Since I last wrote I have been to El Calafate which is quite far south and sits on a milky turquoise lake. The town is an architect´s dream with random houses all over the place with no need for planning permission for colour, shape, size or position. Lots are pink, mauve, purple, yellow and green of the most extraordinary shapes and sizes. It had a feeling of being temporary but is growing daily as I noticed big hotels half finished and others under constrution. The hostel was run by two lovely young guys with dreadlocks and great smiles. Very friendly. Met people from all over and shared a dorm with a great English couple. The guy reminded me of Rupert a great friend of mine.
So the point of coming to El Calafate was to visit the Perito Moreno glacier. No, I have never seen a glacier before and especially one this size. I took a boat trip to get close and still couldn´t really comprehend this wall of ice towering above me. Inside the ice there are fabulous reflections of blue, purple and turquoise making it seem even more unreal. I just found it very hard to relate to but recognized that it was extraordinary. It is miles long and a kilometre wide. It moves 2 metres a day which is amazing. There are long walk ways that take you close to the glacier. After some lunch I went back again and walked a distance, mostly on my own in a small peaceful wood that ran alongside this white monster that cracked and rumbled like gunshot as parts broke and fell into the lake. It was quite mesmerizing and I have taken endless photographs somehow trying to understand the nature of it. It was a bit like drawing, once I start then I begin to understand the subject matter more and more - so with photographs of the glacier. It was truly awesome.
From the same hostel I spent a day in El Chalten - a town not dissimilar to El Calafate. The idea was to walk for most of the day up into the mountains and see the famous peak of Fitz Roy but the mist came down and the snow and it was not to be. However I found lots of wild flowers I did not know and met a charming Swiss family. Two sons and mother and father on a holiday together. We all ended up having lunch together to recover from the cold. The younger one and I walked together quite a bit. He was on an exchange in Buenos Aires and was fascinated by how emotional the Argentinians were compared to the Swiss - he told me this with a wistful touch to his voice. I wondered whether some countries are ruled by their heads and other countries by their hearts. Switzerland and Argentina seem two good examples - not that I know many Swiss people so that is a huge value judgement!
To reach Bariloche it was a 2 day bus journey up the legendary Route 40. An amazing road which is mostly untarmaced and stretches miles into the distance bordered usually on both sides by ridges and outcrops. Vast stretches of sky that changed as we moved through the landscape. Our bus drivers were called Nelson and Andy - very chatty and relaxed. The rest of the busload turned into a family as we trundled up Argentina. I sat initially with a french guy who had just hitched a lift on a french boat for 20 days, a loner who disappeared half way through the journey to take his own route. The next guy was also French in his 70s but very sweet natured and easy to be with. You learn people´s life stories when you sit on a bus with them for 24 hours. We stopped at a hotel for the night and I shared a room with two young Israeli girls who had just finished their 2 years national service -perhaps not a good thing to mention that most of England supports the Palestinians! However they were well able to defend their position. Apart from being asked out by Nelson the bus driver the journey was just about snoozing, chatting, reading, stopping at Estancias for a break and wondering if it would ever end.
I am now in Bariloche which is on an enormous beautiful lake with crystal clear water and reflections of snow capped mountains. This is a big town which is the haven of the rich to ski, sail, ride, trek, water raft and climb. It is also the centre for chocoholics - this is a speciality of the area - what a shame I don´t like chocolate. The main square has men standing around with St. Bernard dogs - and today they had 2 puppies. The dogs are a lure to have your photograph taken - no thank you! I am not sure if they still use them for serious rescuing - the poor dogs were paraded around with the barrels under their chins.
I am off to the mountains tomorrow hiking with a group from the hostel ........... more of that next time.
I feel a bit more in sympathy with the bad weather you have been having - snow and sleet, but we do have sun too.
Big hug and much love to you all
Sal xxx
sta
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Estancia La Maria and caves 5th December 2010
Travelling on coaches, mainly during the night, gives me a sense of time travelling. I leave one place and all the experiences I had there, the wheels turn and I am spun into another life of new people and new places. This week-end was so different from my time at Peninsula Valdez whale watching and being entranced by the dolphins it felt exactly like that. I had read in the Lonely Planet of this estancia where there were caves with prehistoric paintings in them - like at least 80 caves. Since I read about them in England I had become determined to find this place. I had tried ringing them, but it seemed that it would cost me 1000 pesos in taxi fees to get there. It is in the middle of nowhere with no public transpot in sight. Somebody suggested hitchhiking, but the problem would be the lack of cars, not any danger. At the Tosca Hostel Mariano had said that if it was my destiny I would find a way. I arrived in Puerto San Julian (at 4 .30 a.m) which is the nearest town to the Estancia with Manuela a friend I had met at the Hostel . We tried the Tourist Office when it opened at 8.00 and the lass said that Josefina (the owner of the Estancia) was in town collecting 2 guests but there was probably not enough room for me to but worth trying. We jumped in a taxi to the hostel and miracle of miracles they could sqeeze me in. A very hasty goodbye to Manuela, who was never coming with me at this point, and I was bundled into the 4 wheel drive and we set off on gravel roads for the estancia.
