My first first is a big, never-to-be-repeated mistake - I should have written the blog every day because it's now the end of the week and I have done so much but don't remember it all - it's a blur and I am praying it will all come back to me with a little help from my friends. Paula is staying with me because she missed her flight - she got her departure date mixed up and is now flying out on Tuesday, April 1. It's good to have her company - she's a dynamic, energetic 21 year old who can teach me a few things about enjoying this city - she has all the eating and dancing places sussed and has a lot of contacts she is introducing me to. I should have a different perspective to living here before she leaves. About time I started doing as the Romans do. Party life doesn't begin here till after midnight and I have only done that twice - yes - I did go for another Milonga!
Paula, Udai and I went for dinner to Tandoor and then at 11.30pm headed to Salon Canning, one of the more popular milongas in town. It had a very sophisticated ambiance and is frequented by a large number of portenos (locals) and the standard of Tango is very high. Shahrukh joined us there at 1.30am when I had my first dance with him - he is a good leader. I also got to dance with a few others through whom I tested the Tango Milonga etiquette of making eye contact, getting a little nod of invitation and reciprocated by accepting the nod with a nod! It works! I have been initiated and feel a little better prepared to take on the rest! The music was very good and the entertainment - at 2.30am! was a fabulous Tango demonstration by a highly acclaimed duo of Tango dancers. Very sharp and elegant! We headed home at 4am where Shahrukh insisted on making a round of Caiparinas for us all - at my place - and 
proceeded to refuse to let me sleep. I had a Spanish class to attend at 9am - it was 7 by the time they finished downing their drinks which turned into a few rounds of Caiparin
as - I stopped at one - thank god for that! Shahrukh and Udai fell asleep sitting on the couch trying to keep me awake, but by then it was too late for me to risk taking a nap. And here's my next first - I stayed up all night and showered and left for class without having slept a wink... never again! It has taken me 4 days to recover from that - I must remember I am not as young as I feel! I actually managed to stay awake for most of the Spanish class after downing a double shot of espresso but made up for it by sleeping the rest of the afternoon! But not for long...My next first - at 4pm the same day, I had my first private lesson with Yanina (pronounced Shanina) and Adrian - my favorite teachers of all those whose classes I have attended - and I have attended several at many different studios. They are Level 2 teachers at the Escuela Carlos Copello; stunning dancers, excellent teachers and very inspiring to watch and learn from. Their method is thorough and they know exactly what to pick up on to improve your dancing. I feel a difference in my dancing technique already after just 2 lessons. The trick is to practice and make what I have learned come naturally on the dance floor - that is what I intend to spend the next few weeks doing.
My first private lesson didn't end when the lesson ended... and herein lies my next first... Yanina insisted on taking me to where she goes twice a week to keep her body in shape - a pole dancing class! What an experience that was! I came back looking like I had been physically abused - my legs were blue and black with bruises from trying to hang on to the pole while twirling around! I had thought of taking a picture for posterity but decided it was not a memory I wanted to preserve! I mean the bruises - the lesson itself was a blast but the jury is still out on whether I will return there for another session of torture! It was an amazing workout - highly recommended if you want a flat stomach, toned legs AND arms - and have an amazing time doing it. The others there were getting pretty good at it and I was told I was a natural - the moves came the first time I tried them, but It took me 3 days to be able to walk without my muscles letting me know they do exist and need to be treated with respect if I want them to cooperate with me on a daily basis. Apparently, the workout is good for strong legs, abdomenal and core muscles, and for balance - all essential ingredients for a good Tanguera's posture and I could well use them to improve my dancing!
Next - I wrote my first essay in Spanish - a brief description/family history. I managed to find the vocabulary to say all I wanted to but I am sure my grammar needs a lot of improvement - waiting for the corrected assignment from the teacher which I should get next week. Shahrukh read it over a dose of Caiperina and was duly impressed (I wonder if the drink had an effect on his judgement?) at what I had done after just 4 lessons - it really is an achievement and a testament to the methodology adopted at the Universitad de Buenos Aires Laboratorio des Idiomas (Language laboratory).
