Dec 07 2008
The First Night Is for Lessons
The first night of the Tango Festival was very beautiful…
The streets are lines with white Christmas lights, and four separate stages, each with a mini-orchestra, were playing well into the night. There were seats out in front for the crowds to watch the professional dancers on stage, who were magnificent, but the real view was behind the seats.
Crowds gathered in a large circle, and in the middle, couples - married for ages or complete strangers - danced the sultry tango.
There were even some lessons being given, that being the first night of the festival. Tonight should be an even grander affair. I’ve got a dress all picked out, and all I’ll need is a red flower in my hair… And a good partner, cause the closest I’ve gotten to tangoing before last night was Al Pacino’s dance in “Scent of a Woman.”
Today, however, I’ll be on much stronger ground. I’m headed to a futbol game. That’s soccer to you Americans…
I’ve played soccer since I was knee-high to an elf, and still love the game, but I’ve never been to one outside of the United States. It’s the most popular game in the world, and things can get a little crazy when rivals get together for a match.
That’s just what’s happening today.
I’ve been advised to wear neutral colors: no navy and gold, like the Boca Juniors, and no red and white, like La Plata.
Either way, I’d likely be beaten up. We’ll be in La Plata territory, but sitting with the Boca Juniors’ cheering section. Boca is from Buenos Aires, while La Plata is about an hour’s train-ride away. It will certainly be an experience, and I hope I don’t get swept into any fights.
The cost of the whole day, including transportation is 250 Argentinian Pesos, which works out to be just more than US$72.
The recent greenback-comeback has been beneficial here in Argentina. Between July and December, the dollar has jumped from about 3.05 pesos to just under 3.48 pesos. That means I pay less for my empanadas now.
Buenos Aires is still a big city, but it’s not as expensive as you might think. I bought a small bottle of water for 2 pesos - that’s US$0.58. I had a big plate of pasta for dinner that cost me 13 pesos: US$3.75. My friends had a decent steak for 15 pesos, or US$4.33.
This is really great for tourists, but the local population seems to be making the most of things, too. And for the most part, BA appears to be a bit more modern - in way of cars and public transport - that Santiago even.
That doesn’t mean BA, and Argentina on the whole, is on stable ground, though.
On Monday, I’m going to be spending some time in Constitucion, a neighborhood that’s home to many government buildings. Perhaps I’ll be able to get a sense of how the folks in charge are feeling about the Argentinian economy.
I’ll park myself at a small cafe for “lunch” and see if I can chat up some of the local businessmen. I’ll also be visiting the port to see just how much commerce runs through BA on a given day.
Until then, tango on!
Nice post. Thank you for the info. Keep it up.