The track to the Estancia is 11 km in distance from a recognizable road. It is a wild, beautiful place with over 300 canyons and at least 80 caves that have cave paintings in them. They farm very little apart from 80 sheep, (I have never seen a fridge full of such enormous bits of raw meat) chickens and their own self sufficiency in the way of vegetables. This is not ´the Good Life´ this is ´The Hard Life`. The water arrives through a heavy duty black hose from a spring 3 km away, the lights only work during the evening and go out when Josefina goes to bed and the wind when it blows is so strong you can lean against it. There is a huge lake close by but since a volcanic eruption in Chile it has dried up and is full of volcanic ash. I had a sense of how vulnerable I was out here. There are puma and they will take sheep. Lorena the daughter learnt to use a gun when she was 11 years old. The father Ferdinando died several years ago but he and Josefina bought the farm together - for her it was love at first sight. The caves became their passion. The canyons and the caves are huge and imposing, I felt dwarfed by their presence. I had a sense of this being an ancient land that has been formed by the elements over thousands of years. The rock formations are awesome in the true sense of the word - they have been formed and moulded into extraordinary shapes; sculptured creatures, holes, crevices, folds and slabs, heavy entrances to deep caves, all in a variety of reds, golds and greys - and in many are these strange paintings - lots are of guanacos, the lama like creatures that still roam free and the family will eat if they can - many have lines signifying pathways and circles - maybe planets, but the most common are hands. These can either be direct hand prints or negative prints spraying the ´paint` over the hand. The paint was made from blood and urine and sand. These paintings are of great significance and archaelogists are working on them still. They were first discovered in 1902 and I think these 2 bought the farm in the 1980s. The previous owners had been uninterested in the paintings - for Josefina and Ferdinando it was a life´s work putting Estancia La Maria on the map.
There is a rich bird life here, notably for me, a pair of Southern Lapwings who screamed at me for most of the time I walked up one particular canyon - they were then attacked by a kestrel. They reminded me of the raucous parakets in Buenos Aires. I suspect the lapwings were trying to distract me from a nest. There is also a wonderful amount of wild flowers here which I love but was unable to name as I did not bring a wild life book with me. Surprisingly there were lots of wild roses and a flower that seemed very similar to an Evening Primrose. In this hostile environment lots of them have spines and spikes. The odd lizard and some very fat black beetles. No pumas in sight, except the skeleton of one hung on a fence. I also came across the complete skeleton of a dead horse. When I enquired what happened to it I was told it died of old age. No sentimental burial here!
Josefina and Lorena now run the farm and the business together. They both have houses in Puerto San Julian and live in town when there are no guests. A local man and his beautiful white horse tend the estancia while they are away. Lorena lives with her partner and is studying to be a Notary. Both she and her mother were welcoming and generous hearted. I hope it works out for them in this financial climate.
The Lonely Planet is fantastic for information on where and how and when but as far as costs go it is way out. Mine was published in 2008 and I probably have to multiply by at least 5 or 6 to get a more realistic cost of hostels. Inflation is escalating. I mentioned to Cliff in a postcard that the cost of milongas when he was out here was about 12 or 15 pesos. It is now 20 to 30 pesos. The Argentinians feel it keenly.
The track to the Estancia is 11 km in distance from a recognizable road. It is a wild, beautiful place with over 300 canyons and at least 80 caves that have cave paintings in them. They farm very little apart from 80 sheep, (I have never seen a fridge full of such enormous bits of raw meat) chickens and their own self sufficiency in the way of vegetables. This is not ´the Good Life´ this is ´The Hard Life`. The water arrives through a heavy duty black hose from a spring 3 km away, the lights only work during the evening and go out when Josefina goes to bed and the wind when it blows is so strong you can lean against it. There is a huge lake close by but since a volcanic eruption in Chile it has dried up and is full of volcanic ash. I had a sense of how vulnerable I was out here. There are puma and they will take sheep. Lorena the daughter learnt to use a gun when she was 11 years old. The father Ferdinando died several years ago but he and Josefina bought the farm together - for her it was love at first sight. The caves became their passion. The canyons and the caves are huge and imposing, I felt dwarfed by their presence. I had a sense of this being an ancient land that has been formed by the elements over thousands of years. The rock formations are awesome in the true sense of the word - they have been formed and moulded into extraordinary shapes; sculptured creatures, holes, crevices, folds and slabs, heavy entrances to deep caves, all in a variety of reds, golds and greys - and in many are these strange paintings - lots are of guanacos, the lama like creatures that still roam free and the family will eat if they can - many have lines signifying pathways and circles - maybe planets, but the most common are hands. These can either be direct hand prints or negative prints spraying the ´paint` over the hand. The paint was made from blood and urine and sand. These paintings are of great significance and archaelogists are working on them still. They were first discovered in 1902 and I think these 2 bought the farm in the 1980s. The previous owners had been uninterested in the paintings - for Josefina and Ferdinando it was a life´s work putting Estancia La Maria on the map.
