We arrived safely in Buenos Aires this morning. I believe I've mentioned in previous blog posts about how uncomfortable Delta's seats are. They haven't changed. I slept for a whopping 2 hours of our 9.5 hour flight in the narrow, uncomfortable seat.
We checked in to the Brick Hotel, right in the heart of the fashionable Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aries. Conveniently located in a phenomenal shopping area with lots of great restaurants, it appears that Jac and I will not have any difficulty finding something to do before our expedition begins. A nap is in order before the evening's festivities. But before nap time, Jac found a fabulous place for lunch by enlisting the use of a phone app called "Trip Advisor." Elena was within walking distance of the hotel and rated 19th of over 3000 restaurants in BA. Apparently, I'm the only person on the planet who didn't know about Trip Advisor. What a useful resource. One of it's services lists all of the local restaurants, how they are rated, includes photos of tasty food selections and real people reviews of each restaurant. Thanks, Jac.
Buenos Aries is often referred to as "The Paris of the South." But the cosmopolitan capitol is unmistakably Latin America. Using a totally different time clock here, five minutes often turns into thirty. A fact we were reminded of when the hostess at Elena told us she would have a table ready for us in 5 minutes. We patiently waited 30 minutes before gently reminding the hostess that if she didn't want to see two grown women gnawing on the furniture ... well you get the picture. I've been told that I should have plenty of patience because it's an untapped resource that's never been used. Especially when I'm hungry.
Elena was serving Sunday brunch. Argentina is known for it's succulent meats and the buffet at Elena confirmed the reputation. The buffet had every kind of meat imaginable as well as salads, dried sausages and cheese and an incredible dessert bar. This was a tasty way to familiarize ourselves with Buenos Aries cuisine.
After lunch and a much needed nap, Jac and I met our guide and driver and headed to a Tango studio for our private Tango lesson. The Tango originated in Buenos Aries, so where better to learn than right here.
The Tango is a very seductive and romantic dance. It's about feeling and sensation with your partner. Cross step, together, pivot. Cross step, together, pivot, followed by gently guided steps around the dance floor, floating as if two people are fused together as one. The key is to have an experienced lead. My partner moves. I follow him. He is in complete control. I totally loved it. A new concept for me to allow someone else to be in control. It's liberating allowing someone else to be the leader ... nice to have someone else in charge. A strange sort of freedom from always being the responsible one. The one charged with handling everything. So when I get back to the states, I'll be looking for a Tango teacher. Tango anyone?
Anyway, we met David and Maggie at the studio and they taught us the basics of Tango, followed by a visit to a traditional Milonga, to practice our newly learned skills. Milongas are dance halls similar to a disco where people gather to Tango, Waltz and Milonga. The room was packed with folks and I think I can safely say that Jac and Maggie were the youngest two in the room. Hell ... I may have been one of the younger ones, too. But EVERYONE was on the dance floor. This is not the Milonga that Maggie would normally visit. There are others filled with much younger people. I guess NatGeo gave her my age, so she chose this one for us. Poor Jac. She didn't want to Tango with someone who looked like her grandfather. I didn't either, for that matter!
Rather than walking up to a woman and asking her to dance, the tradition in Argentina is for a man to make eye contact with a woman and tilt his head toward the dance floor. If she wants to dance with him, they meet on the dance floor. They dance four dances together. No conversation takes place while dancing, only between songs, which usually involves exchanging names and other pleasantries. After the four dances, the dance floor empties and the dancers part company going back to their respective tables awaiting the next eye contact. Unlike dancing in the US, this is not a "hook up" joint. We could tell there were obvious "regulars" to this particular Milanga. Warm greetings and smiles accompanied the eye contact.
Let me say this about our one hour Tango lesson ... I needed more time before being turned loose in a room with hundreds of folks who filled the dance floor for every dance.
After Maggie explained the whole eye contact concept to Jac and I, we found ourselves staring at the wall or at Maggie, listening to her stories about Argentinian traditions, avoiding any sort of eye contact. Finally, a gentleman walked up to Maggie and asked her to dance. She declined, showing him she was not wearing dance shoes and was our teacher and one of us would be happy to dance with him. Oh DAMN!! We were just inches from a clean get away!!
Sparing Jac, I took one for the team and went to the dance floor. Oh my gosh. After our four dances, when I finally got back to the table, I felt the skin on the top of my two left feet was worn off from the guy stepping on me. My fault. I didn't move my feet fast enough. I still have much to learn about the Tango. But I loved the dance itself.
