Day #3. Buenos Aires.

7 am. That’s what time I went to bed today. I didn’t really believe the other hostel peeps when they said that Argentinians in Buenos Aires stay up until the wee hours of the morning. But they do. They definitely do. They have the stamina of Sea Biscuit.

After that delicious curry dinner we headed out to the Palermo district, an area known for it’s awesome all-nighter parties. The ladies here have beautiful style. Most of them wear these short little sundresses that are so cute and accentuate their svelt but curvy bodies. At night when they go out to party most of them change into tight, high-waisted shorts and crop tops. The only thing that I detest are the shoes. Everyone wears platforms. It’s like mini Elton Johns running around everywhere in these little ugly hooves. Absolutely hideous. They come in every color too. I even saw a girl wearing a bright blue shirt with matching bright blue suede platforms!! Where do you even get those?? There is a pretty big goth sub-culture here too. I saw a guy with 2 girls on each arm, everyone clad from head to toe in black. He even had fangs. They started talking to the British girl in our group, and commented on how awesome her accent was. “We love your accent!” they exclaimed in broken English. “So much better then US accent.”

We hung out at a beautiful outdoor restaurant in Palermo and met some locals who invited us out with them and their friends. It was 2:30 am and the streets were packed with young people heading to their favorite club. If you get there before 2, I was told it would be dead. I honestly didn’t think I was gonna make it much longer… bed was calling my name. But then we all started dancing, and I suddenly forgot how tired I was. The locals were really nice and were pouring their favorite drink – champagne and Red Bull. It really seemed like only a few hours passed, and when we walked outside, it was daylight. DAYLIGHT. What???!!!!! Oh nooooo! I didn’t mean to stay up all night! But it was worth it. At least that once. But tonight I want to see some live music or watch some traditional dancing. And go to bed at a decent hour. Need to get up early so I can go to the Brazilian consulate tomorrow.

“Slept in” until 2:30 in the afternoon. So did Tom. He went out swing dancing last night and came in after I did. How do these people keep this schedule every day??! I’m already worn out. Made myself some oatmeal and headed to the market. Thought maybe I would spend 30 min there, but 30 min turned into 3 hours. It was phenomenal. Yesterday when I arrived, it seemed the city was kind of dead. Well that’s because they were all inside sleeping getting ready for their big party night. But on a Sunday afternoon, everyone is out dressed in their Sunday best! The street was lined for a mile with colorful displays. There were tons of leathergoods (Argentina is known for its cows), sparkling handmade glass and jewelry, and even empanada coin purses. I picked up a few souvenirs and reveled in the balmy afternoon sunshine. It was hot, but not too hot. Every couple blocks or so there would be a pop-up sausage or steak sandwich grill going.  All the stands serve their goods with chimichurri sauce and “salad”, which is a fresh salsa made of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and Italian dressing. The smells…. Ahhh the smells! Made my mouth water. And of course, live music. So much music!! I was in heaven! There was an energetic guitar duo of 2 young boys and a cute old man rocking out some “Pomp and Circumstance” on the accordion. But my favorite was this tall, very dark bald man who sang while playing complex salsa rifts on his bass. I’ve never seen anyone play bass like that AND sing at the same time. I thought it was impossible - what a talent! Everyone was dancing. I love how strangers that are standing next to each other will turn, smile, and without hesitation begin to dance. The joy on their faces is infectious! Well, mostly joy. Except for one rather large elderly lady seemed very upset at one of the musical selections. She waddled up to the stage and started yelling at him, waving her finger around in the air, before waddling back to her seat completely out of breath. Had no idea what that was about, but the tall dark man didn’t miss a beat. He just laughed and played even louder. Music is so powerful. It brings people together in a really special way.

Met up with some new friends at the hostel after that and we wandered around the city, taking it all in. We ran into some ladies selling homemade tarts – strawberry and lemon merengue. Elina from Boliva and I shared a slice of the fresa (strawberry) and it was divine! The crust was buttery and crumbly… so light. The middle layer was a delicate airy custard. And on top were the sweetest fresh berries smothered in jello. By now I had run out of time for the bus tour. We’ll save it for another day.

