TRAVEL TO ICAZ 2014-SAN RAFAEL As a member of the organizing committee for the 2014 International Council for Archaeozoology ( ICAZ) meeting, I decided to write about travel to San Rafael, Argentina to provide assistance to my colleagues from other parts of the world. I have written posts for the Daily Science Professor Blog for many years, and the reason I am writing about ICAZ here is that the blog is accessible, and people can post questions as comments that I can moderate and either answer or seek answers to. This first post concerns a number of basic travel concerns that any person traveling to San Rafael internationally might wish to be informed about. Getting to San Rafael―although travel to Argentina is lengthy for those coming from other parts of the world, it is relatively straight forward. Main entry points are either through Santiago, Chile or through Buenos Aires. Both cities eventually funnel into Mendoza City in Mendoza Province, which is a three hour bus ride north of San Rafael. I generally travel to Mendoza City via Santiago from Dallas, Texas. Miami is another common hub in transit to either Buenos Aires or Santiago. Airfare from Dallas to Mendoza for the numerous trips I have made to Mendoza during the last five years has averaged roughly $1000 US. Via Santiago, immigration and customs is handled at the Mendoza airport. Beware that Argentina requires citizens of some countries (particularly the US) to pay a reciprocity fee of about $160 US to enter the country. Payment stands for a decade as long as one keeps record of the payment. American Airlines would not let me board in Dallas in May 2013 without my reciprocity fee payment receipt. In transit, the Santiago Airport is very comfortable with many options for food, coffee, internet access, et cetera. Cuidad Mendoza is a beautiful place, and I recommend a few nights there for shopping and relaxation, if you have time. I have found decent hotel rooms for $50 to $65 US; Hotel Puerta del Sol is nothing special, but it is clean, the staff is friendly, and it is in a convenient location. There are several other hotels like it in Mendoza City. If you are stuck in Mendoza City for a night or a long day, and if you like Italian food, Trevi is a very nice restaurant. However, your destination for the conference is a smaller, more intimate city that is a three hour bus ride to the south, San Rafael. A taxi ride from the Airport to the Mendoza bus station takes about 20 minutes and costs about $10 US; you will need Argentine cash to pay for the taxi. There are two ATM machines at the Mendoza Airport, and I recommend getting cash there. There is also a currency exchange, but it has often been closed during my visits to the Mendoza Airport (and it does not always have good exchange rates, as I recall). There are some snack stands and a couple of cafes at the airport if one is looking to head straight to the bus station and on to San Rafael. At the Mendoza Bus Terminal, there are a number of bus lines with regular (nearly hourly) service to San Rafael. Bus lines that I have used include Cata Internacional, A. Buttini, and Iselin; each is about the same price and is roughly the same in terms of convenience and comfort. These are double decker buses; pay attention to the time of day as being on the wrong side of the bus on the drive south (or north on the way back) can be hot! If you can, get one of the front second-deck seats, which will provide for great views of the Andes and the countryside on the way to San Rafael. Depending on demand, there may be one to two stops on the way to San Rafael; however, you will not need to disembark. In San Rafael―The new San Rafael Bus Terminal is a convenient distance from the main square in San Rafael; however a taxi may be needed to get to your hotel depending on where you stay. There are a number of hotels that are within walking distance of the terminal. I have stayed at the Kalton, the Dali, and the Jardin, but there are several others. Here are a couple of tips, based on my experience in Argentine hotels. First, if you are a light sleeper bring ear plugs. The walls tend to be thinner with less insulation than what one might be used to in the US. Further, I find hallways in these hotels to be noisy places with lots of late night and early morning traffic, particularly on weekends. Also, holidays, which are common, can lead to high levels of street noise. Other nights, hotels can be very quiet. Add to this mix several hundred archaeologists, and… well, bring some ear plugs. This may seem crass, but bring some fiber tablets. Vegetarians can find lots of options, but there is ample opportunity for Argentine beef in almost all dining settings. You can expect to eat quite a bit of pasta as well. There are several cafes and restaurants in town; many of these take credit cards, but some only take cash. If you are bringing foreign currency or travelers checks, I recommend the Cambio Santiago, but there are numerous banks on the main streets of San Rafael, most with ATMs. If you are a wine drinker, this is your Mecca. This post has covered some of the basic issues regarding travel to San Rafael; international travel out of Argentina is pretty much the same series of choices in reverse. I hope the post is helpful, and as there are certainly questions I have not answered, please post any that you have. If I do not know the answer, I’ll try to find one. Posted by DSP: dailyscienceprofessor at 1:50 AM Labels: ICAZ, San Rafael Argentina, zooarchaeology
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:03:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015