This is what I love - expats creating a community. Your love for what you do shines through, and although I never got into motorcycling reading these stories have me interested. Do you, or anyone else, know of a good place how to properly learn to ride one?
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Is this like time travel? Or you can just see the future? Never heard of this. I'm going to look it up.
That is a good way to live! Too much of he world has gotten political.
I have seen a few videos on Tik Tok of women riding around the world. I saw one in Mexico that looked like it would be dangerous.
Totally agree. It is great to hear the story of how he ended up in Argentina!
Wally
Well-known member
Interesting. I didn't know women were in the sport. Silly me. Women can do anything.
earlyretirement
Moderator
Hey @xfiltrate you won't believe this but one of my close friends first mentioned remote viewing to me. Crazy seeing a post on this topic. Do you actually have episodes of this? Some of the articles he sent me from the CIA and what some past ex-Presidents from the USA have said about it are mind boggling.
That’s a great question. I’m probably not the right person to recommend a school, because the truth is I learned in a very unstructured way — and Elisa’s path was different again. So all I can really do is tell you how we each got started.
I learned to ride in Japan when I was about 13. My father was a U.S. Air Force officer stationed there, and we lived off base. At the time I had inherited my dad’s stamp collection and had joined a Japanese Boy Scout troop.
One day I was visiting a small Japanese philatelist shop that liked some of the U.S. Special Delivery stamps in my collection. I wouldn’t sell them — until one day I walked in and saw a used 50cc Honda Cub parked in the shop.
The owner made me a proposal:
“How about trading some of those stamps for this Honda?”
Of course there were a few problems. I was 13 years old. No license. No insurance. And if my parents found out I probably would have been shipped back to the U.S. to live with my grandparents.
The shop owner must have seen my hesitation. He said, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep the Honda here for you. I know you’re a Japanese Boy Scout. Find someone in your troop to teach you. It has an automatic clutch and three gears — it’s easy.”
So technically my first motorcycle was purchased with postage stamps.
The entire Japanese Boy Scout troop immediately volunteered to teach me to ride. Before long they even introduced me to their little motorcycle gang and gave me a proper initiation. Those were different times. We would ride around Tokyo and sometimes end up near the Shinjuku gin bars where the hostesses thought the American kid was amusing. The U.S. airmen who frequented those bars often knew my father and kept an eye on me. This did not prevent me from smoking Parliament cigarettes, drinking way too many gin fizz, fondling the young Japanese hostesses and keeping a bottle of Acdama wine with my Honda. This was circa: 1959 occupied Japan. From Japan we moved to Ankara, Turkey where I graduated High School.
That’s how I learned to ride.
Elisa’s story was much more civilized.
When we bought our Hondas in Buenos Aires, she had first taken a one-day course in Arizona that allowed her to add a motorcycle permit to her driver’s license. We then bought our bikes here and immediately escaped Buenos Aires traffic by taking the Buquebus ferry to Uruguay.
In Uruguay I spent about a month riding with her on quiet roads until she was completely comfortable on the bike.
She actually tells that story much better than I do in an interview here:
https://adventureriderradio.com/adv...trouble-if-i-survive-ill-never-complain-again
So unfortunately I can’t really recommend a formal training program. But I can say this: learning slowly, on quiet roads, with patient friends around you worked pretty well for us.
MikeRoss
Well-known member
Awesome story about Japan and learning to ride. You sound like you have lived a full life! Your wife too.
I read that you lived in Pinamar. How is it there? I heard some friends tell me they go only for a week in the summer. Is it nice there? Do you enjoy living there? Is it cheaper than BA?
Thanks for noticing that. Yes, Elisa and I live in Pinamar, about 350 km south of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast.
Regarding cost of living, things have changed quite a bit in Argentina the last couple of years. Because of inflation and economic adjustments, the cost of living in Buenos Aires today is generally around $1,000–$1,700 USD per month for a single person, depending on lifestyle. If you want a more comfortable expat lifestyle with dining out and entertainment, $1,500–$2,000+ per month is probably a more realistic number these days. These figures do not include cost of health insurance, etc.