There is a rich bird life here, notably for me, a pair of Southern Lapwings who screamed at me for most of the time I walked up one particular canyon - they were then attacked by a kestrel. They reminded me of the raucous parakets in Buenos Aires. I suspect the lapwings were trying to distract me from a nest. There is also a wonderful amount of wild flowers here which I love but was unable to name as I did not bring a wild life book with me. Surprisingly there were lots of wild roses and a flower that seemed very similar to an Evening Primrose. In this hostile environment lots of them have spines and spikes. The odd lizard and some very fat black beetles. No pumas in sight, except the skeleton of one hung on a fence. I also came across the complete skeleton of a dead horse. When I enquired what happened to it I was told it died of old age. No sentimental burial here!
Josefina and Lorena now run the farm and the business together. They both have houses in Puerto San Julian and live in town when there are no guests. A local man and his beautiful white horse tend the estancia while they are away. Lorena lives with her partner and is studying to be a Notary. Both she and her mother were welcoming and generous hearted. I hope it works out for them in this financial climate.
The Lonely Planet is fantastic for information on where and how and when but as far as costs go it is way out. Mine was published in 2008 and I probably have to multiply by at least 5 or 6 to get a more realistic cost of hostels. Inflation is escalating. I mentioned to Cliff in a postcard that the cost of milongas when he was out here was about 12 or 15 pesos. It is now 20 to 30 pesos. The Argentinians feel it keenly.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Leaving Buenos Aires Ist December 2010
I am now at Puerto Madryn, which is very close to the Peninsula Valdez, in the best hostel in the world - it is small and friendly with lovely staff who are incredibly helpful,with great senses of humour. I have made lots of friends in the brief time I have been here and have made two boat trips - one to watch Franco Astral Whales - I still can´t believe I actually did it - they were amazing - one just continued to surface with her fluke and then smashed it down in the waves - it was truly awesome. This is where they come to breed and then they will go south to the Antarctic. The gestation period is a year, they look after their young for a year and then they have a year off. I didn`t gather what the male whales do - except for the obvious. The second boat trip was to watch Toninos - small delightful black and white dolphins who just played around the boat with extraordinary speed and agility. They made us all laugh - I am not sure why but they were just irrisistible.
This is so different from BA. The musicality tango course with Joaquin was fantastic. He is coming to England in 2012 and it would be wonderful for all our group and more to experience his take on interpretation, timing and rythmn. He was so focussed and inspiring - I shall only remember a small amount of it but that alone will be something. Thank you so much Tony for letting me know about it.
My last week was wonderful - the last milonga at Ideal I danced non stop. Not all amazing dances but I have learnt to hold my own. I have only bought 2 pairs of shoes - so far and one is being altered while I am away travelling. I also took my old faithfuls to the shoemaker. When he asked when I would like to collect them and I replied `March` he was non plused. I hope they are still there when I get back! BA feels like home and I am so pleased I am returning there for my last month. Yes, I had my ups and down, but I ended on an up finding the milongas and Tea Dances that suited me. It all takes time. I have bought another camera so shall try and down load some photos of now. I shall also have a chance to take again some photos round BA that I would like to recapture.. Sadly the Jacaranda trees will be over by then - I know I cant have it all.
Am heading for Puerto San Julian and then across to Calafate and a few glaziers. I leave this great little hostel tomorrow.
I can`t believe that you have snow - it seems extraordinary from this side of the world.
The buses are amazing except one guy who snored and I poured water on his nose - he stopped. We were also stopped twice and searched by police with drug sniffer dogs - the dogs were so fat they could hardly move - obviously well rewarded by their owners.
Much love to all of you lovely people
Sal xxxxxx
This is so different from BA. The musicality tango course with Joaquin was fantastic. He is coming to England in 2012 and it would be wonderful for all our group and more to experience his take on interpretation, timing and rythmn. He was so focussed and inspiring - I shall only remember a small amount of it but that alone will be something. Thank you so much Tony for letting me know about it.
My last week was wonderful - the last milonga at Ideal I danced non stop. Not all amazing dances but I have learnt to hold my own. I have only bought 2 pairs of shoes - so far and one is being altered while I am away travelling. I also took my old faithfuls to the shoemaker. When he asked when I would like to collect them and I replied `March` he was non plused. I hope they are still there when I get back! BA feels like home and I am so pleased I am returning there for my last month. Yes, I had my ups and down, but I ended on an up finding the milongas and Tea Dances that suited me. It all takes time. I have bought another camera so shall try and down load some photos of now. I shall also have a chance to take again some photos round BA that I would like to recapture.. Sadly the Jacaranda trees will be over by then - I know I cant have it all.
