At a San Telmo antique mall, I asked a stall owner (Sylvia) if she had any silver mate cups.

She showed me one, but it was over my budget. She then referred me to her next door neighbor, Celestino, but he only had an alpaca version. Alpaca the animal? I know, I thought the same.

I thanked them and was getting ready to leave.

Celestino and Sylvia kindly warned me about the tricks in the market. Vendors might try to sell me alpaca items and tell me they are silver.

Do I look like I can get cheated easily? I get these unexpected helpful tips all the time when I travel.

I mean, these people were helplessly helpful.

Both Sylvia and Celestino were determined to help me understand the difference between silver and alpaca.

First, Sylvia brought a huge polishing cloth from her stall and started to polish the mate cup that she had.

Mate Cup - Sylvia showing me the shiny silver cup after polishing.

At the same time, Celestino gathered a few pieces that were made from either silver or alpaca to show me the difference.

Silver vs alpaca

The pan on the left is made from silver and the mate cup on the right is made from alpaca.

Alpaca is also called nickel silver although there’s no silver in it. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. It’s less shiny than silver and it’s much cheaper.

Celestino, he is a really funny, sweet and friendly character. Would you agree with me after watching this video?

🙂

I thanked them for the eraser and the advice.

As I was starving, I asked for recommendation on restaurants. Sylvia recommended Desnivel parilla, which was just a stone throw away. Perfect!

Desnivel turned out to be a great find.

Chorizo with chimichurri sauce

Chorizos, steaks, grilled provolone sandwich, jarmon, and much more, all are very reasonably priced.

I loved how my day unfolded. One event led to another. I enjoyed the flow.

This is exactly how I like my day to be, every day. 🙂