[Koha] KohaCon14 Info?

[BWS Johnson]

Salvete!

In the past, I've posted my travel plans for KohaCon which other people have told me were useful. So I'm doing it again. :)

First things first, it's time to pay the pezzo!

Unfortunately, Argentina charges folks from the US, Canada, and Australia a screw you pal fee. They call it a reciprocity fee. It varies by your nationality, since it's based off of what we charge them for visas. Turnabout is fair play.

It can only be paid online in advance! This is a change from the past law that let you go "Aw crap, here, have some money!" at the border.

For Yanks it's $160, but it's meant to be good for a decade. So if you've bought one past 2009, it ought still be in effect. Yes, I realise that is less than 10 years.

Here's the link:
http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesible/templates/reciprocidad/reciprocidad.htm

Now for the more fun part: getting there! :)

As many of you know, I am biologically incapable of just going straight to KohaCon, not passing Go, and not collecting $200. So my plane stuff looks like this on the way there:

DCA > MIA > UVF > MIA > EZE > AEP > COR

I'm not actually flying between EZE and AEP, though that would be hilarious.

It looks like this on the way back:

COR > SCL > MIA > DCA

As I was bumping about the Interwebs, American Airline's computers seem to have COR > SCL as a half hour flight when it is meant to be an hour and a half as far as I can tell, so take extra precautions with your connections.

As I advised in past, it is quite handy to learn where the various carriers place their hubs. This knowledge might let you plan a good side trip or turn a nightmare layover into a planned diversion. 

If you're flying from the East Coast of the States, Miami, Newark, JFK, Charlotte, and Atlanta are good options. Almost everything will end up getting routed through Miami.

Miami is the hub for pretty much all of the Caribbean. What's in the Caribbean? Pirates and rhum, of course, so you are highly encouraged to explore the vicinity. I will be closely monitoring the quality of granular limestone deposits and the effect of salination on the bespoke substance.

If you're flying in from elsewhere, your hub might end up being Santiago Chile, Lima Peru, Panama City Panama, Ecuador, or Buenos Aires.

While in Córdoba, I'll be staying at the 

Garden Hotel.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g312768-d638080-Reviews-Garden_Hotel-Cordoba_Province_of_Cordoba_Central_Argentina.html

It's not posh, but it is close to the Conference venue. There are a number of cheaper hostels in walking distance to the venue if you're on a shoestring budget. If you want to splurge, there are a number of 4 and 5 star hotels. 

Prices tend to run a lot cheaper than Yank accommodations. $150 American will buy you summat quite swank.

Some places I considered in my search were:

Coralt
Azur Real Hotel Boutique
Kube Apartments
NH Panorama
Windsor Hotel and Tower
Amerian Cordoba Park Hotel

There are tonnes of options, including private apartments. There are many high quality options that are well within walking distance of the venue.

The currency is the Argentinian peso, and the language is Spanish. For more information about the peso, you'll want to check out

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/jan/24/argentina-peso-devaluation-blue-dollar-tourism

Wikitravel's page is here:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Cordoba__(city,_Argentina)

Cheers,
Brooke