Am heading for Puerto San Julian and then across to Calafate and a few glaziers. I leave this great little hostel tomorrow.
I can`t believe that you have snow - it seems extraordinary from this side of the world.
The buses are amazing except one guy who snored and I poured water on his nose - he stopped. We were also stopped twice and searched by police with drug sniffer dogs - the dogs were so fat they could hardly move - obviously well rewarded by their owners.
Much love to all of you lovely people
Sal xxxxxx
Monday, 22 November 2010
Stolen cameras, bloody banks and football!
Hi Everyone,
OK my worst day in BA was last week when I spent most of the morning making futile phone calls to banks trying to release money from one bit of plastic to another - all without success - and all very expensively from an Internet Cafe - being put on hold when you are watching the pesos tick round is a very frustrating exerience.. I was so cross I gave up and will try again this week. Luckily I do have access to money on one piece of plastic that still works so am not penniless in BA. As I was heading off to a Tea Dance to cheer myself up, I was asked directions by a young lad as I entered the Subte. He then continued chatting to me on the train - all very fascinating as he had travelled a lot and spoke quite good English. I nearly missed my stop. As I came up onto the pavement I was just thinking how rich and varied my life was, when I realized that my camera was no longer in its case on my belt. Was he the distraction while his partner stole my camera? I shall never know but all I can say is that they were incredibly skilful. It was attached to my belt and they had to remove it from its case which was on my belt.
The saddest thing for me, which I am over now, was that I foolishly hadn`t downloaded any of my photos - so that`s 2 months of Buenos Aires - gone! Some people just learn the hard way. I have since had fun in a police station with a very sullen constable. My spanish came sharply into focus as I tried to exlain the situation and ask him to give me some verification of the theft for the insurance which he has now done.
Anyway I continued to my Tea Dance feeling decidedly down in the dumps to find that there were loads of women and not many men in sight - not what I needed. I later found out that La Boca was playing River. The finals of the Inter Barrio Football Tournament so all the men were glued to televisions either at home or in every cafe in the city - or actually at the match. Bloody football! A day I would rather forget!!
It`s made a difference this last week meeting Johann, a colourful guy from Shri Lanka. We met at a Tea Dance and have just hung out together, trying different milongas and sharing the odd meal. He has now returned to London as it was just a short trip for him. The next time we meet it will no doubt be on a London dance floor.
The Musicality course that I am doing with Joaquin is fascinating and given me a completely new slant on how to interpret music. It feels like learning to drive a car again. Not only do I dance and listen to my partner and his lead, but now I also can interpret more fully what the music is saying to both of us. It will take a while for this all to filter through but he is a very knowledgeable and skilled teacher. I have given him your e-mail Tony as he has recently published a book on Musicality and would like to do some workshops (partly to promote it) in England and wondered if our area would be a good place to start.
I saw a Hibiscus bush to die for today. It had hug pillar box red flowers and was fiercely proud of itself, almost challenging me to defy its beauty. The Jacaranda trees are startlingly blue but there is a softness and a mist about them - this Hibiscus tree had none of those qualitites - it almost set me on fire as I drew near it.
I had my best ever Milonga last night at Canning. I went with a sense of anxiety as it has not been good for me in the past but some of the Musicality group were going so I thought I might as well try again. Different nights are run by different people and I think this was a neighbourhood night. Slow start but some very lovely dances and I ended up dancing with Carlos till they put the chairs on the tables at 2 a.m. This was utterly surprising - no guarantee next time but does restored my sense in my ability to dance - but also that nothing is set in stone. I also lost my purse that night but someone handed it in to the bar - not that I ever carry much money - but it was good to know people are honest. I also sat on a table with a delightful New Yorker who was trying to tell me her life story as I was desperately trying to cabaceo guys.
Penny, I meant to tell you that your lovely turquoise zip bag you gave me, is my shoe bag in BA, so you are never very far from my thoughts and Suesissima the lovely skirt you bought me in that little London market is definitely my favourite here.
I am sure there`s loads else to say but that will be next time.
Much love to you all
Sal xxx
OK my worst day in BA was last week when I spent most of the morning making futile phone calls to banks trying to release money from one bit of plastic to another - all without success - and all very expensively from an Internet Cafe - being put on hold when you are watching the pesos tick round is a very frustrating exerience.. I was so cross I gave up and will try again this week. Luckily I do have access to money on one piece of plastic that still works so am not penniless in BA. As I was heading off to a Tea Dance to cheer myself up, I was asked directions by a young lad as I entered the Subte. He then continued chatting to me on the train - all very fascinating as he had travelled a lot and spoke quite good English. I nearly missed my stop. As I came up onto the pavement I was just thinking how rich and varied my life was, when I realized that my camera was no longer in its case on my belt. Was he the distraction while his partner stole my camera? I shall never know but all I can say is that they were incredibly skilful. It was attached to my belt and they had to remove it from its case which was on my belt.
