I took Crusel del Norte instead of Andesmar bus form Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires because I thought Crusel bus was faster. Well, it was one hour faster than the Andesmar one but it was not comfortable – the air conditioning wasn’t working properly and unlike my bus trip to Iguazu Falls, the bus company only offered one meal onboard for this approximately 20-hour bus ride. If you travel in Argentina and need to decide which bus company from Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires, you can bear this experience in mind. But things may have changed. After all, it was in 2013.
This time, I stayed in another area in Buenos Aires. The hostel I stayed at was like the kind of hostels that I was used to – it displayed at the reception information of tourist spots, football matches, and tango classes and performances on a board… wait, of course! I was in Argentina! I had to see the tango performance! So, I signed up and paid for that package which included a tango class for 45 minutes, dinner and tango performance by professionals of course. 😛
I got a paper map of La Boca from the hostel and followed it. This area was the colourful Argentina that we saw on leaflets and websites.
La Boca is a colourful street. I call it a street because it is as small as a street but it has all the tango vibes there. I am not sure what it is like without the tourists now given the pandemic is still present but I am sure it remains as colourful as it was when I visited it back in 2013.
I was told only the colourful street in La Boca was safe so I stuck to it. But according to my map, there was a museum away from the colourful area. As a fan of museums, I decided to go there but as usual, I couldn’t find it. I followed the map and gradually, I left the colourful street and entered into a mundane area. A woman holding her grocery bags in her hands looked at me. Actually, she stared at me. I thought to myself, ‘she must be living in this area. Maybe I can ask her about the museum?’ But she didn’t look that approachable. Just as I lifted up one of my legs and got ready to take a further step into that mundane neighbourhood, someone from like 10 to 50 metres away behind me shouted at me. I turned around. He was a stranger. He shouted at me in Spanish which I didn’t understand but from his body language, I could guess that he was trying to tell me not to go into that area. The lady with her grocery also gave me a look that agreed to what that guy said so I left and went back to the colourful area.
Later, I heard stories about that mundane neighbourhood. It wasn’t safe at all. It was full of crimes. I could have mugged or even gunned down if I continued to go inside. What else can I say other than ‘Thank God for sending me all these angels to help me’?
The essence of tango and salsa dance is that the ladies have to follow the male. It actually sounds easier said than done… for me…
One of my dance partners said, ‘you are leading me!’ LOL! Sorry. Well, I got a certificate anyway but they spelled my name wrongly. It’s too long and complicated. They spelled it the Spanish way, I think.
The performance was excellent! Fantastic! It was very touristy though. Haha. The food was scrumptious! I paid for one main and drinks (unlimited drinks but I only had two glasses of red wine. I didn’t like them that much) but in the end, I got a full meal with entree and dessert. (If I remember correctly, the other guests gave me their entree and dessert because they didn’t want them or something).
Ready for the next adventure after this? There was one, a dangerous one, waiting. One that was especially designed for me.
Stay tuned.
7 – 8 January 2013
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