Telephone

Phoning in Argentina is made very easy by the abundance of

- phone centres with private booths where you can talk for as long as you like, and pay afterwards, the price appearing on a small screen in your booth. There's no need for change or phonecards, and

often have internet, photocopying and fax services.

An alternative to

is to buy a phonecard and use it from your hostel or hotel. 2 good brands are

and

, available from

and

for 5 or 10 pesos. Dial the free, 0800 number on the card, and a code (which you scratch the card to reveal), and you can phone anywhere in the world. For US$3 you can talk for 1 hr internationally. Call from your hotel/hostel, as it only is the cost of a local call.These can sometimes be used in

too, though the rates are more expensive, and sometimes from your hotel room, ask reception. Otherwise Skype, www.skpye.com, is a wonderful invention and the cheapest way to keep in touch.