One of my musical discoveries in BA: Narcotango2 (and 1)
- Narcotango - danced to...
- And one more ...
Other e-tango CD's I bought were: Terminal Tango, Astor Piazzolla Remixed, Ultratango - trash noche. And I just had to get a chacarera CD, too - La Chacarerata Santiagueña - Bailando en la salsamanca.
First of all a video with a tango performance by Analia and Marcelo, recorded at Salón Canning, February 16th 2007.
And here is a little selection of pictures, taken by Diana and myself during my stay in Buenos Aires.
Too hot in Buenos Aires? Take a look at this!
Since it was difficult to upload videos while being in Cuba, here a video special for you:
Sick driving in Cuba - a 720 on the Cuban highway
Cigars rolled the farmer way - not as classy as the factory results, but just as tasty!
Conga crash course in Havana - now you got the chance to learn it, too! Just do it.
Cuban Salsa in our favourite bar 'Monserate' in Havana, Cuba!
I also will post pictures of the whole trip here (but it takes a little time - so check it out sometime).
It's tuesday, february 20th, Trondheim airport, 22.45 h. Two Brazillians and I step down the stairs of the noisy plane. The wind is blowing like hell, small hills of frozen snow are building a small border around the run-way. It's MINUS 10 degrees Celcius or worse.
It's roughly a 100 meters to the terminal building. At first, we can hardly breath in the cold air. We shiver in our thin sorry clothes. We are not sure weather we should cry or laugh. A puta madre slips out, we shake our heads, look at each other and laugh...
Nostalgia is the only thing left - after an amazing trip to crazy Cuba and marvellous Buenos Aires. Nostalgia... filmed by Diana (silent movie!).
This blog has reached it's end - and purpose. Pictures of the trip will be posted soon under this " PHOTO LINK here. Enjoy!
1. Buenos Aires was worth it - both in terms of mileage and pesos!
2. Buenos Aires has a boomerang effect on me - I will come back - for a longer period of time. Oh yes, my boss will love it!
3. BA has just sooo much to offer - the architecture, the food, the music and life-style etc. etc. etc. Just a pity I only had 2 weeks there. Next time I'll be a better tourist, picture-taker, and tanguero (hopefully).
4. But then again, Buenos Aires has draw-backs as well: the summer heat, the beautiful women, the amazing shops with a good price-value relation, the food, the crazy night life and the relaxing massages! How can I ever be happy again - whenever I am not there!??
5. Tango-wise, I might be more confused than ever - with a bus load full of homework to do. Still, BA taught me the longing after jugendstil, a good steak and la dulce vida - and I believe some more tango skills will emerge during future visits :-)
6. BA is a melting pot - and it literally melted my brain in terms of languages. Speaking up to 4 different languages a day, made my simple-structured brain cook. It'll take me weeks to get my Norwegian properly on track again! As for the Spanish (or Castilliano, as the porteños call it), I really wished I had studied a bit Italian before I got there. But I guess, I got the major points in conversations with taxistas, vendors, tango teachers and waiters anyway...
7. Buenos Aires is a big city - and without the help of my jugendstil-addicts L&&L the tango-start in BA would have been terribly difficult (actually without them I might never have come to continue to get tango-ed in the first place, not to mention a trip to BA). Muchissimo gracias for the incredible BA-Tango-recipe, amigos!!!
8. Without friends you are lost - especially in a big city like BA. I consider myself very lucky to have met soooo many nice locals in taxis, milongas, DNI and on the streets plus of course people from Panama, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, UK, Scandinavia, the Balkan, Japan and many other places in this little world. It's been a pleasure, thanks for the good time! Just a pity Robin 'Robusto' Martin had to leave my side after Cuba!
9. An expedition is always only as good as the support team! A very very big THANK YOU goes to credit-shark and chief blog commentator KHT and my koi-keeper and welcome-committee MH! Rum and Cohibas are waiting for you! Mi casa tu casa! Thanks go as well to Mr. "Connections" in Australia and my folks in PF!
10. And last but not least, blogging was a lot of fun! Thanks for reading and commenting it!
Top Music:
1. El aire en mis manos (Album: Narcotango 2), Carlos Libedinsky
2. No te mueras nunca (Album: Terminal Tango), Buschini
3. Volver al sur (Album: Ultratango), Ultratango (composers: Piazzolla, Solanas)
4. Gente que sí (Album: Narcotango 2), Carlos Libedinsky
Top Restaurants
1. La Cabrera, Cabrera y Thames
2. Meridian 58, El Salvador y Borges
3. Rave, Gorriti y Thames
Cerveza - Scheider Negra
Vino Tinto - San Felipe, 2005, Tempranillo
Best Tango school - DNI weblink here
Top Practicas/Milongas
The last day of the holidays is always dominated of hectic and stress. In my case i was mostly my overweight - of the luggage, I mean. Somehow I had the feeling that I had at least 10 kilo too much weight. Who could possibly travel to Latin-America with only 20 kilo? Hello Air France!!!
Anyway, I decided to go to the post office. After waiting patiently for 35 minutes, it was my turn. I weighed my stuff - 5.7 kilos. And then... a female voice says: "But we can only send packages up to 2 kilos! You have to go to the Correos Central... blablabla". The lady gave me the address and the bus number: 152. "Just take it to the last stop - about 20 minutes", she said. Nice help, right? Actually, it wasn't! After 20 minutes I asked the bus driver, which then points at another bus going the direction I just came from. So I got off, and took a taxi (because I thought it was faster) since I only had 2 hours left before I had to return the apartment keys. Of course, the taxi got stuck in a major traffic. Somehow the world was against me... 25 minutes later I got to the post office (guess, I could have walked faster).
