Traveling Tango

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Tango in Petra, Jordan

What an amazing place that is Petra.

The landscape strerches for miles filled with red rock formations. Some are very rounded forms that were pounded into softer shapes by the mileninial forces of geology and the wind. There are very few places with sharp peaks, but occasionally a few pyramid shaped rock mountains.

The elevation is 850 meter [2700 ft], the air is very dry with very fine particales of dust. The heat of the day sun can be intense, its important to stay in the shadows.
There are days when the wind blows then the air is cooler but dirtier.

And the tango was amazing.

Tangeros from many places in the world gathered at this beautiful location.

The organizers, Fantasia Arts with Waheed and his partner, Marina are based in Dubai. This was their first tango marathon event they produced.

They were meticulous in their planning the event, all the staff members were highly effective in problem solving and masters of logistics. [A big shout out to Waheed & Marina and all helpers]

For me, visiting historical places and dancing tango are a great combination.

[There are quite a few marathons at amazing places, Ephesus and Pamakkale, both in Türkiye and Lesbos and Somos, Greece to list a few events.

The accommodations ranged from outdoor tenting shared public bathroom to deluxe modules that contained a bed and a bathroom. After all that’s all we really need.

The camp location of Little Petra Beduin Camp was close to the main area of big Petra, about 15 minute ride away.

The milongas were held in a pavilion close to the open fire pit area. At the pit area, tea was served nightly by the camp staff wearing beduin or desert costume clothes. This tea area was great for nightly socialing before the milongas. The tea was delicious.

In the evenings,when the weather cooled down substantially, the warmth of the tea was wonderful. The only thing missing was a bit of live music.

The pavilion for the milongas was an oval shaped glass enclosed building with touches of the beduin life, ie carpeted walls and floor pillow seating areas, and then tables and chairs for the milongas.

The tango djs were marvelous in their music selections especially DJ George from Cypress and Eray from Ankara. Fantastic music to dance to.

With 2 Milongas a day there was dancing from 3 to 7 and then a dinner break from 7 to 9 and then the milonga from 10 to 4 am. Breakfast was served daily from 8 to 11.

The food was delicious, lots of salads and meats.

Pretty varied assortment of food for being in the middle of the dessert!

What a joy to have so many talented and delicious tangeros gathered together for 3 days in the dessert.

Can’t wait to do it again.

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Bye bye, Istanbul Again.

After living in Turkey for the past three months, it is time to depart.

We have danced Tango in Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Ankara, and Samsun.

We have traveled as far south as Antalya and as far east as Trapzon. West to Gelibuli. We have traveled by car, bus and plane. In Turkey, it’s so easy to take the bus, but very limited in train travel.

The larger cities have good bus, tram and train systems.. but as to a schedule, maybe, kindof and its possible.
The driving in Turkey is for the mostly good. Most of the commonsense rules of driving etiquette are employed. Flash your light’s means I want to pass you, so move over. Horn honking is very prevelant all over Turkey. For any reason, honk your horn, although I read it is prohibited after 10pm?

But the occasional crazy left turning from the right lane occurs.
The rules in bigger ciites are no rules for me but there are for you. Sound familiar? Florida?

Next on our travel list of locations is Petra Jordan.

Couldn’t resist going to this new marathon, as I have always wanted to visit this part of the world.
All those old desert stories come to mind.
Now add tango. We’re in.

We get to stay in Aqaba Jordan on the gulf of Aqaba for a few days before going out yo Petra. Hoping to visit Wadi Rum too.

This part of the world is similar yet foreign.

My eyes are accustomed to seeing large swaths of green forests of the northwest USA or beiges of the prarie plateaus of Argentina.

It will be a visual change to view the vast lands of deserts and sandstone canyons and the differences in the colors of the landscape.

Hot days, cool nights and lots of tango!!!

Abrazo

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2023 New Zealand Tango Festival

Guest Essay:

Jan Sheeley of Seattle

A beautiful blend of learning and milongas.

Thinking about taking an overseas tango adventure?

Let me recommend an experience of a lifetime, the New Zealand Tango Festival.

This mid-year festival is hosted by the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand on the southern tip of the north island and situated on beautiful Oriental Bay.

I first learned about the festival back in December of 2019 and was booked for the following 2020, but alas COVID presented and canceled my plans.

Fun times visiting with a great friend (left), Christine Sampson, and the author, Jan Sheeley (right)

So, as country borders opened and festivals began again, 2023 became an option for me. It was not just the idea of discovering a new country and their tango passions but spending time with old tango friends who had moved to New Zealand and rekindling kinship.

The festival itself was so well organized with the classes and first night Milonga located in the
Te Whaea – National Dance and Drama Center, a beautiful facility with plenty of space and perfect floors for dance. Entry was fast and seamless with a mandatory wristband.

But, in case you did not sign up for all the classes, there was an ongoing Milonga in the main hall most of every day, but especially during the break periods and lunchtime. Can I say that was a fabulous idea!

Along with that extra effort, the staff team made sure all the classes were perfectly matched, follow and lead before the start of each class. Can I say that in itself was a huge bonus!

