Guest blog: Tanya's take on Buenos Aires

So much more than tango…

The initial draw to Buenos Aires for me was of course…Argentine Tango.  Although we are "Tango-toddlers" as Elizabeth sometimes would say, my husband, Michael, and I thought the exposure to Tango where it all started would be an incredibly interesting experience.

Of the ten days in Buenos Aires, Michael and I were physically able to only attend 4 or 5 milongas (exhaustion from other activities overtook us)!  All the milongas were different and provided wonderful observations, experiences and introspection.  Not all were positive, but even then, they provided great learning moments for me.  These milongas were so much more than fancy moves and complex sequences. They gave me an opportunity to understand and appreciate the true meaning of what a great tango can possibly look/feel like.  Even the simplest of dancers were an awe to watch because of their connections to their partners and the music.  It's all about the connection!

However, Buenos Aires is so much more than just tango.  I found the people so incredibly genuine, helpful, nice, friendly and unpretentious.  Everywhere we went, be it the Padres Café, the ice cream shop, La Boca, San Telmo Street Fair, Recoleta cemetery, the milongas – everyone was ready and willing to help us even with our next-to-none Spanish skills!  (Google Translate was our close companion with a few memorable and comical moments.)  Michael and I spent many of our non-scheduled tours/dance time wandering Palermo and the Buenos Aires surrounding area enjoying the sights, sounds, and scenes.  As much as my senses could bear, I breathed in all that was Buenos Aires.

Elizabeth was so great providing much needed information, knowledge, guidance, friendship and support.  The group Elizabeth put together was incredibly laid-back, self-sufficient, and cohesive.  There was such a great balance between doing things with the group and doing things by ourselves.  We started the trip as 'acquaintances' with the people in the group, but we left as friends.  These friends added so much more to our entire experience in Buenos Aires.

Michael and I did so much in our ten days there, and yet we felt like there was still so much we didn't get to do.  We left vowing to ourselves that we WILL be back.  Next time we will arm ourselves with some passable Spanish to make our trip that much better! 

San Telmo street fair

Caminito in La Boca

Dancing at El Beso

Recoleta Cemetary

Milonga review: Nuevo Gricel and Peleando Variaciones competition (La Rioja 1180)

This was not a regular night at Gricel, so I am not sure how much Gricel has changed from before. In the past, I danced at Gricel several times each visit to Buenos Aires, but I never stay in that neighborhood and it’s not my favorite milonga. The lighting and the long, narrow room, can make cabeceo tricky. Also, people sit in long tables, so many couples sit together, or groups of friends. If you are a new dancer, it could be a light night of dancing.

My happy moment: when someone who looked vaguely familiar asked me to dance. We did one dance and he said, “Wow! You have onda!” and I told him I was sure we had danced before. He told me his name—Juan—and I suddenly knew: La Nacional in 2010, 2011, 2012! He was a perfume salesman, and he had a huge fan that he flirted and used to cabeceo. I told him about a discussion we had on the dance floor about how life is a road with huge boulders on it, and he said, “You remember that??” and we danced two more tandas. It was a joy to reconnect after all these years. The sad moment: he told me he is almost 80, and I hope he’s still there when I go back to dance again.

The night we attended, there was a live band, Romantica Milonguera, and a competition. Oliver Kolker organized the Peleando Variacion competition, which features very short choreographies for the last burst of music/energy at the end of a tango. You don’t dance the entire tango: just those few seconds of a dance. It’s like watching fireworks. There were two or three couples who were really connected, giving a great dance as well as the more typical gymnastic, high-speed (tango?) routine. In particular, there was a male-male couple who were really THERE. I tried to find names and who won on Oliver’s page, but it’s not there yet.

The band was great, but we left after the first set because it was VERY late, and we were all very tired. Check out their music on Spotify: it’s very dance-worthy!

Milonga review: El Obelisco (Entre Rios 1056)

Senor Kent on the dance floor!

I had never been to El Obelisco before, but it’s a favorite place to dance for some of my friends, so I tried it out. I really like it (I went three times in two weeks). I would recommend it to anyone who likes more traditional style milongas.

Try out the zamba class! I am a big fan of Argentine folk dancing, and I was happy to find a very good teacher, Juan Enriquez, running the class. It was fun to practice a dance I’ve been doing for twenty years. I got to dance with the teacher in the zamba set during the milonga, and it was my best tanda of the entire trip! I promised Peter Esser that I will teach a zamba class in Portland, so stay tuned!

El Obelisco is very friendly, relaxed and laid back. I was happy to see a lot of my friends from Los Consagrados, plus some folks I had never met before. One of my favorite new dancers was here. He is very shy, so I won’t name him, but the most musical, tuned-in-to-his-partner new favorite to add to my dance card—is here.

My students did not have a hard time dancing here, apart from adjusting to working their cabeceo :-) The distance between sides of the room made it easier to cabeceo than in the bigger venues like Los Consagrados.

Another plus: it’s less than two blocks from the subway, so it’s very easy and cheap to get there!

Buenos Aires shopping 1: Laura Va Tango Clothing

The most beautiful clothing, the most beautiful person! You just want to buy all the clothes, and hug her!

Laura Va has her own boutique that you can visit by appointment. Tanya, Nilande, Heidi and I descended one morning for a few hours, and bought A LOT of clothing at extremely reasonable prices, especially for handmade clothes. Since I sew my own clothes, I recognize attention to detail. Laura’s clothing is well-designed and well-made. You will want to buy ALL the things!

