Backpacking, Tango in Plaza Dorrego
Eight Months On the Road
Bus Through South America
By David Rice
Eight Months On the Road
Bus Through South America
By David Rice
Plaza Dorrego
Page Thirty Six
Page Thirty Six
Plaza Dorrego,
Backpacking by Bus In South America
Eight Months On the Road
By David Rice
Backpacking by Bus In South America
Eight Months On the Road
By David Rice
Page 10
Plaza Dorrego, Midnight Tango
I flew back to Santiago and hopped right on a local bus to the first class bus
terminal where I got an overnight ticket due east to Buenos Aires. In the
mid-morning I arrived in Buenos Aires and walked to the back of the terminal
where I took the Metro, locally called the Subte, to the San Telmo area, the
region where the Argentine Tango originated.
I spent five days in a hostel in San Telmo and toured the city and included the
Plaza de Mayo where Juan Peron and Eva would stand and addressed the
people. The grieving women of Buenos Aires, The Madre de la Plaza de
Mayo, still march through the city on Thursday in front of the notorious Pink
Palace, demanding to know where their loved ones had gone during the
"Dirty War."
At night I indulged myself in the real reason I had come to Buenos Aires, The
tango. My hostel was within a block the corner of Defensa and Humberto
where the Plaza Dorrego becomes an outdoor nightclub on weekends and
Tango becomes serious entertainment. The clubs get rolling at around
midnight and the party goes until dawn for the Portenos, as the people of
Buenos Aires call themselves. Tables crowd the whole square and the
paving stones in the center become a dance floor as couples demonstrate
the Argentine Tango in all its nuance. They then invite everybody to dance the
tango.
I love to watch the dance and was encouraged to try myself a few times,
inviting a lady who was standing nearby. We both laughed as we went
through the motions and tried a few dances in a vain attempt to master the
complicated steps. We then sat back down and had a drink and enjoyed the
show.
I have danced all my life but the tango is difficult to learn, especially when it
includes several regional versions.
Without my felt hat and suspenders I just couldn't let my inner dancer free.
I flew back to Santiago and hopped right on a local bus to the first class bus
terminal where I got an overnight ticket due east to Buenos Aires. In the
mid-morning I arrived in Buenos Aires and walked to the back of the terminal
where I took the Metro, locally called the Subte, to the San Telmo area, the
region where the Argentine Tango originated.
I spent five days in a hostel in San Telmo and toured the city and included the
Plaza de Mayo where Juan Peron and Eva would stand and addressed the
people. The grieving women of Buenos Aires, The Madre de la Plaza de
Mayo, still march through the city on Thursday in front of the notorious Pink
Palace, demanding to know where their loved ones had gone during the
"Dirty War."
At night I indulged myself in the real reason I had come to Buenos Aires, The
tango. My hostel was within a block the corner of Defensa and Humberto
where the Plaza Dorrego becomes an outdoor nightclub on weekends and
Tango becomes serious entertainment. The clubs get rolling at around
midnight and the party goes until dawn for the Portenos, as the people of
Buenos Aires call themselves. Tables crowd the whole square and the
paving stones in the center become a dance floor as couples demonstrate
the Argentine Tango in all its nuance. They then invite everybody to dance the
tango.
I love to watch the dance and was encouraged to try myself a few times,
inviting a lady who was standing nearby. We both laughed as we went
through the motions and tried a few dances in a vain attempt to master the
complicated steps. We then sat back down and had a drink and enjoyed the
show.
I have danced all my life but the tango is difficult to learn, especially when it
includes several regional versions.
Without my felt hat and suspenders I just couldn't let my inner dancer free.
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