The saddest thing for me, which I am over now, was that I foolishly hadn`t downloaded any of my photos - so that`s 2 months of Buenos Aires - gone! Some people just learn the hard way. I have since had fun in a police station with a very sullen constable. My spanish came sharply into focus as I tried to exlain the situation and ask him to give me some verification of the theft for the insurance which he has now done.
Anyway I continued to my Tea Dance feeling decidedly down in the dumps to find that there were loads of women and not many men in sight - not what I needed. I later found out that La Boca was playing River. The finals of the Inter Barrio Football Tournament so all the men were glued to televisions either at home or in every cafe in the city - or actually at the match. Bloody football! A day I would rather forget!!
It`s made a difference this last week meeting Johann, a colourful guy from Shri Lanka. We met at a Tea Dance and have just hung out together, trying different milongas and sharing the odd meal. He has now returned to London as it was just a short trip for him. The next time we meet it will no doubt be on a London dance floor.
The Musicality course that I am doing with Joaquin is fascinating and given me a completely new slant on how to interpret music. It feels like learning to drive a car again. Not only do I dance and listen to my partner and his lead, but now I also can interpret more fully what the music is saying to both of us. It will take a while for this all to filter through but he is a very knowledgeable and skilled teacher. I have given him your e-mail Tony as he has recently published a book on Musicality and would like to do some workshops (partly to promote it) in England and wondered if our area would be a good place to start.
I saw a Hibiscus bush to die for today. It had hug pillar box red flowers and was fiercely proud of itself, almost challenging me to defy its beauty. The Jacaranda trees are startlingly blue but there is a softness and a mist about them - this Hibiscus tree had none of those qualitites - it almost set me on fire as I drew near it.
I had my best ever Milonga last night at Canning. I went with a sense of anxiety as it has not been good for me in the past but some of the Musicality group were going so I thought I might as well try again. Different nights are run by different people and I think this was a neighbourhood night. Slow start but some very lovely dances and I ended up dancing with Carlos till they put the chairs on the tables at 2 a.m. This was utterly surprising - no guarantee next time but does restored my sense in my ability to dance - but also that nothing is set in stone. I also lost my purse that night but someone handed it in to the bar - not that I ever carry much money - but it was good to know people are honest. I also sat on a table with a delightful New Yorker who was trying to tell me her life story as I was desperately trying to cabaceo guys.
Penny, I meant to tell you that your lovely turquoise zip bag you gave me, is my shoe bag in BA, so you are never very far from my thoughts and Suesissima the lovely skirt you bought me in that little London market is definitely my favourite here.
I am sure there`s loads else to say but that will be next time.
Much love to you all
Sal xxx
Monday, 15 November 2010
Bits and Pieces 15th November 2010
BA is swarming with black and yellow taxis - they are everywhere - even when you want them! They outnumber private cars with ease. However today when I walked up my road looking for a shoe shop I realized that they come here to this leafy suburb to sleep, to eat, their owners dust them and love them. Time out with TLC for the taxi wasps that buzz and swoop through the calles and avenidas of BA, seeking, always seeking in a waspish sort of way. These yellow and black creatures never seemed to rest - their secret's safe with me!
At La Ideal (which is where I have been T dancing for the last 3 days with much more success) is palacial and beautiful - it has an average loo - but the loo attendant sits on her chair with this large door half open. She cannot see out from where she sits but on the door is this handsome mirror which reflects the dance floor to her. It reminded me of the Lady of Shalot except this lady was dealing in loo paper and not weaving at a loom. I tried to explain the story to her in my faltering Spanish - we laughed a lot but I am not sure if she understood anything. Hey ho!
A friend of Elsa's invited us both to a BBQ the other night which was great. Held in a house with the longest tiled entrance hall I have ever been in. Stairs then spiralled up to the sky passing different floors all with balconies overlooking the main couryard. We were on the roof. Huge chimney with an enormous grill on which beef was cooking when we arrived. I was a bit nervous because my Spanish is still not brilliant but there were also 4 Russian girls 3 of which spoke English and no Spanish. So we comprised 4 Russians, 3 Spanish, 1 English and 1 Portuguese, so languages were spinning round the table depending who was talking to who. All very fascinating. We went on to a Milonga afterwards at Club La Independenzia (I think). We stayed until the end and Elsa and I walked home in bright sunshine at 6.30 a.m. begging media lunas from a bakery on the way.