Laura is truly one of the nicest people I have ever met. She was helpful, but not pushy, and she was patient with two hours of four crazy people running around, trying on clothing and asking her questions all at the same time!

If you want to shop her collection, just contact her via Facebook, or her at tangolaurava@gmail.com, and she will help you set up a good time. She is near Palermo and DNI.

I won’t put prices because with the current Argentine inflation, prices are changing quickly, but I thought her outfits were underpriced for their beauty and quality. Go forth and shop!

Still smiling after hours of trying on clothes!

I think Tanya won!

Milonga review: Los Consagrados (Humberto Primo 1462)

I have danced with the guys who go to Los Consagrados /Saturday evenings for up to 20 years (the venues have changed over the years), and I go there because I know so many of them. It’s not the highest level of dancing, and one of my teachers criticized it as conservative and boring, but I love it anyway.

Everyone in the tour group danced the night we went. For many, it was their first traditional milonga, where the men sit apart from the women. I think that makes it much easier to cabeceo, and I prefer it. Our couples chose to sit at couple tables, but they still managed to dance because my Argentine friends looked after them!

One of my favorite things about Los Consagrados is that I can dance a set of chacareras and paso doble (see below with my friend, Eugenio); a set of tropical (cumbias and merengues); rock ‘n roll (swing), as well as milonga, vals and tango. The little breaks make coming back to dance tango a real pleasure, hour after hour. I went both Saturdays that I was in Buenos Aires, as the Gran Milonga Nacional in the streets was postponed due to the threat of rain.

Dancing the chacarera set with Eugenio

Not very crowded, but still fun!

On our way out to dinner after the milonga!

Heidi dancing with my friend Luis

Buenos Aires eats 5: Sintaxis (Nicaragua 4849)

This restaurant is my home base in Palermo. I try to eat with my tour group as much as possible, but as a gluten-sensitive human, I end up getting “glutened” every two to three days. I then retreat to fully gluten-free places like Sintaxis to recuperate. I actually can’t remember how many times I ate here. I did not photograph my food at all which is a pity.

Last visit, in 2016, Sintaxis was more expensive than surrounding restaurant but with the current economic crisis, I found that prices had equalized for the most part. Palermo is expensive compared to Congreso or Almagro, but gluten-free was no longer much more expensive. All of my meals there were under $10/person, but I also did not eat big entrees there. The most expensive meal listed on the menu would have cost me about $15 for a full dinner.

This visit, I ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and had coffee breaks at Sintaxis. My companions were all gluten-tolerant, and still enjoyed the food. The main comment was that they would not have known the food was gluten-free if I had not told them. I got to indulge in empanadas, bread, toasted sandwiches, pastries, salads and desserts; as well as coffee and the ever-present mint lemonade.

Look for the blue building!

Valencia Batiuk and I have a coffee together at Sintaxis

Milonga review: El Beso in the afternoon (Riobamba 416)

My students went to El Beso several times for the afternoon milongas, and had a good time. The crowd is definitely smaller than three years ago: the economic downturn was most evident at milongas.

However, that meant that there was a friendly atmosphere, as everyone danced with everyone. I saw more people taking risks and asking new people to dance.

I found it interesting to see how cabeceo is disintegrating as a custom at tourist milongas. The locals understand that the foreigners don’t get the rules. One lady even asked my friend Nilande for permission to dance with her partner!

The impressive person of one afternoon: a lady done up in makeup, nice outfit and great attitude who danced and chatted and made my students feel at home. She had to be helped down the stairs (no elevator) because she was frail, but being over 80 was not going to stop her from coming dancing!

Buenos Aires eats 1: Calden de Soho (Honduras 4701)

Calden de Soho is just too good to miss! This year, with the strong dollar, this restaurant was much more affordable than three years ago. Four of us for dinner, wine and dessert was under $70—and that’s including steak!

The first night I arrived, I chose the river trout and pan-fried veggies. They were yummy. My friend had a steak and grilled vegetables. The house wine is the best I’ve had anywhere in Buenos Aires. No room for dessert :-(

The second time, I made sure to have room for dessert. The four of us had salmon, steak, salad, noquis, wine, beer, and I think we tried all the desserts (tiramisu, queso y dulce, flan, fruit—it was all good!

The third time, I had already eaten dinner when tour group members invited me to join them. This was my second “flan mixto y una copa vino tinto” dinner. There is a reason I gained three pounds on the trip, despite bike tours, walking miles every day and dancing!

If it is not clear, you MUST go to this restaurant!

Steak, grilled veggies, trout and wine—fabulous!

Flan mixto: small but mighty!

Tiramisu

Bike and kayak tour to Tigre: a high point of my trip

When I saw this new tour from Biking Buenos Aires, I knew I wanted to book it. I LOVE Tigre, and I’ve been there a few times to visit friends of friends in the river delta. However, I had never been to San Isidro and had not kayaked for many, many years.

We woke to a gorgeous, sunny summer day. Olaf our guide got us on bikes, and we navigated out of the busy streets into the parks on the way to the station. The entire trip went at a slow pace, so this is a do-able trip for most people—maybe 30 km of biking, and the kayak part felt like a good workout, but wasn’t actually very far. Just right!

We had lunch at Recreo El Alcazar, which I also recommend. We had a big salad, cold beers, and a huge plate of meat with fries.

This was my most relaxed day while in Buenos Aires. I came back to the city with a sunburn, but feeling really great and ready to jump back into the tango whirl.