I wanted to change a class during the festival, and although I could have completed it online, the staff team quickly looked up what could be done and helped me with what I needed.

One of the other facility features that was convenient was a food stand with hot and cold food during the day and alcoholic beverages in the evening.

Many Milongas were held around the festival.
I arrived on a Wednesday at lunchtime and was whisked away to the first Milonga on that same night.

Thursday presented a lunchtime Milonga called the Fringe, located in the CBD (Central Business District) right in the downtown waterfront, in a charming bar. Food, beverages, and tango. What could be better!

Wellington is a beautiful city full of heritage and culture. You can visit the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, right on the waterfront, which is full of the Maori history, or take a local ferry to visit the other side of the bay.

And if you want to spend a little more time in a car hop over to the wine country for a tase of the beautiful Pino Noir red wines! The CBD (Central Business District) is so close and filled with a multitude of restaurants and bars.

I can’t say enough about the wonderful time I had, the friendliness of the people, especially the leads. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff to make the whole festival the best experience I could ever have. This is one festival going on my “going again” list.

Travel notes:

Getting to New Zealand and Wellington from the USA.
Many airlines can get you to Wellington, I came from Seattle and chose Quantas through Sydney.

You need visas to enter both Australia (even as a pass through) and New Zealand, which are easy to obtain online but know they are necessary for entry and stay.

Overall cost – for me from the USA the full price including all the classes was about $250 so very reasonable.

All prices for the events, accommodation, and classes are posted in NZ dollars.

Super Instructors:
And yes, there were fabulous teachers, both local and international. There were special imersion courses before and after the festival for those wanting deep and personal instruction. These classes fill fast – if they are of interested, make sure you sign up early.

For a full view of all the teachers, hotel accommodation, and festival events, visit the website https://nztangofestival.co.nz/

All local milongas in Wellington could be found on this website https://tangowellington.org.nz/milongas/

Jan Sheeley (center) with good friends Christine Sampson (right)
and Jamie Steele (left)

Thank you, Jan, for all the information and for sharing your tango adventure. It was so nice to read about other tango events in the world, I hope you enjoy this new feature on travelingtango.com

Thank you for reading.

Abrazo y besitos , Ruth

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Baby…IT’S HOT !!!

So today, for the first time in 10 days, the weather is glorious and only 89 with a little wind.

The recent heat wave that engulfed not only Turkey but most of southern Europe really was a wake-up call for many.

Physically dealing with this kind of heat meant staying indoors, most of the day until 18 or 19 hours in the evening.

One day we went on a boat ride to escape the weather.

And even then, when venturing out, you were immediately hit by a wall of heat. OMG. It literally takes your breath away.

So, I’m trying to imagine dancing tango under these conditions.

Yes, we tried to tango at quite a few local Antalya milongas. At most, the air conditioning could not keep up, and the added body heat made it unbearable for me.

I found myself stopping dancing after 2 songs. Trying to dance a full tanda of 4 songs was impossible for me.

At this point, that is an advantage in Turkishtango as you dance on an open embrace. So very little body contact.

Me, I just can’t do this, as Argentinetango to me is a close embrace.

Period.

With lots of indoor time, I spend some time reading on social media. Came across this article, which I would like to share.

Dimintri from the Tango Parnter app recently released the results of a survey he conducted about people’s opinions on Milongas, whether it’s friendly or has terrible dancing. He wrote about his belief that it’s the responsibility of the organizer to be aware of all situations. Good and Bad

Heres the link to article:

https://thecurioustanguero.com/better-milongas-lets-make-it-happen/

I will just comment on one that I have experienced.

As we have attended many milongas in İstanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya and marathon s in Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia and Antalya and in Spain: Tarragona, milongas in Madrid and Barcelona.

In both countries, we are the foreigners, and we have had a mixed reaction to us. Not really welcoming or either shunned, just accepted or ignored by locals. I would say not much curiosity.

It is an issue as I love to dance tango, and my body is enchanted by the music. I move in my seat to the rhythm of the music.

My partner is the same, as he plays a bandeon and probably knows most of the tango orchestras and singers. So together we are musical as dancers and only dance Argentinetango.

We are not shy people.
We are very kind people.
We love to share in Tango.

So here’s an idea for organizers of Milongas and festivals.

Would it be so difficult to have a table or chairs set aside and marked for visitors. This way, all the locals would know are visiting?

And for Marathons, would it be so difficult to have a table or two reserved for first-time event attendees?

Or maybe a section for foreigners, so locals can choose to meet the travelers?

Maybe we should get buttons made that say in the local language:

We are visiting from Buenos Aires and look forward to a tanda?

I find most tangeros are wonderful once the ice is broken and conversations happen, but there is no reason for attitudes of superiority or inferiority as we are all people who should treat each other with respect and kindness and continue to dance tango.

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Moving south

Me and my scooter at the park in İzmir, next to the Egyptian Obelisk

We have spent 2 lovely weeks in Izmir, a large metropolitan city located on the Agean Coast of Turkey, the Asian side. Sitting on the mouth of a huge bay, Izmir is the 3rd largest city in Turkey with an active harbor and lots of ferries criss crossing the city.

