Photo credit and copyright: Nico Kaiser

Nobody wants to be the obvious tourist. There’s nothing worse than standing in the middle of a crowded inner city street with a confused look on your face, looking desperately around for some form of street sign while your partner twists and turns a large fold out map. You’re also probably sweating as you flick frantically through your phrase book and to pluck up the courage to ask one of the locals who are bustling past, exactly where a certain street is. The locals in Buenos Aires love to be helpful. They even love to practice their English with you. The problem is, occasionally you get the wonderfully helpful local on the street that actually doesn’t know where you want to go but gives you some sort of directions to follow anyway.

But in today’s modern world, when packing for Buenos Aires, there is little need for finding room for your large all included South American guide book, your small handy phrase book and waterproof tourist city map with magnified city centre on which you have probably scribbled x marks on the place of your hotel and potential milonga hotspots. Armed with your smartphone or tablet, you have all the information you need at your finger tips with the help of many trusty apps.

If it’s transport you need, look no further than BA Como Llego, an app used by tourists and locals alike. It gives routes on all forms of public transport, by foot, or by car, even factoring in a handy estimate of how long it will take to get there. If you’re more of a cycling nut, then BA EcoBici is a great app letting you know where to hire bikes and where the cycle lanes are. While the flat streets make Buenos Aires a bike friendly city, unless you are an adrenalin junkie,  just remember that the traffic is not always bike friendly and sticking to the cycle lanes is a surefire way to make your trip more pleasant.  Best of all, these apps are free.

If it’s language you need, a Spanish English translation dictionary is the way to go. For a laugh, check out Porteño Spanish but it is best to avoid trying to use any lunfardo (slang). There are fine lines between friendly banter and being offensive and not all words are appropriate for both sexes to be using.

If it’s general information you need, then most major guidebooks now offer an app version of their books. This can be useful for saving both trees and baggage allowance weight since these guidebooks tend to be ever expanding with information.

If it’s food you need, and let’s face it - you’re not travelling all this way to eat bad food, then Guia Oleo is a trusty companion to have with you when navigating the numerous restaurants on offer here. Just remember though, sometimes the best meals come from those little surprises that you just happen upon in your wanders through the city. Some of the best pasta is served up in the unlikely of hidden little places.

But if it is Tango that you need (and you will be needing tango if you visit this amazing city), then there are a couple of apps that will interest you. Learn Argentine Tango Vol 1 features videos taking you through the basics and fundamentals of Argentine tango. Available for your iPhone and your iPad, the clear video format explains all you need to know to grasp the beginnings of this dance. It’s portability means you can practice anywhere - at the office, at the bus stop or even on your long flight down to Buenos Aires.

Hoy Milonga has all your milonga and class needs at your finger tips. Rather like an events calendar, this app lists both famous and lesser known milongas according to the days on which they are held. There is added information about whether or not there are classes prior to the milonga and includes a green star if there is to be a performance. It gives time schedules, names of teachers and performers (both dance and bands) and even includes directions on how to get to the milongas. This saves on collecting up pamphlets and trying to organise a diary of where to head on which evenings.

All this technology is changing the way we travel and how we interact with our surroundings. While it is great to come prepared, Buenos Aires is best explored with an open heart and open eyes. Take an unexpected turn down a road you hadn’t planned on and you’re sure to find a hidden shop or two that takes your fancy. It’s a great way to discover cafes that only the locals haunt and a chance to get lost within this beautiful city.

Photo copyright and credit: Sarah Twitchell             

I’m sure you have all been there before. Travelling brings the joy of jetlag which leaves you feeling like a washed out old rag during the day and an alert hyperactive child during the small wee hours of the morning. Usually it gets to 4.30am and you've been lying awake watching the clock for hours. Sleep evades you. Earlier in the day you arrived in Buenos Aires having flown through various time zones and your body is not sure if it is day or night and you can't remember if you have lost a day or arrived the same day you left. Jet lag is one of those things that hits you at the strangest of times – sometimes the minute you arrive, sometimes it hides out for four day until you think you’ve settled in.