Wednesday saw me at Tandoor again for dinner - Paula had returned from visiting Uruguai for the day and found that the hotel she had been at had let her room out to someone else and she was without a room. She hadn't been able to contact me and called Shahrukh for help and he had offered her his apartment next door. I was surprized to find them waiting for me when I returned from dance class at 10.30pm and dragged me along for a night out. Shahrukh was meeting a few people from Boston who were visiting for 10 days of Tango workshops. We had another good meal there and again ended up at my place with Cathie (an organic farmer from Boston) and Darren (who was actually from Australia but staying at their hotel) joining us. It wasn't going to be another all-nighter - I finally convinced them it was time to go home at 2.30am and managed to get a few hours shut-eye before heading to another Spanish lesson.
During the dinner I had overhead Darren mention to someone that he was going to Iguazu on Friday. I had been wanting to do the trip myself since Varun had told me of his experience when he visited the Argentinian side during his visit to Brazil in February, and had been waiting to find company to travel - it's always much more fun with a friend - and so, I had my first visit to Iguacu on Friday/Saturday. We stayed at the Sheraton which is the 
only hotel built inside the national park and was lucky to get a room that faced the waterfalls - what a breathtaking sight it is at any time of day! We had flown to Iguazu on separate flights - Darren arrived there by an earlier flight and slept a few hours waiting from my arrival - my flight was delayed and I didn't get in till about 1.00pm - wasted half the day! We d
ecided to do the Brazilian side first as the Argentinian side definitely deserved more time than the Brazilian - it has better views and more options of things to do - walks, boat rides, etc. The falls themselves are very impressive - so much water and so much power - where does it come from and how does it get replenished to keep it going century after century - amazing! The sunset that ended our day was in unique shades of pink and purple...After seeing the falls from the Brazilian side, we did some souvenir shopping and got back to the hotel after dark and jumped into the pool for a swim - the water and air temperature couldn't have been better! Just perfect - not too cold and not too hot! Ideal way to end a day spent walking in the sun!
The food at the hotel apparently isn't up to scratch so we decided to go into the town of Iguazu for dinner instead. The Footprint guide had a few good recommendations but our taxi driver recommended Aqua - opened a year ago and not included in any of the major guide books. The meal was exceptionally good - we ordered the local fresh-water fish - Surubi - prepared in two different sauces - grilled with a saffron sauce and another with tomato and basil salsa. It was one of the best meals I have eaten; the flavours rich and distinct, well balanced and not strong enough to overpower the delicate flavour of the fish itself. The fish was meaty with thick flakes, cooked to perfection! The waiter recommended a Patagonian pinot noir with it which turned out
to be an excellent choice. The dining experience was of a very high standard with exceptionally good service - butlers with white napkins across their arms with a cloth-covered dumb-waiter beside the table where our wine bottle was kept chilled, though the environment was not congruent with the service - it was too casual and the service too elegant for it. The building looked like a log cabin whereas the service was that of a fine dining restaurant. Glasses topped up before they were too empty, seamlessly, not letting us realize how many glasses we had embibed! My camomille tea was served in a teapot - not a teabag in my teacup!
We had no room for dessert after that, but it was again 1.30am by the time we reached the hotel. There's something about Argentina - either it's a very late night or nothing at all!
The next morning we took a train (a 300m walk from the hotel) and visited the Argentinian side of the waterfall though we had a bit of a late start again after having a leisurely breakfast, sitting at a table with a view of the waterfalls just in front of us - stunning!
The butterflies! They are everywhere as you walk down the boardwalk to get to the viewing point at the edge of the waterfalls. They are friendly too - they sit all over you and you can make them sit on your finger - I think they liked my sun-screen lotion - their tongues tickled as the siphoned it off my skin! I would have loved them to stay and and spend some time getting to know them I had to be selfless and save them from poisoning themselves! Got lots of pictures though. I believe in September, when their eggs start hatching, you cannot see the road - there are so many of them and the variety of species is stunning! The colors are exceptionally bright and some of them even looked like the size of little birds flying around. Their ability to cling/stick onto the wooden railings when the force of the wind and spray from the waterfall almost blew me away was a revalation! They just cling on for dear life! I got some stunning videos of a few against the backdrop of the waterfall - brilliant memories. We also sighted a cayman crockodile and a few turtles sunbathing on a rock along the way!