There, a big lady welcomed med with a cold look: "Si?" I told her my wish to send a parcel. And then surprise she goes: "Your passport please!". Well, how should I know you need a passport for sending a parcel? So I pulled up my shoulders and went"... no, I don't have my credit card here, either...". A bit curious I asked why in the world I had to show some ID and in return I got: "You have to prove you existence". Well, I didn't exist, and I didn't stand in front of the fat lady either... so I went home - pretty pissed off. "Even worse of a paper mill than Cuba...", I thought.
To reduce weight, smart as I am, I had given away my good bottle of Havana Club Special Reserva to Sebastian already. The other bottle will make a group of travelers happy, who, for an evening, will call themselves friends of Diana. So with overweight, and no rum I had to check-in at the airport. After security a duty-free shop waited for me. Here, I thought, my rum-problem will be solved. I bought a rather bad Bacardi-1-liter-companion for my 25 Cohibas Robustos and made sure, the lady at the cashier would seal the plastic bag - with staples, which I found a bit suspicious... 13 hours later - arriving in Paris, I made it through customs (unlike some others) but the European security check proved to be going less smooth... My rum was detected and with a sweet french, but determined smile the security lady says: "Sorry, no bottles from outside Europe allowed". My but's, if's and my childish-sorry-smile did not work. Again I lost my bottle of rum. But resistant as I can be - this wouldn't not put me off my plan. The next duty-free shop waited just around the corner, and a new bottle of Havana Club Añejo Espesial got bagged and sealed. By now, I couldn't call the rum for a bargain anymore, but this one made it home and it's still a nice bottle, which will bring back the good and drown the unpleasant memories from Cuba!
After an amazing show of the DNI instructors and their friends it became quite a long night at Salón Canning (6 a.m.) - getting up today was difficult! Actually, many things are rather difficult today... I have to start packing and thinking of going home to Norway again. I have to attend my last classes today, buy some last cositas - and worst - say good-bye to all the marvellous people I met here in Buenos Aires!
Walking up the stairs is funny today - I become sentimental, thinking: "Oh, my last time up these stairs, my last this and my last that... And I am a bit afraid I will forget to say bye to the people I wanted to, or not getting their e-mail addresses. You know what leaving a good place and good people is all about...
The Chacarera class (Argentinian folklore) is fun - and at La Viruta we are going to try it tonight. There I'll also meet Javier & Maria again, who gave me my first private tango lesson (besides my queridos l&&l) in Sweden last year.
Then it´s time to say good-bye to the DNI family. It takes ages - it´s fun, and sad as well. Addresses and kisses are exchanged and I we try to find you where we one day all could meet again... Who knows ... the tango world is even smaller than the real one... But for now, the show must go on...
The next two days I will prepare my return, start to reflect and write my BA Conclusion, which makes this my second last post on this blog. Thanks for following the blog, amigos!
Sebastián and I had a private lesson just few hours before this incredible performance. I'm glad he picked up some important things just in time ;-) I enjoyed Eugenia's and Sebastián´s classes a lot. It´s a fun couple to learn from - always good for a joke, a smile, encouragement, cool moves and you can feel their genuine interest to teach tango to the world. Muchas gracias amigos!
A bit more info about them and their next project? Check it out: this link of Mar y Tango
Saving the best for last... On my last friday I in BA I had the pleasure to witness the stunning performance of Pablo Villarraza & Dana Frigoli, the brains behind the school DNI, which became my second home in BA, where you are included in the family in no time. It was a pleasure being there, learning there - especially with teachers like that!
Check it you yourself: The DNI web page link
What a day... Not only managed I to pick up my sexy shoes; I even made it to one must-see here in BA - the Cemetery of Recoleta - where Eva 'Evita' Perón was buried in 1952. Actually, the tombstone of Evita was one of the rather boring ones, but there are other scary and amazing ones! The rainy weather added a certain flavour to the ambiente today, and it sure scared the sh*t out of a lot of photographers - but my Canon is a tough one - used to the Norwegian weather, and so am I! Bloody wet and about a 100 pictures later, I left the dead for a nice warm shower. Shortly after, my last private lesson with Sebastian followed, who loved the Cuban rum I had to leave behind due to over-weight (the bag, I mean...). That was as close I ever got being a regular tourist in Buenos Aires. Maybe I´ll get lucky and find a time window to see something else - but I doubt it. Guess, I just have to come back... hihihi. Tonight we'll be at Salón Canning until early morning dew. Pablo and Dana (DNI bosses), Sebastian and Eugenia (DNI) as well as Marcello and Analia are going to have a show with live music - a spectaculo not to miss. Class tomorrow seems little tempting - but as Dana put it: "If I can have the show tonight - you can come to my class tomorrow!" La chica tiene razón, helvete!
It's Thursday, I´ve just received my second massage, and am now on my way to the a tango waltz class. I am in trance - the whole trip. The shiatsu is doing something rather strange with my body. Arriving at the school, I hardly make it up the stairs. The class with Hector 'Negro' Corona and Silvina passes by in a flash. Right after half-time, my mind transcends to outer space. From there on the new moves are not manageable for my feet anymore...