Back to our scenario. What are you to do? If you had been bitten by the tango bug, this type of jet lag is easy to remedy - by now you would be at La Viruta along with several other hundred people since it is free after 3.30am and you would be dancing up a storm and waiting for the delicious smell that signals the arrival of the infamous medialunas and you would be quick to order several with a coffee. You would not be leaving La Viruta until 7am when the sun is peeking up over the skyline and the sleepy workers are making their way to their jobs while you and your sore feet are getting ready to hit the sack.

However, if you are not a dancer or unsure how to head out into the bustling nightlife and looking to get your first tango fix without leaving the comfort of your pyjamas, then you need to look no further than your television set.

Yes, amongst the hundred channels and amidst the endless House reruns, Friends marathons and the local news channels, there are several tango music channels bringing tango music straight into your little apartment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only that, there is also a television channel, SoloTango, that airs classes to take you through the basics of tango, leaving you able to learn to dance tango not only in the comfort of your own home, but in the comfort of your pyjamas. It’s a good way to get a grip on what you will be taught in your first lessons. Around since 2011, the channel has dedicated itself to this famous artform, airing documentaries about tango and making sure that tango is able to reach as many people as possible.

It is people like those behind SoloTango that are insuring that the tango is not lost from this city once again.  Between 1955 and 1983, tango was pushed underground and military government tried their best to stamp it out by cunningly banning minors from nightclubs - a rule that was strictly adhered to at tango clubs but not at rock and roll clubs. Therefore, it was easier for a guy to meet a girl if he went to a rock and roll club, meaning the youth gave up learning tango and instead learnt rock and roll. This is still evident by watching the amount of older people that know how to rock and roll show their fantastic moves during the odd rock and roll tanda at a milonga. Having a television channel dedicated to tango ensures that everyone has access to this important part of Argentinean culture.

Another such attempt at keeping tango’s history alive is by a petition to save ‘El Tambito’. This late 1800s historic house is located in the Palermo, a stone’s throw away from the Japanese gardens. This abandoned character structure is now boarded up with mould growing on its white bricks and paint peeling from its wooden green chattels, but once housed talks about tango, milongas, classes and orchestra performances.  There were once three such centres in Buenos Aires but sadly El Tambito is the only one left standing.

They say that fresh air and sunlight is good for jetlag, so head out to the Japanese Gardens in Palermo after a night of tango on the telly and try to find El Tambito and discover the ghosts of tango past beneath the trees.

It was like a scene from a movie. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt like time stopped, everything went silent and that everyone in the tiny barrio supermarket was staring at her with their mouths agape with shock. ¨But where are you from!?¨ asked the old woman who had started the entire charade, her tone clearly communicating her disbelief at what the young pregnant woman had just said.  My tanguera friend, a foreigner who is 8 months pregnant, had just stated that letting pregnant women to the front of the line at the supermarket is not so common in her country. As she nervously laughed and mumbled her own country, the old woman turned to the rest of the queue and proudly stated that at least Argentinians have one thing right, and that is treating pregnant women with respect.

See, my pregnant friend has a delightful watermelon sized belly out in front of her. Here in Argentina, that gives you the right to seats on the bus, subway and train (even during rush hour), priority in the queues of supermarket, stores, big warehouses (although husbands taking their pregnant wives to the big hardware stores are usually seen as pushing the boundaries a bit), hospitals, blood work laboratories - you name it, there is usually priority for pregnant women. People smile and ask whether it is a boy or girl, what name you have chosen, and if you´re lucky, someone (usually an elderly lady) will bless the child as you walk by.

My friend had been waiting in the queue at the supermarket rather patiently, enjoying being out of the house and interacting with people instead of laid up on the couch. The old woman had tried to convince her to move forward in the queue and take advantage of the special treatment pregnant women get but my friend had said she was not in a hurry and not feeling tired so it was okay to wait. It was not until the couple at the front of the queue noticed her belly that she got pushed and prodded to the front of the line and making polite excuses for her behaviour as she was scolded for not having spoken up, had uttered the unforgivable statement that such ¨rules¨ are not so prevalent in her country.

