SPANISH CONVERSATION CLASS* (EVERY) Wednesday.
Next lesson: Wednesday 2nd Sept at 3:30pm @ the clubhouse.
Learn how to string your words together! Join us every Wednesday for an informal conversation class with a teacher from ELE BAIRES. RSVP encouraged.
FREE for members and $8 pesos for non-members.
Please RSVP by sending an email at BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

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FREE Truco and Mate Event with Amauta Spanish School
Wednesday 2nd Sept @ 4.30pm (after conversation class) at The Clubhouse
In association with a representative from Amauta Spanish School, SAE Buenos Aires invites you to come and learn how to play Truco (Argentine Card Game). It's a game that draws on the sneaky skills of its participants and therefore a lot of fun and...... it's FREE!!!!! and...... you get to drink mate for FREE!!!!!!
Please RSVP by sending an email at BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

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Beauty Products Make-Over and Sales Event
Wednesday 2nd Sept @ 4.30pm at The Clubhouse
A very sweet Argentine lady named Laura will be here to catch anyone interested at the end of conversation class and then during the mate and truco (for those who become smitten with her products) with a series of very good Brazilian Beauty Products for sale. She is prepared to offer demonstrations of all the different creams, lotions, treatments and make-up that she has for sale and she is very good at what she does..... believe me!. The products are of excellent quality and every month the company offers a number of discounts. Therefore, take at look, ask some questions, try some of the products first hand and then treat yourself to something nice!
Please RSVP by sending an email at BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

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Chocolate Tasting Event - by Caroline Chocolat
Thursday 3rd Sept @ 4pm at The Clubhouse
Caroline Chocolat on Marcelo T. de Alvear 990 is run by a woman who has a degree in chocolate making and makes a variety of chocolates, including French and Belgium truffles, using cocoa beans from Venezuela. Her chocolates comprise of an interesting 27 flavours and she will be giving a talk on how she makes her chocolates this week at The Clubhouse. Naturally, tasting her products is going to be a big part of the event! Her shop is only five minutes away from The Clubhouse, so extra chocolate needs can be dealt with quickly.
5 pesos for members, 10 pesos for non-members
Please RSVP by sending an email at BAevents@saexplorers.org and reserve yourself a place.

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ADVANCED WARNINGS
We are now in a position to be giving a lot more 'basic' warnings for our events as a result of our gradual development in this area. Therefore, check out the following information and begin to bear it all in mind now ….

Thursday 10th September – Beer tasting 7.00ish. Venue to be confirmed
Saturday 12th September – Volunteer day, all day. Organisation to be confirmed
Thursday 17th September – Cooking class: Empanadas 6.00ish. Venue to be confirmed
Friday 25th September – Gallery Hop in San Telmo 5:30ish. Venues to be confirmed

We have ANOTHER new intern....another GIRL!!!
Last week we were joined by Nina Schuster from Hildesheim, in Germany. She has a history of study in translation and as such a very useful member of our girly team. She will be working on updating information available for you all on the website and on the Spanish side of negotiations regarding advertising. Welcome Nina! Contact her with any questions about trip reports at volunteerba@saexplorers.org

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ADVERTISING WITH SAE!!!!
If you want to advertise with us, making yourself known to expats and tourists who pass through our office or who live in BA, there are a number of affordable options available to you including web space, newsletter banners or classifieds and printed publications that we distribute through BA and from our office in the Microcentro. If you have any queries, contact our Marketing Manager, Caroline Stephenson at baadvertising@saexplorers.org
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INTERN WITH US!
Over the past few months we’ve had some fantastic interns – Caroline Major (Brazil expert from London), Amelia Edwards (Events Manager from Philadelphia), Jessica Dufresne (Marketing Wizz Kid from Michigan), Caroline Stephenson (the bonnie Welsh lass who has recently accepted the advertising baton from the Michigan Kid) and Kat Mowbray – our newest addition who has a canny knack for getting stuff for free! We are a fantastic bunch and it’s a pleasure coming to the office every day. So, if you want some SAE experience and you feel you’ve got something to offer, get in touch with us at baclub@saexplorers.org
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Do you have a product you would like to sell?
Our Clubhouse here in BA is a good place to sell stuff. Why???? Because people pass through here all the time. We are willing to set up an agreement with anyone interested in selling something (for example, if you make great bags, jewellery or you want to sell some art) whereby we take care of the sales for you in exchange for receiving a small percentage of the purchase itself. Interested??? Email us at baclub@saexplorers.org
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Storing Luggage at The Clubhouse – THE STORAGE VENUE HAS CHANGED!!!
Please remember that if you want to store or pick-up luggage you need to make an appointment with us beforehand via email. Our luggage store location has changed and it is impossible to simply pop by and collect things stored or drop stuff off. We need to be given notice to avoid causing you unnecessary stress. So, please...... Email all luggage correspondence to baclub@saexplorers.org AHEAD OF TIME!
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Poke us, befriend us.
Please visit our facebook page because it includes lots of stuff about events, contact details (that are up-to-date!) and more. Find us online at
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WE HAVE TELEPHONE CONNECTION!
Finally, the powers that be here in BA have managed to get around to connecting our telephone line and so you can now call us from anywhere the city on 5275 0137 (+54 11 and then the number if you're calling from outside Argentina or if you're using skype to call us). Also, if you need to make a local call to any landline here in the city you can do so from our office for FREE.

