Tango town

From Iguazu Falls we flew to Buenos Aires. This was our final stop in South America. We heard later that our airline went on strike mere hours after we landed. Phew! BA is a fascinating place, unlike any other city we have seen in South America. It looks and feels like a classic European city with architecture reminiscent of Paris and Prague. 

We spent our first full day in town wandering the streets and soaking up the experience. This included a stroll down Florida, a pedestrianized street that extends all the way into Plaza de Mayo, the historic hub of Buenos Aires. This plaza is home to an array of Government buildings including the Casa Rosada, a pink-hued building that houses the Argentine President's office, and the Congresso Nacional, otherwise known as the national parliament.

Given its role as the nation’s political heart, it was no surprise when we stumbled upon a colourful protest march heading towards Plaza de Mayo. If Google’s translator is right, this rowdy, colourful crowd was calling for more liberal abortion rights. Inside the plaza itself, some additional colour was being offered up by fragrant Jacaranda trees in full bloom.

While on our way into town, we took a brief detour as far as Avenida 9 de Julio to view El Obelisco. This 67.5 metre high white obelisk is considered one of the city's most iconic landmarks. It was erected in Plaza de la Republica to mark the fourth centenary of the city's founding in 1936. I was thrilled to finally see it with my own eyes.

As expected there was plenty of street art to admire wherever we went.  Some of its rather sombre including an equestrian statue of Julio Argentino Roca who served as the nation's president from 1880 to 1886. During his tenure he was ultimately responsible for the extermination of more than 20,000 Mapuche Indians. On a lighter note, I found time to get up close and personal with a couple of Tango Dancers we encountered on Defensa Street in San Telmo.

We spent the following day walking through the Retiro historical district, located to the north of our hotel, before heading towards the harbour. Highlights along the way included an impressive monument to General José de San Martín, renowned as the liberator of Argentina. This impressive edifice was created in 1862 by French sculptor Louis Joseph Daumas. It was the first equestrian statue in the city (and I attest to the fact that they've installed plenty more equine edifices since then).

Between 1813 and 1818, San Martín led crucial moments in the fight for independence, defeating Spanish troops at the Battle of San Lorenzo, reorganising the Army of the North, becoming Governor of Cuyo, and creating the Army of the Andes, which he led across the mountains into Chile to liberate the neighbouring country from Spanish rule, before moving north to liberate Peru in 1820.

We finished our walking tour in the harbour districts of La Boca and Puerto Madero. La Boca is traditionally the city's poor district and is known for its alleys with colorful houses. Although highlights for us included the boat locks in Puerto Madero, where the lock gates provide road access to the coast. We arrived just in time to watch the harbour access gate swing open. An impressive water view of the city's post-modern Opera Bay nightclub also caught our eye. As you can see, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Sydney Opera House.

Without a doubt, compared to elsewhere in South America, the people in Buenos Aires were better dressed and the street buskers earned their keep performing world-class Tango routines. We’d encounter a least one dancing couple any time we walked a few blocks from our hotel. I subsequently learned there were several professional dancing schools operating in the immediate area. 

Apparently, you can book yourself a lesson or two. We certainly saw plenty of brochures to this effect on offer in our hotel room and in the lobby downstairs. Although it’d be fair to say we weren’t keen to embarrass ourselves after seeing so many incredibly slick street performances.

Instead, to cap off our last full night on the continent, we shouted ourselves tickets to the best Tango show in town. It was held in a small, intimate venue inside the Faena Hotel, called Rojo Tango. Much to our delight we were seated at a small table, just metres from the stage (you can get a feel for the venue from the image published on its website below). 

The show was stunning. Incredible live musicians and cabaret singers, plus dancing duos who simply took our breath away. It was the perfect way to farewell our time in South America.