The hotel residence we stayed in was located in Alcansak. A very lively neighborhood of the city, a bit north of Konak. The hotel residence was simple, with a large double bed, bathroom and a little kitchen area where were able to prepare our daily breakfasts.

The waterfront at night filled with families

We were surrounded by amazing restaurants and bars. Fast food, slow food, Turkish food, and some international foods.

We were close to a nearby house of transvestite prostitues. It’s a little different setting. Nightly when out walking, there they were chatting up customers and others locals. Was pretty wonderful to observe as no one seemed to care what their sex was or wasn’t. I would imagine that their attention was welcomed by some community members.

Always trying to locate milongas in the city we visit, we use Facebook, Instagram, and word of mouth contacts. In Izmir, we found a few milongas. As is typical when traveling, some are very open and welcoming. Other milongas are not open and can be less welcoming to strangers.

But what we loved about all this dancing was all the enthusiasm. Almost always very exuberant. It’s very dizzying to watch.

In Turkish Tango, there are many giros. In fact, it is the most used step in an open embrace. It’s more like gymnastics and not much walking.

In many milongas we attended in Turkey, the dancers prefer an open embrace for dancing tango.

I am not sure if this style of embrace is because of a possible cultural taboo or a learned experience.

But it is definitely very different from Argentina Tango.

The music played is Juan Darienzo, Hector Varela, Anibal Troillo, and other orchestras that have a fast driving beat.

Not much music by De Sarli or Pugliese, Fluevio Salamanca is played as this music is more playful, soft, and very romantic.

We are definitely Argentina Tango dancers as we love to caminando, and we dance. We listen to the music, and we take turns playing with spaces between the music. But most importantly, we are corazón to corazón in a close embrace. And enjoying every minute of it.

Next stop, Kaş on the Mediterran Sea.

Abrazo y Besos

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The Joy of Traveling

Istanbul, the city of many mysteries and relics from the past, offers its visitors an amazing experience.

As we like to be local when we travel, we ride the buses, take the trains, trams and ferries all over this vast city of 15 million

It is such a huge city that it can take up to two hours to cross from an outlying sections to the edge of the city by the Bosphorus Sea and not even cross to the Asian side of the city, which can stretch for another two hours.

There is so much traffic that to go any distance by bus is a minimum of an hour, and depending on traffic can take up to two hours to go 8 km.

But the views and the people are wonderful.

Bodies are packed very close together, but the men are mostly respectful of the women and children.

Sometime you enter the bus in front and pay with your pass. Other times on crowed buses, you are entering from the rear doors.

To pay for your journey, you hand your bus pass to the next person, and they send it forward to the driver to pay your fare.

Minutes later, your pass comes back in the same manner.

Passing forward or back. But to me, the amazing part is that it gets returned.

Ride the tram on Sultanamet, and you pass the ancient Roman sistern, the Hagia Sofia, the Blue mosque, and parts of the ancient aqueduct system that brought water into Istanbul in the times of the Roman Empire.

Add to this visual mixture, the restaurants and the variety of foods and goods to buy and enjoy, and before you are even aware, a week has gone by. You might even be a bit exhausted.

Then there’s the Tango world here.

Remember Türkiye is a country of Muslims but not a Muslim country.

There are two types of tango danced here, Argentinetango and Turkishtango.

Closed and open embrace.

Using Hoy Milonga and Facebook, it is possible to find all the milongas here.

But be aware that some are in old buildings with no elevators and a 4th or even 5th floor walk ups.

While others are in restaurants and bars, almost none are on street level.

The problem for me is the number of people here who are smokers. There seems to be many more tango dancers that smoke here in İstanbul than in Buenos Aires.

Smoking is not allowed inside but only outside on the terraces and decks.

As to admission prices range from
80 T ₺ to a high of 125 ₺ [similar to prices in BsAs about 800 peso to 1500 pesos.

At my favorite milonga at the Armada Hotel, for example. This milonga has been going on for 24 years. There are tables surrounding the floor, while at Tangoist, Tango Nar [ all in Tasksim], there are chairs against the wall.

Sometimes, the host seats you at a table, and other times, it is free for all. Turks do not believe in saving seats, even if all your stuff is left there, someone else will sit there.

The most wonderful part of this…
Yes, there is Argentinetango all over the world to find.

So far this year, we have danced in Spain and in Turkey. In September, we are off to Petra, Jordan for a marathon.

Traveling just takes time, money and patience.

Making new friends and discovering a new place for a milonga in any given country is why we travel.

To be able to dance, to travel and enjoy all that is there, is truly a gift.

With gratitude to you my reader, who encourages me to write and foto.

Abrazo

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Madrid Toledo Tarragona Granada Barcelona Girona

Dusk over the city from the top floor of NH Hotel, near Rambla Catalunya

Bon Dia. It’s been 25 days since we left Argentina on April 30th.

We have traveled by plane, fast train, slow train, taxi, metro bus, tram, funicular and teleferico, but mostly on our feet.

