1. It takes 27 hours to fly from Beijing to Buenos Aires, Argentina is the farthest country from China, whether it is from the east or from the west, the straight-line distance is more than 20,000 kilometers, even if you are the largest fuel plane, you can't go directly. Therefore, there are two main ways to go to Argentina from China: one is to transit west through Europe to Buenos Aires, and the other is to transit east through the United States to Buenos Aires.
2. At the end of October, Beijing has gradually entered the middle of winter, while Argentina on the other side of the world is still a bright spring scene. If you don't count the nearly three days on the road, this time my trip to Argentina happened to be ten days. During the flight, more than half of the route from Beijing to New York was over the Arctic ice cap! I recommend the location closer to the porthole, the clouds over the North Pole are thin, the ice sheet is clearly visible most of the time, and there are a lot of strange cracks and shades of color, and the pink color at sunrise is unforgettable.
3. Flying for a long time, trapped in a narrow seat throughout the whole process, the taste of the plane meal is average, and the legs are easy to sit numb. From time to time, I stand up and walk around to soothe it, but I still feel that time is hard! When transiting at Dallas Airport, you have to run to enter customs, go through security checks, and then go out of customs, for fear that you won't be able to catch the plane, and young people will feel tired, let alone older tourists. Therefore, there are not many people who travel to South America in China, and even if they have time and money, it is difficult to cross such a long distance.
4. After landing in Buenos Aires, the mobile phone showed 15 degrees, which seemed a little cold, but I didn't feel cold when I got out of the airport, but felt that the sun was very warm. Argentina is not a strange country, football, tango, beef, these are its symbols. In previous years, there were not many tourists from China, but with the popularity of Antarctic travel and the improvement of travelers' ability to travel, the number of Chinese on the streets of Argentina is increasing day by day! In Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, it is not surprising to see Chinese, and the more you have seen, the less curious you will be.
5. Argentina is located in the southernmost part of South America, 11 hours behind China. When you hesitate to eat barbecue or dry pot bullfrog for dinner in Beijing, the Argentine man rubbed his sleepy eyes, just ushering in the sunrise of the day. The season in Argentina is diametrically opposed to that of China in the northern hemisphere, with the most suitable weather from October to May. Argentina covers an area of 2.7 million square kilometers and is connected to Brazil and Paraguay in the north, with a large temperature difference between the north and south.
Shirts and down jackets are indispensable for a trip at the end of October. The city of Foz do Iguaçu, which borders Brazil and Paraguay, is as hot as 28 degrees Celsius, and the streets are full of locals wearing shirts and shorts. At the southern end of Ushuaia, even during the day, it is less than 8 degrees, and an extra knitted dress is required to keep warm in the down jacket, and the temperature will even drop below zero at night.
6. In Argentina, Spanish is the main language of everyday life. In tourist cities such as Buenos Aires, Iguazu and Ushuaia, English is also available. Argentine Spanish has a regional accent, with Portuguese in the north and an S at the end of the plural in the south, which does not interfere with travelers' communication. After eating at a local restaurant, a tip of around 10% is generally required, and the daily tip for the guide is about 20 RMB.
7. Buenos Aires, the streets and alleys, the downtown area, you can see people playing football everywhere. On the makeshift football pitch in the streets and alleys, you can always see them happily passing the ball and shooting the goal. Sometimes, the ball will fly towards passers-by or vehicles without causing discomfort. On the contrary, many people will seize the opportunity to show off their skills, chest stop, turn, volley, all in one go!
Residents of Argentina, regardless of age, are basically big fans of football. In the colorful Boca district, the deeds and spirit of the Boca Juniors team have inspired countless teenagers. The Alberto J. Armando Stadium, named "Candy Box Stadium" because of its resemblance to a chocolate box, has witnessed the birth and realization of countless football dreams. With such a football atmosphere, it is no wonder that Argentina can become a world-class team.
8. Football is indeed loved by Argentines, in fact, football is not the official sport of Argentina, "Pato" is! A sport played on horseback that incorporates elements of polo and basketball, originating in matches that were played with real ducks as balls, and later changed to playing with balls, also known as "duck balls".
9. Argentina is the only country in the world that has degraded from a developed country to a developing country! In the 30s of the last century, Argentina was the envy of Europeans in terms of affluence, and a large number of European immigrants saw the "Pampas" as their new homeland. Later, Argentina's attractiveness waned, European immigration gradually decreased, and only some Asians continued to look for business opportunities here. Truth be told, Argentina's big cities today are very average, and the streets of Buenos Aires are full of confetti and garbage, which is not modern compared to the third and fourth tier cities in China.
10. The salary level of Argentine natives is low, and many people live in poverty. According to local friends, the per capita monthly income in Argentina is now about 500 US dollars, equivalent to several thousand yuan. It is difficult to maintain the living expenses of a family with this salary alone! With high inflation and a depreciating currency, Argentina's economic environment has become even more difficult.
The average person in the Argentine capital earns between 80,000 and 120,000 pesos a month, but the cost of living is high. An ordinary supermarket shopping can cost thousands of pesos. With a monthly income of 80,000 pesos, it costs 40,000 pesos just for rent, which is still an ordinary apartment shared with others. It can be seen that the life of the Argentine people is not easy! Argentina also has high-income groups, such as doctors, teachers, white-collar workers, etc., these people belong to the middle class, and their monthly income can reach thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan. If you earn more than $5,000 a month, you are in the high-income group.