Tony, I am waiting to hear from Joaquim again to see if I am in this week-end. We have been in touch
Much love and hugs to you all
Sal x
At La Ideal (which is where I have been T dancing for the last 3 days with much more success) is palacial and beautiful - it has an average loo - but the loo attendant sits on her chair with this large door half open. She cannot see out from where she sits but on the door is this handsome mirror which reflects the dance floor to her. It reminded me of the Lady of Shalot except this lady was dealing in loo paper and not weaving at a loom. I tried to explain the story to her in my faltering Spanish - we laughed a lot but I am not sure if she understood anything. Hey ho!
A friend of Elsa's invited us both to a BBQ the other night which was great. Held in a house with the longest tiled entrance hall I have ever been in. Stairs then spiralled up to the sky passing different floors all with balconies overlooking the main couryard. We were on the roof. Huge chimney with an enormous grill on which beef was cooking when we arrived. I was a bit nervous because my Spanish is still not brilliant but there were also 4 Russian girls 3 of which spoke English and no Spanish. So we comprised 4 Russians, 3 Spanish, 1 English and 1 Portuguese, so languages were spinning round the table depending who was talking to who. All very fascinating. We went on to a Milonga afterwards at Club La Independenzia (I think). We stayed until the end and Elsa and I walked home in bright sunshine at 6.30 a.m. begging media lunas from a bakery on the way.
Tony, I am waiting to hear from Joaquim again to see if I am in this week-end. We have been in touch
Much love and hugs to you all
Sal x
Friday, 12 November 2010
Tantrums and T Dances
Elsa and I went to a huge milonga last night arriving late - sorry I can't remember where but it was further out than normal, maybe in Belgrano. Smart, very crowded, Comme It Faut shoes on sale and tempting clothes in the ladies cloakroom. We hadn't booked a table so stood for about half an hour till one became free - well I did while Elsa danced! Very crowded dance floor with minimal movement from anyone which was fascinating. At one point Elsa was asked to dance by two guys at the same time. After about 2 hours without a nibble of an invitation I was thoroughly demoralized and VERY pissed off. I do want to make it clear that this is nothing to do with Elsa and don't begrudge her all the dances in the world but definitely need to find my niche here in BA and I think it is entirely different from Elsa's. She does lead and will willingly lead but it is not acceptable in quite a few of the milongas so she can't help me. This is a very macho world on the dance floor. However there are other milongas - the gay one was great and anyone could lead anyone - and did!
So I changed my shoes and headed out the door. The Maitre de was seeing people into taxis so I waited on the steps with a well dressed charming man. It was now about 3 a.m. I suggested taking a bus and he said it was too dangerous. The Maitre de said it was fine so she found me another charming man to accompany me to the bus stop and to wait with me until colectivo 60 arrived. Colectivos cost about 25p wherever you are going and the taxi would have cost me about £6/7. I love the spanish word for bus because that is what it does - collects people! We waited for at least 20 minutes before the colectivo arrived and he then spoke to the bus driver to get me as close to home as possible. What a sweet man. However the bus driver obviously was not as knowledgeable as a taxi service and was restricted to his route. He kept stopping the bus (not at a stop), left the engine running and popped into a shop to buy something, or chat to a friend. I realized afterwards that he was trying to find out how he could get me as near to my home address as possible. In the end he dropped me in the south of Palermo - I live in the north, so I still had quite a distance to go. However he left me in the hands of another charming man who escorted me across the road and hailed a taxi for me. It was half the price it would have been as I was over half the way home. OK the men on the dance floor have often been less then chivalrous but that night the men of BA were gentle, sweetnatured and concerned that I should get home safely - they restored my faith in humanity.
I have decided to experiment with T Dances and have been to the same one twice. Once with a friend, Apricot from Oxford, and today I went on my own - from 4 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. It is Confiteria Ideal - marble pillars, marble floor and a place with wonderful atmosphere of a passed era. OK so most of the portenos on the floor are, at least, over 70, except for Roberto who is probably late 40s/50s and has taken rather an embarrassing shine to me - Apricot says I should only dance with him once or else he will get the wrong idea - it was ever so! But I was on the dance floor most of the 4 hours with guys of all standards - some do the Boa Constrictor dance and you can hardly breath, others tell you how to dance in the middle of the dance, others are good - they all have their very unique version of the salon tango in differing degrees of ability. It was a fun experience for me cabaceoing left right and centre with guys who were happy to return it. So maybe I just shouldn't set my sites too high. But I did chuckle to myself as I watched the beginning of a tanda as one of the more ancient portenos tottered across the floor to invite a muchacha to dance - should I have bought my zimmer frame?
These descriptions have been the two extremes of tango in BA - maybe I can find a middle road.
Muchos abrazos a todos mis amigos
Sal x
The blue Jacaranda trees are flowering in nearly every street now and I love them!