In walking, we have averaged close to 6 km a day. 12,000 steps. That means that in the past 25 days, we have walked approximately 150 km.

The sights we have seen are beautiful, both modern and antique. The Alhambra of Grenada. The Prado in Madrid and the Sagrada Family in Barcelona. The old cities of Gerona and Toledo. And many other smaller sites.

We danced Tango at a festival in Tarragona called Salou Tango, which was small and intimate.

In Madrid, while finishing a cup of tea, we ran into a friend at the same restaurant whom we knew from Tango in Buenos Aires…he lives part-time in Tel Aviv, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires. The small world of tango.

We danced tango in Madrid at the Milonga de Bulin on Calle Jacometrezo…again a small club with an excellent floor, with the typical arrangement of chairs and the women sitting on them. Smiling and sitting. Waiting.

The milongas in Granada are on the weekend, so we didn’t get to dance there. But we did see two amazing Flamenco shows from two different families.

And in Barcelona we have danced at Milonga de Emocion, Milonga del Angel and Club Tinta Roja.

Dancing tango in Barcelona is very sweet as the leads are nice and the conversation flows as with the usual, Where are you from? In Spanish, with a Cantaluynia twist.

What we did notice was the difference in the music, TDJ’S played lots of Darienzo, lots of strong rhythms, but not much Pulieses or Disarle.

There are dancers who use an open embrace, and others that dance closed embrace, but a good time is had by all. Another lovely element was we would run into dancers that we had met from the festival in Salou and other milongas in Barcelona. Very cozy.

The one thing we noticed that was different from BsAs is the feeling of the Milongas, I find the Catalunya/ Barcelona folks to be non emotional crowd. Maximo tells me it’s how the people are here. Very reserved. He was born in Girona and lived in Barcelona many years ago. He’s not only a lovely tangero and partner but a good guide as he lived and danced in many barrios in Barcelona.

But it’s Tango!!!

Daily life in Spain is different from Argentine as everything here functions all the time. The electrical power, the internet, the public buses and trains, and the amazing quality of food… but it is pretty ironic, we meet so many people who have moved here from Argentina. They love and miss their country, but they do not love how everything doesn’t work there. They like getting paid in a currency that functions all the time and does not fluctuate wildly and daily like the peso.

The old grandeur that is Barcelona, I love but yet all the old and antique has a function and is purposely recycled into something new.

The old Torredor ring transformed into restaurants and shopping.

This city is alive and breathes… you can feel it in the streets, in the food, in the cafes and while walking along the ramblers of the city looking for another cafe for a coffee.

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My friend, Eduardo Saucedo

At the Seattle Tango Boot camp in 2018, I remember meeting Eduardo Saucedo for the first time. He is a handsome, well-built man. (He moves as a dancer, always forward and usually walking tall.)

At first, I was a bit intimidated by him, but he has this wonderful ability to make people comfortable with him. He’s charming and a gentleman.
And as a tango maestro, he is awesome.

After attending numerous group classes with him, I booked a private class with him. At first, I was intimidated to dance with him, as I was still a novice tango dancer but soon I learned to relax and did dance with him. He was an incredible lead with a delicious embrace.

That embrace was a long time ago, but one of the first steps in my understanding of the embrace and the ❤️ connection in Tango.

Today, he’s not my tango maestro, instead, he has become a very dear friend for me.

How did this happen you might ask?

When we discovered we were both living in Buenos Aires at the same time, we started going on these long walks. To sit in the park and talk. To get a coffee, then later on when it was finally possible, we added either lunch or diner.

To this day, this is a tradition we both enjoy when we both are in Buenos Aires

We just finished up a late lunch at Milion Restaurante on Parana near Sante Fe.

We talked for many hours, about the paths our lives are progressing down and future travel plans.

Eduardo is a wonderful story teller in 2 languages, but one of my favorite stories is as follows.

Young Eduardo had just started dancing tango 28 years ago. He was new to the city as having lived most of his life in Provincia de Sante Fe. Eduardo was 18 years old. He went for the first time to Salon Canning.

Imagine 28 years ago the tango scene in BsAs. When the milongeros ruled the city dance clubs. Men spent most of the day preparing for the night. They polished their shoes, wore their clean shirts with their suits, and perfumed themselves profusely.
Women totally dressed up, in tango outfits and their heels. In those days, you entered the salon wearing your heels. As it was not an acceptable practice to put your shoes on in the Milonga.

There was a young Eduardo, overwhelmed by the occasion. All the beautifully dressed men and women walking into the salon. I think he just stared in admiration and stayed in a corner, watching. Looking and watching.

Until an older woman, she walked over to Eduardo and invited him to her table. There were many older milongeros at this table. They adopted him. For nearly 4 years every Saturday, he went to Salon Canning and danced with all the milongeras.

Learning about tango in this manner, he learned about tango from the corazon. He learned the codicos of tango from these folks, especially the woman, Maria who became his Tango mom.

He did not learn his tango at the academy of Tango in Argentina. He learned from the old milongeras y milongeros that he met at Salón Canning all those years ago.

