Roberto/Buenos Aires

[Wolverine]

Has anybody had any recent contact with Roberto in Buenos Aires? I would like his advice in planning a trip, and so e-mailed him at the address included in M4M postings: vdaqp@yahoo.com.ar.

 

Is this correct? Am I in error? E-mails come back with the messages, "554 delivery error" and "This user does not havea yahoo.com.ar account"

[johnnysneakers]

I am going to BA in late Feb and will need his help [i assume you are talking of OUR MAN IN BA]. Otherwise his friend George may help as he did me 2 yrs ago. I will look for his email and post.

[trilingual]

It's possible that you misread Roberto's e-mail address in the postings because of the underscore that appears automatically. His user name at yahoo.com.ar, before the @ sign, is VDAGP (can be either upper or lower case), not VDAQP.

 

Roberto is in Buenos Aires, which is awash with foreign visitors at the moment. Contact him early and make definite plans, because he's in demand this time of year!

 

Speaking of making definite plans, gentlemen, please remember that Roberto is doing this to supplement his retirement income. Even if you decide not to use his services in Buenos Aires, it's only fair to reimburse him for his time and expertise if you take up a lot of his time via phone or e-mail prior to visiting Buenos Aires. ($/€ 50 would be a fair minimum honorarium if you've taken up more than an hour or so of his time.)

 

I gather from Roberto that some people have contacted him from this board, taken up quite a bit of his time, then never appeared in B.A., or if they did, never bothered to contact him. As those who have met him know, Roberto is far too much the gentleman ever to make an issue of it, but Trilingual is, shall we say, more blunt: freeloading is unattractive behavior in any language and in any country. Please have the courtesy and class of contacting Roberto (either by e-mail, if you end up not visiting Argentina, or in person if you are in Buenos Aires but decide to strike out on your own) and making arrangements to reimburse him for the time he's spent giving you advice and information.

 

If you DO intend to use Roberto's services, please be reasonable and make definite arrangements with him so he can plan his time and not disappoint other visitors who'd like his assistance. He's turned some M4Mers down, believing someone was coming who never showed up or contacted him when they were supposed to be in Argentina. I'm sure most M4Mers wouldn't appreciate being on the receiving end of that kind of behavior themselves. Please don't impose on Roberto's good will and innate courtesy.

 

Being independent souls, many M4Mers aren't accustomed to using guides abroad and aren't sure how much time they really would want to spend in organized touring. This is understandable (I myself have only rarely used the services of a guide when traveling, even in countries that I don't know and whose language I don't speak.) However, even if you're the independent type, if you're traveling to Argentina and contact Roberto for information, let me suggest the following:

 

At a minimum, get together with Roberto for two or three hours the afternoon of your arrival or the following morning for a general orientation (including a short walking tour of your immediate surroundings so you know what's where and how to get around the city on your own) and detailed, up-to-date information about the gay nightlife and escort scene in B.A. You can also discuss your other interests with him (art, architecture, antiques, theater, opera, shopping, day or overnight excursions to estancias or to Colonia in Uruguay, etc.) and decide if you want to spend more time with Roberto to explore the city in greater depth, or if you'll need his assistance for anything else.

 

Compared to many places, Buenos Aires is not a difficult city to navigate on your own, but it's HUGE and has endless hidden corners and byways that a first-time visitor may find fascinating but will never find by himself. If you want to know where the best non-touristy shops or restaurants or art galleries are located, you need someone like Roberto, who knows the city intimately, to show you where to find them. English is more widely spoken in Argentina than in Brazil, but if you don't speak Argentine Spanish (or aren't accompanied by someone who does) you may not get the best prices, or not understand the information you get from someone, or understand restaurant menus, etc. Having the assistance of someone like Roberto in such situations is invaluable, and that certainly goes for contacting escorts, who have no compunction in asking a foreign tourist who speaks high-school Spanish for US$100 when they'd charge a local client AR$100 pesos, or about a third the price!

 

As in every huge city, there are pitfalls and tourist traps in Buenos Aires that Roberto can help you avoid. An initial get-together with Roberto is an excellent way to assure that your stay in Buenos Aires will be a pleasure and that you will get the most from your visit. You'll find that more in-depth touring in Roberto's company will enrich your experience immeasurably, because Roberto is extremely knowledgeable about subjects like art, architecture and the history of Buenos Aires and Argentina. Finally, there are many doors that Roberto can open for you that would ordinarily be closed to foreign tourists. If you really want to get to know Buenos Aires beyond its glittering surface, you'll find Roberto's assistance, knowledge and companionship indispensable. But please, remember that Roberto's time is valuable. Be definite when you make arrangements with him, and reimburse him appropriately for the time he spends helping you make the most of your stay in Buenos Aires!

[+ Axiom2001]

Tri, I tremendously enjoyed reading your overall response but was struck as well as immensely appreciated what you cited in paragraph five. Your advice, as always, is well worth accepting! You and I are definitely "on the same page" when it comes to rewarding one for his efforts, time, sincerity, commitment, and desire to please.

 

As you have preented excellent and sound advice in the FAQ section for those individuals (newbies) who will be traveling to Brasil, perhaps you could post similar information that is related to your response above for those who are oblivious to the proper protocal to employ when it comes to keeping plans and commitments to guides and escorts in Brasil and Argentina and other destinations.

[trilingual]

Good suggestion. Done!

[Richard]

I spent a very pleasant week in Buenos Aires in late October and I can credit much of my success of the trip to Roberto, his useful advice and his invaluable arrangements. He is a refined and gracious man who knows the city extremely well. A few hours of his time is the wisest investment a first-time visitor to Buenos Aires could ever make.

 

Since Roberto made my stay far more pleasant, I felt it was only the right thing to do to offer him a good sum, which he insisted on reducing somewhat because I took him as my guest to the theater. With the money he saved me on my choice of hotel alone and his spot-on restaurant suggestions, he ensured I had a great stay for far less than I would have paid blundering my way around the city solo.

 

As a cautionary note, I think everyone tries to get the hell out of BA in January because it's the height of their heat and humidity season (think Mobile, AL or New Orleans, LA or D.C. in August). All this is to say that I am not certain Roberto is in town just now. He may have fled.

 

In any case, I can guarantee you that, should I be fortunate enough to get to BA again this year, even with a week under my belt, I would still be in touchw ith Roberto to find out what's up in BA with it's rapidly evolving gay life.

[jakobsen]

If you are into silvers, Argentina is the place; after all, the country was named after it. Roberto is a good resource for buying silvers. When I met him two years ago and expressed an interest in silvers, he said that he can take me directly to artisans thus skipping markups made by middlemen.

 

I love BA! I remember walking along Puerto Madero and saw a couple walking towards me. The guy had a big hardon while he was strolling with his GF/fiancee/partner/whatever.