Buenos Aires is a welcoming city that we could certainly be happy living. This trip we decided to seek out a tango! We went to an area called Caminito, in La Boca. They are small streets, hence, the name and La boca, means, the mouth. Must have been named for the river. The River is El Rio de la Plata. This means, river of silver. There is no silver here. Early explorers found small trays, trinkets, goblets made of siler and just assumed the area was full of silver. It was not. These items had been made from silver that had been mined in Columbia, but they never changed the name! The river is very shallow and they dredge a channel for ships to come into the port. We got the the "mouth" of the river about 6:00a.m. and it took over 6 hours to make it to the port. If you look at a map you can see how far the mouth is to the harbour itself. The water has a choloclate milk coloring that isn't beautiful. This is due to the river being so shallow and the silt being ever present. If I had been an early explorer I don't know that I would have wanted to see what was at the end of this river! However, I would have made a big mistake. Buenos Aires has it all. Art, theatre, shopping, great weather, beautiful people, mate` and tango!! We found the tango and we were all happy! At least a couple of us!! We found wonderful shops in Caminito. The colors of the stores were rainbowlike. They must have asked all the store owners to reach into a box of Crayolas and whichever color you got its what you used for your storefront! It was alive with people dancing in front of every restaurant. If you have ever been to New Orleans, it is much like the French Quarter, minus the hurricanes (both the drinks and the storms)! Great food. A pizza only cost $5.00 US. Fun day. Mate`. This is a traditional drink in Argentina and we have since found out it is a traditional drink in Uruaguay as well. Everyone you see is walking around with a thermos and you can guess that there is a mate` cup somewhere in their purse, satchel, briefcase, backpack or diaperbag!! All ages drink the mate`. What is it?? It is really strong tea that they drink all day long. The mate` cups have special straws that strain the tea leaves. They drink it hot, made with just the leaves and the hot water. Some put some sugar in it but most do not. They say it does not have the caffeine in it that regular tea has, so they can sip it all day long! And as you can see from the pictures, even our bus driver had his mate` cup in his hand!
The triangle shaped building, with the bright yellow front and multi-colored sides, is the first tango club ever established. The tango dance itself was started when men were immigrating into this country. The men would stay in small rooms or hotels and would congregate in livingroomlike settings. As days turned into weeks and months they all began sharing stories of their lives and their music. Soon they started bringing their musical instruments to share their talents and dancing ensued. Since all their wives and girlfriends were back home, the men danced with other men. They say this is why when you tango, you have a very rigid frame, you stand a good bit away from each other and you don't look at each other very much. This type dancing began to take on a competitive strain when women got into the picture. The men would dance the tango to "show off" to see who would get the girl!! It became a very stong and alluring dance. When the tango first began, not too long after the turn of the century 1920's, the dancers never let their feet leave the floor. Over the years, many influences have changed the tango dance but it maintains its strong frame, quick moves and seductive lines. The dancers today move like gyroscopes, in and out of each others legs and arms. It is an amazing sight. The music is from piano, violin, an accordianlike instrument, some horns and drums. Tango in Argentina is more than a dance. It is like a national anthem. When you see people dancing the tango in the streets, just regular folks, they are serious about it. In their faces, you can see their pride and their strength. People stop in their footsteps when they see people dancing the tango and watch with quiet respect and then applaud as if they were at a show they had paid to watch. It is wonderful. It would be a welcome sight to see this take place at home! Can you imagine a two-step or swing taking place in your local mall? Or having a couple do a nice " Bop" before a football game instead of singing a national anthem?
People in Argentina eat a LOT of meat, red meat. However, they have a very low incident of heart disease, could it be the tango that keeps them alive??
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