarded to enjoying what the city has to offer. We look forward to all the international restaurants which I keep telling her about. Things are limited and I want her to experience the things I have been lucky to experience.

 

[earlyretirement]

I'm curious on how things will turn out for me and my GF, I'm optimistic and we both are ready and looking for a change. 4 years in CO and we are plenty ready for something different. We look forwarded to enjoying what the city has to offer. We look forward to all the international restaurants which I keep telling her about. Things are limited and I want her to experience the things I have been lucky to experience.

You will LOVE Buenos Aires. When are you coming to Buenos Aires? Let me know if she wants to meet some Colombian people. My wife's cousin is going to Medical School there and she is from Colombian so I'm happy to make an introduction if she wants to meet some Colombians. Good people. Good luck.

 

[Oatmeal]

You will LOVE Buenos Aires. When are you coming to Buenos Aires? Let me know if she wants to meet some Colombian people. My wife's cousin is going to Medical School there and she is from Colombian so I'm happy to make an introduction if she wants to meet some Colombians. Good people. Good luck.

Hi thank you. I think I will enjoy my visit. We are optimistic. My gf is from Venezuela, however thank you for the offer. FYI I just made. reservations for Don Julio. I hope it is as good as everyone says!

 

[earlyretirement]

Hi thank you. I think I will enjoy my visit. We are optimistic. My gf is from Venezuela, however thank you for the offer. FYI I just made. reservations for Don Julio. I hope it is as good as everyone says!

OK cool. She will NOT have a problem finding Venezuelan friends. Buenos Aires is full of people from Venezuela and they are very welcome in Buenos Aires. They are really hardworking people. Most of the Uber drivers I get are from Venezuela and there is a big community there.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

@Oatmeal when you say you don't fit into a category, are you more of an InternationalMan.com and SovereignMan.com type of 'go where you're treated best' mindset person? this forum will help you with real-time decisions, when information and currency-exchange rates become irrelevant after even just a few weeks.