La Glorieta Milonga in the Sun!

La Glorieta in Belgrano has an early evening milonga. From 1800 until 2200 (although some people don´t get ther until 2300 - the guilty party knows who I am talking about). As you can see it gets busier as the night goes on.

Guard Cat

The heat and maybe the excitement of living in a cemetary became to much for this cat, he neglected his guard duties and fell asleep.

Last day of 2006

The sky was blue as blue could be,
and the tombstones at Recoleta cemetary dauntingly impressive. Eva Peron, Evita, was buried here amongst others.

Cheers

Cheers, and all the best for 2007!

New Job

New Job at the English Skills Centre? Teach by day, dance by night! Maybe I will stay after all - the Argentinians could certainly do with some help with their English.

Favourite Spanish Words

I have discovered my favourite Spanish words during my private Tango lessons with Carolina Calas: ´mejor´,´eso´, ´muy bien´ - I don´t hear them to often but when I do I am happy as it means I am finally doing something right.
What I don´t like is silence after a move or the utterance ´hmmmmmmm´ these I hear more frequently but with time they are phasing out -but there is hope yet! I am currently learning the tricks of the trade for crowded dance floors so no excuses for any collisions from now on!

Lazy Cat

The lazy cat at Caseron Porteño caught a blue and yellow mouse.

Smoggy City

At first I thought there was a major traffic jam as I came out of the apartment block and saw taxi upon taxi back-to-back parked up with their engines running. But alas they were queueing for petrol! I don´t know if this garage is 5 centados cheaper or if it is due to the lack of petrol stations in the city and surplus of taxis, but now I know why the air in the city is so polluted, it is the fumes from the idling 40,000 + taxis - The name Buenos Aires may have been relevant many centuries ago, but now it is far from good.

Kirsty´s Rock n Roll Show

Probably due to a momentary bout of insanity Kirsty accepts the French guy´s proposal to dance to the Rock n Roll cortina depite never having danced to it before and the dance floor being deserted. It was painful to watch, all I can say is "The alcohol must be strong at Canning or maybe she was on something else".

More shopping

The next item on the shopping list has to be a bigger suitcase!

Tuba Tango

Tuba Tango played at Soho last night, fantastic music and great atmophere was due to the normally small and less frequented milonga suddenly being invaded by familiar faces from Villa Malcolm, Canning and DNI

Crap Italian Mathematics

Dialogue last night at La Nacional with an Italian
Simon - "Do you know what time it is"
Italian looked at his watch and replied- "No"
Simon - "But you have a watch"
Italian - "Yes but it is on Italian time"
Simon - "But isn´t Italy four hours ahead of Argentina"
Italian - "Yes"
Simon was gobsmacked, was he just plain stupid or taking the p*** out of me?

Shoeeeeeeeeeeeeeees

Where do you start? All shapes and sizes! My fetisch is under control I have only bought two pairs so far!

Matinee at Ideal

Matinee at "Ideal" can be a bit hit and miss. Differing crowds and differing teachers. But today was a hit! Relatively low numbers and good teachers. I was going into town anyway on the hunt for Tango shoes so I killed two birds with one stone and took the lesson there.

Christmas In Palermo

Joseph, Jesus and Mary and to the right the scrawniest little christmas tree in the world - This was the only sign of christmas in Palermo - the blue sky, blazing sun, full cafes, ice cold beer and ice-cream kind of took away any festive feeling I might have had - but I am not complaining!

Graduation

One custom here upon graduation is the egging and the flouring of the students, it makes for a very slippy entrance to the underground as you walk past the University, nobody ever cleans it up so this slimey mess just grows and grows on the pavements. Perhaps we can introduce the egging and flouring of students in Sweden instead of having them drive round the city in daddy´s car beeping their horns and shouting non-stop for a week. I vote for the eggs and flour, anyone with me?

Cats Galore

There is an abundance of wild cats here, just like being back at home in Pildams park. Here I found a doting mother with her new litter and a proud. defensive father keeping watch.

Paseaperros

One profession here in the rich neighbourhoods is dog walking, but not just one dog or two but a whole army of dogs sometimes up to 20 at a time, it is amazing to see.

Parilla goes Veggie

My first visit to a traditional "Parilla" turned out to be not so scarey after all. Barbequed veggies on a sizzling platter with garlic sauce, not bad at all - although I still prefer Krishna.

La Viruta goes D.I.S.C.O

Right smack bang in the middle of the milonga last night at La viruta the tango music stopped, the evening metamorphised into crappy 1980´s EuroTrash and out of the woodwork crawled the most uncoordinate, gangly, embarassing misfits that you can every imagine. They took over the dance floor with their swaying arms and gangly legs missing the beats of Erasure, Ottowan, Fine Young Cannibals, Bronski Beat, Kajagoogoo and such like. If Tango is the epitome of sensuality, elegance and style then this ´happening´must be the opposite pole. Luckily order resumed after about 45 minutes and the misits crawled back into the woodwork. Here is a sample of what we had to put up with:
D.I.S.C.O. She is disco She is D disasters She is I impossible She is S super special She is Crazy, crazy She is O oh, oh, oh

Talking in the Lift?

Talk about Culture Shock! I got in the lift yesterday to go to the 9th floor and a neighbour got in going to the 5th floor. By the time he got out he knew my name where I was from, why I was in Buenos Aires we talked about Tango, Football, Man Utd, Racing Club, the rise and fall of David Beckham, discussed the performances of Argentina and England in the World Cup and then he had to get out on his floor - and all with my atrocious Pidgen Spanish (there was lots of Si, Claro, No Entiendo and Quizas coming from my side) - the point is I have lived in Sweden 6 years and still don´t know the names of my neighbours as it is a carnal sin to utter a word in a lift in Sweden! Viva Argentina and all other sociable societies!

