After getting a little taste of the outdoors in Iguazu Falls, I was back to the city life once again in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Known for its world class steaks, sultry tango dancing, and buzzing nightlife, Buenos Aires did not disappoint.
Thanks to some semi-shady, but legitimate, US dollar exchanges, my money went a lot further than I had initially expected. This meant delicious steaks and Malbecs just about every night for a week. I spent my days exploring the various neighborhoods, from colorful “La Boca” to old school “San Telmo” to modern “Palermo.” Nights were spent at dinners until midnight, local pubs, live music discos, dive-bar tangos, and one full-on Tango performance that had my jaw dropping the whole evening. Throw in a couple days at the park, a stroll through the elaborate Recoleta cemetery, and more than a few espressos at the endless amount of cafés in the city, and I’d say I experienced Buenos Aires to its fullest.
One experience that sticks out was once again an evening with some locals. Through friends of friends of a friend I met in my hostel (still following?), I went to eat at a local steakhouse. Our crew consisted of 3 local porteños, 3 Spanish visitors in town on holidays, and 2 Americans. My broken Spanish got me through a great dinner with lively company, before we headed off to a dimly lit dive bar for some after dinner drinks, where my Spanish got significantly better, at least I think it did. We were treated to multiple traditional musical performances from our tables a few feet in front of the tiny stage. No microphones, just a couple guitars and powerful voices. The crowd sang along while I pretended to know the words as well.
No one could tell the difference, nor did they care, as even the gringos were Porteños that evening.