Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina

What can I really say about Chascomús? A lot, I guess. I was born here on August 17th 1980. It's a nice little town, very green, still safe compared to towns of the same size in the province of Buenos Aires and very cheap in general. Buying a property can be difficult and expensive. And finding accommodation in an apartment can be tough. Usually most real estate agencies will requiere you to have proof of income for the last 6 months, 2 months of rent in advance on top of the rent for the current month and a collateral (owner of a property). Moving around in town is just a piece of cake. You do not need a car! How about that? You can get anywhere on foot or by bike in 5 to 10 minutes. If you are using a bike, you have to make sure that you have a decent lock for it, otherwise chances are that it might get stolen. Also, being a bike rider can be challenging sometimes. If you are not from Argentina, you will have to learn a very important rule when driving/walking/cycling around town: there are NO RULES. So, who crosses the road first? He who can, is faster and more wreckles. As a local, I've always found this puzzling. It's like you have to have a certain native intuition activated in your brain that will tell you how to move around. In the last couple of years, car accidents have become too frequent. But this is not what this post is about, right? No, it's not. What positive things can I tell you about Chascomús? It's green, very green. The lagoon is surrounded by parks full of trees where you can find shelter from the heat during the summer months. The temperatures can be anywhere from 24ºC (75,2 F) to 40ºC (104 F)  and  the humidity is crazy. If you are a person resilient to these conditions, great for you! Otherwise, consider visiting Chascomús around March or October. There are plenty of activities that you can do in the summer time. You can grab some cold drinks, go for a walk and enjoy the beauty of the lagoon and the autochthonous birds. You can enjoy some coffee and pastries at one of the several cafes along the shore. You can also organise a picnic and enjoy some of the amazing wines that Argentina has to offer. Go to a local bakery, any, and taste some of Argentina's famous pastries (aka facturas), bread and sandwiches de miga (sandwiches made with thin slices of the crumb of a very specific type of soft and super spongy bread). These sandwiches pair well with beer. If you are a beer drinker, be aware that it's one of Argentina's most popular drinks and it's expensive. Decent beer, sold in bottles of one liter, can range anwhere between three to four US dollars.And there's a trick to buying beer: before going to the supermarket, make sure you find a 1-liter empty bottle of beer, any kind, any brand will do. Upon entering the supermarket, make sure you inform the people at the counter how many bottles you want to buy and leave the empty bottle (or bottles) in a nearby bottle crate, they will OK you  and then you can approach any fridge and get your beer. And BY ALL MEANS do NOT BUY Quilmes! Please don't, believe me, it's the WORST brand you can get. Quilmes Stout or Bock are decent varieties but plain Quilmes is bad, really bad. Brahma is decent and any other brands above that are good, too.
And if you happen to be a native speaker of English and are looking to find a job as a TEFL/TESOL trainer, this is your place! Don't worry about visas or work permits! I won't explain the whole immigration process here but... in a nutshell: enter Argentina as a tourist with a return ticket anytime within 90 days. Find a teaching job, kick your return to another date (tickets are usually open for up to twelve months as of the date of purchase), one month before your first 90 days expire, apply for a 90-days extension at any immigration office within your region and then... you can simply have to start crossing the pond before your 90 days expire (aka go to Uruguay for 24 hours or less) and voilá, you will get 90 extra days on a tourist visa. I know the process well enough because this is what my husband (US citizen) had to do before we got married and he applied for a family reunion permanent residence permit, although he never had to cross the pond. We submitted all our documents quickly enough and had no problems of any kind at all. If you want to know more about getting a permanent residence permit as a family member and don't find the information out there clear enough, feel free to message me. I can explain the process in very simple words. It's totally easy and you don't have to worry about anything. Want to get married in Argentina? I can also explain the process very easily. There's one thing I can tell you though: immigration officers are VERY well informed and are really kind and helpful. We are a country of immigrants, so we welcome foreigners and we love them. Mind you, you will also find very negative comments about immigrants. My advice? Go to Argentina and experience in situ what it is like to be a foreigner. Most people will treat you like an old friend or, even better, a family member.
But this post is not strictly about Argentina in general. It's about my hometown, Chascomús! Sorry, I was starting to forget about it! 
What can you visit in town? Go to the Capilla de Los Negros (Chapel of the Black Community), the cathedral, visit Casa de Casco, the local museum, the Estación Hidrobiológica (where they raise fish that are then transferred to the lake to replenish the existing fish population), get a bike a ride around the lake (without stops, it will probably take about 3 hours - it's 35 km approximately!), enjoy the stunning sunsets, go for a run, have a nice dinner at Vieja Esquina, Lo de Mirta, El Colonial (aka Lo de Fasce), rent a row boat, buy a fishing rod, get a couple of beers with you and enjoy a wonderful experience! The lake is not deep, just 3 to four metres deep (9 to 12 feet). The water of the lake is not crystal clear but brown. It's partially due to the natural sediments of the bottom of the lagoon and dirt. I wouldn't advise you to eat fish from the lagoon. Some people do, but most don't. There are some heavy metals in the water that can definitely contaminate the fish. It's safe to walk into the lake, but wear some sort of protection for your feet, water shoes, flip-flops, whatever you like. There are lots of stray dogs in town. It's OK to touch them, but make sure that you don't get three or four dogs around you. Some of them might get a tad jealous and become aggressive toward the other dogs. And you don't really want to put up a show, do you? Use some hand rubbing alcohol after touching these four-legged friends. I'm sorry for not being able to provide you with actual links, but Chascomús is entering the world of websites at a very slow pace.
Have any questions about Chascomús? Send me a message!
So, this is all for now! Thanks for your time!