Women expats and helpers who live in Buenos Aires have voluntarily given their time to put together ‘Hola, Buenos Aires!’ e-book for those wishing to relocate to Argentina’s capital city. The ladies are from all over the world and, after experiencing the city first-hand, decided to take an old, spiral-bound city guide that they had found in the University Women’s Club of Buenos Aires, update it and turn it into a modern manual for managing the metropolis.

The first edition of the book was published in 1989 with six or seven contributing women. It was then updated, with the last print edition publishing in 2003. The new e-book is a result of the efforts of 23 contributing ladies, including some who no longer live in Buenos Aires, but helped out with editing and proof-reading.

All proceeds from the US$14.99 cover price of the e-book will go to the Association of Sponsors of Rural Students and Schools (APAER), an Argentine NGO that promotes education in disadvantaged rural schools.

The book covers topics ranging from food, traffic, the ‘how-to’ of everyday life (like paying bills, when stores are open), to coping with culture-shock. The Argentina Independent had the chance to sit down with one of the project’s leaders, Michal Leon, who has been living in BA since October 2009. She is an entrepreneur as well as wife of the South African ambassador to Argentina. Although their time in Buenos Aires was up at the end of September, Michal felt it would be helpful to update the book for those choosing to move to Buenos Aires, helping them to have an easy and accessible guide to help them in the integration process. In a way, the digital version of ‘Hola, Buenos Aires!’ is her legacy in Buenos Aires.

“When you move to a country with someone from that culture, the shock is much softer, but for those who do not have that, this book will help them,” Michal explained.

When it comes to the basics, the book also helps out on letting sojourners know things to expect that you are not expecting, like food. The simpler things, like peanut butter, tomato juice, tomato and bean sauce, just do not exist. Hot sauce is also hard to come by, although some foreigners have taken on the challenge themselves.

There is a section on where to find a screwdriver or how to get your laundry done if you do not have a washing machine, as well as sections that have information for those who are bringing pets, or even legal matters that expand beyond the embassy. There is a chapter for those who are choosing to leave Argentina and how to prepare for that, too.

“The book is meant to prepare people who choose to live in Argentina for a month up to forever,” Michal added.

The book was released online on Monday and costs US$14.99. All proceeds go to APAER. To download the book, visit: www.uwcba.com.ar.

In your average travel bookshop, the Buenos Aires shelf will be sagging under the weight of a thousand and one guides to the city. When the pressure of choosing is too much, you grab the most colourful one, probably with a picture of a sleazy tango duo wearing an offensive amount of hair gel, probably costing about 15 pounds, and you probably spend about ten minutes flicking through it on the plane before leaving it accidentally on your seat. Nothing says obnoxious tourist quite like a binocular-carrying, flip flop-donning type navigating the metro in a brash English voice with an iPhone akimbo, and there are obvious disadvantages to loitering on a street corner brandishing your apple. But though you may look like a numpty, it seems apple apps are the way forward.

Or so thinks Shafik Meghji of ‘Buenos Aires *Essential* Guide’: “I think this is definitely where the Market is going,” he says. Having penned many a Rough Guide, (Bolivia, India, Chile, Nepal, Egypt to name but a few…) the seasoned travel writer adds that the advantage of electronic apps, as opposed to weighty paperbacks, is that “they are so much more current and up to date”.

Spotting the gap in the Market, he and fellow travel writer Sioned Jones put their knowledge of the city to task, coming up with an interactive, electronic alternative for visiting tourists. Having lived in the city themselves rather than passing through on a whistle-stop tour like most guide book authors, they combine a local expertise with a foreigner’s perspective and eagerness to explore. As a result, Shafik explains, the Buenos Aires *Essential* Guide “covers both the classic BA attractions with off-the-beaten-track entries that a tourist would struggle to find without us”.

Indeed, the listings range from tourist to local and anywhere in between, divided into 14 headings; Accommodation, Attractions, Bars and Nightlife, Cafés and Restaurants, Escaping the City, Getting Around, Getting started, Hidden Gems, Museums and Galleries, Neighbourhoods, Not to Miss, Shopping, Spa & Fitness, and Tours & Travel info.

Far simpler to navigate than any other app I’ve come across, the bare necessities that would require an arduous phonecall, especially for those non-spanish speakers, are laid out before you. The Restaurant section for example gives you the cost of an average main, contact details, as well as a series of photos so you can avoid the misery of splashing out on a slap up meal only to find you’re dining next to the motorway.

The Accomodation section is particularly comprehensive, with pricing for the cheapest double, reviews of the restaurant, alongside photos and an interactive Map. This latter feature really sets the app apart from others. No matter where you are, it will find you, and tell you how to get to any of the listed attractions by bus, car, foot or subway, and how long it will take, saving you hours of aimless wandering.

It tells you too, how much you should expect to spend on a taxi from A to B: Porteño taxistas are renowned for their ability to find the long and winding road that will leave you paying double, so this way you can avoid being scammed.

Screenshot courtesy of BA Essential Guide

Where most guidebooks and apps give you an exhaustive selection of thing to do within the city, few cross the frontier into the province. This is a shame, as the countryside has a lot to offer, and a trip away is a welcome break from the chaos. The ‘Escape the City’ guide puts you in direct contact with reliable, affordable estancias, as well as telling you exactly how to get there.

Admittedly, the app has a little way to go- the listings are not as exhaustive as they could be- but I couldn’t recommend it more to tourists heading to Buenos Aires for the first time. All the vital information you need is condensed- good tour guides, meeting points, what to do in an emergency. It will allow you to plan your holiday in matter of twenty minutes- all for just £1.99.

Shafik and Sioned’s Ideal Day Out:

“For Sioned and I, a perfect day in Buenos Aires would start off with breakfast or brunch at Malvon, a fantastic bakery-restaurant near our home in Villa Crespo. We´d then head into the centre and take a public bus from Congreso into La Boca – the route takes you through the “real la Boca” and past places of historic importance like Parque Lezama, giving you an insight into Buenos Aires´ heritage. After a beer or cortado at Fundacion PROA´s rooftop cafe, we´d then head to somewhere like MALBA or Centro Cultural Recoleta to check out the latest exhibition or a performance – we saw the excellent Fuerza Bruta at the CCR late last year. In the evening we´d head for a cocktail mixed by Argentina´s best barman at Home, and then to a Puerta Cerrada like Cocina Sunae or La Cocina Discreta, before finishing up in a late night Milonga at somewhere like La Catedral.”