I skip the next class and go home to a home-made vegetable soup, which gives me just enough energy to take a taxi to yet another milonga - Niño Bien. Though, the brain ain't working at all, and neither do the feet. The 'good boy' calls it an early night - leaving already at 10 past 3 a.m...
The lesson learned to day: Never get a massage before a 90 minutes of tango class!
I guess, you think it's all fun and vacation here. Well, it's not! It's hard work learning new moves and not forgetting the old ones, doing the logistics - (washing clothes, buying shoes, writing blog, classes, eating, classes, testing wine and local beer, buying more shoes) - and milongas until 6 0'clock in the morning like this Monday.
Life brings you down if you don't rest in time, here in BA. And how often Sebastian, an instructor at DNI, told me to relax - well, I couldn't keep the count. So Tuesday was the night off - to bed at 8 p.m. and Shiatsu massage first thing in the morning today. What a treat - for a whole hour! When I got up from the massage bench - life was perfect, the energy was floating through the meridians like crazy. Victor is a god - and here is his office: J. L. Borges 2186, Palermo, Buenos Aires (CF) tel 4777-0871. Too bad, the god doesn´t have a working homepage at the moment...
After the massage - everything felt easier - everything floated. I'll be back at Victor´s office - mañana and the day after mañana, too! And who knows, maybe even Sebastian will recognize a change on Friday, in the private lesson, where he sure enough will drill me and my pitiful posture. So long... vaya con dios - or get a massage of one!
Rather relaxed I walk into Comme Il Faut, the place for buying high-heeled and funky shoes. By my side a female shoe fanatic - as an extra expertise. I wonder how it's going to go, buying my first pair of female shoes ever. Life as a bachelor is tough again!
To my surprise, this is fun. I dive into the white boxes and have a foot model shoe show me the art pieces on the cat walk. I get excited - want to buy many pairs, but I only got the money for one. Luckily!
The dilemma question is: What would T. like most of all those crazy high-heeled and highly addictive pairs? I ask my come-along expert - but go for another one which caught my eye at once. The other junkies in the shop look enviously at me and my white little shoe box. ¡Disculpe chicas - this one is sold!
It's Sunday afternoon. What else would you do as a true milonguero than having a coffee at a milonga. Diana, still not sick of me stepping on her toes, meets me outside the Confiteria Ideal. The people at the entrance look a bit funny at us, but take our money anyway. Maybe it's because we are among the 10 people under 50 years of age at the Ideal... We get our table advised - in the back row - bad seats. Nobody ever would look that direction. And since all invitations to dance happen through eye-contact - it's hard to ask for a dance or invite... Tango is tactics, all tactics.
We have a coffee, the sweetest cake ever - and a tango-waltz. NICE. To help Diana to get invited to dance - I leave the table. It takes but a few seconds and the first fish is hooked. Diana is off with the old guys. I am stuck with the elderly ladies - and it ain't funny. Soon my toes hurt from getting stepped on - and more than half of the time it´s not even my fault! Again, L&&L (my instructors from Trondheim) were right: Dancing with old guys = good, dancing with the mature argentinas = it hurts...
But salvation is waiting just around the corner - a group of Italians enter the milonga - a tango club - all in their 30's. I am able to grab one or two - what a pleasure.
Things are easily forgotten - so you got to get the new stuff on tape - in the coolest locations you can find! Lady Di and me...
It should have looked like that... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPrHbGbfNAI
"Don´t mention the war (or the Tango) - zee Germans are here!" It´s unbelivable, but you really meet my fellow countrymen everywhere - especially here in BA!!! Maybe it has to do with the population/squarekilometers in Germany with about 231/sq. km (Norway has about 12-15/sq. km). It seems almost like the German government allows grants to BA emmigrants - so it gets less crowed in the good old Bundesrepublik. Problem is - now there are as many Germans tango immigrants in Argentina as the inhabitant/square kilometer ratio in Norway!
I haven´t been talking so much German the last two years - like here in a week's time. But it has its positive sides, too. I found myself a nice dancing partner from the Freiburg area ... home sweet home...
The tango world is pequeño - indeed very little! Three days ago I met two Swedish milongueros from Östersund (just a little to the right on the map of Trondheim). An after a little chat we found out that we had been to the same tangofestival i the past fall of 2006. Not enough with this - today, I met the first Norwegian couple, living in Fredrikstad. They just arrived, so there was lots to talk about: where to go, where and what to buy, who to have private lessons with... And of course we found a link, too. The couple had been to a class of Stein Erlend and Ingrid, two of Trondheim´s instructor couples, during a festival in Oslo. Crazy, ain´t it?
As the tango world is little -Buenos Aires the capital of tango, still is too big for me with all it´s tempting offers... To get my head over water, i decided to stick with one school (or two). Otherwise I´d lose my fragile sanity! DNI has buena onda - good vibes - with nice and good teachers (good enough for me at least). Though I wonder what my fellow dancers in Trondheim will say, when I get back with a "internalized" DNI-style. We´ll see... Tangobrujo is the other school I took a closer look at. There my first lesson was rather mind-twisting. The´profesores asked me to dance the women steps, while I still had to lead as a man... Do you get it? Well, I had the same problems understanding/doing it! Still, fun it was!