11. Argentina, as a developing country, has a weekly working model of two days off a week, with additional public holidays every month in addition to weekends. Employees are entitled to 15 days of paid annual leave after a full year of work. In this country, if an employer needs to terminate an employee, it is a laborious and costly affair because the dismissal is paid compensation equivalent to half a year's salary. If an employee sues the employer, the chances of winning the case are extremely high, and the employer has no choice but to pay compensation.
12. The salary level is not high, but Argentines pay attention to the quality of life. Most of each community has a park, from morning to night there are a large number of people in various sports, the activities in the park are diverse, forming different clubs, yoga, boxing, roller skating, running, cycling, etc., each group activities on different grass, do not interfere with each other. In addition, the attitude of parents in Argentina towards their children's lives is not to interfere with their children's work choices, romantic relationships or marital decisions.
13. Argentina is a country where the price of beef is extremely cheap, and the price of beef is between 15 and 30 yuan per kilogram, which can be said to have achieved the freedom to eat beef! Argentina is particularly famous for its barbecue, and the signature set menu in the barbecue restaurant is basically composed of eye meat, filet, beef brisket, and sausage, and the average cost per person is about 100 yuan. When grilling, it is served with authentic sauces, such as parsley olive oil sauce and green onions, red peppers, and tomato sauce.
Since there are a lot of cattle in Argentina, cattle products are also cheap, beef, milk, leather shoes, leather clothing, belts, etc., which are all real cowhide products with high quality. It should be pointed out that Argentines do not like the leftovers of cattle, such as cow heads, cow hooves, cattle water, etc. Pork is about 20 yuan per kilogram, and salmon is 80 yuan per kilogram; The whole chicken is about 20 yuan; In Argentina, meat is more cost-effective than vegetables due to the relative inexpensiveness of meat. Lettuce is 7 yuan per catty, cabbage is 2 yuan, cucumber is 4 yuan, sweet corn is 3 yuan, and a small handful of spinach is also 3 yuan.
14. Living in Argentina has to adapt to the opening hours of local shops, and the shops are not open on weekends, and the streets are very deserted. On weekdays, shops usually close before 6 p.m., and Argentines buy enough groceries in advance to buy enough groceries for a few days. For those who want to shop on the weekend, head to a Chinese supermarket to find what they need.
15. Boca, Argentina's slum district, was originally a gathering place for poor European immigrants, who built houses out of old iron sheets on ships and decorated them with bright paint, and it was also the birthplace of Argentina's famous football team, Boca Juniors. Over the years, the Boca district has become very commercialized and has become a gathering place for street art performances.
16. In Argentina, food, wine and dancing are an integral part of life. In Argentina, it is common for men to invite women to dance and tango, and Argentines love tango as much as they love red wine. In this country, the locals value appearance and etiquette, and both men and women are accustomed to dressing neatly and delicately before appearing in public.
17. Argentines do not prefer to save money, local medical care and education are free, families with many children can also get subsidies, and they can also apply for unemployment benefits to support their lives after being unemployed, so there are single people who rely on subsidies to barely live.
From 1884 onwards, free education was introduced in Argentina. All public schools are free of tuition from primary school to university, and students can enter the university entrance examination and pay a small registration fee. University life is relatively less stressful, and students can work part-time or return to campus to continue their studies after working for a few years. As a result, the graduation rate is not high, and Argentina has attracted some students from other Latin American countries, especially Brazil, due to its free and fairly good quality education.
18. Argentines love to raise dogs, especially medium and large dog breeds. Due to their busy schedules, many people do not have time to walk their dogs, and professional dog walkers are very common in Argentina. They can often be seen on the street with several large dogs, and the dogs are often the pets of multiple families. There are also many stray dogs on the streets of Argentina, and citizens will also feed these homeless dogs.
19. Argentina is "rich in beauties", with a slender body and a good face, whenever participating in international beauty contests, Argentine beauties can always achieve remarkable results, so shopping in Argentina can sometimes be said to be a visual enjoyment. There are more women than men in Argentina, and the anxiety of finding a partner plagues women rather than men.
20. Compared with the chaos rumored on the Internet, most areas of Argentina are actually quite safe. There are occasional thieves on the streets, but this is only a local phenomenon and does not seriously affect daily life, and of course it cannot be compared with the country!
21. Argentines live a more leisurely life, which affects the efficiency of work to a certain extent, and the phenomenon of procrastination is serious. Compared with Europe and the United States, Argentines don't seem to have any concept of time, and it is common to be late and cancel appointments. Argentines do not directly refuse or deny when chatting, but are accustomed to using vague expressions to avoid questions, and many Argentines tend to be emotional, especially in football.
22. In Argentina, most people drive second-hand cars. Most of the cars parked on the street are older cars, and the anti-theft is relatively backward, and car theft occurs from time to time. To prevent theft, Argentines use a few methods: skilled drivers will park their cars in tight spaces to ensure that they are difficult to drive away; For those with mediocre skills, the windows are covered with newspapers to block the view and protect the contents of the car. Buses and subways in Argentina are more casual, with irregular station announcements and no electronic screens displaying station names, which requires passengers to be familiar with the route or rely on mobile phone navigation to determine the timing of getting off. In the summer, buses and subways often do not turn on air conditioning, and the 35-degree heat in Argentina is still annoying.