Pinamar is interesting because in some ways it can actually be a little less expensive day-to-day than Buenos Aires — fewer restaurants, less nightlife, fewer opportunities to spend money. But housing close to the beach can be expensive because many of the homes here are large summer houses owned by wealthy families from Buenos Aires.
One of the things that makes Pinamar special is that the town has strict building rules and lots of protected pine forest and dunes, so it still feels like a beach town instead of a wall of high-rise buildings.
There are also some lifestyle advantages:
• Security: Because of the high-value summer homes and seasonal visitors, many neighborhoods have security patrols or gated communities.
• Quality of life: You can walk or bicycle almost everywhere.
• Nature: Pine forests, dunes, and the Atlantic Ocean all within a few minutes.
• Peace and quiet: Outside the summer season it becomes very relaxed compared to Buenos Aires.
And the nice part is Buenos Aires is still only about a four-hour drive, so when we want big-city culture, tango, restaurants, or international flights it’s easy to get there.
For us it’s a pretty nice balance between beach life and adventure travel.
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By the way, if any of you expats ever wander down the coast, Elisa and I will be in Pinamar until May 2026 and it would be a hoot to meet some fellow travelers and expats in person.
Pinamar is about 4 hours south of Buenos Aires, a beautiful beach town surrounded by pine forests and dunes. Outside the summer season it becomes very relaxed — great for long beach walks, riding motorcycles through the forest roads, or just sitting with a glass of wine watching the Atlantic.
While doing a little research recently I discovered something kind of funny: I may actually be the only U.S. citizen with an Argentine DNI living permanently in Pinamar. Elisa — who has a PhD in Spanish literature — appears to be among a very small contingent of Spanish citizens living here as well. So between the two of us we may be running most of the international community of Pinamar from our kitchen table. 😄
If any of you ever find yourselves heading this way, send me a message. We’re always happy to meet interesting people, share a coffee or a glass of wine, and trade a few travel stories.
Expats are a tribe — it’s always fun to meet the tribe wherever you happen to land.
And if you arrive on two wheels, even better — we can compare notes on riding Argentina.
Curious — are there many expats here who have made it down to the Atlantic coast yet, or are most people staying in Buenos Aires?
Pinamar is about 4 hours south of Buenos Aires, a beautiful beach town surrounded by pine forests and dunes. Outside the summer season it becomes very relaxed — great for long beach walks, riding motorcycles through the forest roads, or just sitting with a glass of wine watching the Atlantic.
While doing a little research recently I discovered something kind of funny: I may actually be the only U.S. citizen with an Argentine DNI living permanently in Pinamar. Elisa — who has a PhD in Spanish literature — appears to be among a very small contingent of Spanish citizens living here as well. So between the two of us we may be running most of the international community of Pinamar from our kitchen table. 😄
If any of you ever find yourselves heading this way, send me a message. We’re always happy to meet interesting people, share a coffee or a glass of wine, and trade a few travel stories.
Expats are a tribe — it’s always fun to meet the tribe wherever you happen to land.
And if you arrive on two wheels, even better — we can compare notes on riding Argentina.
Curious — are there many expats here who have made it down to the Atlantic coast yet, or are most people staying in Buenos Aires?
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This more or less is what I think. I spend about $2,400 a month but I like going out to eat every week. I could live for less if I wanted to. I just dropped my medical coverage as it was eating into my budget and I never used it. It might not be smart but the cost keeps going up and now there are co-pays. I may start it back up and hope things get more affordable. I was up to $400 a month which was not worth it to me. I have no health issues.
I haven't been to Pinamar but friends tell me it is lovely. I will have to go out there. Do you own your own place @xfiltrate or renting? I have heard that it is quiet and peaceful out there. I like a bigger city but I want to check it out after your posts.