That evening I finally tried the famous Argentinian steak. Everyone who travelled through this country raved about the beef here. I’m not a big meat eater, but I was looking forward to seeing what all this hype was about. There are a lot of steak restaurants to choose from. They’re everywhere, and very popular. They hand you a menu that basically lists 15 different variations of beef along with a tantalizing selection of sides. I ordered the smallest steak they had, and we all shared this dreamy fresh creamed spinach, fried potato slices, very cheesy mashed potatoes, and halved tomatoes with balsamico. Of course, the steaks were served with 3 different sauces: green chimichurri, red chimichurri, and that “salad” I was talking about earlier. We started the meal with white beans and garlic oil, soaking up every last drop with warm crusty bread. The meat arrived on sizzling platters. My “small” steak was actually pretty huge. Everyone got really excited. All conversation ceased and for about a minute, the only sound was the clashing of forks and knives. I took my first bite and it was…….out. of. this. world. So tender it melted in your mouth. Succulent. Bold, rich, and grilled to perfection. I was very impressed. Despite this, I still couldn’t finish it all – think I ate too many sides. Stephen from Denmark gladly helped himself to the rest. Here is the craziest part of the dinner: all of those sides, steaks, and 2 bottles of really amazing Malbec… for only $15/person!!! No wonder some of the guys said they had eaten there every night for the past 5 days.

My luck was to continue. Kathleen invited me out to watch some tango that evening. She had a lesson around 8 and said all the locals start trickling in the later it gets. She, however, was only staying until 2 am. By the time we finished dinner it was already midnight. I invited everyone but, can you believe they just want to sit around every evening in the hostel??? No way. You couldn’t pay me to sit around in the hostel. I’ve been noticing that people are very addicted to their electronics too. When I left for the market a guy was on his ipad, and when I got back 3 hrs later he was still there! I don’t really get it. Time is so precious to me when I’m traveling. And it’s so much more fun to actually talk to people then surf social media.

Anyway, sorry for little rant there. Back to tango. So I took a cab over, paid only $6 to get in, and found Kathleen at a corner table. She looked great. Little grey jeans, sexy black top, and these cute “training” healed boots. When you’re learning, it’s better not to wear high heals. Makes sense. She introduced me to her dancing partner, Carlos. I loved the atmosphere in the Tango room. It was dimly lit with red low lights down the side, a big wooden dance floor in the center, and gaudy table coverings. The locals were trickling in, and they looked stunning. Especially the woman. Argentinian girls really are extraordinarily beautiful. The men…. eh ;) Kathleen said the divorce rate in Argentina is high – around 50%. It’s because the guys are notorious lady’s men, she lamented. It’s all that eye candy!! It’s everywhere!

You should have seen the outfits. There were all different styles – some wore long flowing pants, some tight short tube dresses, and others more traditional long flowing skirts with dramatic angled hems and open backs. But the one thing every single girl had on in common was a pair of sparkly, peep toed high heels. Did I mention how stunning they were?? I sat there with my mouth gaping open, taking it all in. Kathleen explained the dance to me. You find a partner, and you share 4 dances together. The first 2 are slow whereas the next 2 are much faster. The very last one, you just let it all out and get crazy. If a couple dances more then 4 (a “set”) then they are “together” and the other guys should leave the girl alone. I was totally content with my verbal lesson and watching the talented dancers glide across the floor. But Pedro wouldn’t have it.

Pedro was the short, 70-something-year-old gentlemen who took it upon himself to be my private tango instructor for the evening. He had a wrinkled, weathered face that was still so handsome and little black square glasses. He was a-DORABLE. As he pulled on my hand and crooned Spanish at me, I couldn’t say no. He barely came up to my chest, but Pedro was masterful at the dance. I felt like I had 2 left feet. Almost lost my balance a couple times too. Tango requires a lot of core strength, because most of the time you are on the tippy toes of one foot. It’s a very different kind of dance. The best ladies in the room often had their eyes closed, because they’re really feeling the music and reacting to their partners subtle movements. Pedro didn’t mind my clumsy gringa-ness at all. There were a few times when I nailed it, and when I did, he would let out a “yesssssssss! eso!” After each dance, Pedro would kiss the top of my chest (the only part he could reach) and ask me for “un mas!” What a sweetheart. My very first tango!! I told Pedro I needed agua and collapsed back in my chair at the corner table. Carlos advised me to take smaller steps and keep my shoulders squared. “Just relax!” he said.

It was 3 am and way past Kathleen’s bedtime. We were about to leave when, suddenly, a very showy couple appeared and there was buzz in the tango house that there would be a special show. Apparently, they do shows for a living and have quite the reputation in the tango community. Of course we had to stay!!! They were exquisite. I’ve never seen anything like it. When he would lift her in the air and spin, the room would erupt. They truly had mastered the art of tango.

What an incredible, beautiful night. I think I am in love with tango.