Per e-mail a shoe order just flew in - a lady´s shoe. As if buying shoes for myself wasn´t difficult enough. But I guess, I asked for Jack-Ass-requests... We´ll see how it goes with the black, 8,5-9,0 cm heels with heel cap and open toe :-)
As for private lessons... which are incredibly cheap here (compared to Norway) - my bank account recently told me not to... Cuba has been even more expensive than I dared to think... "With a little (big) help from a friend", to quote Joe Cocker - I am not in the need to sell my body to the pretty Argentinian women or worse... unshaved men! Thank´s again, amigo. You saved my ass! (Pardon my French!!!)
In 30 minutes the next class awaits me - with twisty turns, heavy weight-shifts, and rapidly moving feet. Then at around midnight, it´s time for Club Sunderland - a classy, consevative milonga. But who knows... this is life in the fast lane - and plans change within seconds!
Abrazos desde BA!
"Marriage is Russian Roulette..." says my taxi driver, with a smile. He is old, his face marked of the good old times. He must know. And somehow, marriage must have something in common with tango lessons. Every time I join a new class, every time I learn from a different teacher - I got to do it differently. Taking classes is Russian roulette, too. You never know what´s gonna happen! I wonder what my tango folks in Trondheim will say when I´ll get back, disoriented as I am now...
Talking about women... God made the Argentinian woman quite tall in average. He must have done this so guys my hight can dance tango cheek to cheek all night with these ladies, without getting backproblems! As to the Argentinian men... they are compared to the Argentinian women rather small of size. I asked a guy form Belgium why it was like this - and I couldn´t have asked a more competent expert on this: "They are small, so we tall Europeans have got a marked here!".
When I was living in Trondheim as an Au-Pair, we had a maid. It was a pleasure comming home and everything was clean! But that´s a long time ago and I had to wash and clean my flat myself ever since. Lucky me, here in BA a maid is included in the apartment. And you know what? They don´t just clean the floor - she did my bed, changed my towels and even washed up the dishes. So my advice - sell your home, buy an apartment in BA, get a maid - and you even save the dishwasher!
Alcohol and dancing tango doesn´t mix well. Norway and alcohol prices don´t mix well either! Here a liter of beer costs 20 kr. = 2,5 euro. Life sucks!
This is the nice little palace I was talking about earlier... Mi Buenos Aires Querido...
Still owning only a pair of shorts for the playa - today is the day to buy some more comfortable pants or shorts. The only problem my big fat ass. In lot's of stores my size seems to be sold out, or more probable, they never thought of ordering this size in the first place. Off course some shops sell "tents" but they either look horrible, or do not fit the purpose...
Without pantalon-success, I try to meet two Canadian milongueras (female tango dancers) at DNI, a tango school in the center. Due to German planning I have 4 minutes to get from inside the taxi to class. Too bad, the taxi driver dropped me of at another school - problem is... I don't know it, yet. I ask at the reception which sends me up 4 floors. No class before next week, I get told. So down to the reception again... Now I get the feeling the receptionist doesn't understand me, but when asking and asking again it becomes clear: she doesn´t have a clue what´s going on in this house! Out on the street again. I talk to a girl, who looks like a dancer. She sends me to another house - that of course is not the right one either. But it seems the lady had good intentions, at least.
In the end I arrive 28 minutes late for class... Why? Well, after running around like an idiot following all the helpful information - I enter an internet café to check the address again (that I must have left in the taxi). By now I am 3,5 blocks away from DNI. The house number is the only sign (!) that indicates DNI´s existance. And and I get a Cuba flashback... Anyway, I survive the class, not hurting anybody physically, appart from my ego which doesn't get over the fact that I never really manage the dubble giro with the tripple sacada and a back-breaking kinky stopp pluss the turn in directions... or whatever it is supposed to be...
But at least, I do meet the Canadians, who heard about a 'vernissage' of Tango Moda clothes combined with a practica (a training type of thing - much less formal than a milonga, where etiquette is very strict) on top of a penthouse close by. The five of us jump in a taxi, and when we get thrown off, we can't believe we have been dropped off at the right place. An entrance, big enough to drive a firefighters truck right through, awaits us. Marble is all around us, and the jugendstil ornaments adds the very special flavour to this building. On an open-air terrasse we are welcomed with a glass of wine - 16 floors above the streets of Buenos Aires - which at 10 p.m. are covered in the colors of the night. The view is incredible, high up under the BA sky. The ambiente is trés chic with music, wine and tango dancing - and I find myself a pair of pants by Tango Moda, that sit like the wedding ring on the finger of a newly married bride - perfect! Oh, I forgot to mention, at DNI they also have nice pants - which I just couldn´t resist from buying... Two pairs in one night - the pants problem is worked out!
The night ends at Practica X, where I even manage to ask a local lady to dance with me. While I dance a way in total connection with her - she never stops laughing... Well, at least my dancing didn´t make her cry, right!? Personally, I think she´s just a positive and happy girl ;-)
Buenas noches, queridos!
BA is addictive - many come back several times. Some even for several month.
Tango is addictive - many don't have any other hobbies, don't talk about other things, practise day in and day out. Some only talk to tango-ed people. And - they buy shoes! Many pairs of them. I always laughed at them for having so many pairs. Well, not anymore, I don't... At least I don't have the right to anymore.