Tango from the Corazon. Tango is not about steps, it is about emotions and tango – el abrazo de tango.

This is what makes Eduardo such a wonderful maestro as he tries to teach this lesson to his students. The tango of the heart.

I truly think if you have never attended a workshop or camp of doing, your tango is missing something. The essence of tango

And all these years later, he continues to travel mostly to the US to teach workshops in Tango. He is well respected in the tango community and has officiated in many competitions as a judge.

Facebook.com/EduardosaucedoTango link below

https://www.facebook.com/eduardo.saucedotango

Instagram.com/Eduardo Saucedotango link below

https://instagram.com/saucedotango?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

As to me, we will be leaving Buenos Aires shortly, traveling again first to Spain…until them. Abrazo y Besitos 😘 💕 🤗

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Double Standards?

I have been following a couple of threads on social media that are on fire about the topic of charging foreigns a higher price admission to a Milonga than locals.

My immediate response to this practice of pricing double standard is, huh? standard?

Let’s see, this is my typical dance week.

On Mondays, I usually go to El Beso for an afternoon milonga that the price of admission is 800 pesos.

If I decide to dance on Monday evening at Nuevo Gricel, the price of admission is 900 pesos, too.

Tuesday afternoon at El Beso or Chique Nuevo on San Juan, again the admission is usually 800 or 900 peso.

Tuesday night at Tangotic Milonga at the Macedonia Hall in Almargo, the admission it is to pay what you like…or as said here …to the hat.

Wednesday night is Sueno Porteño in Palermo with an admission price of 900 peso.

Thursday back to the afternoon milonga at El beso for the admission price of 800 peso.

Friday for one of my other favorite milongas, Kiss Club at El Beso. Here admission is 900 peso.

Saturday or Sunday at the historic club Marabu on Avenida Maipu in Microcentro where admission is also 900 peso.

Now, you understand why I don’t understand the thread on social media. I pay the advertised admission at these Milongas regardless of my status of local or foreigns. That is the situation.

Remember we choose to support these Milongas. So if you don’t agree with this practice, the only answer is…don’t go there.

The milongas that I attend are usually a good mixture of locals [Portenyos] and international tourists. [Foreigns].

This works really well for a mixture of levels of dancers, as most international tourists have taken many classes, so usually are good dancers.

Quite a few Portenyos feel that as they were born with the tango spoon in their mouth, they don’t need classes.

And there are also some fabulous and amazing Portenyos who have taken many classes over the years. And it is evident in their embrace.

So be alert ⚠️. For this misnomer.

Hopefully after dancing a tanda or two,your body will not experience pain.

Many milongas are very crowded, so that makes the chances of getting stepped on or elbowed in the back are high.

At some milongas, floorcraft is best said to be an acquired skill.

And yes even here in the home of Tango, there are some woman who insist on doing high boleos on a crowded floor with high heels on.

Guess they missed the class on floorcraft !!!

Predominantly in my experience, the dancing is respectful, mutually appreciated and beautiful with the right partner.

In all my years of dancing, I have only walked off the floor early when my lead was overly pushing me around the floor and hurting my back.
This I will not tolerate in silence.

I feel so grateful that I have a delicious and talented dance and life partner.

As we Tango, Waltz & Milonga on the dance floors around the world. Abrazo to you all.

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How inflation effects daily life in Buenos Aires.

Wow. In the past when traveling, you always carried a lot of cash, especially when visiting Argentina. I disliked this as it could be risky. Now sending myself money via Western Union is so simple and easy. Their storefronts are located all over the city. The exchange rate is usually the best. I just received 365 pesos for the each dollar.

Imagine being an Argentino and being employed locally. You are paid in pesos…that would be very difficult scenario.

As inflation is now about 100%. Things still cost the same amount of money when you convert but now you must carry more bills. And the biggest denomination is 1000 pesos. In July, the government will print a new 2000 peso bill.

Going out for a coffee is now 500 to 750 pesos, depending on where you go. But you can sit as long as you want before getting your bill.

A good steak dinner for two at the local parilla with a decent Malbec is about 9000 pesos.

My groceries have gone up 100% . My favorite wine that was bought in the past for 1200 is now about 2800.

Buying cheese and meats is the same situation. Recently changed stores, as the new place has better prices than the old fiambrera.

The price for salad, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and carrot has doubled also. About 1500 pesos.

Blueberries are 800 pesos and a half a Melon is 1300.

A semi monthly pedicure is necessary when you dance tango. It is a must, and you might as well have a manicure…total $ 5500 plus a $500 propina.(tip)

Have been going to the same hair salon for almost three years to get my hair washed and blown out weekly.

This was a habit I learned while traveling. It feels so good to have someone else wash my hair. Looks great for a few days until the humidity takes over. The price three years ago was 750 pesos, today it is 2000 pesos

My wonderful hairdresser Walter, pandemic foto

Have gotten to know a few vendors and we exchange greetings in two languages. Spanish and English.

It’s pretty amazing, many people are bilingual here. The typical Argentina child studies another language when they are young …the skills are there but not many people speak English except the visitors.