Tanya, Santiago, Miguelon, Elizabeth and Olaf, ready to roll!

Ready to go!

On the way back to Tigre

Catedral in San Isidro

Lunch!

Quinta las Ombues in San Isidro

Santiago gets the gourd!

The well in the courtyard at Quinta Los Ombues

Falling in love with Buenos Aires

As Al told me when I met with him pre-tour to get a sense of what kind of experience he wanted from my tour: "I probably won't ever go there a second time, so I want to see some sights. I don't care if I dance a lot." Right from the start, part of his tour fell through when another member of the group decided not to go to Iguazu Falls, and that got cancelled. But Al persevered, and found plenty to do! Here you have his own words:

Notes from the tour

Buenos Aires. There was so much more to my visit than tango and milongas. I can start with saying I fell in love with Bs As. Don't ever think of it as a third world place. It's definitely different from here. Especially NOW with this freezing weather. The climate is subtropical and was just approaching summer south of the equator. I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't have any experience with mosquitos and I didn't use any repellants. And humidity wasn't a problem for me even in the Tigre delta. Or out in the pampas at the estancia. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm.

The Palermo barrio where we stayed was a great neighborhood, akin to the Pearl in Portland. I had most of my meals outdoors at sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The food was great and the portions were not skimpy. I had a difficult time finding a lite meal.

As for the milongas, I need to practice my cabeceo. It's nothing like in Portland where everybody is mixed together. Men on one side of the dance floor and women on the other side. Not being prepared, I didn't get to dance as much as I would have liked. And watching the Argentines tango was eye opening. It seemed as natural to them as breathing. Or walking down the street. And milongas seemed to be available everyday from afternoon to late night. I particularly enjoyed the outdoor milongas: la Glorieta in Belgrano, and La Milonga Gran Nacional in Avenida de Mayo.

Transportation was no problem. I even managed to learn how to get around on the subway (yes, they have a subway system) by myself. Cabs are plentiful and not hard at all to get. However, their sidewalks could use more maintenance. They are uneven and broken up in places. I walked a lot and there were street fairs all over the place, it seemed in every neighborhood, every few blocks.

The biggest drawback was the economy. I wasn't prepared for that. The inflation rate is 40% and some places wanted to be paid in US dollars and not Argentine pesos. However, I had no problems using my credit card or debit card for making withdrawals from ATMs once I figured it out. But once I got back to the US, I couldn't get my leftover pesos exchanged. They wouldn't take Argentine pesos because of the volatile exchange rate. So if you go, spend all of your pesos before you leave.

Prices there are reasonable. As I told everyone, should I ever hit the lotto or Publisher's Clearing House (LMAO), I would definitely have a winter home there. I don't imagine that would be a problem for rich people. I could go on and on, but I have things to do. So, hasta luego, todos.

Running, opera and bikes: a first trip to Buenos Aires

Thanks to Jim, another tour member, who is guest-writing today's blog entry!

Running in Buenos Aires

After a half-century of being an avid runner/cyclist/hiker, it was with great excitement that I hit the pavement in Buenos Aires. This effort is made a little easier in Buenos Aires than at home, because just prior to sunrise, one hears the most strange (and beautiful) bird call, awaking me at the proper time to suit up and get going.

My first run was a several kilometers around Palermo, the neighborhood in which we were lodged. First reaction: Estoy contento porque estoy corriendo en Buenos Aires! (I am happy to be running in Buenos Aires!) Not knowing the lay of the land, I stayed close to the hotel. Given that it was about 5 am, I was astounded by the number of people still on the street! Most seemed to be party-goers who were heading home.

The following days, my runs took me farther afield, and with even a little uphill; going uphill is the runner's friend. During the daytime, I noticed many runners, even during the hottest parts of the day. This was very encouraging, because when I come back, I'd like to have a partner or two and take a running tour of the town.

Speaking of tours, let's switch gears and talk about tours en bicicleta.

Biking in Buenos Aires

First, let me digress for a few sentences. I am not a "tour" type of person, but I was indeed fortunate that Elizabeth ran this tour, because she designed the tour so that I was able to be myself and do things my own way: 1. stay physical; and 2. be independent.

A bike tour for me means a 50-km ride at a pretty good clip. However, the tour that Elizabeth found for us did not conform to this expectation. Instead it was at a very leisurely pace. Guess what? Did I ever find this relaxing! I was able to talk with my fellow riders, including Megan and Anna, our tour guides. I was actually able to "see" things that I would otherwise have missed. I learned a lot about the history of Buenos Aires. So, here we learn again the important life lesson: eschewing "my" way and following another's way, often leads to delightful results!

Teatro Colón

OK, I admit it: I love the opera. As mentioned before on these blog pages, the opera house in Buenos Aires, is rated the third best opera house in the world. With this in mind, I was more than excited to attend an opera here. Gershwin's Porgy and Bess was playing. Having seen operas in Portland, Seattle and San Francisco, I had some previous data about opera halls, with which to compare Teatro Colón.

First, the actual structure, both inside and out, is stunning. The paintings on the ceiling inside Teatro Colón reminded me of the Sistine Chapel. Second, the acoustics were very good. I felt as if I were almost right next to the singers. Some of the other venues occasionally had a “washed out” sound. Not so here.

The actually performance was outstanding and made me happy, thinking about this good advice: I got plenty of nothin’ and nothin’ is plenty for me. I thought that the opera troupe, from South Africa, was excellent. Excellent singers in an outstanding venue make for a great experience.

