Shadiness with a Side of Tango

Photos will have to wait. Turns out the one thing I forgot this trip was my USB connector for my camera. Luckily they probably sell it on the street below my temporary apartment in Buenos Aires. With 4 pairs of boxers, three shirts, two pairs of pants and two pairs of shoes we begin this 2 month escapade through South America. Luke, myself and Matt Wheeler all happened to arrive within one hour of each other in Buenos Aires. Matt was a special guest for a few hours as he had to fly to a seminary in Northern Argentina where he'll spend the next two months.

We live in a shady part of town--then again, the whole city might be pretty shady. I was warned not to walk anywhere at night because I might get mugged. Probably wouldn't be the best way to start a two month trip.

After picking up the essentials at the grocery store next to our apartment we decided to take the advice of the passenger I sat next to on the airplane. His name is Bruno. Apparently the guy worked pretty high up for the IMF at some point and he explained in exquisite detail the disaster that is the economy of Argentina thanks especially to the wonderful Cristina Kirchner -- a Marxist by trade.

With inflation in this country around 30-40%, they poorly ATTEMPT to peg the Argentinian peso to the dollar at around 5.25. Well luckily for us, Bruno explained the thriving black market of currency exchange in what we soon found out was an extremely sketchy endeavor.

We asked a few people and were informed of the closest location to our apartment. After finding a beautiful galleria, we were told to look for the store that appears to be selling paintings. We were told to walk to the back and there would be a guard sitting on a stool doing absolutely nothing and he would know why we were there. With a combined $150 we approached said man and he simply nodded and unlocked a door into a small office whose windows were entirely covered with paper--very discrete indeed.

Instead of the official 5.25 exchange rate, we were able to get 8.2 pesos for every dollar. Essentially cutting the cost of everything in this country by about 60%. Aside from the fact that we could have been shot and fed to the pigs without anyone knowing, it was a fairly simple exchange. We entered, the man in the suit sitting at the computer just said 8.2 and we nodded and handed over our dollars for far more than we could have gotten at the bank. Apparently two gringos can figure out the inner workings of a city in less than a day. A pretty good start if you ask me. If only our good friends that have traveled to this country had told us this we definitely would have brought more than a combined $150.

After this delightful experience, we decided the only appropriate way to begin a stay in the city that claims to have created Tango dancing was to head to the most famous Tango dancing place in Buenos Aires for a lesson. With great reviews on TripAdvisor, we decided to find our way to Flor de Milonga with the help of a little liquid courage. Lessons started at 7 pm and unfortunately for Luke, there were only two teachers--a man and a woman. You can guess who was stuck with the man. I have some incredibly graceful images of Luke Tangoing with a 60 year old Irishman who moved to Buenos Aires because of his love of dance. I couldn't stop laughing but apparently we are both pretty good dancers if you ask Seamus, Luke's partner for the night.

The night pretty much ended at 10 pm after three Bornean women in their 50's invited us to their table. I wish there was an interesting end to the night but it pretty much ended with us deciding the 5 people in this Tango house was as crazy as it was going to get. Back to our apartment we went to watch the Kings dominate the Blackhawks in game 3.

I can only hope the next 7 nights in this city go as smoothly as the first because I get the feeling that won't be the case. As always, if anyone can find some interesting things to do in this city, please let us know. I'll be sure to take pictures and post them

As I finish writing this, Luke is doing Yoga in the apartment because his dancing partner and him really connected and it got pretty crazy on the dance floor last night. He claims he needs to stretch from the flight. I better go before this gets any worse. Until tomorrow.

PS: As we're watching the news in Spanish, Luke says: "Wow, congratulations Cuba, finally have internet access."

PSS: I promise this will be the most boring blog of the trip. I just had to get something down in writing so everyone knows we're alive.

Update: Pictures

Matt and Luke on day one at the apartment. 

 

Don't be fooled by his long curly hair. It's a man.

Democracy in action... Oh, wait.

Outside the Presidential palace. Unsure if the dog is dead or alive. A symbol of the economic times in Argentina.

Luke toasting to what would become an incredible night of dancing for him.