Krishna

I have found the world´s best restaurant at least in this part of the world. In the heart of Palermo next to the park? there is a little haven called Krishna, I have eaten there three times now and I feel that I must go through the menu before I go home. Lentil burgers, tofu, soja in breadcrumbs Thali indian plate, massive fresh salads, vegetable pasties, freshly baked bread and hummous and and and... A sign on the wall states: " All this food is prepared with love and devotion to Krishnu who turms them into Prasadam, a sanskrit word that means mercy and implies that taking something offered to God cleans the heart" - My heart is clean today! The food alone is enough to convert anyone! There was even a song about Vishnu as I sat eating my lunch - spookey! ps Vishnu is one of my cats)

Shoe Fetisch

Shoes, shoes, shoes I am surrounded by shoes! I finally succumbed to the temptation after 4 days and bought my first pair - more to come for sure!

La Catedral

La Catedral certainly lived up to it´s Lonely Planet write up! It is set upstairs in what looks like a huge old warehouse with the highest ceiling I have ever seen, wacky art graces the walls with a huge red paper mache (wrong spelling I know - bloody French words) thing hanging down over the long bar. Seems to be more of a hang out for the bohemian crowd than a dance place. Acoustic folk music was on until 0100 when tango took over. To add to the spooky feeling of an old haunted derelict house the storm started as we arrived and the noise from the rain and thunder almost drowned out the music as the lightning could be seen through the skylights. Not too much dancing going on here - but enough, large uneven dance floor with small puddles of water from the rain. Most people come for the social scene and of course the 1 litre bottles of beer. Oh and I almost forgot in the middle of the dance floor walking through the tangoing couples was a black and white cat, I thought I was hallucinating but apparently he lives there and likes to dance as well.

Schedule Complete!

I thought this was going to be a holiday but little did I know that I will be working harder then ever. Had my first Spanish lesson today and have another 30 hours booked in with a private teacher - no excuses now for my Spanish to be worse than Pixie´s Belgrade English!
Tango group classes will be at DNI Pablo & Dana´s school with private 1-1 training with Sebastian & Eugenia at the same school.
http://www.estudiodnitango.com.ar/main-en.php
Feels good to have got all the arrangements sorted out!
Oh look at the time 2330 time to enjoy the last of my birthday we are off for a bite to eat and dance at La Catedral Milonga! Quote from Lonely Planet "If Tango can be hip and trendy, this is where you´ll find it. A hazy air and funky art on the walls make this more of a party"

Feliz Cumpleaños

A strange thing happened today a package appeared and out popped a red, freckly, cuddly creature that wanted to be close to me. It reminds me of somebody I know but I just can´t put my finger on it...red?....freckles?.......anyway Luba my hostess got wind of my coming of age and baked me a cake - there is not much left as the red, freckly one has scoffed most of it!

Simon 39 years and 365 days

Yesterday was my last day as a young man (?) From now on it will be early nights to bed! Or maybe not - Life begins at 40!

This is for Mum

Look Mum! They even have Fish and Chips here.

Gardel...Alive & Kicking

He´s alive, praise the lord, we´ve been putting flowers on the wrong grave.
Carlos Gardel was in San Telmo busking - he at least believed it so I went along with the plot and bought his CD for 5 pesos (12 kr/1 pound), he signed it to ´min amigo cimon´ (he must have a millon friends) I didn´t have the heart to tell him he had spelt my name wrong.

CSI San Telmo

Coming to a TV channnel near you soon. Adventurous day in San Telmo for the Sunday Market, there was an attempted armed robbery at an Antique shop and the street was closed off, 2 guns were lying on the floor and a hapless guy was face down in the gravel cuffed with two police officers standing on him. Out came the tape and the area was sealed off waiting for the forensics - better than Channel 5.

Rain, Rain, Rain

It´s raining it´s pouring (the old man is snoring, he banged his head when he went to bed and he won´t get up in the morning) - the outdoor milonga was cancelled so La viruta was the place to be on Saturday. A great venue close to home packed with hundreds of dancers and Heineken in 1 litre bottles - Oh no! ....I was just savouring being over 13000km from home on the other side of the planet, where nobody knows me, when I noticed a guy standing at the side of the table staring at me - I thought I had taken his place but when I looked up it was Ruben(cito). I had been found in the vast sprawling city of Buenos Aires. He eagerly told me that he had big news that Natalia (ponchik) is flying here on Tuesday - he looked dismayed when I told him I had already heard the news. Who needs CNN and BBC for breaking news when you have the Pixie?

Confitieria Ideal

Arrived safe and sound, finally, even survived the assasination attempt by the Air Italia steward who tried to poison me with a Tuna sandwich insisting that it was vegetarian.
Luba my hostess made it for it by serving coffee, media luna (croissants) and dulche de leche...
Found a vegan restaurant and had soya de milanese they have it everywhere here pity they couldn´t send some to Air Italia. First afternoon milonga (dance) was at Confitieria Ideal a really old classic dance hall and most of the dancers were equally as old. Spectacular authentic milonga (dance) hall. Tonight I am going to Canning and tomorrow will go to Pablo and Dana´s class (the ones who were in Sitges). Ps If you are wondering why I am putting words in brackets it is because normal people will also read this blog not just tango freaks.

On my way...

Hasta la proxima ano

Are you leaving us?

Vishnu wasn't impressed either!

Cat Sitting

here you can see the nonchalent look on Pixie's face when I told her she would be Cat Sitting for a month.

12 days to go...

The countdown has begun.In less than two weeks I will be leaving for the Tango capital of the world.Catch up with what I am up to, by reading my blog.In the meantime you can find me at 'källaren', 'loftet' and 'tangopalatset' amongst other places