The bird life in this part of the world is supposed to be outstanding - we saw a few species though there is a trail which is a bird-watchers delight; we didn't have time to do it. We did an ecological boat ride down the river but didn't see much more than a couple more turtles. And more butterflies! What we did do was jump into the river as the guide paddled along and cooled off in the water - I had to jump in with my clothes on as I hadn't thought of wearing my bathing suite. It was fun! When we returned to the hotel I rushed into the changing room by the pool (we had checked out before leaving that morning) and had a quick shower before a late lunch after which we had to make a dash for the airport to catch our flights back to Buenos Aires. The end of a memorable adventure with delightful company.
After a good night's rest, Paula, Darren and I met for a short spell on Sunday afternoon to exchange photographs and reminisce over a cup of coffee before Darren caught his flight back to Seeeedney! He's good company and we have lots of common interests, Tango, Vipassana, hiking, kayaking, etc. I am sure we will meet again somewhere, sometime. He has invited Sharath and myself to visit him in Australia - perhaps when we go down under we will stop by there to see the family and catch up with him as well.
My day didn't end there... I went to La Grisel for a Tango lesson and milonga that evening. I had some good dances at the milonga with people I had danced with at the class. There are a few older men who are very good dancers who join in the class to assist as there is normally a shortage of men in these classes. They tend to be very generous with their time to help new learners and make an extra effort to encourage and teach us what they can. This follows through in the milonga session where they make it a point to ensure all of us get to dance. I had plenty of good dances that night. It was an enjoyable evening which I think I will try and make it for every Sunday, though it means missing a class at Carlos Copello which I do enjoy very much and learn a lot from... I'll have to make my choices!
Something that I find is constantly re-enforced in my travel experiences is how much more enriching life is when you do things outside your comfort zone, even though it involves taking calculated risks. It is worth every bit of fear one faces - and very rewarding to come out at the other end, having been somewhere and done something that you could have missed out on if you hadn't taken that step or made that decision. My motto - feel the fear and do it - is my source of inspiration. It has never led me astray nor let me down - ever! My life has been all the richer for it. I have ended up having adventures I will treasure the memory of, meeting people who will stay friends as long as we choose to remain so, and feel all the richer for it.
The food at the hotel apparently isn't up to scratch so we decided to go into the town of Iguazu for dinner instead. The Footprint guide had a few good recommendations but our taxi driver recommended Aqua - opened a year ago and not included in any of the major guide books. The meal was exceptionally good - we ordered the local fresh-water fish - Surubi - prepared in two different sauces - grilled with a saffron sauce and another with tomato and basil salsa. It was one of the best meals I have eaten; the flavours rich and distinct, well balanced and not strong enough to overpower the delicate flavour of the fish itself. The fish was meaty with thick flakes, cooked to perfection! The waiter recommended a Patagonian pinot noir with it which turned out
to be an excellent choice. The dining experience was of a very high standard with exceptionally good service - butlers with white napkins across their arms with a cloth-covered dumb-waiter beside the table where our wine bottle was kept chilled, though the environment was not congruent with the service - it was too casual and the service too elegant for it. The building looked like a log cabin whereas the service was that of a fine dining restaurant. Glasses topped up before they were too empty, seamlessly, not letting us realize how many glasses we had embibed! My camomille tea was served in a teapot - not a teabag in my teacup!We had no room for dessert after that, but it was again 1.30am by the time we reached the hotel. There's something about Argentina - either it's a very late night or nothing at all!
The next morning we took a train (a 300m walk from the hotel) and visited the Argentinian side of the waterfall though we had a bit of a late start again after having a leisurely breakfast, sitting at a table with a view of the waterfalls just in front of us - stunning!
The butterflies! They are everywhere as you walk down the boardwalk to get to the viewing point at the edge of the waterfalls. They are friendly too - they sit all over you and you can make them sit on your finger - I think they liked my sun-screen lotion - their tongues tickled as the siphoned it off my skin! I would have loved them to stay and and spend some time getting to know them I had to be selfless and save them from poisoning themselves! Got lots of pictures though. I believe in September, when their eggs start hatching, you cannot see the road - there are so many of them and the variety of species is stunning! The colors are exceptionally bright and some of them even looked like the size of little birds flying around. Their ability to cling/stick onto the wooden railings when the force of the wind and spray from the waterfall almost blew me away was a revalation! They just cling on for dear life! I got some stunning videos of a few against the backdrop of the waterfall - brilliant memories. We also sighted a cayman crockodile and a few turtles sunbathing on a rock along the way!The bird life in this part of the world is supposed to be outstanding - we saw a few species though there is a trail which is a bird-watchers delight; we didn't have time to do it. We did an ecological boat ride down the river but didn't see much more than a couple more turtles. And more butterflies! What we did do was jump into the river as the guide paddled along and cooled off in the water - I had to jump in with my clothes on as I hadn't thought of wearing my bathing suite. It was fun! When we returned to the hotel I rushed into the changing room by the pool (we had checked out before leaving that morning) and had a quick shower before a late lunch after which we had to make a dash for the airport to catch our flights back to Buenos Aires. The end of a memorable adventure with delightful company.