It's yesterday. I follow one more order of my tango profesores L&L: Go, buy shoes at Ar-Sil! I Hate buying shoes. They never fit, I don't like the colors, they are too expensive! There is always a reason to be annoyed when buying shoes. But this time, it's different! At Ar-Sil the shoes are tailor-made. No more compromises between the shorter left foot and the narrower right one. I get messured, and then it comes! "Señor, pick style and colores, por favor". Jesus, Mr. Can't-Decide has to pick... It takes me ages... What kind of leather? Which color? Wing tips, or no schnick schnack at all? Well, in the end, it's two pairs - one a bit more in classic black style (taco 3), another pair in brown with two different types of leather (taco 2). Here we go - a new shoe fetishist is born! But I doesn't end here.
The bells ring in my mind and Lars says: "... and if you think you need shoes to practise - go to...". I'll take that one as an order as well... Off to Riobamba #10, 10th floor - where a neighbour of Fabio Shoes tells me, that the shoes are too expensive, bad in quality and ugly. "But I don't really know, I don't dance tango", she goes on. "Yeah right", I think to myself, turn around and open the door to Fabio. There I find another pair - just like made for my feet. And off to the next shop!
6 steps out of Riobamba #10 it monsoons down on me. I get soaked - my other shopping plans are being washed away - for now. Thanks God, the rain started pooring down on me!!!
I felt stupid in many places - but I can't recall such a concentration of "feeling stupid" i one place, ever!
The language... it seems like the people understand my Spanish more or less - the other way around it's a clear "less". It must be the Italian twist in the accent here - which gets me totally confused. For example, in a shop my simple reply "Si" to the lady at the register, caused her to take away the bags with the goods I just bought. Frantically I tried to get them back. And WOW, what a look I got of the woman, while trying! I guess she didn't take me for a bloody turist at first... And how should I have known, that the supermarkeds her offer home delivery!??
Or the story in San Telmo (a bit like Montmartre in Paris without the hills)... where you find tango dancers and musicians in the streets. During a guided tour by la panameña and her friends, we went to eat at a restaurant that offered a free tango show. Everything was just perfect. Listening to the music, seeing the dancers do their thing... But then, after a plate of pasta and a nice Wiener Schnitzel Argentinian style, somebody tapped me on my back. It was the lady dancer, who had just performed. After telling her I had a broken foot, that I was blind on one eye, and didn't have rythm anyway, she dragged med up onto the stage. Here I was and everybody was watching... At that point, I hadn't seen a dancefloor in about 3 month. Now, how stupid do you think I felt!?!! That wasn't really the way I had imagined my first dance with an Argentinian women in BA! But I guess, the setting never is a 100 % perfect...
And there are more stories - like the one a day after at my first practica (Villa Malcom) when a Canadian dancer asked me: "Oh, so I am your first one...." Ha... Haha... Not easy beeing a legal alien in BA...
In the Lonely Planet, one can read: An Argentinean asks a Spaniard: "Which country is closest to Heaven?" The Spaniard replies a bit pissed off: "Argentina, I suppose...". "No", goes the Argentinean, "It's Uruguay!" *
As told, I followed the orders of my tango instructors L&L to find myself a place to live in Palermo. And now I know why! Palermo must be the gate to Heaven. Here you'll find everything you can ask for! Cafés, little squares, restaurants, massage/alternative medicine institutes and shops, shops, shops - of all kinds, in sizes, with the oddest things you can imagine! I wonder if one of the L's went mad here in the shops, while the other L seriously started to worry about the budget. At least - I do worry about mine!
But of course there are other parts of town, too - not less tempting...
* For the ones who didn't get it, please check the map.
One the plane from Panama City to Buenos Aires (BA) I wonder how the whole show will go down in the big mentrople in the South of this Great Continent. In order not to get ripped off in the very beginning (maybe movies like Nine Queens aren´t the best thing to watch before you go to BA) I start a converstion with a young lady from Panama, studying in BA. Jovana assures me she´d help me when we´d get there. And she ain´t a liar, I tell you!
So anyway, transport problem is solved. Housing is worse; the agency I contacted to rent an apartment from never answered my request...
After a 8 hours flight and a non-stop-talking-woman from Honduras, Jovana and I take a cab togther. At 4:50 a.m., she directs the taxista to a hotel she stayed at, during her frist night in BA. But of course - it´s booked out. so are the next two we check. In the end, my friendly companion is sick of the game and offers me to crash at her place. Gladly, I accept. When arriving at Jovana´s, her flat mates get up - kiss us on the cheeks and fall asleep again... and so do we.
Too early, I wake up, it´s hot already and the clock doesn´t even show 10 a.m. It worse than in Cuba - a lot worse. When Jovana, now my guide in town, and I head for the rental agency - I am dying in my long pants and 23 kilo on my back.
At the agency I am able to rent an apartment in Palermo (Soho) for slightly more than I hoped for, but with a bit better standard. The only problem: I can´t really pay the rent - and nobody in this world is able to help me :-( The withdrawl at banks is limited to 2/3 of the total costs. But after some discussion and promisses, I get the appartment anyway. When I finally can enter mi casa, it´s 7 p.m. After moving in and some shopping (there´s a new chef in town!), I´ll head for the pool party at one´s of Jovana´s friends house.
