Groceries - advice please :)

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ciglee

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Sep 26, 2013
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Hi Folks,

I'll be moving over in late November, and I wonder if any of the residents could give me some advice on grocery shopping?

I've only been to the DR one time last year, and did not have the opportunity to go to the regular stores. If I can figure out in advance if something is not available easily, I can then plan to bring some over with me as I use very specific items both in my cooking and also for home-made beauty products :)

If any of you know where anything from the following list is available in Bavaro/Punta Cana area, and roughly how much it costs I would really appreciate your input :classic:

Coconut oil (preferably extra virgin organic)
Coconut milk
Pure Aloe Vera gel/juice
Ground Almonds
Almond Oil
Cocoa/ Cacao Butter
Cocoa/Cacao powder
Indian spices (curry/turmeric/cumin/chilli powder etc)
Essential oils (tea-tree/peppermint/lemongrass/lavender/citronella)
Vanilla Beans/Ground Vanilla powder
Castille soap
Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda)
Arrowroot powder (or Cornstarch)
Caustic soda (Lye)
Borax
Ibruprofen/Aleve tablets


Also, does anyone have or know of 2 2nd hand Adult bicycles for sale/rent/to borrow for 6 months ;) we just need some cheap bikes, no need for new/fancy expensive ones!

Thanks in advance - really appreciate any input you guys have on this :D
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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ciglee said:
Hi Folks,

I'll be moving over in late November, and I wonder if any of the residents could give me some advice on grocery shopping?

I've only been to the DR one time last year, and did not have the opportunity to go to the regular stores. If I can figure out in advance if something is not available easily, I can then plan to bring some over with me as I use very specific items both in my cooking and also for home-made beauty products :)

If any of you know where anything from the following list is available in Bavaro/Punta Cana area, and roughly how much it costs I would really appreciate your input :classic:
Click to expand...
Most are available:

Coconut oil (preferably extra virgin organic) - Super Pola, San Juan Shopping Centre
Coconut milk - all supermarkets and colmados
Pure Aloe Vera gel/juice - health food sections of supermarkets, pharmacies
Ground Almonds - not sure - bring some with you just in case
Almond Oil - probably in supermarkets - but bring some with you to be on the safe side
Cocoa/ Cacao Butter - pharmacies but bring your own
Cocoa/Cacao powder - supermarkets
Indian spices (curry/turmeric/cumin/chilli powder etc) - supermarkets - but only the ones you list, and turmeric is not always available. You won't find garam masala, ground coriander, fenugreek and black mustard seeds.
Essential oils (tea-tree/peppermint/lemongrass/lavender/citronella) - not good ones, sort of thing you might find in pharmacies and gift shops, so if you want really good ones bring your own supplies.
Vanilla Beans/Ground Vanilla powder - never seen them here
Castille soap -bring your own
Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda) - supermarkets
Arrowroot powder (or Cornstarch) - supermarkets
Caustic soda (Lye) - not sure
Borax - local equivalent in supermarkets
Ibruprofen/Aleve tablets - pharmacies

Also, does anyone have or know of 2 2nd hand Adult bicycles for sale/rent/to borrow for 6 months ;) we just need some cheap bikes, no need for new/fancy expensive ones!
Click to expand...
Super Nacional in Punta Cana Village has some reasonably priced bikes for sale at the moment. There is a specialist bike shop near the San Juan Shopping Centre but they tend to be expensive. You may well be able to find a used bike if you ask around though: there is a new Facebook page where people put stuff up for sale or exchange called Everything B?varo Punta Cana, so maybe post a request there.
www.facebook.com/groups/236542769831941

Good luck and bienvenidos!
 
D

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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jabon de castilla is available in any shop and pharmacy. is the quality not good or it's a different stuff than what she's asking?
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Not sure to be honest. I would advise bringing initial supplies of many of those things until they find what is available locally.
 
