Hi There, Arriving Soon

[Cipolladolce]

Just ment not to stand out. Fashionable colors change every few months and are easiy recognizable. Again, do your best to blend it.

Word. Got it. Thanks.

 

[starlucia]

I'd suggest bringing either a Kindle or a stock of paperbacks, since the selection of English-language titles is limited (and books are pricey in general.) And a supply of your favorite movies/TV shows on DVD, since cable is pretty hit-or-miss. Just keep in mind that Argentine DVD players are Region 4 (US are Region 1), so you might want to bring down a multi-zone player if your apartment isn't equipped with one.

And clothes -- no doubt you've heard that clothes here are expensive and low-quality, so you'll want to keep your BA shopping to a minimum. Sweaters, jeans, shoes, bras, winter coat, a good-quality backpack or messenger bag -- bring 'em all.

And any favorite haircare or beauty products -- Origins, Philosophy, Body Shop, Whole Body, whatever. You'll be hard-pressed to find local equivalents. Same goes for vitamins/supplements.

 

[Iznogud]

starlucia, most DVD players here support both R1 and R4. Sony players are picky but most of the lot are region free. TV sets work mostly as NTSC sets (cable, dvd, br, consoles) instead of the supposed PAL N norm.

Cipolladolce, you can easily rent (not too recent) DVD and BR movies. In fact, I wouldn't bother with a DVD player if you already own or can bring a cheap BR player and or have a laptop you can plug to a TV set.

TV series can be followed online in most cases. Tricky but feasable. Bootlegged DVD movies of all kinds of quality are sold cheap almost everywhere. The region setting is removed/disabled/set to R0.

 

[starlucia]

Cipolladolce, you can easily rent (not too recent) DVD and BR movies.

Indeed you can, but rentals get kind of pricey (8-10 pesos a pop a year ago) and selection can be limited (often with only 1 copy of each film, so if the DVD is busted, you're SOL.) I had to take out memberships at 3 different places because I eventually went through all of their stocks. The ideal set-up is to stream movies/shows over Cuevana and play them on the TV screen, if the TV has that capability (the one in my apt is too old. Wah.)

 

[Cipolladolce]

I already do most of my TV/movie watching by streaming. Just watching on a laptop -- I don't even bother with a TV. I think Hulu/Netflix should be accessible by way of a VPN with an annual fee? Hope so, anyway. If not, it's not a huge deal. I don't watch a whole lot anyway.

 

[Cipolladolce]

And any favorite haircare or beauty products -- Origins, Philosophy, Body Shop, Whole Body, whatever. You'll be hard-pressed to find local equivalents. Same goes for vitamins/supplements.

This surprises me - isn't BA supposed to be the plastic surgery capitol of the world? You'd think people so concerned with their appearance would have access to some great health/beauty products.

 

[nicoenarg]

I already do most of my TV/movie watching by streaming. Just watching on a laptop -- I don't even bother with a TV. I think Hulu/Netflix should be accessible by way of a VPN with an annual fee? Hope so, anyway. If not, it's not a huge deal. I don't watch a whole lot anyway.

I know its not a huge deal but in case you wanted to know, you can access Hulu from here if you use Ultrasurf, its free.

 

[starlucia]

This surprises me - isn't BA supposed to be the plastic surgery capitol of the world? You'd think people so concerned with their appearance would have access to some great health/beauty products.

Yeah, it surprised me, too, when I first arrived. I kept wandering around Recoleta, looking for the Argentine version of Sephora or Whole Body. But while women here may be image-obsessed, they're still living in a 3rd-world economy - lack of consumer choices or "specialty markets", little-to-no access to imported products, lack of regulation when it comes to ingredient labeling (for example, high-fructose corn syrup is touted here as "all-natural," "sugar-free," and "apt for diabetics.") You can still find a few international cosmetic brands in the shopping malls (like MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder), but the prices are pretty unattainable.

 

[trennod]

If you need to stock up on electronics and clothes I would do so, cheaper, better quality and value in the US. As others have said those food items such as Peanut Butter, maple syrup, maybe even decent spices.

I would also bring some US$ with you, better rate on cash than withdrawing from ATM and without the fees (assuming you would be withdrawing from your US card).

 

[fifs2]

Bring cotton wool & fresh herbs...today the Jumbo in Almagro had none..not balls, pads, not even a pathetic chive or piece of parsley on offer nada...the assistant I asked said they were waiting on a delivery. Bsas looks better than ever - it has really changed so much since I first came to live here 9+ years ago but the supermarket offering and prices are going backwards really fast - no chipotles, dill pickles, fresh herbs and all the other things we could've taken for granted 18 months ago! Of course this is tongue in cheek and I got herbs at the local verduleria and cotton wool at the pharmacy..just a weird experience to not get such basics at the supermarket as was the norm before.