You seem like good people.
Thanks for the kind words — much appreciated.
Your monthly budget sounds pretty realistic for Argentina these days, especially if you like to get out and enjoy restaurants once in a while. Prices have definitely been moving around the last few years so everyone seems to be recalibrating what their normal monthly number is.
On the health insurance question, just to share our experience: Elisa and I have had a Medicus Blue policy for more than twenty years. Our plan has no co-pay, no upper coverage limit, and when we originally signed up there was no age restriction, which was important for us.
The only increases we’ve really seen over the years have been modest ones tied to my advancing age and the general devaluation of the peso. Overall, the cost has remained quite reasonable compared with what we were used to in the U.S.
More importantly, the medical care has been excellent whenever we’ve needed it.
Everyone has to make their own decision about insurance of course, but that has been our experience here.
And thanks again for the kind words — we appreciate it.
Funny you should mention that.
Yes, we’ve had a few experiences that made us curious about the whole remote viewing subject. It sounds pretty far-out at first, but once you start reading the history you discover some serious people actually studied it.
Back in the 1970s and 80s the U.S. government funded research into remote viewing, including programs supported by the CIA and the U.S. Army. Much of the early work was conducted at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in California.
One of the best-known figures from that research was Ingo Swann, who helped develop some of the protocols they used in those experiments. Whether someone believes the results or not, the fact that the government funded the work for years makes it pretty fascinating.
A lot of the documents were declassified by the CIA, and they’re actually available online now if someone wants to explore the topic.
Elisa and I have always had an interest in unusual phenomena — we’re also MUFON field investigators — so every once in a while these subjects cross our path.
We don’t claim to have the answers, but it’s definitely one of those topics that makes you stop and think. MUFON - https://mufon.com/
Never heard about any of this. If you happen to see any winning lottery numbers please send my way. 😉
Unfortunately the universe hasn’t shared that level of clarity with me yet. Most of what people report in this area tends to be impressions rather than precise numbers, so casinos and lotteries are probably safe for now. That is the official cover story. Remote viewers are given a sealed envelope that they do not open and are asked to write down, draw what comes to them.
Still, it’s a fascinating subject to read about — especially some of the old research that the CIA and the U.S. Army funded through Stanford Research Institute. Even if you take it with a grain of salt, the history behind it is pretty interesting. Fact: Both the Russians and Chinese have advanced remote viewing programs and the research goes on.
But if I suddenly start predicting Powerball numbers… I’ll remember this conversation.
Cheap Bastard
Well-known member
Do you have a title deed to the garages like a property? Is it the same kind of deed?
Yes. In Argentina the parking spaces have individual title just like real property.
The titular (owner) — holder of Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI) Nº ______ — had ownership transferred to us by the previous owner through Escritura Número ______, executed before an escribano (notary public).
There is also an Actuación Notarial recorded by our escribano documenting the transfer.
So to answer your question directly: yes, we hold individual titles to each of our cocheras (parking spaces).
Like most properties in Argentina that are part of a building complex, there are monthly “expensas” (building expenses). These are quite reasonable and go toward the administration of the facility, which includes:
- 24-hour security
- a facility manager
- maintenance of the structure
- building insurance
If you are interested in the legal mechanics of how the transfer works in Argentina, the best source of precise information would be a local escribano, who can explain the standard title transfer process for cocheras in Buenos Aires parking facilities. One of ours is for sale or trade. see our web site for photos : www.xfiltrate.com
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Nice plan. Argentina is a spectacular country to explore on two wheels, and once you get outside Buenos Aires the distances, landscapes, and empty roads really start to make sense for that kind of trip.
On the paperwork side, what you were told is generally correct. A CDI and a local domicilio will usually get you through most transactions as a foreigner, whether you're buying a vehicle or property. Argentina tends to look complicated from the outside, but once you understand the local mechanics it’s surprisingly workable.