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ciglee

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Sep 26, 2013
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Interested in Paleo foods, crossfit workouts, DIY
Chimiroya - thank you ever so much for taking the time to go through my list - super helpful and I really appreciate it :)

Dv8 - would you have a brand name for the 'jabon de castilla' that is locally available - that way I can check the ingredients and see if it would be ok? thank you :)

Der Fish - ideally that would be my first choice, but as I don't know what kind of kitchen utensil/appliances we will have in our kitchen, for the moment I can't look to make my own coconut oils etc from scratch - same goes for almonds/aloe.... Here's hoping the kitchen setup will allow for home processing :)
 
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dv8

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ciglee, jabon de castilla is called just that. not much in terms of brands. in the pharmacy i worked we received it in a form of long whitish blocks, directly from the lab making all kinds of stuff like almond oil (not for cooking), mineral oil and so on. dominicans use it for babies. it is dirt cheap, like 15 pesos per piece. the blocks would arrive in a large plastic bag. no ingredients list or any other info. supermarkets sell similar whole blocks but packed individually. maybe there is a list of ingredients on those ones.
 
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mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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also ibrophen in the 200 mg doses is not as easy to find.. They do sell the 800 mg tablets which are knock out pills which seem expensive So I would bring them.

Aloe plants grow fast here and they sell lots of aloe products so no worries on that one.
 
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Criss Colon

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Bring all the "OTC" medications you will need for a year, or however long till you go to the USA/Canada.
I suggest "Walmart",or CVS when things are "On Sale".
Things like aspirin, Ibuprofen,acetamenaphen(Tylenol) ,antibiotic creams, Hydrocortisone creams, antacids, cold "remedies", etc., cost a LOT here. Some are sold as single pills, never by the bottle.
Just plant a few Aloe plants outdoors, they get several feet high here,and as big as baseball bats, no to mention, the propagate like "Bunnies"!
Break off a two pound stalk and you got all you need.
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dv8

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advil comes in small packet containing 2 pills, each is 200 mg.
 
Harleysrock

Harleysrock

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My wife is allergic to everything and eats extremely healthy. It was hard to find certain items at first for her but after time she has found most things and stuff she doesn't find here she gets visitors to bring when they come and I brought a LOT of weird healthy food back for her like Quinoa, Peanut Butter with no Sugar etc.....

It is really expensive here unfortunately to eat the things she used to in Canada but she has just changed things around a bit.
She doesn't get her special treats anymore that are sugar free, organic, dairy free etc...

If we were super rich Bravo would be where we would shop all the time, for HER that is!
 
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ciglee

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Sep 26, 2013
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Thanks everyone for your responses.
i have a medical kit that i had planned to bring with me, but it looks like I'll have to try get in a few boxes of painkillers etc as well as a couple bags of ground almonds etc- I had hoped not to bring too much with me as my 1 suitcase will be full of dive kit, but hopefully will manage to squash enough in ��
I doubt we will have any visitors to bring anything for us though - being from Europe means that it's a long expensive flight for visitors, but not to worry, I'm sure we will adjust pretty quickly��

any of you ladies know if hair henna is readily available?

thanks ��
 
T

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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Chirimoya said:
Most are available:

Coconut oil (preferably extra virgin organic) - Super Pola, San Juan Shopping Centre
Coconut milk - all supermarkets and colmados
Pure Aloe Vera gel/juice - health food sections of supermarkets, pharmacies
Ground Almonds - not sure - bring some with you just in case
Almond Oil - probably in supermarkets - but bring some with you to be on the safe side
Cocoa/ Cacao Butter - pharmacies but bring your own
Cocoa/Cacao powder - supermarkets
Indian spices (curry/turmeric/cumin/chilli powder etc) - supermarkets - but only the ones you list, and turmeric is not always available. You won't find garam masala, ground coriander, fenugreek and black mustard seeds.
Essential oils (tea-tree/peppermint/lemongrass/lavender/citronella) - not good ones, sort of thing you might find in pharmacies and gift shops, so if you want really good ones bring your own supplies.
Vanilla Beans/Ground Vanilla powder - never seen them here
Castille soap -bring your own
Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda) - supermarkets
Arrowroot powder (or Cornstarch) - supermarkets
Caustic soda (Lye) - not sure
Borax - local equivalent in supermarkets
Ibruprofen/Aleve tablets - pharmacies


Super Nacional in Punta Cana Village has some reasonably priced bikes for sale at the moment. There is a specialist bike shop near the San Juan Shopping Centre but they tend to be expensive. You may well be able to find a used bike if you ask around though: there is a new Facebook page where people put stuff up for sale or exchange called Everything B?varo Punta Cana, so maybe post a request there.
www.facebook.com/groups/236542769831941

Good luck and bienvenidos!
Click to expand...

you can occasionally get ground coriander in the spice section of La Sirena. that is usually before i get there, and clean it out.
 