Overall Tour Impression

I came back from Buenos Aires, hoping to return as soon as possible. This old Puritan came away utterly charmed. (In more colorful terms, as I tell my friends, the December 2016 Puritan Siege of Buenos Aires was a massive failure – thank goodness). I have to give a lot of credit to Elizabeth for designing a tour that took into account my many idiosyncrasies. She went way out of her way to make the tour a memorable experience. I doubt if any other tour would have been as successful for me, and for this, I am thankful.

Isla Macondo

Bed and Breakfast place in the Tigre delta

Susana and her husband are friends of Argentine friends of mine. The last time I visited their house out on the Tigre delta, they were still building it. That was in 1999 or 2000 (Silvana and I can't remember exactly when we went there, and neither of us took pictures). When members of my tour group asked what else there was to do in Argentina besides tango, I thought of Isla Macondo, and wrote to them.

The Caraguata River is not a happening place: this is the place to go in order to do nothing! Think the opposite of the bustle that is Buenos Aires. Think RELAX! This is where people go to just hang out for a few days. You can swim in the river, take a canoe out and paddle around, or use the river taxi to check out the various restaurants and bars that dot these waterways; but that's about it.

We took the local train to Tigre, about an hour away from where we were staying in Palermo. Unlike my last trip, you can now just use your Sube card (subway/bus pass) and get on the train! It think it was 12 pesos for the ride. It was a holiday weekend, and the train was packed to the gills with folks escaping the city for a few days.

In Tigre, we only had time for lunch before boarding a river taxi. We ate at Vivanco Restaurant (General Bartolomé Mitre 74, Tigre). The flan was magnificent, especially as I had not yet had flan during this visit, and it is my favorite dessert! Connie had some sort of prawn dish.

To take the river taxi (lancha colectiva), you have to know the address for your destination. "Caraguata 1098" got us the right tickets and they put us on boats depending on our destination. Then, as we went up the river, the guys on the boat made sure that they had a list of where everyone needed to go, and stopped at each place on the way. They managed to snag each dock, pull the boat close, off- or on-load people, and off we went, with barely a pause.

Susana met us at the dock for Isla Macondo. She was surprised to see us an hour early: apparently, they had added extra launches because of the holiday weekend, and we could have had a bit more time in town. She offered us tea and mate, and homemade fruit bread, fresh from the oven. The group settled into their rooms, and the island had its inevitable effect: people kept dozing off in comfy chairs!

From what I hear, dinner and breakfast the next morning were very yummy. My memories from 1999 are of a scrumptious outdoor barbeque, good wine, and excellent coffee and breakfast the next day. Susana is lovely and eager to please. Her husband is building another house for vacation rentals nearby, to add to their capacity.

My husband and I were going home that evening, to make sure that the other tour participants in Buenos Aires were OK. It was quite a journey for one day: almost 3 hours on the boat total, plus 2 hours back and forth to Buenos Aires on the train. Plus it was so relaxing out on the river! I wish I had stayed overnight, too! They have three bedrooms available, great food, and very good hosts.

To book at Isla Macondo, you can contact them at susana@islamacondo.com.ar and ask for details. They do not speak much English, but I do, so that was not a problem for the group. I appreciate that they were very flexible with the changing travel plans of my group in a way that a larger business would not have been. They are open December to May for the summer season.

A day trip to Colonia

I helped Felicita set up a three-week trip to Buenos Aires in November, as she could not fit her schedule around the tango tour in December. Her main focus was improving her Spanish, in addition to dancing as much as possible. She took a day off to visit Colonia, Uruguay, and agreed to write it up for the blog. Thank you, Felicita!

Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay

A day trip to Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay is a perfect day trip to get away from the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. Hop on the boat and you are there in about an hour. I was lucky in that the weather was perfect and all the flowers were blooming. 

I arrived about 10 am and left at 7 PM. One day is plenty to visit the historic town with your two feet. However, I wish I had rented a scooter to ride up the coast a bit. I guess I'll have to go back! If you aren't a scooter person there are golf carts and bikes.

I recommend the lighthouse, the oldest church in the country (Iglesia Matriz Church, built in the early 1800s), walking up and down the Calle de los Suspiros window shopping and simply walking around this historic town with a significant Portuguese history. While walking around you will see beautiful architecture and art.

I was really curious about the tile museum. It never became clear to me why none of the museums were open. I hope that I will see it next time!

Logistics

Getting There

You can get from BA to Colonia in about an hour via Boque bus (https://www.buquebus.com/english). Buy the tickets online prior to your departure. My "there and back in a day" ticket was $125 US Dollars. It was the Friday of a holiday weekend, so I'm guessing this is a little more expensive than normal. Get to the terminal at least an hour early, as going through customs takes a long time; plan accordingly. Apparently, there is a cheap boat ride to Colonia but is 3 hours long.

Money

I was told by several people that no one in the city would take Argentina pesos, which isn't entirely true because the lighthouse did. You can exchange your money at the boat stop in Uruguay, but be warned that you need at least 100 to exchange back. 

Tourist Office

Once you step off the boat head outside and veer to your left. There is a tourist office with maps and helpful people.

More sightseeing in Buenos Aires

Recoleta Cemetary

• Address: Junin 1760
• Hours: 8 am to 6 PM (each website said something slightly different, but this is close)

I don't know why I like this place so much, but I tend to go every time I am in Buenos Aires. It was beautiful on Sunday. I went early, so there were almost no people. Just beautiful. It did seem strange to be walking around in 90 degree weather, listening to the churchgoers singing Christmas hymns. I have spent three Decembers in Buenos Aires, and I am still not used to Christmas being in summer.