AND I ĺove the enthusiasm that most Argentino display about chatting in English. Usually the first thing they say, is “My English is horrible.” I respond with no, you just need to practice more.

Around the corner is my meat market. There is a young man named Carlos, who likes to take my order. We converse in 2 languages. Me practicing my Spanish and him his English. He is studying English in school.

When people are curious about language and customs, I learn so much.

I still find people who offer to translate for me. My response to their kindness is, “No thanks.”

Yet, I prefer to struggle, as it’s the way I can learn the language .

Am trying to add more words to my vocabulary daily. Sometimes, my brain feels like it will explode.

Finding I chat all the time , trying to improve my accent…yet there are so many peeps here who speak so rapidly, it impossible to understand them.

All these different facets in the city contribute to my enjoyment of the city.

It’s so beautiful here. Even when the temperatures are in the mid 90s with 75% humidity.

But luckily for me am living here on dollars and not pesos. I so appreciate my lifestyle here is affordable, as I find the USA is very expensive now.

Abrazo y besitos

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Baby, it’s hot

It’s such a silly refrain, but right now in Buenos Aires… it is 93 degrees with 46% humidity

It’s not too bad.

Everyone reacts differently to the heat…me I can take 90 if I have shade and a breeze.

Today, we have neither, no breeze, and it is noon, so no shade. Walking if you must is only in the shade, where it feels 20 degrees cooler.

And I do live in an air- conditioned apartment.

And no, I’m not complaining.

But it made me think of my life here with such gratitude after seeing the destruction and devastating in Eastern Türkiye.

Photo courtesy of New York Times and photographer

These fotos show the destruction of homes and businesses, hospitals and school and government buildings. Bridges, highways, and local avenues are all buckled and not usable.

Temporary housing
Photo courtesy of New York Times and photographer

What a project to try and rescue folks that still might be alive in the debris, try to provide food, shelter, and warmth to this area…the job is colossal.

Continual digging and searching for buried folks. Photo courtesy of New York Times and photographer

Through my dear friend who lives in Istanbul, I and a few friends were able to get a cash donation to her. She, in turn, gave the money to a man, another friend who was able to buy food and blankets and then drive to an area of the devastation.

I know we made a difference in a few people’s lives. She thanked us for our quick response.

These donations will be needed again in Eastern Turkey and Syria for quite some time, as I think it will take years to rebuild the devastated areas, and peoples lives might never recover from their losses.

On Saturday, a man walking through the rubble of a minaret that had fallen into his yard in Kayabasi, Turkey.Credit…Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

I will take this time to suggest a donation of money or if you are able to provide services to any of the following organizations.

Doctors without borders

Https://doctorswithoutborders.org

World Central Kitchen
Feeding people fresh food in disasters all over the world.

https://wck.org/donate

Red Cross or Red Crescent
Https://redcross.org

White helmets Volunteer organization in Syria that have been evacuating people in the rubble.
Https://whitehelmets.org

Dalal Masri, 55, from Aleppo, Syria, sat with her family inside their temporary new home, a former car wash, in Antakya, Turkey, on Friday.Credit…Emily Garthwaite for The New York Times

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Friends Visiting BsAs

It’s been so great to have friends visiting…BsAs is such a lovely city to share.

Not as old as Istanbul or car centric as Miami or Seattle, BsAs manages to be an easy and small city to navigate in, whether walking or taking a bus or taxi.

BsAs has 48 different barrios, [neighborhoods].
Some that have gotten to know as Palermo, Boeda Recoleta, Puerto Madero, Belgrano, Flores, San Telmo, La Boca, Caballito Monserrat, Vella Crespo, Almargo and Balvanera. But a lot are unknown to me. All barrios are connected with the transportation system called the Sube. There are trains, buses and a subway.

I live in Recoleta and love it. This barrio is centrally located with wide boulevards, lots of trees and beautiful old buildings and very safe to walk around at night. As we usually get home from a Milonga at 2AM.

I take either the 102 or 17 colectivo (bus) anywhere I need to go in the city.

Yes, it took time to figure out where to get a card (any Şube train station)
how to reload (any store with a Şube sign in window, providing the system or machine is working)
and then figuring out how to use Google maps transit to identify your route as where you board the bus, and you must tell driver your exit stop.
Then he figures out the fare, you place your card on the little blue machine located either by the side of driver or behind the driver. The machine creaks out a beep as an acknowledgement that you have paid the fare.

Whew!!! The process is exhausting to learn and then understand and use.

Bus interior, notice the red cloths with stars coverings !

Once you do the work and understand the system you can ride anywhere in the city for 38 pesos (approximately .11 cents US). It’s a marvelous working system.

We went on a train trip to Tigre, another city about an hour north of BsAs. The cost of the roundtrip was 76 pesos (. 24 cents US).

It’s very safe and usually pretty clean. Some lines have different vendors selling food, drink or wearables. These vendors have voices that are unique and harmonious or loud and bellicose adding another layer of sound to the train. But no vendors are on the bus! Usually.

So imagine my surprise, when my visiting Kiwi friends mentioned casually they used taxis to get around everywhere in the city.

