Buenos Aires (again)
The original plan on leaving Bariloche was to head to Cordoba, but there’s one bus a day and it sold out before I could convince the bus company’s website to take my card. This left me with only one real option - to return to Buenos Aires on my way to Iguazu. Luckily this actually worked out very well. A good friend and musical collaborator of many years, Mishka, now lives in Buenos Aires but was unfortunately out of the city the first time I was there. I let her know I was returning and she immediately invited me to stay with her and her family.
It was a real luxury to have my own room, a lovely shower and home cooked food again, so much so that I worried I’d be a little spoiled heading back to hostel life. We had a really wholesome dinner with some of Mishka’s friends and the next day walked around the ecopark (a zoo where most animals roam freely around) and saw mara, a new species to me which I can best describe as small rabbit-donkeys, among other animals. After a coffee (an accidentally huge one that left me a little jittery) and a walk around the botanical gardens, Mishka and family headed home and I went out to a tango dance club.
One of Mishka’s friends from the night before had recommended a place to watch locals dancing tango - rather than an glitzy show. He’d also said to arrive at 8pm for a lesson for complete beginners. It quickly became clear that the ‘beginner’ lesson required a fair amount of experience, but the teacher and a few friendly and helpful Argentinians each taught me small bits. I when the lesson was over, I sat back and was mesmerised by the beauty of the dancers gliding around the floor, including those who insisted they had only been dancing for a few months. I did try a little, but the dance floor was so full that my lack of movement was causing problems for those more experienced and we politely removed ourselves.
This stop was much more of a friendly visit than most of the tiring travelling I’ve been doing, but was a very welcome pitstop on the journey. Now, to Iguazu to see some waterfalls!