From Jhet’s South American Series

Only a few hours left before my departure, I had one thing on my mind – that is not to miss the tango show in Argentina. Tango is said to have originated from Argentine slaves as early as the 1800s. This explains why tango shows are held in almost every part of the country. I’ve asked around which place to go until my intuition told me to finally select one.

Superb performances in El Viejo Almacen

The hotel recommended El Viejo Almacen in San Telmo – one of the oldest and preserved barrios in Argentina, famous for its rustic setting. The sound of it being antique made me decide. After a quick phone call and an impromptu reservation, I was informed to prepare in 30 minutes! I got excited to wear something girly on my last night in Buenos Aires, after days of touring in rubbershoes and flipflops.

At El Viejo Almacen, superb performances of tango followed one after another, alternating with singing, acting, and group tango. It was just so romantic! Tango is like love made vertically – that is how I would describe it! Dancers were superb, the band excellent, and the dinner was gastronomically fantastic!

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From Jhet’s South American Series

On my last two days in Buenos Aires – I found myself asking an unlikely question, “What do I do?” Among the recommendations of what to visit when you have very little time in Buenos Aires, El Caminito in La Boca is the one I don’t want to miss. El Caminito is often translated as “little walkway” or “little street” – a place famous for vibrant and multi-colored houses. La Boca traces its roots from the Italian immigrants back inthe 1800’s who painted their homes using leftover paints from the shipyard. Apart from the splashes of colors to see, this was a place where people dance tango on the streets. That did it for me!

For some reason I rested my body that day and fell asleep. When I woke up it was already 4:00pm. Oh la la.. they told me to go to La Boca around 3:00pm and not past 5:00 pm when it gets dark since the neighborhood get quite dangerous at night. La Boca happens to be one of the poorest area in Argentina, thus theft is prevalent in the area. They also told me not to wander around or outside the El Caminito Street. “Be very careful,” that’s what a Argentinian told me.

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