After a good night's rest, Paula, Darren and I met for a short spell on Sunday afternoon to exchange photographs and reminisce over a cup of coffee before Darren caught his flight back to Seeeedney! He's good company and we have lots of common interests, Tango, Vipassana, hiking, kayaking, etc. I am sure we will meet again somewhere, sometime. He has invited Sharath and myself to visit him in Australia - perhaps when we go down under we will stop by there to see the family and catch up with him as well.My day didn't end there... I went to La Grisel for a Tango lesson and milonga that evening. I had some good dances at the milonga with people I had danced with at the class. There are a few older men who are very good dancers who join in the class to assist as there is normally a shortage of men in these classes. They tend to be very generous with their time to help new learners and make an extra effort to encourage and teach us what they can. This follows through in the milonga session where they make it a point to ensure all of us get to dance. I had plenty of good dances that night. It was an enjoyable evening which I think I will try and make it for every Sunday, though it means missing a class at Carlos Copello which I do enjoy very much and learn a lot from... I'll have to make my choices!
Something that I find is constantly re-enforced in my travel experiences is how much more enriching life is when you do things outside your comfort zone, even though it involves taking calculated risks. It is worth every bit of fear one faces - and very rewarding to come out at the other end, having been somewhere and done something that you could have missed out on if you hadn't taken that step or made that decision. My motto - feel the fear and do it - is my source of inspiration. It has never led me astray nor let me down - ever! My life has been all the richer for it. I have ended up having adventures I will treasure the memory of, meeting people who will stay friends as long as we choose to remain so, and feel all the richer for it.
A good piece of news I received yesterday - my friend Carol (from France and an avid Tango dancer who is here for as long as I am, or longer) has taken an apartment on my street and will be my neighbour from this week! Looks like my milonga nights just got more frequent and longer! It is why I am here, it is what I am doing this for - learning to Tango to Tango! What better place to do it than right here, at the best Milongas in Buenos Aires! Long may the tradition continue!
My hunt for the best tango shoes continues - one can never have enough! Everywhere I go, I see the same faces buying up everything they can find in every color in their size. And they're not all Tango dancers - apparently people come here to shop for tango shoes to wear on a daily basis - they are so well made - they are wide on the toes to accommodate bunions that other shoe manufacturers for some reason do not understand are a cuase of anguish for those who suffer from the pain. The quality of workmanship, design and styling is outstanding. The shape of the heels is to die for - some upto 9 cms high and stunningly elegant - unfortunately out of my radar of comfort - I stick to 7cm or under! Comme Il Faut has the most extensive range in style and heel sizes by far. Their quality is the best (Neo Tango is a close second). Their prices vary from 270 - 300 pesos, about US$100 for the best shoes you can get. The colors and color combinations are quite amazing - hot pink, red and black, shiny purple and green, tiger and leopeard prints and yellow black and white are some of the more exotic combinations I have seen - worn with a plain black anything, all you need is one of these pairs of shoes to look stylish and stunning! Oh, I forgot to mention - men are just as crazy about their Tango shoes as the women... you will find a fair share of the custgomers at all these shops are men buying more than one or three pairs of shoes! It's not only the female population that keeps the shoe business thriving!
It is a pleasure to go out at night in Buenos Aires - people take a lot of trouble to dress well and look good - ladies get the chance to show of their wardrobes and their shoes - some men come in suits and ties and hats looking very dapper - and their stylish shoes - some black and white, red and black, or just white or combinations thereof! Much better than just wearing another pair of jeans and heading out to party - it feels like a real night out and you can do this most afternoons and every night of the week! You will often see older women with a young dancer (who will normally be a very good dancer) - you know she's with a 'taxi dancer' - someone who is paid to go dancing with you. The advantage is that you have a young, good dancer to yourself for the whole evening - the disadvantage is no one else will ask you for a dance and they will all know you are with a taxi dancer - not exactly a good look!