Life in BA so far has been good to me - at 2 a.m. I hit the sack. The first BA-hurdles are overcome. Tomorrow I´ll take it easy - I´ll get to know the neigborhood, plan the tango adventure, take some pictures and do my blog chores. And that´s where I am now. You are up-to-date! Thanks for reading! Abrazos desde Buenos Aires!
is over... And it´s time for a Cuba-Conclusion:
Wow, this is hard! It´s been to weeks in hell and back - as well as in paradise. First of all and conclusion 1: I won a friend - no doubt about that. We didn´t know each other much - about 30 hours in total - spread over about a 16-month time. Well, it´s been a blast with the Tomy! Seems like the more the oppresion of the Cuban system got to us - the the more we bonded. If I´ll ever go back to Cuba - it´s gotta be with the DUDE.
The "allways happy Cubans"... To be honest - I met more desperate, impolite, and unmotivated Cubans then happy and energetic ones. Many where desperate to get the Convertable Peso (CUC), which is so neccesary for survival. Many were impolite and hostile (if you didn´t give them the CUC they begged for, if you didn´t buy the crap they tried to sell to you, if you didn´t invite them for a drink, or didn´t want to buy the hooker they would have liked to oranize for you). Living and working in the Cuban system isn´t motivating - everybody get´s the same - no mather how they do their job, it seems like. Some went out of their way for us (or better - where service-minded) - like Miguel our favorite bar keeper at the hotel St. John´s. Ohters tried to f*** us over at any possible moment - like the security gard at the same hotel, oranizing "cheap" taxi fares for us - which were between 25 and 50 % more expensive (too bad we never fell for that grey ghost), or the waiter at the air port, who wouldn´t even bother to return the change which was 25 % of the whole amount he got from me.
BUT of course there were the people which smiled, who where helpful and and friendly, where money (almost) was secondary: the black marked cigar dealer for example, who invited us to his wife´s birthday party and our guarding angel in Viñales, plus a few more. Conclusion 2: The myth of the "always happy and friendly Cubans" is: BUSTED. And why should they be? Education and free health services still don´t fill the belly. And, how friendly can you get, when contact with the tourists is unwanted by the State?
Cuban food: We got severed things we odered, and things we didn´t order. We paid too much, and made bargins. We had creative chefs and chefs which problably never even heard of the word creative. Conclusion 3: The Creolian kitchen is a good one - but it takes a bit luck as well as trail and error to find the kitchens which are capable or interested of delivering the good Creolian kitchen. My tip: Bring your own spices - I mean it! And give them away before you leave. Eat at "Julia´s" and "Bar Monserate" in Havana Vieja and hit the local-peso pizza-joint at the corner on St. Rafael about 3 blocks far from hotel Inglaterra away from from the oldtown.
Conclusion 4: Bringing along presents for children was luggage weight well spent! It was indescribable to see the kids smiling, or the uncertain looks as if an angel with a gringo-look just had fallen from the sky. It´s the children´s thankful smiles with made up for the behavior of many desillusioned, hard struck adults in the Cuban society.
Conclusion 5: Communication is a luxury in Cuba. The internet is expensive for us - and must be unaffordable for locals. Blogging is a major effort but as Kjartis correctly comments: "to keep us readers envious.... Must be half the fun!". By the way, did you know that: 1 SMS costs a Cuban one CUC. That is the17th part of our Viñales tour guide´s monthly salary...
Political discussions - yes, we had them. Usually the were possible when there was only one Cuban around; came another and the topic changed... I talked to one women in particular which was as open as can be. She could point out the good things the revolution has brought to the pueblo: education, health services, less illiteracy than in Italy, zero violence etc. But the lack of freedom of speech and travel, two currencies which make the local´s life very difficult, etc she was very open about, too. Other Cubans had a more one-sided preception - either for or against the whole thing. To my question "What do you think will happen when Fidel ..." - I once got: "Nobody knows - maybe it gets worse!?". Conclusion 6: Cuban politics and the system - there is no easy answer found. It´s many shades of grey and there are several "democracies" which work worse than socialism in Cuba. There are winners in the society - but there are many losers too, and it´s unsettling not to have the answer, not being able to help or change as much as you´d want to.
Blessed to be able to live in Norway, I guess I am a bit spoiled. Still, have to say - the beauty of the island touched my soul, not to mention the sun which made up for so many dark days back home. I love the island´s features - and in terms of nature I wouldn´t think twice if I´d get a free ticket to Cuba one day! Conclusion 7: Cuba´s nature is a pearl!
Conclusion rum: There is only one rum produced in Cuba - Havana Club! Forget Barc... What´s the name again? And Bucanero i quite a drinkable beer, too!
Conclusion 9: I don´t have the conclusion for everything! But a last noe... there is:
Would I go back? Well, Conclusion 10: Yes, I could imagine to visiting Cuba again. But I guess, that would be after a regime change - and then I wonder if the reason might contain a touch of soical pornography... To put it that way: I´d rather recommend people to visit other Latin-American countries, if they never have been to the Americas - countries like Mexico, Peru or Ecuador. And of course, there is Argentina - I have to write that because that´s where I am now - and the owner of the internet cafe, makes me do it ;-)
Yes, Cuba has certainly been my most controverse trip ever, a 2-weeks rolercoaster. I am glad I did it. I am glad I had good company, I am glad didn´t get sick - and I am glad it´s over.
Buenos Aires - awaits me with it´s over 14 millions within the city limits, el tango - scares the sh*t out of me. And I already got a story to tell, beginning on the plane from Panama City...
We have passed the 'last 24 hours' mark. On our to do list we have wiped out: the Museo de la Revolucion, a cigar factory, another shopping tour at our favorite fair, a baseball game, a bongo course for the up and coming musician Matzito de Santiago and a little trip to Shakira's Laundry Shop, where there is nothing 'underneath' our clothes.