I thought hmmm. Why?

One of the important things about living in a city is to be local. That is my quirk.

What is more local than using a bus or train?

With my help, my friends learned to use the bus and I think they enjoyed the experience. In their homeland, bus service has shrunk after covid, as there are not enough drivers.

In BsAs, I noticed this odd phenomenon…not only does one bus arrives, but usually it’s 3 in a row. Why? Who knows!

So the chance to get a bus is pretty much guaranteed. If you miss one, just wait a few minutes and one will arrive.

We take buses to shop, we take buses to meet other friends for dinner and we take buses to Milongas.

But late at night, service is not very frequent. We are usually unwilling to wait 20 or 30 minutes at the bus stop, so we then take a taxi.

Getting back to living in the city, I like my experiences to be as a local. Finding my neighborhood coffee place, my small fruit and vegetable vendor. A charcuterie. A couple of local restaurants, maybe even a book store.

Getting to know the vendors, and being able to greet them and engage in a bit of chatter is important as it creates a sense of belonging in a place.

And we all need to feel as if we belong in a place, as it breaks down the barriers of isolation.

So when I travel to new, different places that I will live in, the initial places I discover are a place for coffee. Then the small market, a gluten free bakery, the butcher, the fruit stand etc. Once done, I feel home in whatever city I am in. Then I am local.

Dinner at the Parrilla with good friends from New Zealand

And when I am local, I feel as I am living my best life.

Abrazo

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Changes

December 30, 2022

With the close of 2022, comes a change or two in the tango world of Buenos Aires.

The vaulted space of Salón Canning [Parakultural] is closing and moving in the new year to Club Marabu on Maipu calle.

With out of country friends visiting, we all decided to go to this mecca of Tango.

For me, this was so sad because after entering this cavernous room, you noticed that fabulous huge tango photomural was not there. It was replaced by some mediocre small paintings or a big blank wall.

Over the years, this showcase of Tango presented some of the finest dancers and tango orchestras.

Salon Canning will be missed, but as we know, life is fluid and changes all the time.

Happy New Year, and may you enjoy your life, laugh with loved ones, and dance with the joy of being alive.

Abrazo

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And now Happy Holidays

From my house in Buenos Aires to your house I wish you wonder, joy, fun and tango in the New Year!!! Abrazo

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Home is where the heart is.

Who said that?

The phrase “home is where the heart is” means that you feel emotionally connected to a place that is not your home.

For instance, if you’ve lived abroad in another country other than your homeland for a long time, you could say that “home is where the heart is” when people ask you if you miss your home country.

The saying can also apply to situations where you’re arriving back in your homeland after being away for a long time and missing your country of birth. The expression can also apply to homes and venues, and countries.

For instance, you could be talking about your family home or an apartment that makes you feel at home.

Information courtesy of English-Grammer-Lessons.com

Am thinking about this as January marks my 3rd anniversary of living outside the USA.

Me at the recently renovated and reopened Confiteria Ideal

I know my choice is not for a lot of folks, but if you are an explorer, then this experience is something you want.

I feel alive when all in front of me is viewed for the first time. This applies to a city, a space and or a milonga. What at first is foreign, soon becomes an everyday experience.

As to my heart, living in Buenos Aires is my heart. Here in this wonderful, cacaphonic city surrounded by people expressing emotions all the time. In the street, on the bus and especially on the phone. But always forefront are the people. All heartfelt emotional connections.

I think that’s what Buenos Aires represents for me. The corazon. The heart.

This symbol is expressed not only in tango, but in the emotions of people here. Everything is always very emotional. And always an embrace. A touch, a little hug a little kiss. And always slow. Slowly.

Everything is much slower here. Everyone takes their time. And being late is not understood. Argentineans live in the moment. Not lots of planning for the future. As there might not be a future. Where the value of the pesos fluctuates like the wind.

Coffee in a cafe with a friend can easily last 3 hours, that includes the time it took you to get the menu, order from the waiter, then drink your coffee. The final step is getting your bill for the coffee. In all of that time, you have had a wonderful time chatting with a friend.

People depend solely on each other, not the government. People hold each other very dearly.

Men embrace each other and kiss on the cheeks. It is very manly here. Goes right to the corazon.

And that leads back to tango…the tango of the corazon and the abrazo.

Tango is about vulnerability. Embracing the person you are dancing with. Expressing your heart to another heart. Opening your heart to embrace another heart, be it for 12 minutes.

Listening to the music with your heart.
Moving your feet with your heart.
And listening to you partner with your heart.

That’s tango to me.
Doesn’t always happen as so many folks come to a Milonga preoccupied by life, but its worth the time to transform yourself from the everyday to the sublime.

And dance Tango.
Abrazo

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Maybe it’s time!!!

Looking into my Dreams, sculpture at Perez Museum by Jaume Plensa

While living in the USA for last couple of months, I met many folks who admired my decision to no longer live in the US. Most expressing disbelief, but saying you are so brave for living the dream in retirement. Traveling, dancing and living as an expat in different counties.

