Milongas

La Catedral is a bar/ milonga here in BA, but far different from your typical bar or milonga. It's sort of an underground, alternative, old, run-down warehouse converted into a bar with art covering the walls, lots of Argentinean wine, all vegetarian food (that's saying something here in meat-centric Argentina), lots of spunky youth, and live music. All of the tables and chairs are mismatching and old, probably taken for free or from second hand stores. This place attracts an interesting crowd: a milonguero dressed in his suit occasionally shares the floors with a majority of youth dressed in raggedy clothes and tennis shoes. There was a table of people my age (what are we called? Adults?—that sounds old. kids? ...twenty-ers? ) drinking Argentinean wine and sketching by candlelight, while their friends did interpretive dance to tango music. Overall, a fabulous atmosphere.











The second is definitely the more traditional milonga, with people well-dressed and traditional tango etiquette. Both types have their virtues!

Iguazú Falls, Argentina

Iguazú Falls´ Parana River separates Brazil and Argentina, slightly upstream from where the Parana and Rio Grande converge at the borders of the two countries along with that of Paraguay, as well. (picture of me standing on Argentine ground with Paraguay behind to the left and Brazil behind to the right.)

We spent 17 hours in a bus both ways to a from Northern Argentina to see the falls. But this was not your ordinary Greyhound: this was full service, reclining chairs, movies, double decker bus with meals, blankets, and pillows included. It was like first class air travel on ground. Did I mention free wine and champagne? When we arrived we stayed in a huge hostel in the small town that is Puerto Iguazú, equipt with a freezing cold pool (I was the only one to enjoy myself a nice two lap workout before I promptly got out in order to use my lungs again,) and nightly shows. We were lucky enough to have a Brazilian Samba performance (Youtube it if it sparks your interest; pictures to risqué to include) with two lovely ladies and a one man. He wore a shiny silvery shirt and played a tiny hand tambourine-like drum, and they wore more or less nipple covers, thongs, and heals. Samba music is lively and fun, with lots of shaking. I was sitting in front, and, because from the beginning Samba-man saw my enthusiasm and that good music pulses through me even as I try to sit still, I was favored the whole time and so picked to dance with a bunch of other girls learning the samba in front of the hostel and later was samba-man's personal partner at the end when the dancing was most interactive. One more notch on my dance belt: brazilian samba. This was Saturday evening after a huge asado, or Argentine BBQ with lots of meat, salads, glorious food, and this time free all you could want Brazilian Caipirinhas (thus dancing came a little more fluidly to everyone.)

The falls were amazing. It cost $60 pesos to get into the park (that's the foreigner price; it costs Latin Americans $20) but it was well worth it. Aparently it's a fairly dry season and so the falls were less strong, but I was suficiently impressed. All of the water comes from the Amazon, not from any mountains. I cannot even fathom how that much water can be created any place on earth; the park is absolutely spectacular with waterfall after waterfall for miles.

And sorry for the picture on its side. That's the computer's fault. Not mine.

Temaiken

Temaikén is a biopark outside of Buenos Aires. Its name comes from the roots of a language indigenous to the region meaning Tem (meaning earth) and Aiken (meaning life,) appropriate for an institution that combines a zoo, botanical garden, aquarium, and an anthropological and natural history museum. Its mission is to promote research, study, understanding and divulgence of information regarding biological diversity, preservation, evolution, ecological equilibrium and their relationship with mankind, foremost for the preservation of the environment.
I spent a day here with other students to see the animals of Argentina. What is special about this park is that most of its exhibits specifically contain animals from Argentina and this section of South America. It is also interesting becuase much of the time you are right there with the animals. You walk inside a bird santuary with birds free to fly around, and in much of the park you will see various animals galavanting around without cages (alligators and lions excluded.)

TANGO!

'I am here to tango.'

That is the reason for being in Buenos Aires for many foreigners that I have met through tango here; people all over the world will come to Argentina explicitly to learn or practice tango. I have met people that come for a couple of weeks, even an Australian woman who is here for a full year with her sole purpose to dance tango every day.

So what is so special about tango, you ask?