This week has been another long adventure - I have had so many new experiences and done so much in so short a time - it's a blur and a constant source of wonder - trying to recall and relive moments that I almost missed recollecting.
I have often had to go back to my blogs and update them with stuff that comes to me after I have published it, so don't be surprized if you read something different in my previous blogs (if you ever have the time to revisit them!) that you hadn't read before. I do it to keep my memories as true to what actually happened for posterity.
The week ended with a night at Salon Canning with Paula, Carol and her friend Maximiliano. Didn't stay too long - back home by 1am after a couple of dances - need to go for a lesson before the Milonga begins to get to know some of the dancers there. Carol has moved in next door to 2634 Arenales - a lovely room on the terrace of the building with an outdoor dining table and covered area - would love to stay there on my next visit. We had dinner together at my place with a fabulous bottle of red wine before going dancing. It's going to be good having her as my neighbour. She's good company.
My hunt for the best tango shoes continues - one can never have enough! Everywhere I go, I see the same faces buying up everything they can find in every color in their size. And they're not all Tango dancers - apparently people come here to shop for tango shoes to wear on a daily basis - they are so well made - they are wide on the toes to accommodate bunions that other shoe manufacturers for some reason do not understand are a cuase of anguish for those who suffer from the pain. The quality of workmanship, design and styling is outstanding. The shape of the heels is to die for - some upto 9 cms high and stunningly elegant - unfortunately out of my radar of comfort - I stick to 7cm or under! Comme Il Faut has the most extensive range in style and heel sizes by far. Their quality is the best (Neo Tango is a close second). Their prices vary from 270 - 300 pesos, about US$100 for the best shoes you can get. The colors and color combinations are quite amazing - hot pink, red and black, shiny purple and green, tiger and leopeard prints and yellow black and white are some of the more exotic combinations I have seen - worn with a plain black anything, all you need is one of these pairs of shoes to look stylish and stunning! Oh, I forgot to mention - men are just as crazy about their Tango shoes as the women... you will find a fair share of the custgomers at all these shops are men buying more than one or three pairs of shoes! It's not only the female population that keeps the shoe business thriving!
It is a pleasure to go out at night in Buenos Aires - people take a lot of trouble to dress well and look good - ladies get the chance to show of their wardrobes and their shoes - some men come in suits and ties and hats looking very dapper - and their stylish shoes - some black and white, red and black, or just white or combinations thereof! Much better than just wearing another pair of jeans and heading out to party - it feels like a real night out and you can do this most afternoons and every night of the week! You will often see older women with a young dancer (who will normally be a very good dancer) - you know she's with a 'taxi dancer' - someone who is paid to go dancing with you. The advantage is that you have a young, good dancer to yourself for the whole evening - the disadvantage is no one else will ask you for a dance and they will all know you are with a taxi dancer - not exactly a good look!
This week has been another long adventure - I have had so many new experiences and done so much in so short a time - it's a blur and a constant source of wonder - trying to recall and relive moments that I almost missed recollecting.
I have often had to go back to my blogs and update them with stuff that comes to me after I have published it, so don't be surprized if you read something different in my previous blogs (if you ever have the time to revisit them!) that you hadn't read before. I do it to keep my memories as true to what actually happened for posterity.
I update my photo gallery regularly at: href:"http://www.flickr.com/photos/24668244@N07/page2/- do visit that too to get a visual on what I have written - my decision to be a non-tourist without a camera or guide book is now a false statement - guilty as accuded! I cannot leave my cameras behind and was on this trip with two around my neck. Made up for the missing Japanese tourists - there wasn't a single one in this part of the world on this trip but I made up for them in carrying the 'Japanese look'. The camera backpack (very heavy!) also provides weight training exercise - essential for aging women to maintain strong bones and control osteoporosis.
The week ended with a night at Salon Canning with Paula, Carol and her friend Maximiliano. Didn't stay too long - back home by 1am after a couple of dances - need to go for a lesson before the Milonga begins to get to know some of the dancers there. Carol has moved in next door to 2634 Arenales - a lovely room on the terrace of the building with an outdoor dining table and covered area - would love to stay there on my next visit. We had dinner together at my place with a fabulous bottle of red wine before going dancing. It's going to be good having her as my neighbour. She's good company.
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