Calzado Dasi – Uzzo – Desert Boots – Botines de Gamuzon con Suelo de Crepe – Update

Uzzo brand desert boots – Calzado Dasi – $349 – Marca Uzzo – Botines de Gamuzon y Suela de Crepe

We went back to Calzado Dasi recently and bought another pair of desert boots – this time brown.  Beige is the more classic colour, however, brown is a better choice for everyday wear.  As you can see, this is my second pair of desert boots from Dasi.

The price went up a little bit but that was expected; they now cost $349.

The owner is a really nice guy.  I’ve stopped in while wearing my desert boots to say hi and let him how comfortable the shoes are.

We have seen the exact pair of Uzzo brand desert boots for $500 in three different spots in the city; Avenida Boedo, Puerreydon y Santa Fe and Maipú street.  Dasi beats that price by more that $150 – and they are super nice people! Win – win.

Recientemente volvimos a Calzado Dasi y compramos otro par de botines del desierto, esta vez marrones.  El beige es el color más clásico en éstos botines, pero el marrón es una mejor elección para usar a diario.  Como puede usted ver, éste es mi segundo par de botines de Dasi. 

El Vitral

El Vitral is one of the best used book stores in Buenos Aires.  We have added many titles to our book collection buying from them – always at a great price.

The majority of the books offered are Spanish however they also sell books in French, Italian, German and English.

They very often have books on English grammar, composition, and rhetoric; dictionaries, thesauruses and encyclopedias.  We purchased our most valued dictionary there a couple of years ago for $40 ($10 US).

We purchased the following English books at El Vitral for the equivalent of a couple of dollars within the last couple of years:

• Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra – The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha (trans. John Ormsby)
• Henry Fielding – The History Of Tom Jones, A Foundling
• Ferdinand Lundberg – The Rich And The Super Rich
• Marie-Henri Bayle De Stendhal- The Red And The Black (trans. C.K. Scott-Moncrieff)
• Benvenuto Cellini – The Autobiography Of (trans. John Addington Symonds)
• Egon Caesar Conte Corti – The Destruction And Resurrection Of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Gustave Doré – Miguel de Cervantes – Don Quixote – “A world of disorderly notions, picked out of his books, crowded into his imagination”

The last time we were in El Vitral they were playing music by the composer Marin Marais being performed by Jordi Savall.  Marvelous.

El Vitral es una de las mejores librerías de usados en Buenos Aires.  Sumamos muchos libros a nuesta colección comprándolos allí – siempre a muy buen precio.

Aromas y Esencias – Bulk Soap – Jabón por Major

A couple of weeks ago we went to Lanús to buy our magnesium sulphate at Droguería Industrial Lanús and the guy who was serving us mentioned that a shop down the road sells essential oils.  We decided to go and see what they have to offer.

Aromas y Esencias offers high quality essential oils from Argentina and abroad at competitive prices.  They also offer one kilo bars of fragrance free glycerin and coconut oil soap for $35 which is a lot cheaper than buying your soap at the supermarket.

We noted the cost of Veritas brand fragrance free glycerin soap at Supermercado Coto; a pack of three bars (3×120 grams) costs $26.80; single bars cost $7.76.  The single bars at Coto are a bit cheaper but the bars at Aroma y Esencias are much cheaper.

Coconut oil soap is reputed to be beneficial for the hair.

Barras de jabón de glicerina y coco – $35 cada uno

Un par de semanas atrás fuímos a Lanús a comprar sulfato de magnesio en la Droguería Industrial Lanús y el señor  que nos atendió nos contó que a unas pocas cuadras había un negocio de aceites escenciales.

Droguería Industrial Lanús – Sulfato de Magnesio

A couple of months ago a family member was lauding the benefits of bathing in magnesium sulphate.  Magnesium sulphate is also known as epsom salts or bitter salts.

A couple of tablespoons into the bath water and relax!  Supposedly it draws toxins out of your body through the skin.  Sometimes people gives themselves a foot bath in a small tub with a tablespoon of salt.

It is an enjoyable experience, however, epsom salts are not that common or readily available in Buenos Aires.   In other places magnesium sulphate is often available at pharmacies.

We took a look in the yellow pages and found a supplier who sells chemicals retail.  Droguería Industrial Lanús is where we now buy our magnesium sulphate.

The past couple of months we have been bathing in bitter salts and we feel the benefits.  A one kilo bag costs $50.

Un par de meses atrás un familiar alababa los benficios de un baño  de inmersión en sulfato de magnesio, también llamada sal de Epsom o sal amarga.

Pon un par de cucharadas en la bañadera de agua caliente y relax!  Supuestamente elimina toxinas del cuerpo a través de la piel.  A veces la gente en cambio se dá un baño de pies en una palangana de agua tibia con una cucharada de sales.

Argentina Regionales Total – Alpargatas – Jute Cotton Shoes

Argentina Regionales Total – Business card

A while back we came across the “Argentina Regionales Total” store and we noted how much they retail  “alpargatas” for.

The past couple of months we compared their price to other retailers in the city and no store came close to their price of $86.

They have a lot of nice merchandise in their store like all wool ponchos and nice traditional leather hats. They are friendly and relaxed without aggressive sales tactics; we prefer that type of sales philosophy.