Ask a true tanguero and tanguera: passion. Intensity. Swing is fun, salsa is upbeat, but neither compare in intensity and passion. In reality, the motions of tango aren't important. The tango of a milonga is not meant to be watched. It is meant to be danced. As long as you can feel it, you are doing it right. Sensuality is key. That is also probably part of the reason that it has remained such a strong part of the culture here in BsAs; throughout economic crashes and disasters, it has only become stronger. The suffering find relief in tango. For this, it is no surprise that tango originally emerged out of the lonely barrios of the poor working class of Buenos Aires.


In addition to passion, the focus that is required draws people in. As a follower who has danced significant amounts of Latin dance and swing and at least some of most ballroom dances, no other takes the same amount of focus. Each change is so subtle. To follow you need to be in tune with the movements of every tiny muscle--even the intention of movement. It's not quite like letting your partner throw you around as in swing. That focus is a wonderful clearing of the mind if you have stresses in your life.

I have absolutely fallen in love. At moments I could care less to do anything else: I want to tango dance everyday. That could very well be because I'm so stubborn and don't like putting in an average effort. Tango is infinitely difficult, and for me there is no exception. Some days it feels like no matter how I try to relax and follow, my body just isn't going to give in to the leader. Because that's truthfully the real problem. Learning moves is arbitrary, as I've been dancing all my life. My problem is shedding my confident, independent spirit. To follow you need to surrender completely, and herein lies my barrier. I'm on my way, though.

And last night I think I had my best tango night yet. I danced for more or less 12 hours straight. Class from 6-8, a class at the milonga from 9-11, and then the milonga from 11-3. The first milonga, that is. You see in Palermo, the barrio, there are many milongas. And most close around 3. But one, La Viruta, outlasts them all. And what's best, after 3 a.m. it is absolutely free. So the other milongas clear out, and starting soon after 3 a.m. La Viruta receives its second wave of guests. This is la vida porteña: the night lifestyle that Argentina adopted from Spain.

Last night was my first night at a new milonga, Villa Malcolm. It was amazing! First of all, I am gaining more Tango friends, so going with a group of friends that one can always drag onto the floor is a huge factor. One of the friends I've started practicing with outside of tango classes, which I think will be a great help. Then, Villa Malcolm was one of the friendliest milongas I've ever been to (right there with La Viruta) in the sense that everyone is open to dancing with everyone, and not exclusively clique-y. I have had completely lackluster nights at milongas because I spent the entire night sitting and watching and not dancing (because if people don't know you they don't invite you to dance and there is an entire etiquette to tango to follow,) so friends and friendly strangers make all of the difference. There were three performances throughout the night, each of them wonderful. At most milongas or practicas, there will be a break while a couple performs for and all other dancers clear the floor. The couple last night was amazing, both in their footwork and their passion (in comparison with a couple that I saw two nights ago, with excellent dances and ability overall but lacking enthusiasm in their movements.) Later on, there was a man who performed just himself on stage with two brooms and a dress pulled over them, absolutely unique, and then a woman who danced with a jacket on a sort of hanger. Extremely fun, the both of them. Aside from the fun atmosphere, a huge help is that I am finally improving so much. I know enough basics that it's not too often that someone I dance with tries to throw in a move in which I am dancingly illiterate, and I am getting comfortable enough to throw in fancy footwork along the way. I was even able to follow in milonga. 'a milonga' is a place where people go to dance to mostly classical tango music with some milonga, tango electronico and Chacarera (more lively folkdance completely apart from tango and native to a wider area in Argentina.) 'Milonga' is a breed of tango that is much faster, so next to impossible to do if you are first learning. Now I just need to get my foot in the door of chacarera, which really isn't difficult at all and for understanding's sake can best be compared with an interactive sort of dance like American square dance.
So after the first milonga closed its doors we walked to the second, and gloomily left when it closed at 6 a.m.
I got into bed at 7:30 and woke up today at 2 pm.
With an alarm.
I've iced my feet three times today, and am getting ready to go out to a milonga again (after my Couch Surfing/Tango friend's dinner and 4th of July party.)

Did I mention that Tango is danced in heels?
High ones.