Living Versus Visiting

Liking or disliking somewhere is rather dependent on your intention for being there.  I know many people that have visited Buenos Aires for a short time and absolutely loved it and I know some who have come and really not liked it.  I've come to appreciate both sides of the coin.  It's easy to interpret life as sheer bliss when you know you are returning to the comforts and familiarity of the place you call home.  This statement kinda puts holidays and travelling into clear perspective.  Are these experiences real?  Sure!  They are a snapshot, exposing flavour.  At the start of a stay anywhere you search and rave about the things you like, which become the things you luuuurve.  You notice and bemuse over the things you don't like or find annoying, which become the things you laugh at and write about in semi amusing blog entries.  At the start of this adventure I saw a very funny side to BAs bothersome bits.  

The length of my experience here has always been quite uncertain and therefore sometimes I'm overly conscious of a nagging worry that I might have to endure the pains of this city for periods that don't bare thinking.  

You can visit Buenos Aires with your head in the clouds:

Your gob will be full of delectable ice cream, the flavours of which have been chosen from around 80 ranging from Lemon Choctastic to Cherry Bombastic.  Your quarter kilo tub seemed like the best value for money and lets face it anything less seems like a waste of time.  

21 Chocolate Flavours

The Helado delight washes down a steak (cut of your choice) that was cooked to perfection jugoso (juicy and bloody) by a sweaty Porteno guarding a parrilla that's cooked over a million cows in its lifetime.  Your sights are etched with the cities varied architect delights laying on a wall of crisp blue sky.  Your ears receive sweet tango songs oozing from various florest stands.  The bustle of the city will give you a rush as some blue shirt coffee kid rushes past you in a busy microcentre calle (street), with a tray full of cortados (coffee).  Here I have managed to photograph this kid and the 'out of place' event.

Out of Place Coffee Kid

You buy cheap Mendoza wine from your local convenience store because you don't want to break your budget, alas, your search for a dud wine in Argentina is failing miserably.  

You are never without anything to do gratis or not.  The city is like an activity nest.

San Telmo Street Art

You can attempt to live in BA with your head in a hot noisy ambient balloon:

Despite an effort to guard your health and watch what you eat, your weight and blood pressure will rise in response to ingesting hidden sugars and salts the Argentine food industry deem necessary for many of their processed foods.  A mild effort to avoid these foods becomes a somewhat larger effort, often leading to failure.  Innocent products like bread and juice will have a sweetened taste to them because Argentines need it SWEETER!  If it ain't azucar it's some other sweetner.  

A good day on the subte!

You'll walk down a calle following a rain shower and step on an unstable paving stone that see-saws and gives your clean outfit a splatted mud effect.  Busy looking back you skid on a dog turd that was perfectly central on the side walk.  You descend into the subte (underground) and the temperature raises about 10 degrees.  At a seemingly non-rush-hour time you board a carriage and have to position your head within millimetres of someones' armpit, for the entire length of your journey.  The fast pace of the microcentre hits you like a whack in the face.  Individual commuters insist that their journey is more important than anyone elses.  Shivalry is out and the revving of autos and motos is in. Pedestrians and vehicles vie for 'right of way'.  You attempt to inhale and exhale to wash away the stress but instead take a big gulp of collectivo (bus) fumes.  Desperate for some nature you travel to one of the cities parques, which always has a eye and an ear intact with the sound and sight of the ambient traffic.  Zoning out is near impossible with the variety of hooting sounds:  whistle hoots from collectivos, sirens from ambulences and general horns from... well... general autos.

Check out the 'moto' continuing forward despite the pedestrians having the right of way.

And so, on Christmas Day I left Buenos Aires in search of peace.  An overnight sleeper bus delivered me, on Boxing day, to San Carlos De Bariloche, a large town on the tip of Patagonia and the Andes.  I'd forgotten what peace smelt and sounded like and then was reminded when the peace I had re discovered was interrupted by a dog barking at 5 o clock in the morning.  No more atmospheric 'auto' hums, just a dog wanting some attention.  It's all relative to where you are but I'll never forget los ruidos de Buenos Aires!

