Sounds Good on Paper

Category: Argentina

  • Tango Show in Buenos Aires- so not our thing

    There are several ways for tourists to see tango in Buenos Aires.

    1. on the street in San Telmo and La Boca –  We did this and it left us wanting more.

    2. Milongas – the real deal tango bars – We didn’t go to one of these and so wish we had.

    3. Tourist tango shows – We went to one of these and kind of wish we hadn’t.

    The one we choose was highly recommended by the guidebooks and on Trip Advisor.   We got there, were seated and immediately brought bottled water, an emapanada and red wine.  The tickets were expensive by Buenos Aires standards, but with these extra it seemed like a great deal.

    The show started. The dancing and singing were good, but it reminded me of the Donny and Marie show with singers, lavish dance numbers, and a Carlos Gardel impersonator. It lacked the passion and intensity you can see on Dancing with the Stars.

    We weren’t allowed to videotape but could take photos without the flash.

    The show was boring except for one sexy really good dance.  Unfortunately, it was at this moment they brought us the bill. Turns out the water, wine and empanada weren’t free .  Jeff signed the bill as quickly as he could. He would have signed anything to get them to leave and let him watch the one good dance of the night.

    The people next to Jeff were singing along to every song, so I think it was a good show, just not our thing.  When it was over and the lights came on, I chugged ever last drop of wine and stuffed Jeff’s left over empanada into my mouth.  Since we had paid for it, I wasn’t about to let them go to waste.

    So it turns out even someone that loves all things touristy, doesn’t really like tourist tango shows. But, you can’t love everything.    Although I did absolutely love the street named after Carlos Gardel and the statue.

    Next time we’re in Buenos Aires we’ll try a milonga.

  • Recoleta Cemetery – Evita’s tomb

    not Evita's tomb

    After almost a month in Buenos Aires we finally mastered the local bus system.  We caught the correct bus going the correct way and got to the Recoleta cemetery in 5 minutes.

    This cemetery is as beautiful as the other one we visited. There are amazing tombs with incredible statues.   This one, however, is smack dab in the middle of the Recoleta neighborhood, so it’s surrounded by tall, modern buildings.

    not Evita's tomb


    The entire cemetery is interesting, but the most famous person buried there, at least for us American tourists, is Evita Peron.    We wandered around in the searing heat looking for her tomb.  I assumed it would be grand, with giant statues and overflowing with flowers and admirers.  Turns out her tomb is quite simple. Her family’s crypt is in the middle of a long row or other tombs.  The flowers and smattering of other tourists were the things that kept us from walking right by.

    Eva Durante Peron's tomb

    Afterward, we stopped for coffee and alfajores (sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche).  While Evita’s tomb was smaller than I expected, the coffee and dulce de leche lived up to expectations.

  • La Boca – tourist vs traveler

    Jeff and I are very different kind of travelers.  I am a full blown tourist.  Jeff is a true traveler.   This difference isn’t too apparent until we go to something touristy.

    La Boca is such a place.  La Boca is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires that is rich in history. Tango started in this barrio in the bordellos in the 1800’s.    The area is still “rough” according to the guidebooks, but a section of the neighborhood has been turned into a tourist destination.  There are brightly colored buildings, street vendors, outdoor restaurants with continuous tango shows, and artistic statues of people. Due to the warnings that the area around the tourist section was dangerous, we decided to take a tourist bus there instead of try our luck with the local buses.


    This chart shows the difference in our travel styles when faced with different situations.

    Jeff on a tourist bus.
    Sheryl on a tourist bus.
    Jeff and artistic people statues.
    Sheryl with artistic people statues.

    I don’t know if one travel style is better than the other, but I do know one of us had a hell of a lot more fun that day.

  • Merry Christmas and belated Happy Hanukkah!

    Plaza Espana, Cordoba Argentina
    Giant menorah in Buenos Aires

  • Drinking Yerba Mate

    As I explained in an earlier post, Jeff and I went to the neighborhood of La Bocca for lunch. I order the chinchulines (cow intestines) and couldn’t eat them which caused the waiter great disappointment.   In order to get back into his good graces, we ordered a “service of mate.”

    The green tea-like powder that makes up yerba mate is sold in all the grocery stores and the mate container and bombilla straw that you drink it out of is sold in street markets all over Buenos Aires.    When we saw it on the menu we were excited to order it. It’s rarely offered in restaurants, I figured I could get in good with the waiter again.

    The service came with a thermos of hot water, a bowl of sugar, a bowl of green tea like herbs, and a silver mate container and silver straw.  The waiter put the straw in, packed the mate full of the herbs, spooned in sugar, and poured hot water over the entire thing.

    He gave us very specific instructions. We each take a sip and then pass it to the other person who takes a sip then you pour in more hot water. “Do not, under any circumstances stir or pull out the bombilla (metal straw),” he warned. He made it sound like pulling that straw out would ruin not just  the mate, but perhaps the rest of our trip.    I have to admit I was worried about the straw.

    The waiter stood attentively as we tried it. Thank God I liked it and could smile instead of gasp for air.   It tasted really good, somewhere between green and black tea with lots of  sugar.   Satisfied that we wouldn’t mess up the mate service the waiter left our table to stand in the doorway.   He seemed pleased with our mate drinking until Jeff made the mistake of pulling the straw out. The waiter then ran over to fix it.   I’m not sure what he did besides shove the straw back into the cup, but it looked very serious.