So I changed my shoes and headed out the door. The Maitre de was seeing people into taxis so I waited on the steps with a well dressed charming man. It was now about 3 a.m. I suggested taking a bus and he said it was too dangerous. The Maitre de said it was fine so she found me another charming man to accompany me to the bus stop and to wait with me until colectivo 60 arrived. Colectivos cost about 25p wherever you are going and the taxi would have cost me about £6/7. I love the spanish word for bus because that is what it does - collects people! We waited for at least 20 minutes before the colectivo arrived and he then spoke to the bus driver to get me as close to home as possible. What a sweet man. However the bus driver obviously was not as knowledgeable as a taxi service and was restricted to his route. He kept stopping the bus (not at a stop), left the engine running and popped into a shop to buy something, or chat to a friend. I realized afterwards that he was trying to find out how he could get me as near to my home address as possible. In the end he dropped me in the south of Palermo - I live in the north, so I still had quite a distance to go. However he left me in the hands of another charming man who escorted me across the road and hailed a taxi for me. It was half the price it would have been as I was over half the way home. OK the men on the dance floor have often been less then chivalrous but that night the men of BA were gentle, sweetnatured and concerned that I should get home safely - they restored my faith in humanity.
I have decided to experiment with T Dances and have been to the same one twice. Once with a friend, Apricot from Oxford, and today I went on my own - from 4 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. It is Confiteria Ideal - marble pillars, marble floor and a place with wonderful atmosphere of a passed era. OK so most of the portenos on the floor are, at least, over 70, except for Roberto who is probably late 40s/50s and has taken rather an embarrassing shine to me - Apricot says I should only dance with him once or else he will get the wrong idea - it was ever so! But I was on the dance floor most of the 4 hours with guys of all standards - some do the Boa Constrictor dance and you can hardly breath, others tell you how to dance in the middle of the dance, others are good - they all have their very unique version of the salon tango in differing degrees of ability. It was a fun experience for me cabaceoing left right and centre with guys who were happy to return it. So maybe I just shouldn't set my sites too high. But I did chuckle to myself as I watched the beginning of a tanda as one of the more ancient portenos tottered across the floor to invite a muchacha to dance - should I have bought my zimmer frame?
These descriptions have been the two extremes of tango in BA - maybe I can find a middle road.
Muchos abrazos a todos mis amigos
Sal x
The blue Jacaranda trees are flowering in nearly every street now and I love them!
Monday, 8 November 2010
Raining and Dancing in BA
Hi Everyone,
Had a few technical hitches this end like no Internet Access for 2 days and also unable to recall my password correctly so that took a bit of sorting out in Spanish! I seem to have a mental block about such things so have written it large where I can't fail to find it. My Spanish feels like it has slipped as now I am living with Elsa and we talk English all the time which in some respects is lovely and in other ways is sad. Palermo, where the little apartment is, has a whole different feel to it than Solis where I was living before. Solis was very near the centre, close to Plaza de Congresso, and I felt like I was involved in life in the city. Up here is is full of leafy avenues, still bad pavements, very little rubbish and hardly any poor sleeping rough. The apartment is perfect.
Elsa is on a tango mission, which interestingly I am not so much. Or maybe it is just the hours that she keeps that I can't cope with. She will always be returning from the early morning milonga at about 7 a.m. where I have maybe not gone to the second one or dipped out by 3.00. She knows a few people here which is great for both of us but I do feel a bit like the shaggy shetland pony tagging along with the thoroughbred. She is very dark and could easily be mistaken for an Argentinian tanguera, dances beautifully and is at least 15 years younger than me. She is never off the dance floor whereas there can be some milongas where I am rarely on it! The places where the milongas are held can be stunningly beautiful, extraordinary, like film sets in wharehouses, scruffy rooms with awful floors, very formal with a organizers in charge who show you to your table and that is where you sit - no changing or swapping even if in a bad position. The standard of dancing at most of them is fantastically high and I have never seen so many great leaders. It is an absolute joy to watch them, although I would rather be dancing with them, but that is rarely an option - fabulous musicality and poise. The Milongas so far we have been to for those who would like to know are: Chachirulo, several times, El Beson, several times, La Glorietta which is outside under a huge bandstand, Canning which is big with a wonderful photo on the wall from one side to the other with a milonga in session, Konex which is an art centre in what appeared to me to be an enormous old bus station/film set, half outside and half inside. I am going to a T dance this afternoon to try another option to very late night dancing at somewhere called Conf.La Ideal which is an old old building with marble dance floors and chandeliers and was at its height in the Golden Age of Tango so that will be fascinating. It is all fascinating and have only had one evening where I just went home early because I couldn't take the wallflower element - in tears!
I am having lessons now with Hector who has been very good for me. The sad thing is that I don't get to practice as I am not on the dance floor enough. I suspect that those who went to the Mango have probably danced more than me, in your one week, than I have in the 10 days I have been in Palermo. My lessons are in a huge old Buenos Aires house with one of those wonderful old lifts that creak up and down the building with metal concertina doors that you have to slam shut to make the contact. Hector and Silvina are off on tour to Europe soon. If anyone wants to google them their address is www.HectorSilvina.com.ar. I am also joining some classes at DNI which is a well known dance school round the corner. Classes are big but from my point of view it is a way of meeting people. Hey, ho it is all a BIG learning curve.