A new home with a view
Parque Carihue, Lago Nahuel Huapi, San Carlos De Bariloche
A hop, skip and a jump away

Not far from the truth at all! ...for beginners at least : )

Not far from the truth at all! ...for beginners at least : )

Tango & Chocolate

Escuela Argnetina De Tango is at the top of a shopping centre, under a ballet school and there are always different art exhibitions displayed as I walk through the industrial space next to my class.  It's wonderful - I go for a class and get to see some art when I leave...  I saw this the other day and it made me smile : )

'Comme Il Faut' - QUITE!

This week I ventured to 'Comme Il Faut', the most famous and well known brand of tango shoes, for ladies.  I'd heard so much about 'the experience' that I would have at their premises and actually went for 'the experience' rather than with an intention to buy.  I knew full well that my feet were more 'ugly big sister' than 'Cinderella' to slip easily into, what I believe to be, some of the narrower shoes that are on offer to Tangueras.   

Most people follow the tourist trail when they arrive in a new city and this is what exposes them to different parts of the city.  As I knew that my stay would be a long one I decided to visit tourist spots gradually and instead, for the initial part of my stay, I would dive into the tango scene with full speed ahead - a lady on a mission!  One of my first intentions was to purchase a pair of tango shoes!  I knew full well that I would be purchasing more than one pair while here so it was important to find the designs that suited my feet best.  In London I mentioned to a fellow tanguera that I was fed up with my shoes.  She told me very sternly: 

"As soon as you get there you buy shoes!  The first thing you do after you drop off your luggage is find the shoe shops and GO BUY SHOES!"

So I was told!  

When I arrived here Winter and Spring were vying for attention and a lot of my September days were spent under a hefty umbrella, fighting off the stiff winds.  Despite this, I made an effort to trench around the tango shoe shop trail in search for the perfect match!  Many stores are located downtown, with a few dotted around other barrios in the city. 

Comme Il Faut's premises are in Recoleta, one of the more 'well-to-do' barrios in the City.  Between Libertad y Talcahuano, on Arenales is a very nice looking apartment block - another apartment block! Prior to Comme Il Faut I'd visited two other apartment block stores/warehouses with very little idea of what to expect.  Another tourist friend commented on my being brave in an unknown city, venturing into unknown apartments!  I didn't really think twice about it.  Especially as the guidebooks and listings direct you to these places.  

I must have visited about 10 to 15 stores by now and fell in love when I walked into GRETA FLORA in Palermo...  But more about that later! 

Comme Il Faut had a feeling of wealth about it as soon as you walked through their very tall iron gates.  You walk up some steps to reach a sign next to a black door and that's it - YOU'VE ARRIVED!  

Entering Comme Il Faut's premises feels rather like stepping up in the social/wealth ladder.  Coming from the dirty streets into this luxurious setting is a real treat and I was soon to discover that it was rather like a sweet shop for ladies!

The room was pink and purple.  Past the till was a square section that was clearly where we were headed.  Deep black thick carpet lay underneath velvet and gold regal couches with an ENORMOUS mirror against one wall that was framed with a thick gold....  There were 1950's style shoe boxes around the room and around six shoe models on display.  On the opposite wall to the mirror hung an enormous print of the back of a ladies shoe.  As I looked that way I noticed lots of other cute shoe kitsch bits.  Their telephone was a baby pink stiletto.  The toe was the part that you speak into and the heel was for the ear piece.  There was a card holder with a stiletto at the bottom.  On the right wall was a framed display of media cuttings and collection shots giving a glimpse into the success story that is 'Comme Il Faut'.  

A shop assistant approached me and I told her what size I was and what type of shoe / colour I'd be interested in seeing.  The idea was to give her as much information as possible so that she could go into the store cupboard and bring out your 'dream shoe'!  I was very flexible with what they brought out as I knew that their shoes weren't going to fit me well - or so I'd thought...

So, no shoes on display, this is the process...  You don't know what you are going to get.  I imagine it's rather like Christmas for a child!  Except the child doesn't have to pay for the present if he/she likes and wants to keep it.

And so here they came... Boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes.  There were shiny ones, glitter ones, ones with big bows, ones with cuffs on the back, loud prints, understated chic classics.  I tried on, I mean I squeezed on, pair after pair.  Even though the foot didn't feel great, 'God' they looked good on and made my legs look bloody fantastic!  The effect a stiletto has on your lower leg is really remarkable!  Especially 8cm and up.  That angle of plantar flexion together with the muscle definition created in the calf just screams 'SEX'!