Centro Cultural Kirchner

Entrada: Free.

Hours: 2-8 PM Thursday-Sunday.

Tours: Thursdays 3-6 PM, every half hour; Fri-Sun. 2:15-6 PM, every 15 minutes. The tour takes about one hour. There seem to be huge numbers of workers available to direct you to get tickets, find the bathroom, follow the tour, try to answer questions, and lurk in groups in corners.

My friend, Silvana, and I met at the new cultural center. It was the central post office for 90 years, and just opened this year as a cultural center. All the activities are free to the public, so check out the website to plan when you want to go. It's pretty impressive. It was worth going on the guided tour, so I suggest doing that.

The building is on the historical buildings register, so they returned it to its former beauty. It reminds me of East Coast train stations: beautiful windows, marble, wood, careful craftsmanship.

The back section, ten floors high, has been gutted, and completely remodeled. Suspended in the center is La Ballena Azul (The Blue Whale), a state-of-the-art concert hall with incredible acoustics. It is so large that I couldn't find a way to photograph all of it from where we were allowed to go.

This next picture shows how large this building really is. The bluish structure at the top is called La Lampera (The Lantern), and houses an art gallery. The large mesh thing below it, is the outside of La Ballena Azul. This inside is the photo above this.

You can get free tickets online for concerts, according to our guide. Three disgruntled tour participants told the tour guide that they were unable to do so. Tip from the guide: when you can't get tickets online, come down the day of the concert, stand in line, and pick up tickets that people have not claimed. Apparently, there are always unclaimed tickets.

Good restaurant in Puerto Madera: La Parolaccia

• Address: Pierina Dealessi 260
• Salad with seafood on top (146 pesos), Caesar salad with chicken (125 pesos), 2 coffees & table setting charge: 400ish pesos

We were starving by the time that we finished going through the cultural center, so we headed to nearby Puerto Madero to eat. This is NOT my part of town: our lunch cost what a steak, salad and glass of wine cost in Almagro. However, it was air-conditioned on a very hot day; and although I couldn't eat most of the food because it is an Italian restaurant specializing in pastas, other people's food looked marvelous. The assortment of breads that I couldn't eat looked marvelous, and Silvan said the flatbread was still hot when it came to the table. The waiter was bored, as it was after the usual lunch hour, and chatted with us. He brought us complementary limoncellos, perhaps because we were so friendly? Ah, it's fun to be female in Buenos Aires :-)

Puerto Madero was being built back in the late 90s when I started coming to Buenos Aires. It is so strange to me to see tons of ritzy hotels, huge skyscrapers and restaurants, a yacht club, etc., where it was abandoned land. I agree with Silvana that it's not right that the coast area does not belong to all of the people, but instead is private property.

Caricias: Venturing further afield

Caricias at Imagen Club

• Av Dr. Ricardo Balbín 4699
• Entrada (including class): 70 pesos
• Flan and a bottle of water: I forget!
• Taxi home: 120 pesos (ouch)

This visit, I am trying out milongas further away from my old stomping grounds of Congreso. Tuesday night, I took Margaret and Ned's advice to check out Caricias, 10 km. out from where I am staying in Almagro.

Tuesday was the end of a four-day holiday weekend. Add to that the fact that it was pouring rain (get soaked WITH a coat on kind of rain), and the turnout was apparently quite small. I sat at a table with one woman who had never been to the club, and another who recently started going to Caricias. The other two people who had reservations at the large table, never showed up.

Elisa, Bettina and I had a lot of fun chatting during the evening. Every time I sat down, they pounced on me: "Is he any good? How was that?" Since they are not (yet) regulars, they couldn't give me much help, but we shared information as it was obtained. I know the guys were doing the same thing, because they were no more subtle about it than we were.

Bettina thought I should have a picture of me in the milonga.

Birthday parties at milongas

I have seen many birthday parties at milongas. Often, people sit at a bigger table, and have cake, and are rowdier than usual. This time, the party spread into a full-on, full-milonga party. A tanda a Rock 'N Roll wandered into three cumbias, a merengue, and a snaking conga line around the dance floor. I would have taken pictures, but you know I was in that conga line! An acquaintance of mine from last week was part of the party crowd, so I got included, which felt nice.

I have never seen such a prolonged break from tango at a milonga. It made the energy of the evening really pick up, and everyone got very animated and got out on the dance floor with fervor for the next few tandas. One old guy I danced with ran me into people several times in one song because he decided to show off.

The man I already knew asked me to dance again, and we also had a very spirited tanda. It was romantic tango, and as we dance well together, it was really enjoyable for the "feeling" as many Argentines would say. I like dancers who listen to the follower's body and make the dance a team effort.

And more unusual happenings

I arrived too late to really take the lesson, but there was one woman dancing with a Japanese tourist who was leading. The woman I was sitting with was impressed with how good the woman could lead. I thought about doing the same, but hesitated because in the past, if I led, none of the guys would ask me to dance.

HOWEVER, right when I decided to leave, a milonga tanda started. The woman at my table looked in vain for a partner, and then sat bouncing with the rhythm. Then the other woman who led danced by, and I looked at Bettina and asked if she wanted to dance. She leaped up from her chair, and off we went.