1. Bien Argentino, Language School
Bien Argentino has offices in Salta and Bs. As. Therefore, the student can start a programme in one of these locations and continue in the other one. This provides them with the unique opportunity to “travel while learning”. They offer cultural immersion programmes too and they organise classes according to the student's needs. They are very flexible.
54-11-15-3159-1366
www.bien-argentino.com.ar
info@bien-argentino.com.ar

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2. Antarctica Expeditions, Tour Company

SAE are pleased to announce that there are several discounts to be taken advantage of regarding Antarctica Expeditions this season. It´s well worth coming in to the office to check them all out.
November is the lowest rate month.
January/February 2010 are some offers where Antartica Expeditions are paying the airfares of their clients... from wherever that person is coming from. The flights are to Ushuaia and back again. A real incentive! Although, reservations must be made now.
Tel: + 55 (51) 3334.5479
www.antarcticacruises.com.br

Havana Club, Puerto Madero
I will have to begin by saying that this establishment is by no means fantastic. It serves the basic fare and, being situated along the river-side in Puerto Madero, is of course a bit of a tourist trap. However, sitting by the river at night is lovely, there’s no doubt about that, and the menu does have a few things worth mentioning.

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Firstly, they serve up a mean dish of nachos. The portion is huge, comes with guacamole, melted cheese, mincemeat and different kinds of salsas in one big dish. It will leave you feeling thoroughly satisfied and is the perfect accompaniment to a good cocktail, which is the second thing that Havana Club does have the right to boast about doing well.

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Their caipirinha cocktail is particularly good, but they also serve a damn fine martini (although I didn’t ask whether I could have the option to try one shaken and not stirred!). The frozen daiquiri is a third and excellent option, the measures are large and the idea of a fourth order really is not going to even enter your head. Equally, Budweiser and other mainstream beers on tap makes for a pleasant way to pass a few hours. Although, I suggest ordering one of their more meaty meals (they do offer a fairly good steak) if beer is what you fancy. Nachos look a little girly next to a pint in my book!

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Finally, and I really have saved the best until last, they do a spectacular dessert; spectacular in presentation, size, taste and ingredients. It gets a 10 out of 10 for everything. Inclusive of dulce de leche ice-cream, different types of wafer cups and sticks, dulce de leche itself, sticky caramel, chocolate sauce and a large chocolate brownie, this dessert makes it onto the top list of desserts for me found in the whole city.

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It took me about 10 minutes to eat the thing, without any conversation getting in my way, and was 10 minutes of absolute pleasure. It was an excellent accompaniment to the salty nature of my martini and left me feeling all warm and girly….. strange how sweet things can have that effect, isn’t it? Or is it just me????

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To conclude…. all the establishments along the river are obvious tourist traps, the majority of the menu is fairly basic and overpriced and the ambience itself is a little garish (the music is played far too loud, in my opinion, for example). But, cocktails are a winner, nachos provide an excellent accompaniment and the dessert is one thing on the menu that you’ll be hard pressed to find as good elsewhere. Give it a whirl!

Japonese Gardens
The Japonese Gardens in Buenos Aires (5 peso entrance fee to foreigners) makes for a relaxing hour or two in the afternoon when the sun is out and the days are long. Located on Avenida Libertador in the heart of Palermo, the gardens are blessed with the added convenience of being situated close to the larger parks of Tres de Febrero, giving the wandering tourist plenty of 'outdoor action' without requiring too much forward-planning (a must for me in any case).

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Well worth the 5 pesos, the gardens are quite beautiful. Full of birds and pretty plant life, including pink blossom on the trees now that Spring is here, the gardens also boast a fair array of very large fish. Tamed beyond belief, these large sea creatures expectantly wait under the initial bridge by the entrance, bobbing their heads up out of the water at the crowds of visitors knowing that food is nearby. A mixture of reds, white, oranges and greys, time will slip by whilst marveling at both the size and variety of the garden's scaly inmates.

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The gardens also house a very good sushi restaurant which sits next to the water and provides the Argentine visitor with a welcomed alternative to beef, however tasty those steaks actually are. Benches are strewn throughout gardens and even though the Avenida Libertador location should be a noisy one, it isn't. A haven in the middle of the metropolis that won't break the bank should never be snubbed at.

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One final word of warning however... Do be nice to the guy at the entrance selling the tickets and make sure that you bring some change with you. Those of you who have been here for a while should know the problems with getting change (monedas) in BA and unless you're very nice to him, you might find that your whopping 50 peso note just isn't going to cut it!