And then the lady brought out a pair of shoes that immediately said 'I'm pretty but you won't be able to dance in me'.  They had a thin strap black toe with multicolour floral design.  The heel was around 8/8.5 cm and was 'sex red' painted leather.  To finish off the shoe there was a very VERY thin metallic red leather strap.  In short - no ankle support but bloody BLOODY stunning!  They also felt remarkably comfortable.

Surrounded by boxes I smiled at the shop assistants and indicated that none of them were right for me.  I was curious though about their non dancing shoe collection as I'd heard that the designer makes shoes for non tango dancers too.  On enquiring an assistant explained to me that there was no such thing...

"If you place your foot well you can wear these shoes anywhere...  South American women are very poor and they could never afford more than one pair of shoes..."  

The shoes are designed with the ethos that a woman wears one pair of shoes to dine in and then takes herself to a milonga in the same pair, after dinner.  Hmmm - I wasn't so sure as I'd heard different things from cobblers in London.

At this point I noticed that the other assistant had taken all the shoes back into the store cupboard, apart from one pair - the red and black ones!  They lay on my left and I wondered if the assistant saw my gaze of infatuation and decided to leave them there to tempt me.  Either way, the shoes were sitting their screaming 'BUY ME', 'BUY ME', BUUUUUUUUUUUUUY MEEEEEEEEEE!  


Now that I was armed with the knowledge that I could wear them for occasions other than dancing I was having a serious Carrie Bradshaw moment!

...I was strong!  There was NO WAY I was gonna walk out of Comme Il Faut with a pair of shoes that I couldn't dance in.  Especially as I have a huge intention to buy as many dance shoes as possible while here.  I want my pesos to be well spent.  I left empty handed but know I will return to this fun shop of shoe candy.

Comme Il Faut is French for 'The Way it Should be' and I can't think of a more appropriate sentiment to owe to this experience.


Ladies, I don't care if you dance or not - Go to Comme Il Faut if you ever hit BA, for 'the experience'!

Staying in on a Sunday night

Such a lovely little weekly event to have the option of attending with no need to commit!  On Sunday I went to an address that had been given to me by some tangueros at Tango Cool, Villa Malcolm (a Friday night milonga I'm growing to like lots!)  I was told that it was someones apartment and they '...have a class and eat and dance' - it all sounded  interesting and different.  The people I was chatting to were also fun, so I made a plan to go...

The apartment was on Bolivar in San Telmo and it was beautiful!  The stone black and white floor to the right was clear of the furniture that had been pushed to the side.  There were two couples dancing, one was a friend of mine.  It was a large space for dancing, large for someones apartment at least - around 4 x 10 metres.  The lighting was soft and relaxing with a honey orange glow and the music coming from the basic sound system was lovely.  I imagined what it must be like to be a tourist walking in San Telmo, hearing the music spill onto the street from the balcony above.  Who'd have thought I'd be in the apartment where the sound was resinating from!  

To the left of the same room was the open plan kitchen with a table in the centre.  Around four people were sat chatting.  Most of the company did not speak English which gave me a great opportunity to practise my Spanish in a relaxed natural environment.  

Prior to my arrival the owner of the apartment, Bettina, gave a tango class which has a fee attached.  She does this every week.  If you arrive after the class it's just a 'free for all' friendly occasion.

As I looked around the room I noticed that the apartment was, indeed, one of the nicest I'd been in, in Buenos Aires.  There were a multitude of sculptures in the room - different sizes, styles and materials.  I noticed a few naked figures, some very 'risque' work, a couple of jugs on a mantlepiece caught my eye.  The handles were nude ladies posing, there were some very sweet looking other pieces that I wouldn't know how to describe so check out the pictures!  

My favourite thing was a paper mache lamp that had been painted to resemble two large tango dancers.  It was so lovely and when Bettina told me she had made all the sculptures I begged her to teach me how to make a paper mache lamp for myself.

I put my shoes on and danced around the room...  There were breaks between dancing but  no real tandas or codigos to respect - just easy going dancing and socialising.