I was in heels and she was larger than I am, but she followed well. For those of you who have experienced my Naughty Toddler exercises, I had a traspie naughty toddler: she did quick-quick-slow steps almost automatically. I had to really work to get her to play with the rhythm at first, but it was fun because she is a good dancer.

I have not led in a traditional milonga since back when I couldn't understand Spanish. I enjoyed showing up most of the guys :-)

Pugliese can be fun

The organizer for the milonga obligingly found me a taxi driver to take me home. He was apparently there to drive someone else home later. He protested that he didn't want to drive me home when he hadn't danced with me, so I put my shoes back on, and got out on the dance floor.

"I didn't even see you until you led that milonga! That was fabulous! I really like how you dance milonga!" he told me enthusiastically. It's funny how behavior that makes the older men ignore me, makes the younger men dance with me.

We had a great tanda, with a lot of musicality. Turns out he is a DJ, so that would make sense.

When I finally got home around 2 am, I was too jazzed to sleep for about an hour. That may explain why I am home tonight, not out dancing. It's only 10:30 PM, but I am about ready to sleep.

Why are all the Tshirts here in English?

Looking for a shirt in Spanish...

OK, a few shirts I saw today were in Spanish, but most were in English. Some examples:

1. Love me!
2. It's only Rock 'N Roll but I like it
3. Brooklyn
4. Married to the mob

And the winner is...

And my favorite today? Standing in a bank line a full block long:

IN [blank space] WE TRUST

I think that just about sums up what Argentines have told me about life here. Especially with a change in government coming, there is a gallows humor about the economic situation that makes this the perfect shirt for today.

Perhaps problems are just more open here

Bank Lines

With the four-day weekend/holiday, everyone was out of pesos by today. The banks were out of pesos on the weekend, and everyone was desperate to get cash. There were waiting lines at all the banks and places that changed money. In fact, some places weren't marked as cambios, but the lines outside gave them away.

We don't have an unofficial exchange rate in the USA, so I'm not sure what this could correspond to. It reminds me of the lines at gas stations in the 70s, and only being able to fill our car with gas on odd-numbered days. I was really little, but that memory has stuck in my head.

Police

Last night on the way to the milonga in the rain, I passed a circle of policemen, surrounding an older man who was on his knees on the ground. At first, I wondered if he was ill, It was not clear at all what was going on, but everyone passed the scene as if nothing was happening. It felt really scary to me.

One taxi driver told me that the police just help the mafia, and that he had been threatened at the airport to leave a certain area by the police and the mafia.  He said, "The police are supposed to provide public safety, not mafia safety." As I walked away, I kept worrying about the guy on the ground. You don't need seven policemen to deal with one person.

As is obvious by what has been happening in the United States with the police, perhaps here there is just a wider swath of the population who distrust the motives of "public safety" officers. Here, it's probably going to be a long time before police have car or visor cameras.

Crony-ism

According to a friend, the day that Macri won, the stock in one of his friend's companies rose by 8%, and the other stocks declined about 10%. "Everyone knows who is going to benefit from this government," he said. "The people already knew it on the day Macri won."

But this happens in the USA as well, whether we are willing to admit it. If (goddess forbid) Trump becomes the next president, I could see exactly the same scenario happening all over the place. Of course, I'll be moving to Canada (it's going to be crowded).

I think I know what a sardine feels like now

I spent the day rushing around, trying to get too many things done. On the way home, I squeezed into a subway train at the first stop from the terminus. Each stop, more people shoved into the car. Each stop, someone with a loudspeaker had to ask people to let the doors close; each stop, there were people left on the platform who couldn't get in. At one, the announcement happened three times, and someone called, "Attack them!" and everyone in the car chuckled. It is interesting to be surrounded by people, pressed MUCH tighter together than couples on the dance floor, buttocks to other people's fronts/sides/backs/handbags/shopping--and to politely ignore that we are all packed like sardines into this metal box. It was really a relief to fight my way out of the car and get back up into (relatively) fresh air.

Most of this trip, I have walked places. I find that it helps me remember my geography better. I also feel better when I absorb sun. When I am running late, I'll hop into a taxi to get the rest of the way to where I am going if traffic is good. I have been avoiding the buses because most of the time, they don't go all that much faster than walking! The subway is my choice for public transportation if possible because there is so much street traffic that the buses idle in place, with sweating people mopping their brows inside.

I can see why I did not play tourist the first six times I visited Buenos Aires: I am just too tired sometimes to go dancing. Before, if you had given me the choice, I would have stared at you. Of COURSE dancing comes first! However, since I am trying to organize everything I will need for bringing people with me next year, I am spending a lot of time looking at tango hostels, hotels and apartments. I am spending a lot of time doing cultural/touristy things that I should have done before; and I am dancing a lot less.

Right now, I am supposed to be at La Milonguita, a milonga I LOVE, but I never managed to eat today after an early breakfast, so I am eating now. Also, I promised to call my son, and right after school is great for him, but means I miss out on getting to early milongas on time.

Part of why I am late, is that there was a huge demonstration/gathering to hear the outgoing president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, give a speech. On the TV, I could see probably thousands (maybe hundreds) of people jumping up and down, waving flags, chanting, etc. CFK was already speaking when I got home. I watched a bit, fielded a call from my son, and then watched the end of her speech. She was losing her voice by that time.

