andy giefer

I like the concept of the of the iPad for travel -- particularly international travel. Light, compact, and almost every feature you'd need on the go. But it's missing something very important for the savvy, long-term traveler. 

During my year in South America, I lugged around a large, heavy Dell Inpiron laptop. As much as I hated the size and weight burden, it served my purposes for movies, photos, music, web, and email. Perhaps most importantly, I often used this beast of a laptop to access Skype.

I can't tell you how useful Skype was for keeping in touch with friends and family. Or when my wallet was stolen and I had to cancel credit cards and get money wired to me. With Skype I could take care of the problem at a minimal cost, and do so privately rather than in an internet cafe or public phone.

The iPad looks like a sexy travel toy, but the lack of a built-in webcam and microphone takes it out of the running as a serious travel computer. I'd like to see someone build a rugged, compact and full-featured device aimed at that niche.

Soccer is religion in Argentina. Even the heartiest American football fan seems fairweather after you've experienced a Boca Juniors game in Buenos Aires. British Airways does a nice job capturing the feeling with unlikely spokesperson Pascual Tatangelo.

Situated along Lake Lacar near the Chilean border, ice-tipped Lanin Volcano and its lush National Park have to be one of the most beautiful sites in Argentina. 

There are few better ways to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in Buenos Aires than catching a match at the Campo Argentino de Polo which is located in the Las Cañitas barrio. Much more tranquilo than watching futbol, BA's other favorite sport draws a more genteel audience. Even if you're like me and know nothing about Polo, you'll pick it up pretty easily. Last November, we caught an afternoon contest that was part of the monthlong Polo Open Championships. According to BA Travel Guide, this annual tournament draws the best players in the world. Highly recommended.

A few years ago, I couldn't be bothered by the hype around Skype, the internet phone/video chat service. Living in the US, with pretty much alll my friends living here as well, it served little purpose. I didn't understand its greatness until the past year, when I lived in Argentina and traveled through South America. Now I imagine what a pain in the ass life abroad would've been in the pre-Skype era.

Sure, I had a cellphone, but it was prepaid and would drain quickly and expensively for international use. Skype on the other hand cost only 1-2 cents per minute for international calls, and is free when connecting to other users (of which there are 400 million). If I put $20 credit on my account, it could easily last me a few months.

The best part is that you can usually Skype from the convenience of your apartment, hostel or hotel room. Many in South America are now equipped with wifi so you can converse in relative privacy.

But with email, Facebook, IM and Twitter., who needs phone calls these days? The truth is phone and face-to-face is still the way much business is conducted there. Here's a rundown of situations when I found Skype incredibly useful:

• Keeping up with family and friends back home.
• Making reservations in my next destination (often faster/more reliable than internet reservation).
• Calling bank and credit card companies to cancel cards and send new ones when my wallet was stolen.
• Meeting my newborn neice "face-to-face" for the first time.
• Conversing with clients in the US for that I did freelance marketing work for.
• Confirming flights.
• Staying in touch with new friends from all over the world.
• Sitting on hold and having countless conversations with idiot customer service people tyring to resolve a duplicate charge on my credit card (Do I sound bitter? This is still not fully unresolved!)
• Practicing my Spanish.
• Tracking down my iPod after leaving it on a bus (which actually failed but worth a try).
• Arranging complicated travel details when my Dad and bro came down to visit.

One of the main reasons I lived in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires was so that I could run in the parks. It was a luxury to have the park system close by. Still, I did get tired of always running the same routes. There aren't that many other options unless you want to take a taxi to the Reserva Ecologica. It's easy to forget how spoiled we runners are in the Twin Cities.

Here are photos from a typical 5-mile loop through the parks. It was pretty calm the day these were taken. No protests, no dancing mascots, and it was too early for the transvestite prostitutes. Just a leisurely jog around the lakes.

Todos los fines de semana hay una feria en las calles de San Telmo. Tienen bandas, artistas, bailarines y (por supuesto) las personas que venden cosas a los turistas. Es un buen lugar para pasar el tarde con amigos. No tiene que gastar nada para disfrutarlo. Por ejemplo, yo vi Pollera Pantalon (una banda de ska) y hice este video durante la interpretacion. Que difrutes!