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From Salta, you can organise a really full and pleasant day’s activities with many different tour operators, many of which align themselves with the various hostels in the city in order to attract more custom. Therefore, visiting the different hot-spots of the region is not a difficult task, nor is it time-consuming and it is also very affordable. All in all, it’s something that you may wish to consider doing during your time in Argentina.

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If you stay in Hostel Andaluz, located just a few blocks from the central plaza, you’ll find you are surrounded by very warm and welcoming staff, homely rooms (even during the cold winter months) and free internet. The showers are always hot and the tour company that they work with to send their guests on a day’s adventure to Cafayate is excellent.

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One day’s tour includes a really comfortable four hour drive (even if you do have to leave before day break) with plenty of stop-offs along the way. You are able to visit a number of different canyons (‘quebradas’ in Spanish), look out across some beautiful, mountainous landscapes that are amazingly made up of a number of different colours (striking effects are achieved when you see all these colours coming together at once) and taste some fine wines from two to three different vineyards.

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The two vineyards that I visited with my friend recently were small, independently-run affairs and some of the wine that I tasted lived up to those all important Argentine standards. Still not a personal fan of white wine, the samples on offer were tasty, but nothing to rave about. However, the red wines that we were given to sample were very good. So many flavours all merged into one, bobbing up to say hello at different times until the wine had been fully digested. Lovely.

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The representatives that met us at the wineries were also very knowledgeable and explained a great deal about the process behind making the wine and also the way in which the wine was treated at their particular vineyard. A lot of the wine we tasted during our trip cannot be bought across the counter, even in the country’s capital. It is all made to order and I could see why, considering the quality, time and attention paid to producing each and every bottle.

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The town of Cafayate is also normally a stop off point during a standard day trip and, even though there’s not much more to it than the expected restaurants, main plaza, artesanal wares and souvenir shops, it makes for a very pleasant lunch spot. Locro is excellent here if you’re a fan, and there is also an alfajor specialist shop located just off of the main plaza. It sold alfajores with the expected dulce de leche filling, but also other ones with dulce de naranja (orange), dulce de manzana (apple) and dulce de uva (grape)..... delicious alternatives that were impossible to resist.

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Arriving back to Salta after a full day at about 7pm means that if you then want to head on out and take an overnight bus somewhere to your next stop, the option is easily do-able. Equally, the city of Salta itself has so much to offer that perhaps hanging around for another day or two should be considered. However, you’ll have to wait for more about what you can do in Salta’s city until next week.

This week, I am stepping aside for 'Top Expat Knowledge.' One of our most recent interns, Kat Mowbray, has written the following piece about one of her favourite hostels in BA and it may be enough to tempt some of you to stay there...

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The Clan Hostal, every good reason to stay in BA.

This beautiful hostal building in downtown Buenos Aires holds the charm and fun needed for every good reason to stay in the capital. The hostal has some of the friendliest, young and funky staff to be found in Argentina, who are easily approachable and willing to share their knowledge about their buzzing and cosmopolitan city.

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One of the most fantastic aspects of this hostal is that the travelling crowd tend to be highly energised, party animals, who are easy going and friendly. The parties to be found here are some of the best I experienced whilst staying in hostals throughout South America.

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There is a fully equipped kitchen which has a very social atmosphere, also a bar with excellent cocktails and drinks offers, a TV room, and a glow in the dark psychedelic ping pong room, which can keep the fun going on well into the early hours of the morning. The rooms are all dorm rooms, with the best being Tango and Evita, due to the fact that they are smaller in size and a lot cosier. A rustic haven where no rules apply means that you can relax and have a real good time.

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At only 38 pesos a night for bed and breakfast one cannot go wrong. The morning breakfast starts at 8am and finishes at 12pm consisting of tea, juice and coffee with fresh bread and jam, or the famous and irresistible dulce de leche spread. If planning to go to other destinations in South America, then Veronica the STA in house tour operator is very useful for trip planning outside Buenos Aires.

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Close to the Subte lines and many central tourist attractions this hostal is ideal for all travellers that are looking for a fun filled tourist time and a loca loca fiesta in the Argentine capital. If an SAE member then the hostal is offering an exclusive deal of four nights for the price of three in their B&B five person dorm room, an offer too good to be missed.

by Kat Mowbray for SAE, Buenos Aires

Palabras, Palabras!

Basta! is a particular favourite of mine. When something or someone is annoying you and needs to be told to stop, you can say, 'Basta!' to get your point across. However, do be aware that it would be fairly rude in formal situations. Keep it amongst friends please.

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LAST WEEK’S QUESTION.......What are 'Tamales'? Tamales are a type of food typical to the northern regions of Argentina and parts of Bolivia and Peru too. They are corn-based snacks, wrapped and cooked in the leaves of the corn plant, and very tasty. They have meat inside and are opened like a present in order to eat. Delicious!

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THIS WEEK’S QUESTION.......What are the main ingredients for an alfajor?

Answers to: buenosairesclubhouse@saexplorers.org

Next week, I'll publish the answer....Ooooo!