My hostess was watching the speech, and consequently probably arrived late for the class she teaches. As she got up to leave, I said we would never have this in the USA, that this seemed more like a telenovela than politics--an impassioned speech basically admonishing everyone to take responsibility on themselves for the nation, implying very strongly that a. she will be back in four years ("I am listening to you, I will always listen to you, etc." and b. that the incoming government will be awful--she laughed. She said that, unless one understands the entire history of Argentina, that this speech would seem overly dramatic. Also, we would need to know all of Argentine history to understand that CFK is not a psycho. My hostess seemed very moved by the speech. "We are very Italian," she shrugged. On the other hand, we have Donald Trump doing pretty much the male imitation of what I just saw, so maybe I should not be so shocked.

Carlos Gardel's house; and a tango class, practica and milonga

• Entrada: 10 pesos (the website said 5)
• Location: Jean Jaures 735

This is a great place to squeeze into your itinerary: it takes about half an hour to walk through if you read most of the informational posters. Carlos Gardel lived here with his mother. There is a room about his movie work, another of his radio work, another of his singing/tango career, etc. It's well laid out, easy to understand, and I learned more about Gardel than I had known before.

I like the fact that they have both Gardel memorabilia, information about movie and radio in that era, and things like this fabulous gramophone that I want to own!!

El Motivo: back to the present-day tango!

• At Club Villa Malcolm, Av. Cordoba 5064 (Palermo/Villa Crespo, depending who you ask)
• Class at 8 PM
• Practica around 10/10:30 PM
• Entrada (class and practica): 70 pesos
• Bottle of water (slightly larger than at other places): 30 pesos!!!!

The class

After walking forward and backward for 20 minutes (not my style of warmup, but whatever), I was concerned that I had walked into a class for beginners. Luckily, the class divided at that point into beginners and intermediates/advanced dancers. As the class progressed, the teachers offered intermediate and advanced possibilities for moves. In the end, the last 10 minutes were good practice for me, as we did a combo I rarely practice.

I was paired with the only other woman who wanted to lead. She wasn't at my level, so she got a private lesson; but I got to practice teaching contra-system boleos, so that was fun. Plus, she was very nice. Thanks, Andrea!

Luciana Valle started the class about 15 minutes late. After that, her helper arrived around 8:30 PM (perhaps this is why we walked for so long?). After that, the other teacher, Valencia Batiuk, arrived. The helper took the beginners, and Luciana and Valencia worked with the other dancers.

The practica

After the class, most of the class stayed, and a few more people came in. Almost everyone came in couples, sat in couples, and practiced with their partner. A few tourists wandered in, also in pairs. Most of the students were VERY young, eager kids. I felt old, which I seldom do when dancing because I tend to go where the "old folks" dance. I asked the only other person over 40 to dance, and we practiced for a few tandas, before we both left.

The milonga: La bicicleta

• Gorriti 5417, entre la vía y Godoy Cruz
• Entrada: 60 pesos

I didn't feel like doing more dancing, so I just poked my head into La bicicleta. One of my "roomies" went there tonight. She enjoys going there because she says that it is informal, so she feels more relaxed. She is an intermediate dancer, and she danced a lot and had a good dance evening. There is a big patio and outdoor space that makes it a great summer place to hang out. The level is pretty good, and it has "buena onda" according to my Argentine friends. It is a younger crowd mostly.

Sunday afternoon: Museo Evita and Salon Canning

 

Museo Evita

• Lafinur 2988, C1425FAB CABA
• Closed Mondays
• Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 7 PM.
• Entrada: 50 pesos for non-residents (I think they said 20 pesos for residents)

The Evita Museum was opened 50 years after her death, in 2002. I had not known before visiting the museum, that Evita died at the age of 33. I actually hadn't known anything about her, as I have focused more on the earlier years of Argentina and on tango almost exclusively.

I decided that I would get more involved in the other parts of Argentina's culture and history, so a trip to the Evita Museum seemed intriguing. Also, I asked my Argentine friends. Only one had been to the museum, and even she admitted that she had gone to the excellent restaurant there, but had never gone through the collection!

You are not allowed to photograph in the exhibits, but there is an Andalusian style room in the center of the building where you can take photos. It is beautiful. The building was once one of the transit shelters that Evita helped establish for women who were looking for work (orphanages, homes for the elderly and shelters like this were a part of the Peronist plan). Before that, it housed multiple families.

I don't know how I feel about Peronism and Evita. More reading and education is needed, I think. I have bought a history book on the past 100 years, so if I can get through that (it's in Spanish), I will know a lot more.

Salon Canning

• Av Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz 1331 (Palermo)
• 6 PM to 1 am
• entrada: 75 pesos
• bottle of water: 28 pesos

Sunday night, after a full day of walking around the city, eating with friends, and shopping, I dragged myself to one of my favorite milongas in past years, Salon Canning on Sunday afternoon. I only stayed two hours. I just didn't have any energy to dance at all. I got a bit sunburnt while out and about, and hadn't had enough water. When a nice elderly lady walked in and clearly couldn't find a decent spot to sit, I went up to her, told her I was leaving, and gave her my spot. She told me I was a sweetheart, which made me feel good about leaving.

I should explain that at this milonga, the waiter sits people at tables, but he is also supplying drinks to tables at the same time. He seemed quite distracted. The regulars pretty much argued for the tables they wanted, and some came in and sat down without consulting the waiter. There was no host as there is atother milongas. Good places to sit: along the edge of the tiny paths created to get to the dance floor, along the back edge where the guys cruise for partners. It's an awkward setup compared to some other milongas. I don't like having to turn around or crane my neck to see the men; it makes me cranky!