Alpargatas – Made in Argentina since 1894 – jute and cotton – 100% biodegradable – jute y algodón

We returned and made our purchase of alpargatas;  we are going to buy some more for a gift pack we are putting together and we are looking forward to return to Argentina Regionales Total.

Hace un tiempo atrás encontramos la tienda “Argentina Regionales Total” y caímos en cuenta del precio de los alpargatas allí.

Abastecer Seguridad – OMBU – Cargo Pants

Abastecer Seguridad – Representante Oficial OMBU

Whether one is vacationing, working, tripping or using them around one’s own  place cargo pants are very useful and convenient.  A few extra pockets always come in handy.

We just bought some Ombú brand cargo pants at Abastecer Seguridad, which is an official Ombú retailer, and we are super happy with our purchase.

Indumentaria Laboral y Calzado OMBU Aire Libre

Ombú is a well known brand that is made in Argentina that has been recognized for the quality of its products for a long time.

Ombú safety footware, work clothes and outdoor wear for both men and women are all available at Albastecer Seguridad.

Así uno esté vacaciones, tabajando, viajando o dándo vueltas en su barrio los pantalones “cargo” son prácticos y útiles.  Un poco más de bolsillos siempre encuentran un buen uso.

Ferretería del Norte

La tarjeta de Ferreteria del Norte – Norte’s business card

We found Ferretería del Norte in the Yellow Pages a couple of years ago when we were looking for sandpaper.

After that we bought a Skil belt sander from them when we were refinishing our floors.  We have bought quite a few large cans of remover, bags of steel wool, boxes of screws and various other tools there over the years.

Shower curtain rod – Made in Argentina – ALEX brand – $109

When we renovated our kitchen the guys doing the work were impressed how quickly the Norte guys delivered the materials. We just bought a shower curtain rod off of them that we have been wanting to change it for a while.  They have competitive prices, they know their business and they are friendly.

Ferretería del Norte is a business that provides a few individuals in the community with credit which is representative of their character.  Every once in a while we will drop in to say hi if they are not busy.  They like football.

SKIL Belt Sander – 900w – Model 7640

Un par de años atrás encontramos Ferretería del Norte en las Páginas Amarilllas buscando papel de lija.

Entonces compramos una lijadora de banda cuando rehicimos nuestros pisos.  Compramos también varias latas enormes de removedor, lana de acero, cajas de tornillos y herramientas a través de los años. 

Gourmet Shop

Gourmet Shop – The Attention You Deserve

One of the guys at Gourmet- Shop speaks English.  He is in a rock band too.

Teapot – Made in Uruguay – 1 liter – $80 – Tetera – Industria Uruguaya

We were in there a couple of weeks ago and we bought a few things – a tea pot that is of Uruguayan origin, an oven mitt made in Argentina and a laminated bamboo chopping block made in China.

They gave us a discount on the oven mitt and the chopping block and the teapot was already on sale.

They have a lot of nice merchandise in their store and we are planning on returning when it is time for us to look for a new stainless steel pot.

En Gourmet Shop uno de los muchachos habla inglés.  El también forma parte de una banda de rock.

Cuchillos de Acero al Carbono y Ferretería Fullone

The knife in the middle is well worn from years of use – El cuchillo del medio está más gastado por años de uso.

We love cooking and we are always improving our kitchen with more functional equipment and utensils.

We enjoy using quality knives and when we need to carve meat, like most carniceros in Buenos Aires, we prefer carbon steel knives.

We like the knives that are made in Argentina utilizing Swedish Eskilstuna blades.

We bought our small 4″ knife at Ferretería Fullone on Avenida San Juan for $129 a couple of months ago.

He made sure to explain that the knife was not stainless and we said that that was what we were looking for.

Some other customers joined in the conversation and it was agreed all around that carbon steel gets sharper.

We are planning on buying some more knives from Sr. Fullone in the future as he carries the knives in all the sizes from 4″ to 14″.

Ferretería Fullone – Hours – Monday to Friday 9am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm – Saturdays 9am to 2 pm

Nos encanta cocinar y siempre estamos mejorando nuestra cocina con equipo y utensilios más prácticos. 

Nos gusta usar cuchillos de calidad y cuando preparamos carne, como la mayoría de los viejos carniceros en Buenos Aires, preferimos los cuchillos de acero al carbono. 

Herrajes Libertad

Restored and unrestored bronze door handles Comparación de picaporte de bronce restaurado

Over the years we have had quite a bit of work done by Herrajes Libertad. 

We have had them fix and shine up our bronze teapot, fix and shine our lamp, restore quite a few door handles and copy bronze pieces that were missing from antique furniture. 

Having the door handles restored made a big difference when we refinished our doors. 

The guys that work there are knowledgeable about their craft and can transmit the idea to the shop and they thoroughly know the trade which has made dealing with them a pleasant experience. 

They like football and good food too. 

On the left a replicated handle from an original on the right – A la izquierda replica de la manija de la derecha

Nos hicieron una importante cantidad de trabajos en Herrajes Libertad en los pasados años. 

Nos arreglaron y limpiaron nuestra tetera de bronce, nos arreglaron y lustraron nuestra lámpara, restauraron una cantidad de picaportes y copiaron piezas de bronce perdidas de muebles antiguos.