Still to go tonight: Getting laundry, a last mojito, a daiquiri at Floritida, a dinner at Julia's, a bongo buy on the black marked and of course and - a last night full of Cuban Sabor spiced up with a salsa tune or two, together with our two Danes.
Rob is afraid to go home - gotten so used to the 23 degrees at night in Cuba... As for me, a Cuba Conclusion is to be written on the plane down south to Buenos Aires - as one door opens and hopefully another one opens (so far I haven't got any response to my housing inquieries...).
Cuba Conclusions ... to be continued...
A Beautyful Day - our first glimpse at the beach of Cayo Lavisa.
Wild Honey - Cuba as a whole!
Bad - stomach.
Stuck in the Moment - or in Vinales without a visa!!!
Misterious Ways - but somehow everything works out...
In God's Country - in the valley of Vinales.
All I want is you - Diet Coke, Robins water of life.
Zoo Station - there you can rent a bed, too!
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - the autopista and other towns in Cuba.
Running to Stand Still - the toilet.
Exit - on the autopista, they are meassured in hours - don't miss your's!!!
One - nice culo!!!
All Because of You - George W. Bush!!!
One Step Closer - to home and love, says Robin.
Even Better Than the Real Thing - Cuban cigars bought on the black marked.
Sunday, Bloody Sunday - the budget is running low and no church to pray in.
Party Girl - lots of them!
Discoteque - where you get offered everything except a drink!
Angel of Harlem - many of those, mostly seen in the arms of white 50-year old men.
And then there is Phil Collins! Seems like Fidel has found a popy way to motivate the people and keeping up the illusion having played "[...] another day for you and me in paradise..." over and over again - all over the island.
We find the best paladar ever in Cuba - el jefe - Uhvaldo, who is to find in the Lonely Planet Cuba. He also has a casa. What ever you'll eat there - you'll love it!!!
We take a little hiking tour through the valley, tabaco farm, eat freshly harvested bananas and I have to watch some dudes climb in the Cuban climing Eldorado - I almost puke, not beeing able to take part. Though, I manage a boulder problem I call "La visa ,no tengo".
Batman's friend, Robin - gets to know a boxer, Juan, which becomes the second cigar supplier of our trip. My the Gods of customs be friendly the 2nd of February!
After a good nights sleep without zoo, kids AND a working shower - Robin Hood, and his accomplice Hermano Tuck take another buss with the two Danes - heading for the northern Coast - Cayo Lavisa. On our way we enjoy Robin's Ipod and we find out - U2 must have been to Cuba!
We arrive at the bus station 1,5 minutes before the bus to Vinales leaves. Todo bien! Of course, on the bus, one has to speak to foreigners and again, four languanges come in handy (especially speaking German with a Peruvian, who speaks Swedish as well...?...).
Finally in Vinales, we meet a Danish couple and hook up to find a casa. We follow a skinny guy to his house. His wife uses all of her 5 Spanglish words to make us comefortable. THEN... we get asked to show our visas (a loose piece of paper not stapled into the passaporte). We've never been asked before - but here in Vinales, a small farming communi(s)ty - no visa, no casa!!!
So we leave, as do the Danes, in socialistic solidarity.When we explain our problem to other casa owners - all we get are smiles; but a cold hand.
"You see, her everything is pequenio, everybody talks - without visa we have to pay a 1000 pesos in fines ( equals 1000 euro)".
But there lives an angel in town, who works hard to get us a roof over our sunburned scalps. "If not find somesing, you sleep here - I not afraid!" The guy has got cojones!
After 4 hours... a women shows up, taking us to another amiga, who leads us to two other houses, of which the latter says " Entra! 20 pesos" (double the price...). We are very happy and say "Yes", not knowing that a whole zoo, a crying baby and a snoring husband awaits us when we get home after we have had a marvelous at who elses house - the Angel's.
The next day we move casas. Hoping for better conditions the following night.
We are a bit worried not to find the autopista to Havana - but somehow - there are more signs toward Havana then from... We drive into the mountains (very jungle-like) and get a good view over the southern coast. On the peak I meet a man of the mountains, who fights the bush (like all Cubans) to keep the road open. He gives me vital informations which I understand at least 50 % of. I leave some of ours and Mona's gifts with him - pencils etc. for his kids, soap and a kitchen sponch for the family. On our way, we meet many children - and whenever we are able to stop in time (the breaks of the rental car are, well, you know...) we give them something - we even risk to give a younger man a lift. Mountain people - good people!
Along the road we read many signs like Hospitality - Dignity - Revolution! Propaganda - Fidel has figured it all out!
What hospitality means we'll soon find out in Viñales - but first we have a 360 Cuban style on the autopista and a good night's sleep in Havana.
We leave St. Clara on the the autopista heading for Trinidad. Too bad we can't find the right exit and drive an extra 100 km. We start to wonder if it's only us or all the turists having these problems...? But we get there eventually - and find a casa in La Boca (the mouth), a nice village by the sea on the southern coast of Cuba. No wonder Mr. Hemmingway was hanging around on this island - no wonder he got the Pulitzer prize for The Old Man And The Sea. Even I get inspired to write...
The casa owner rips us off - but we've gotten used to it. As a revenge we do not eat at his house - a thing we regret - at the Grill Caribe - we get the worst food , yet. So, after dinner we have a guerilla pick-nick at the shore with crackers, salsa and Havana Club añejo. Satisfied we fall asleep just before 11 pm - our earliest night so far.