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dv8

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bring henna. forget painkillers, really. indeed, they are cheaper in europe but much stronger here and very easily available. most medicine is sold OTC as well. i find 200 mg ibuprofen good for kids only. i take minimum 2 of 800 mg. cheap and cheerful.

i know how it is to move here from europe, i came here on a charter flight from london and only by the grace and generosity of a check-in girl i was not charged for extra weight. i suggest you consider an upgrade or extra suitcase, whatever is cheaper with your airline.
 
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Criss Colon

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You can by "Silk" brand "Almond Milk", here, as well as all the other "Not Milk" products.
Raw,Whole almonds are available here as well.
"GNC" stores, as well as many other "Health/Natural" stores are here too.
You can also get "Stuff" from "Amazon", "Walmart", and any other "On Line" web site, and have it shipped to a parcel forwarder in Miami, and pick it up here.
Not cheap, 3 to 5 US dollars a pound on average, but it's available if you need it.
Don't worry to much about what you need, except medicines, you can get ANYTHING here, for the right price!!!!!!!
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"dv", when Americans talk about "Pain Killers" we don't mean, "Opioids",:knockedou:knockedou:knockedou:dead: or drugs you need a Doctor's perscription to get in America.
We mean the generic stuff for a mild headache, toothache, sore back, etc.
Those "Pain Killers" are pennies a pill in, in bottles of "Hundreds", in the USA, but a LOT more here.
Bring 'Em "Danno"!!!!!!!!!
 
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the gorgon

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dv8 said:
bring henna. forget painkillers, really. indeed, they are cheaper in europe but much stronger here and very easily available. most medicine is sold OTC as well. i find 200 mg ibuprofen good for kids only. i take minimum 2 of 800 mg. cheap and cheerful.

i know how it is to move here from europe, i came here on a charter flight from london and only by the grace and generosity of a check-in girl i was not charged for extra weight. i suggest you consider an upgrade or extra suitcase, whatever is cheaper with your airline.
Click to expand...

dv8, what does 1600mg of ibuprofen do to your kidneys?
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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the gorgon said:
dv8, what does 1600mg of ibuprofen do to your kidneys?
Click to expand...

could not care less, i only focus on what they do for my headache. i use them in combination with other meds and that stuff works fine. max i have ever used was 8, within an hour or two.
 
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Criss Colon

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AND, here in the DR we have "Cilantro", AND, "Cilantrico"!!!!!
I planted both, let them go to "SEED", and have my own, which is good, they were 20 pesos a bundle in the "Super" last week!!!
My only problem, is that my "Dominican Family" can't get their "Head Around" the fact that,...If you harvest all of them, they can't reseed themselves.
Oh Well, what can you expect from a people who killed all the "Golden Geese" that once roamed the DR, so they could get ALL the "Golden Eggs" at once????
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I, like "dv8", suffer from "Migrania".
Must have something to do with extremely high "IQ".
Anyway, I walk around with 1,200 of "Ibu", and 3 "Excedrin Migraine" ( contain, Aspirin, tylenol, and caffine) tabs in my pocket all the time.
I take them with 4 antacid tabs to protect my stomach.
Ben taking them for 40 plus years.
I think that's why I'm still alive.
"Aspirin" prevents "Heart Attacks", and "Colon" Cancer, plus a lot more, "Bad Stuff"!
Take "Aspirin", then you can, "Live Long, And Prosper"!!!!
 
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bronzeallspice

bronzeallspice

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If you are taking medicines(over the counter) check the expiration dates. It's not a good idea to take an abundance, as the shelf life is usually 2 years duration and you may not use all of it during that period of time.
 
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