La Salada

This isn't the new one is it? It's the one to the South of the city.

Not really recommended for you to go, especially if you look particularly foreign. I heard the experience of a boyfriend of one of the girls on this board about his experience going -- he's Bolivian and theoretically could fit in well enough but said he felt uncomfortable despite going in his rough looking clothes etc -- that the sheer quantity of people is just dizzying, and hoardes of people pressing up against each other. Difficult to get in supposedly, you get dropped off by a bus ages away (assuming you have no car, and if you do, you're not going to take it there) and then have to walk the rest of the way in. Yes you can get bargains, but if you don't like crowds, if you already stand out here like a sore thumb, it's probably not a great idea to go. It is a great place to get pickpocketed though, with so many people pressing up against you, you won't notice at all.

If you go, go in a group. If you've got a foreign accent (other than another South american accent) good luck trying to go unnoticed. If you're a foreign girl, well, it's up to you, I wouldn't go myself. However a lot of those reasons have to do with the fact that if I can knowingly avoid it, I prefer not to contribute to sweatshops.

Let's put it this way -- millions of dollars go through that market each week -- no taxes paid on it -- the merchandise is all made in sweatshops either in South America or Asia. The clothes you could buy were probably made by someone who was conned into moving to Buenos Aires because their life would be better, and instead ended up trapped in a sweatshop somewhere around town with no passport, no money, no way out. It's bad enough that namebrand labels in Argentina have their things made in sweatshops (a few have been caught and fined, but doubt they have stopped) -- but a market like this you can pretty much guarantee your money is going straight to supporting them.
 
There are boli-ferias (markets run by bolivians) around the city and suburbs to buy cheap, counterfit things. There is a big one in Retiro, between Belgrano and Mitre train lines.
 
Roxana said:
There are boli-ferias (markets run by bolivians) around the city and suburbs to buy cheap, counterfit things. There is a big one in Retiro, between Belgrano and Mitre train lines.

Exactly! You don't have to spend half your day on a crazy expedition just to get mugged, you can get mugged quickly and conveniently right here in town.

Suerte!
 
Yes, I absolutely agree with Napoleon and the other posts about safety concerns.
 
Hi I woudn`t go to La Salada it is not safe for what I heard. But I went to calle Avellaneda (Rivadavia and Nazca) and found excellent clothes I went to a place called Sans Doute that has a webpage and found very good things at half the price but you have to buy 3 things (eg trousers, t shirt and skirt) and is very good quality. It is possible to go to Carabobo station by subway and then take a bus along Rivadavia and Sans Doute has a webpage but I wouldn`t go to La Salada.
greetings
Reina
 
Oh come on guys. Sometimes I have to laugh, you guys make it sound like you're going to get robbed the second you get off the bus anywhere south of rivadavia or west of nazca. Sure it's not the safest or nicest area out at la salada but while there are some bad apples, believe it or not, all those scary brown people dont spend their whole days trying to figure out how to rob people.

Don't look touristy. Don't look rich. Go with a few friends. There is safety in crowds so avoid deserted areas. Take a local who has been before. Use common sense. Enjoy.
 
I've been to the feria at La Salada and while I didn't really feel fearful of being there, it's not very nice, dirt paths, tons of people, and the same merchandise that is sold in Once, the ferias in Retiro and every other place that sells knock off merchandise. La Salada is also complicated to get in and out of. If you know the area of puente de la noria, you'll know what I mean. The people were nice enough and it's a gigantic selling point.
 
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