More people arrived and the energy in the room became even happier and chattier!  I was so pleased to be around such a friendly tango bunch as there's lots of exclusivity out there.  Slowly I am finding my way and once you've found the settings that suit you, the tango experience in BA becomes much more bearable - actually blissful!

Later on food was ordered and wine was drunk.  I really couldn't believe how lovely this environment was and the only incentive for the owner (other than the class earnings beforehand) was the joy of hosting somewhere for people to dance and socialise.  It really has inspired me to re think my carpet obsession.  If I ever own I'd like to recreate this same sort of setting once a week / month for local friendly tangueros to swan in at their own leisure!

I called it a night there at 1am but ended up scurrying off to another tango club at 3am which was a rather average experience in comparison.

I intend to return every week to Bolivar and have promised to make cheesecake for the group soon!

Dancing with a Contrabajor

Milongueros, if you get the opportunity to dance with a musician, do it!  The other night I was fortunate to dance with one.  Luigi is an Italian who has lived in Buenos Aires for 4 years or so.  He took up dancing tango for the purpose of understanding the music better so that he could improve himself as a musician - he plays the contrabajor (double bass) in a tango band in Buenos Aires.

I spoke to Luigi about the difference between dancing with someone that can really indulge in the musicality of a tune.  It's so different dancing to the beat and then dancing to the individual instruments!  His dancing and the moves that he shared with me were all pretty standard but his understanding of the music was what made our dances come alive.  

When you dance a tango most leaders lead by dancing to the beat which is the underlying bass of the track being played.  Many leaders play or allow their follower to play with the music, respecting its breaks and tempo changes.  Very few leaders have the essence of musicality running through their veins.  Those that do have the ability to follow individual rhythms within a tango, individual instruments producing different sounds and moods.  Musicians have this ability.  They have an ear for the conversation that the instruments are having with each other.  It seems to be almost like a sixth sense.  

I remember not too long ago at The Dome in London, a teaching pair had a disagreement in front of their crowded class.  One said, 

'...of course you won't be able to pick up musicality straight away but once you have heard many of the tango songs you will get to know the music and you will be able to dance with better musicality'.  

The other then interrupted and said,

'no, I don't agree, you don't need to know the music or what you are dancing to'.  

I personally think that the the former is more true, especially if I'm talking about myself, but I have a feeling that the latter is true for a very gifted few.

And then it's not just about having musicality and understanding, it's about allowing your follower time to play with the music.  Those that dance will understand this but for those that don't, tango is a conversation.  The man doesn't just tell the woman to do something and she does it.  The man tells the woman something and she responds.  Sometimes the woman keeps things simple and sometimes things get more complicated (much like normal conversation between a man and a woman I suppose!)

Luigi and I had very nice conversations on the dance floor.  As well as being a nice person with good musicality he is very happy to listen to the woman, unlike some men who just want to control the conversation for an entire song.

I'm looking forward to our next dance : )  

Buenos Aires are you trying to kill me!?

They are everywhere!

How proud one feels when they resist the temptation of the sweet stodge aromas that fall onto the sidewalks in Buenos Aires, from the Panaderias (Bakeries).



In my opinion the pastries here are better than the French do them!  Oooooooooooh the debate that will follow!  Seriously, they are a force to be reckoned with and a problematic 50 pence, if you are converting your pesos to pounds, which I did at the start of my stay.  It's easy to say, I'll have that one and that one................            

and that one and that one.  It's also easy to say, I'll have that one, pay, leave, eat that pastry on the street, stroll into another panaderia a mere block a way, drop in and buy another one!  A friend of mine told me she walked an entire quad of a block the other day and popped into 4 panaderias!  I reassured her that she wasn't alone and I too can act this compulsive sometimes - we then went on to confirm by comparison that we were both 'normal', rather than 'compulsive' :D  

Fortunately I think it's just a novelty obsession as my consumption has gone down since I got here and I now only have a few pastry binge days as opposed to everyday being pastry binge day!

There's so much choice in the Panaderias just go get what takes your fancy, I very much doubt there is a dud buy.  My favourites is the one with the yellow custardy cream - Ahhhhhhhhhh, heaven!