New Page: Correo Argentino

We have finished putting together our Correo Argentino page.  The relevant information includes the locations, phone numbers, hours of operation and whether they offer post office boxes.

El Tren de las Nubes – Salta, Argentina – Correo Argentino Postal – Dakar 2011 Edición

We like the post office.  Telegrams and Western Union money orders can be sent within Argentina through Correo Argentino; you can pay bills and recharge your SUBE card there as well.

Correo Argentino produces nice stamps and they often create special edition stamp collections which usually includes a post card.  This year they produced one featuring the FIFA World Cup.  The South American Dakar rally is another favorite theme for special editions.

Terminamos de armar nuestra página de Correo Argentino.  La más importante información incluye, lugares, teléfonos, horas de actividad y si ofrecen casillas de correo.

Food Prices – Precios de Alimentos: Aug – Ag 2014

This is our third food price index.  We shop around a little bit but in general the stores we buy at have the best prices, discounts, promotions and quality.

In order to offer the most unbiased inflation index the prices of the respective food categories were taken from the same stores.  We have also included a few items from the government “basket”.  These items prices are set by the government.

We would also add that we do all dairy and deli shopping at Carrefour on Mondays and Tuesdays where we earn a 30% credit.  We buy our cooking oil, white flour, yeast and mate at Carrefour with our coupons every month.

Fruit and vegetable prices were taken from “Frutería y Verdulería Ayacucho“.

Bulk, “health” food products prices were taken from “Dietética Tomy“.

Meat prices were taken from “Frigorífico El Santiagueño“.

Dairy and deli prices are a sample of the prices that Carrefour offers.

Eggs were purchased at Coto.

Este es nuestro tercer índice de precios en alimentos.   Comparamos precios y elegimos las tiendas, asi finalmente compramos dónde encontramos: mejores precios, descuentos, promociones y calidad.

Buenos Aires Transit – C.A.B.A. Transporte Público

SUBE card – tarjeta

If you want to get around city economically your best bet is to get a SUBE card.  The SUBE card is accepted on buses, trains and the subway in the Greater Buenos Aires region.

Another useful item for getting around is a Bus/Subway ‘Guide’.  The guides can be useful as they have an index of all the streets as well as maps of the entire city but as a bus guide they are confusing.

The best way to plan a trip on the bus in the Greater Buenos Aires area is by using the omnilineas.com.ar trip planner.  It will save you time and a headache.

Useful as a map – not so much as a bus guide

SUBE cards can be purchased (sans ID) at some kioscos but in general it is easier to find a SUBE card at National Lottery stores.  Post office branches are good places to recharge a SUBE card but usually they do not sell cards.

Some other considerations:

• you need to “hail” a bus (colectivo)
• buses fill up quickly – if you can, go to the back of the bus
• often more than one bus line utilize the same stop – you might need to ‘jump’ ahead of the person in front of you in line to catch your bus
• backpacks attract attention – better to use a reusable grocery bag
• hold on!

Si usted quiere moverse económicamente en la ciudad, lo mejor es obtener una tarjeta SUBE.  La tarjeta SUBE es aceptada en óminbus, trenes y subterráneos en la zona del Gran Buenos Aires.

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. 

Arrope de Chañar – Chañar Syrup

Dulces Valdez – Arrope de Chañar – $46 – 500 grams

We went back to the Casa de Catamarca a while ago to buy some more dulce de membrillo and we wanted to try some of the different arropes (syrups) that they have for sale there.  One of the arropes that we bought was “Arrope de Chañar” which is made from the fruit of the Chañar tree.

We sure are glad we decided to try Arrope of Chañar.  It is delicious!  We have been adding it to our home made natural yogurt.  On the one hand it reminds one of a combination of maple syrup and molasses and on the other hand the cough candy from Switzerland, Ricola.

Researching this article we found a very informative and interesting blog that describes and illustrates all the birds of Argentina and where the birds live. The Chañar is a very popular tree for birds.  They have links to another site where you can hear the birds’ calls and songs.  The name of the blog is: Compañeros de viaje.  Highly recommended.

Geoffroea decorticans or Chilean Palo Verde (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The scientific name of the Chañar tree is Geoffroea decorticans.  It is also known as the Kumbaru as well as the Chilean Palo Verde (green wood).

The wood of the Chañar tree is used to make furniture and fence posts.  The fruit of the Chañar tree is what is processed to make arrope which is used as a sweetener and is also used to alleviate sore throats and coughs.

Hace poco tiempo regresamos a la Casa de Catamarca ha comprar más dulce de membrillo y queríamos probar los diferentes arropes que allí venden.  El arrope de chañar fue uno de los que compramos y está hecho de la fruta del árbol del Chañar.

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.

Food Prices – Precios de Alimentos: Jul 2014

This is our second simple food price index.  In order to offer the most unbiased inflation index the prices of the respective food categories were taken from the same stores.  The stores that we took price samples from were the stores with the best prices that we have found in Buenos Aires.

Fruit and vegetable prices were taken from “Frutería y Verdulería Ayacucho“.

Bulk, “health” food products prices were taken from “Diética Tomy“.

Meat prices were taken from “Frigorífico El Santiagueño“.

Dairy and deli prices are a sample of the prices that Carrefour offers.

Eggs were purchased at Coto.

Este es nuestro segundo índice de precios de comidas.    Para poder ofrecer un imparcial indice inflacionario de los diferentes alimentos, éstos precios fueron obtenidos en cada mercado.  Los negocios donde tomamos los precios fueron aquellos dónde encontramos las mejores ofertas. 

La Casa de Catamarca – Dulce de Membrillo

We have never been to Catamarca but it is somewhere that we would love to visit someday.  A friend visited there last year and had a wonderful time.  The pictures of Catamarca . . . .

Helpful and friendly – “Catamarqueños” – Serviciales y amigables

The other day we visited the “Casa de Catamarca” on Avenida Córdoba 2080; they were really nice and helpful and gave us a lot of brochures.

Most people probably do not know that there is a little store in the Casa de Catamarca that sells a bunch of different products from that province.

Baskets, crafts and wool – canastos, artesanías y lana

They sell books, wine, sweets, baskets, hats and a variety of other stuff.

Most Argentine wool is produced in Catamarca; the store has a good selection of wool products for sale such as socks, sweaters, scarves, blankets and hand woven fabrics.

The “quince sugar loaf” that they sell at the Casa de Catamarca is the highest quality we have found in Buenos Aires and is being offered for the best price as well – $25.  The ingredients are quince and sugar – that is all.

Jellies. syrups….mmm…dulces y arropes

The store sells a lot of sweet stuff from Catamarca.  We are planning on returning soon to buy some syrup made from cactus and some more quince sugar loaf.  A great gift idea.

Nunca fuimos a Catamarca pero si es un lugar que nos encantaría visitar algún día.  Una amiga nuestra fue el pasado año y su estadía fue fubulosa.  Las fotos de Catamarca . . .

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.