After a continental breakfast, we have our bearings on Trinidad - probably the most beautiful, colonial style city in Cuba. Here people are less aggressive selling things, but we feel the competition between the salesmen and women - prices are not discussed aloud - the vendors have dozens of amounts crossed out on the palms of their hands; and it's not even 11 am.
One of the more aggressive ladies on the streets leads us to a private owned restaurant. This time we are lucky! The got lobster (which is illegal to sell for non-governmental restaurants). A plate costs 8 euro - the taste is indescribable good - and the last bites almost make our bellies burst.
Content we leave Trinidad, with yet another Che T-shirt - next stop Havana.
"The night life in Havana is dead!" says the waiter at "Julia", a paladar with the best roasted chicken so far. And it's true. Meeting Cubans in Havana is impossible at bars - at least if you not going to pay for everything and everybody. Cubans just don't have the income. It's sad and one just doesn't get the real Cuban sabor. But we got an ace in our sleeve. On the plane to La Havana, I met an old friend of mine from Oslo who is visiting her family. We send sms back and forth and finally meet for a nice cocktailly night in the metropole.
A bit reduced we drive out of town, heading south. It takes us two hours to find the motorway. 'Bad signing' in the guide books is a joke - signs don't exist.
We drive to Che's monument, and find a casa for the night in Santa Clara. Here the locals don't bother us - or better - only very view try to get a drink. The next day we head for Trinidad and the beaches! Vamos.
Arriving late for the tour at one of the cigar factories - meet yet another amigo. "Hola, where you from? I work at the factory! You want to buy Cohibas, Montecristo - everything, I got..." We are brave this time, and follow the guy I call for "Juan". A 5 minutes walk (nothing in this city) up to stories, through 3 buildings, a bed room, a living room and saying "hi" to Juan´s wife, we get to a room with lots of cigar boxes. He strips us for all the money we got, while we leave with 75 big old cigars. Everybody is happy. The only one question is: do we get them out of the country - bought on the black market - without certificate - no chance - but Juan got us it sorted out for us. Ojala!
Now the hunt for the best Mojito begins - and it takes several - 8 or 9 - before we begin to think we are getting there. Then we have a perfect Strawberry daiquiri at "Floridita" - for lousy 6 euro each!
We gotta get out of here - see the country - soon we are heading for the south - Che´s Memorial in Santa Clara!
Blogging in Cuba is still more than just going to an internet cafè, sitting down and - GO... I assume there is about 1 terminal per 1000 turists - and it goes like this: You buy an hour time, you wait between 30 min and 1 hour, then you are able to check about 10 mails, write 3 and when just finnishing another blog item - and time is up! But at least the it´s nice and cool at the hotels and you can use their toilett and wash you hands which is especially nice after shaking hands with all my new ´hermanos´ who are willing to sell you just about anything - just not the thing you need - peace in mind.
Arrived late on the 18th and after my first communist passport control and an hour of waiting for the luggage - I got a lift to the center by a Norwegian travel agency. When I got there, my hotel wasn't really awaiting me... They actally didn't have any clue I was coming. Thanks APOLLO, I surely will recommend you after this episode ...
Robin waited at the lobby bar - connecting well with the locals. After a shower, we hit our first salsa place - where the boys (or more likely their money) attracted quite a few chicas. Life is very real here in this respect - and I got a feeling we will see more of this during our trip...
Time is running out...
Internet access sucks / I'll get back to you! matz
During earlier vacations I climbed rock and ice, got altitude sickness, went wind surfing in Italy or did other "extreme sports". In a way, this CU/BA trip seemed a bit strange i the beginning, almost boring, since the "death potential" of salsa/tango dancing, eating, photography and visiting Cuban rum- and cigar factories is close to zero.
But faith takes funny turns... Today Norwegian TV reported the condition of the father de la revolucion is worsening after three rather unsuccessful operations. Don't die on me, Fidel!
Maybe this vacation is going to be more thrilling than I ever dared to imagine!?? Wish me suerte! Regards, your personal Cuba correspondent
The tickets were booked in June 2006. The Cuban map is hanging at the office door. Three Lonely-Planet-type books on Cuba and tango dancing in Buenos Aires have been moved around the apartment for months now; without too much reading done... It's less than a week to go, my English 'play mate' got his visa just in time - and is X-ited! To make my tango adventure a perfect one, I got a 2 1/2 hours survival kit of beta on Buenos Aires of my local profesores de tango L&L - with all the do's and don't's in the European Capital of Latin America. I even found a foster home for my six beloved koi and their bad black manta friend. The technical equipment to make this trip unforgetable and shareable with the 'left-behinds' is in place, too.
So I guess, I should feel content. But...
... at the moment - it's like being in No-Man's Land. You've basically left mentally already - only the body isn't allowed to follow just yet. Additionally there are the little things still to be done before departure - or worse - the fear of the big things waiting for you when you get back. Not to mention the latent thoughts like: "I must have forgotten something...!???" or "Does everything fit into the bag, without exceeding the lousy 20k-weight limit?".
Waiting for the plane to leave is a restless-fearful period! I feel like a prenatal tourist in the 39th week - when the belly is getting really tight, and you're uncertain if the doctor is going to be a he or a she...
Oh boy, if I only could switch places with you now!