Bits and pieces that haven't fit in anywhere

Good massage place

Marta Rey does reflexology, massage, facials, moxibustion, etc., and has those strange but very nice Korean massage beds that roll your spine for you. I tried it once, and Gayle is back getting everything loosened up for the flight home. Both of us really liked how our backs and feet felt afterwards. Marta speaks some English. You can reach her to set up a time (you will need 2.5-3 hours for the whole works) at 4951-6755; 4953-7223; or 15-4061-3232. All numbers that start with 15- are mobile numbers. The other two are her work phone and her home phone; I am not sure which, but try the first one first. She is at Rivadavia 1966, 3rd floor, Apt. A (in Congreso). We got a deal for being friends of friends, so I am not sure of the price, but I think it's around 120ish pesos. Tipping is nice.

Good pedicure and hair place

Claudio Zappulla, Ayacucho 57 (also in Congreso) was hopping when we went in to schedule pedicures: we had to wait two days! Some friends get their hair done here, too, and vouch for the stylists. I don't know if they speak English, but the pedicure person did not. They aren't afraid to remove callus here. If you haven't had a pedicure outside the USA, don't panic when they start shaving callus off (last year, at another place, the girl broke open a disposable razor and used a blade from it; at this place, at least they have the right tools!). The little sander-like tool made everything supersmooth, but I'm very ticklish, so it was a bit of a torture for me. However, my feet felt GREAT afterwards. I think it was 75 pesos for the most thorough pedicure I've ever had. Telephone: 4953-6584.

Nice leather products

We wandered into a few leather stores, as my handbag started to disintegrate a week into our stay (it's "Ecoleather" aka vinyl). Camila Cueros, Lavalle 741, had pushy salespeople, but very good quality leather. The prices seemed high to me because I don't buy leather in the USA, but Gayle assured me that the prices were really good deals, compared to prices at home.

Good ice cream

Cadore Gelato Artigianale, Av. Corrientes 1695. I already mentioned this place last year, but I went back. I REALLY like their gelato!

Shoe repair

I think I already said this, but I'll put it here, too. Sarmiento 1882, half a block away from Neotango Shoes. They can get stuff done fast: they put croma on Gayle's shoes between yesterday afternoon and 9 am today. Fast, good service and repair.

My new favorite clothing store for tango: Tango-Imagin

Tango-Imagen Anchorena 606, tel,. 4864-3847, email: jazmin.tangoimagen@gmail.com, is next to Tango 8, and I hadn't seen it before. However, the nice ladies at Susana Artesanal steered us that way after we couldn't find what we wanted at their store. What a nice place (both). At Tango-Imagen, three people do the cutting and sewing and selling, so they know the fabrics, they know what they have, and they can take special orders. They have a mix of performance stuff, going out to dance clothing, and practice clothing.

The man who helped us makes most of the pants they sell, but he was able to look at how one outfit fit Gayle and suggest another one because the fabric was stretchier. It only came in one size fits all, but that stretchier one was perfect, and she bought it. Pretty designs, nice fabrics--how can you lose? Check them out! Buy their clothing!

Favorite seafood restaurant

La Gran Taberna, Combate de los Pozos 95 (esq. Hipolito Yrigoyen), has things from quite cheap to very expensive. We went on the less expensive side, and stuffed ourselves. What I really like about this place: the waiter took our order, and then said, "Look, that's too much food for the two of you. What if you share one order of the fish, along with your salad and sauted asparagus?" Where else would they suggest you order less of the most expensive part of your meal? Also, we ordered two glasses of wine, and the waiter brought us a bottle: he said that, if we shared a third glass of wine, it would be the same price as the whole bottle. Now that is service! We helped the waiters with their English homework, too. They have a second door on Combate de los Pozos that is their take-out service. Yum! Reservations: 4951-7586.

Slightly cheaper, nice place

Puenta Cuore Restaurant, Rivadavia and Ayacucho (in Congreso), had nice salads. I had an excellent merluza (fish) and steamed veggie meal. Gayle had yummy pasta. The restaurant is on a corner, and it was fun to people watch. The waiter was attentive.

Vegetarian possibilities

There are a lot more vegetables in restaurants than ten years ago. Also, I found three vegetarian restaurants in the area between Lavalle and Corrientes; between Callao and Junin. I didn't try any of them. Sorry, Geofrey! I know you wanted more information.

Gluten and life in Bs As

If you don't eat gluten, eating out is almost impossible if you are also a vegetarian. I opted for eating more meat than usual, and went off my gluten-free lifestyle. Thank goodness I'm not allergic! Many people said they had heard that some people can't eat gluten, but I didn't meet anyone who said they were gluten-intolerant or allergic to gluten. They don't eat in restaurants here, I bet!

Miscellaneous thoughts

1. Song I don't have that I wish I had bought: Di Sarli's Volver a Sonar. At least that's what the DJ Sunday at Canning wrote down for me. Hey, I still have a few hours!

2.  Our taxi driver one night would need to change his name to emigrate to the USA: on the placard showing his license, etc., it claimed that his last name was Moron. I kid you not.

3.  I think American milongas would be better if we kept the idea of a set or two of something different, interpersed during the evening. I love having a chacarera set and a set of "tropical" (cumbia, salsa, merengue) during the evening to relax my body, take a break from concentrating, and enjoy the other dances that I love. I would accept a set of "rock 'n roll" as long as it wasn't all Dixieland jazz (a bit overplayed here) or Elvis (don't get me wrong: I love him, but too much is too much).