And if Buenos Aires is your base, it’s a great launching point. A few hours out and you’re already in the pampas; a day or two and you’re in Patagonia, the Andes, or the wine country.
We do have a YouTube channel where we talk about Argentina, real estate, and life here. If you’re curious about the country before making the move, you might find it useful:
Maximiliano Götz - MGNI - Argentina Real Estate
We are MGNI (M. Götz Negocios Inmobiliarios), a Buenos Aires–based real estate brokerage specializing in transactions involving foreigners. This channel explains how real estate in Argentina actually works for non-locals. Not marketing. Not shortcuts. Real process. We cover buying, selling...
www.youtube.com
Good luck with the plan. Riding across Argentina is one of those ideas that usually turns into a very good story.
Max.-
Interesting overlap in what you’re doing. We have a steady flow of international riders passing through Buenos Aires who are looking to buy, sell, store, or park motorcycles while they explore Argentina or the rest of South America. So there may be some natural crossover in what we’re both doing.Nice plan. Argentina is a spectacular country to explore on two wheels, and once you get outside Buenos Aires the distances, landscapes, and empty roads really start to make sense for that kind of trip.
On the paperwork side, what you were told is generally correct. A CDI and a local domicilio will usually get you through most transactions as a foreigner, whether you're buying a vehicle or property. Argentina tends to look complicated from the outside, but once you understand the local mechanics it’s surprisingly workable.
And if Buenos Aires is your base, it’s a great launching point. A few hours out and you’re already in the pampas; a day or two and you’re in Patagonia, the Andes, or the wine country.
We do have a YouTube channel where we talk about Argentina, real estate, and life here. If you’re curious about the country before making the move, you might find it useful:
Maximiliano Götz - MGNI - Argentina Real Estate
We are MGNI (M. Götz Negocios Inmobiliarios), a Buenos Aires–based real estate brokerage specializing in transactions involving foreigners. This channel explains how real estate in Argentina actually works for non-locals. Not marketing. Not shortcuts. Real process. We cover buying, selling...
Good luck with the plan. Riding across Argentina is one of those ideas that usually turns into a very good story.
Max.-
For anyone curious, our website is: www.xfiltrate.com
Argentina has plenty of room for people helping travelers figure things out here. The more good information circulating, the easier it becomes for riders and newcomers.
And if you do end up making that ride across Argentina — you’re right — it almost always turns into a very good story.
That is really cool what you are doing. You are living a lot of guys dreams living in Argentina, traveling around in motorcycles, and have a wife that is into that stuff too. Charmed life!
Good Stuff
Active member
Very cool you are MUFON investigator, thanks for sharing. My interest in the Phenomena in general from seeing strange things when I lived in Santa Fe, NM for a few years and never thought about it until a decade later after hearing the reporting on the congressional testimony of David Grucsh alongside the rise of AI in our daily lives in 2023. Asked an old friend if I was crazy for remembering things we had seen, he remembered them clearly as well. I have spent lots of time in San Martín de los Andes and Pucon the last few years and have heard many unsolicited first hand accounts of strange phenomena. I've heard of the famous Bariloche pilot story and nuclear reactor outage account from the 90's. There are so many strange elements to the phenomena, with much of it very possibly being official disinformation. Finding good sources is tricky in a roomful of mirrors! I read from your early post of Cattle Mutilations, have never thought about it in an Argentina context. What's up with that?
VINO
Well-known member
Very interesting. I never heard about any of this. What strange things did you see in Santa Fe? I have a friend that lives there and she also said she has seen "strange things" but I never asked her. Since she likes to drink I thought maybe she was just drunk.
@Good Stuff when you and your old friend saw it was there heavy drinking involved?
What happened in San Martin de los Andes? I'm curious what "strange phenomena" means. I believe in all of this and was hoping that President Trump would release all of the files about UFO's. I thought he would.
I personally believe all the technology we have with our airfare and weapons came from crashed alien aircraft.
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