Still visiting the art galleries and exploring more when I am awake. It feel like I have gone underground and lead more of a nocturnal existence than my first few weeks.
My score on dog walkers is 10 plus the other week-end. Why are the dogs so well behaved in such packs of assorted beasts but they certainly seem to be.
Thanks Tim and Cliff for your comments on my blog - it is really nice to have a response! And thank you too to all those who are emailing me. I am sorry if I haven't replied but I seem to have got a bit snowed under recently.
By the way just for an extraordinary piece of fate I was on television the day that Nestor, the ex President died. I went to the Plaza de Mayo and unbeknown to me the news film camerars were rolling just taking pot shots of the public milling around. Because I have a very colourful jacket I was easily spotted on the news channell by various people at the Spanish School the next day. Famous in Argentina!!!
Yesterday was so hot and today we are in a deluge of rain so you never know what the weather is going to throw at you.
Much love to all of you
Sal x
Had a few technical hitches this end like no Internet Access for 2 days and also unable to recall my password correctly so that took a bit of sorting out in Spanish! I seem to have a mental block about such things so have written it large where I can't fail to find it. My Spanish feels like it has slipped as now I am living with Elsa and we talk English all the time which in some respects is lovely and in other ways is sad. Palermo, where the little apartment is, has a whole different feel to it than Solis where I was living before. Solis was very near the centre, close to Plaza de Congresso, and I felt like I was involved in life in the city. Up here is is full of leafy avenues, still bad pavements, very little rubbish and hardly any poor sleeping rough. The apartment is perfect.
Elsa is on a tango mission, which interestingly I am not so much. Or maybe it is just the hours that she keeps that I can't cope with. She will always be returning from the early morning milonga at about 7 a.m. where I have maybe not gone to the second one or dipped out by 3.00. She knows a few people here which is great for both of us but I do feel a bit like the shaggy shetland pony tagging along with the thoroughbred. She is very dark and could easily be mistaken for an Argentinian tanguera, dances beautifully and is at least 15 years younger than me. She is never off the dance floor whereas there can be some milongas where I am rarely on it! The places where the milongas are held can be stunningly beautiful, extraordinary, like film sets in wharehouses, scruffy rooms with awful floors, very formal with a organizers in charge who show you to your table and that is where you sit - no changing or swapping even if in a bad position. The standard of dancing at most of them is fantastically high and I have never seen so many great leaders. It is an absolute joy to watch them, although I would rather be dancing with them, but that is rarely an option - fabulous musicality and poise. The Milongas so far we have been to for those who would like to know are: Chachirulo, several times, El Beson, several times, La Glorietta which is outside under a huge bandstand, Canning which is big with a wonderful photo on the wall from one side to the other with a milonga in session, Konex which is an art centre in what appeared to me to be an enormous old bus station/film set, half outside and half inside. I am going to a T dance this afternoon to try another option to very late night dancing at somewhere called Conf.La Ideal which is an old old building with marble dance floors and chandeliers and was at its height in the Golden Age of Tango so that will be fascinating. It is all fascinating and have only had one evening where I just went home early because I couldn't take the wallflower element - in tears!
I am having lessons now with Hector who has been very good for me. The sad thing is that I don't get to practice as I am not on the dance floor enough. I suspect that those who went to the Mango have probably danced more than me, in your one week, than I have in the 10 days I have been in Palermo. My lessons are in a huge old Buenos Aires house with one of those wonderful old lifts that creak up and down the building with metal concertina doors that you have to slam shut to make the contact. Hector and Silvina are off on tour to Europe soon. If anyone wants to google them their address is www.HectorSilvina.com.ar. I am also joining some classes at DNI which is a well known dance school round the corner. Classes are big but from my point of view it is a way of meeting people. Hey, ho it is all a BIG learning curve.
Still visiting the art galleries and exploring more when I am awake. It feel like I have gone underground and lead more of a nocturnal existence than my first few weeks.
My score on dog walkers is 10 plus the other week-end. Why are the dogs so well behaved in such packs of assorted beasts but they certainly seem to be.
Thanks Tim and Cliff for your comments on my blog - it is really nice to have a response! And thank you too to all those who are emailing me. I am sorry if I haven't replied but I seem to have got a bit snowed under recently.
By the way just for an extraordinary piece of fate I was on television the day that Nestor, the ex President died. I went to the Plaza de Mayo and unbeknown to me the news film camerars were rolling just taking pot shots of the public milling around. Because I have a very colourful jacket I was easily spotted on the news channell by various people at the Spanish School the next day. Famous in Argentina!!!
Yesterday was so hot and today we are in a deluge of rain so you never know what the weather is going to throw at you.
Much love to all of you
Sal x
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