I paused to consider how to respond to the statement without seeming to be a life coach, or a smart ass.

I am blessed [and cursed] with a wonderfully logical brain and am not a sentimental person either, which is very helpful.

In hindsight and reviewing the details, I was so ready for a change.

In March 2020, I found myself at a life intersection.

In remembering those days, that was the beginning of the pandemic that became know as Covid 19.

I decided to stay in Argentina for a few reasons. Chief reason was I was searching for a way to change my life.

My previous role of a successful contemporary gallery owner was coming to a close. I had found, mentored and trained my replacement manager over the prior 2 years.

Reinvention is a wonderful process, as you get to choose what you want. Sometimes.

Having the choice to choose your action can be overwhelming on the wrong day and amazing on others.

Living in Buenos Aires offered me a place and a space to reinvent myself, as the person I choose to be. I was no longer struggling, I had evolved without carrying most of the baggage of the past.

I found this moment to be awesome. And yes Scary.

But then again I learned that I am the most alive and aware when am out of my comfort zone.

Will say packing up my rental apartment and putting all my stuff in storage was liberating. A few months later selling my home after 2 years of trying was again …liberating. Done

No more phone calls or emails about things needing fixing or so many other types of troubles. Rodents, leaves, bugs….
Done.

Being homeless is not for everyone, but have enjoyed renting or staying at different places, airbnbs, hotels, friend’s houses and apartment rentals.

So travel is always the game changer. Sometimes for the best and other times, you question your sanity.

Like booking a flight at 3pm and imagining it is 3pm in the afternoon, but forgetting most of the world uses the 24 hour clock.

Its really shocking to receive a notification, while in bed in the middle of the night, I forming you that your luggage can be picked up at carousel 3, while you are still in bed at least 300 miles away.

This was a great learning experience for the rest of the trip, but also one of the biggest laughs.

As we are returning to Buenos Aires, I look forward to the challenges of living in a city, where you can dance tango at 20 different milongas a day.

Excited and looking forward to my favorite malbec with my carne assado in this beautiful, crazy city.

Been home about a week and Buenos Aires is as exciting as ever. The city is experiencing an influx of foreigners, and it’s only November. Will expect summer to be very crowed and hot.

The jacarandá trees are blooming purple flowers and the drunken trees are blooming pink.

The air is warm, and the humidity is perfect.

Happiness At Gay pride, great costume too.

Saturday was the gay pride parade, and many parts of the city were closed to car traffic. We ended up walking thru the parade area on our way home. The exuberant crowds were wonderful as was the choripan sandwich. The music, the costumes too. Lots of sweetness in the air.

The beginning at Calderón de Soho, Palermo

Today, I had my first carne at a favorite restaurant in Palermo. Calderón de soho. The ojos de bife, practically melted in my mouth and the malbec from Nicosia Bodega was a great pairing, but we skipped the papas fritas and had an ensalada instead. And took home the leftovers.

Hmmm. So happy to be back in BsAs again.

Now onto the Milongas after my visit to my podiatrist.

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Back in Seattle, Washington,USA

Brrrr. I am cold.

Yes, laugh it is 65 degrees in Seattle and the sun is shinning. My body is used to 75 and 85 degree weather. Yes, I have turned into a weather wimp. Ahh at least it’s not raining. And the sun is shinning.

Tuesday night, we went to Gabriela’s Tango Happy Hour milonga at this fantastic restaurant, Harissa Mediterran restaurant on 65th in Seattle. There was live music, a duet of bandeon and a violin.

The restaurant is a beautiful space with wooden floors and delicious aromas of Lebanese food.

It was gratifying to see a few people that I had known before dancing tango here. I only danced 2 songs in a tanda as my foot is still tender from the a fracture in my foot. The music was good, so it’s much harder to just sit and listen, as my body really wants to dance.

Dancing at Tango Happy Hour at Harissa Restaurant Allseattlerango.com

But because I couldn’t dance, many other woman in the milinga loved having an opportunity to dance with an experienced lead. I chatted, ate some good food and drank while observing folks dancing. I was happy to do so.

On Friday, we will go to Patricio’s El Secreto Milonga in Lynnwood. There is a bit of a political controversy here, as
actions taken by the host during the pandemic were not admired by many Seattle tangeros.

The good news is he does draw folks from many tango communities and the dancing is good. The music he plays is usually fabulous. At this hall, there are only chairs against the walls for sitting, and no tables making socializing a but different. The wooden floors are nice to dance on. It’s BYOB too.

Traveling Tango

Tango in Petra, Jordan

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2023 New Zealand Tango Festival

Guest Essay:

Jan Sheeley of Seattle

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Baby…IT’S HOT !!!

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Moving south

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The Joy of Traveling

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Madrid Toledo Tarragona Granada Barcelona Girona

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My friend, Eduardo Saucedo

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Double Standards?

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How inflation effects daily life in Buenos Aires.

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Baby, it’s hot

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Changes

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Home is where the heart is.

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Maybe it’s time!!!

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Back in Seattle, Washington,USA

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Guest Essay:

Jan Sheeley of Seattle

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