After our lesson and the evening at the Milonga, we had the driver drop us at El Mirasol, just a block from our hotel, where we had an amazing dinner. The food was incredible. The portions were HUGE and the price tag was half what a similar meal would have cost us in the US. Jac had short ribs. I had a flank steak.
The sides were grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, all of which filled huge plates and bowls and were enough for a family. The meat came out on a platter and again, it looked like it could feed a family of six. We unsuccessfully did our best to clean the plates, and came back to the hotel with enough food to cure hunger in China. Prices on the menu are shown in Pesos.
One hundred US dollars is equal to $1,520.49 Pesos. When we got our bill for $1,442.18, I almost fainted. But the conversion ended up being $95.00 US. Unbelievable. We've decided we like Buenos Aries and the exchange rate.
We finished dinner at midnight and walked back to the hotel. Jacqueline is fast asleep and as soon as I post this blog, I won't be far behind.
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| Delta flight to Buenos Aries. |
We checked in to the Brick Hotel, right in the heart of the fashionable Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aries. Conveniently located in a phenomenal shopping area with lots of great restaurants, it appears that Jac and I will not have any difficulty finding something to do before our expedition begins. A nap is in order before the evening's festivities. But before nap time, Jac found a fabulous place for lunch by enlisting the use of a phone app called "Trip Advisor." Elena was within walking distance of the hotel and rated 19th of over 3000 restaurants in BA. Apparently, I'm the only person on the planet who didn't know about Trip Advisor. What a useful resource. One of it's services lists all of the local restaurants, how they are rated, includes photos of tasty food selections and real people reviews of each restaurant. Thanks, Jac.
Buenos Aries is often referred to as "The Paris of the South." But the cosmopolitan capitol is unmistakably Latin America. Using a totally different time clock here, five minutes often turns into thirty. A fact we were reminded of when the hostess at Elena told us she would have a table ready for us in 5 minutes. We patiently waited 30 minutes before gently reminding the hostess that if she didn't want to see two grown women gnawing on the furniture ... well you get the picture. I've been told that I should have plenty of patience because it's an untapped resource that's never been used. Especially when I'm hungry.
After lunch and a much needed nap, Jac and I met our guide and driver and headed to a Tango studio for our private Tango lesson. The Tango originated in Buenos Aries, so where better to learn than right here.
The Tango is a very seductive and romantic dance. It's about feeling and sensation with your partner. Cross step, together, pivot. Cross step, together, pivot, followed by gently guided steps around the dance floor, floating as if two people are fused together as one. The key is to have an experienced lead. My partner moves. I follow him. He is in complete control. I totally loved it. A new concept for me to allow someone else to be in control. It's liberating allowing someone else to be the leader ... nice to have someone else in charge. A strange sort of freedom from always being the responsible one. The one charged with handling everything. So when I get back to the states, I'll be looking for a Tango teacher. Tango anyone?
Rather than walking up to a woman and asking her to dance, the tradition in Argentina is for a man to make eye contact with a woman and tilt his head toward the dance floor. If she wants to dance with him, they meet on the dance floor. They dance four dances together. No conversation takes place while dancing, only between songs, which usually involves exchanging names and other pleasantries. After the four dances, the dance floor empties and the dancers part company going back to their respective tables awaiting the next eye contact. Unlike dancing in the US, this is not a "hook up" joint. We could tell there were obvious "regulars" to this particular Milanga. Warm greetings and smiles accompanied the eye contact.
Let me say this about our one hour Tango lesson ... I needed more time before being turned loose in a room with hundreds of folks who filled the dance floor for every dance.
After Maggie explained the whole eye contact concept to Jac and I, we found ourselves staring at the wall or at Maggie, listening to her stories about Argentinian traditions, avoiding any sort of eye contact. Finally, a gentleman walked up to Maggie and asked her to dance. She declined, showing him she was not wearing dance shoes and was our teacher and one of us would be happy to dance with him. Oh DAMN!! We were just inches from a clean get away!!
After our lesson and the evening at the Milonga, we had the driver drop us at El Mirasol, just a block from our hotel, where we had an amazing dinner. The food was incredible. The portions were HUGE and the price tag was half what a similar meal would have cost us in the US. Jac had short ribs. I had a flank steak.
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| This is the leftover steak. |
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| No! We did NOT order the Testicles. But check the prices. |
We finished dinner at midnight and walked back to the hotel. Jacqueline is fast asleep and as soon as I post this blog, I won't be far behind.
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