After we had fled the scene, it got us talking about the various nuances of the culture here in Argentina - a culture that is seen to be dominated by the handsome, sweet talking romantic men, a lot of whom tend to take advantage of their reputation by wolf whistling or commenting loudly about any woman on the street. Having experienced the excessive cat calls and comments prior to being pregnant, my friend said that the male attention had dropped dramatically since her belly began to show and she feels treated with more respect than previously.  The number of stares and off the cuff comments has reduced dramatically and those they do comment usually comment on the ´linda panza´ (cute tummy) that she has. This has been a pleasant surprise and she said the entire experience of being pregnant in Argentina has made her feel an extra bit special and cared for - something that may be unique for her, but seems to be common place for women here if you sit and watch how most people react when a pregnant woman is around.

In the tango world, she has found that dances have been harder to come by unless she begins the evening dancing with friends as a way of showing that yes she is here to dance, and is quite capable at moving around the dance floor with her belly. The dances she does get are gentler and sweeter as each dance partner looks to take extra special care of her. While tango has the reputation of being a sexy dance and full of passion, it is also about connection and when there is a third between the two dancers, this connection must feel even more sacred and special.

Natacha Poberaj, a well known tango performer, has proved that being 7 months pregnant doesn´t stop you from dancing tango, looking beautiful or oozing sensuality.  For your tango video injection for today, here is the video of Fabian Peralta and Natacha Poberaj (who is 7 or 8 months pregnant at the time) performing at the World Championships in 2007.  Note the gentle movements, the musicality and the pauses that make this a great performance to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA-mGU_X8Mc

Photo credit: Frank Kovalchek 2003

If you’re in the city tonight (Saturday 24th January) and looking for a way to enjoy the balmy evening that summer will bestow upon us, get yourself down to La Boca to experience tango in a completely new way - through the art of fireworks.

Internationally acclaimed fireworks artist Cai Guo-Qiang has been in town to compose his latest artwork -  ‘Life is a Milonga: Tango Fireworks for Argentina’ which combines the movement of both tango music and dance in one glorious fireworks display. This is the first event that Guo-Qiang has designed and produced in Latin America and promises to be a very entertaining evening. He has had to navigate the tricky waters of translation while trying to explain his concept and needs to his team and participants here in Buenos Aires to bring together what promises to be a fantastic show.

This video gives you a little bit of insight into the work that has gone into creating tonight’s event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_o32F58Gpc#t=138

Translating bandoneon melodies and dancers’ movements into pyrotechnics is not an easy process. Guo-Qiang filmed dancers from a variety of angles to help inform his creative process of taking movement to explosion. And this show is not simply an artist’s interpretation of movement. It aims to capture the sensuality of tango and to give an imaginative exploration of Argentinean history with an abstract and symbolic look at four defining historical periods of the 20th Century.

La Vuelta de Rocha will be transformed into an outdoor milonga so that everyone can participate in the event. There will be live music and dancers performing. A first of its kind event for Argentina,  Life is a Milonga: Tango Fireworks for Argentina promises to be a unique event that will no doubt make a night to remember for tourists and porteños alike.

Things you need to know:

What: Life is a Milonga - Tango Fireworks for Argentina

Date: Saturday 24th January 2015

Time: 8pm

Where: La Vuelta de Rocha, Avenida Don Pedro de Mendoza, La Boca (where El Caminito is).

How to get there: Buses 29 and 152 will get you to the right place (see http://www.omnilineas.com.ar/buenos-aires/colectivos/bf-5ua-fc2-8xq-gyo-8bc-ghf) . La Boca, while safe in the events area, is a less secure part of town. It is not recommended to be walking at night in the backstreets. Keep street smart and leave your valuables at home.

http://www.caiguoqiang.com/projects/life-milonga-tango-fireworks-argentina