My time in Buenos Aires is coming to a close; I have been making an effort to go to as many places to that were on my list. On January 3rd, I went to the zoo and I went to bookstore that used to be a theatre to start. It was so incredibly hot over the past week; summer is here and people were not kidding when they say it gets too hot here.
I really wanted to see a Capybara or Carpincho as they are called here. When I was in Argentina the first time, some years ago, I did see some Capybara tracks in Entre Rios. The Capybara is the world's largest rodent and lives in around water.
I then proceeded to go to the largest bookstore in South America - "Ateneo Grand Spendid" ; it used to be a movie cinema.
Lastly, I went to a Tango venue called the "La Catedral". I got there sometime after 10 PM and there was a beginners tango class in progress. I heard from some people here that this is not a very typical place for Tango and they were right. The teacher had a haircut like a mohawk. I sat down and listened to some music for a few hours. I was hoping there would be a live Tango band tonight but alas no; there was a brief set with someone singing very beautifully in Spanish and playing an acoustic guitar. I found myself getting a bit hungry around 1:30 AM and ordered a tortilla - a thick omelette with potatoes in it. I will say this most if not all the concerts I have been to have been in places that serve hot food. It was true again this night with the twist that the menu here was all vegetarian. It reminds me how I was talking about the music scene in Rome and some Italian friends said people there were more interested in looking good and eating then going to check out live music. Well here in Buenos Aires, they like to eat, look good and also listen to music at the same time. So, I had a decent time at "La Catedral" but not a great time; I was perhaps unlucky with the night I went; there are some photos of the venue here on another blog:
Blog link in Spanish with photos of "La Catedral"
It would definitely be a place to go visit again when there is something more happening.
In fact a few nights earlier I was a concert by a duet that play Tango music at a place called Notorious. The band is called "Fain Mantega". Notorious is a venue that sells music, has a restaurant and hosts concerts. It was a good performance but for I was really mentally tired that night and did not fully enjoy the show; I still wonder why I was just so out of it that night. And it was quite hot as I mentioned earlier. But when I went to leave the venue, it was absolutely pouring with torrential rain. Fortunately, I was able to flag down a taxi before getting absolutely drenched. And speaking of food again; the performance area is not too far from the kitchen so where I was sitting in the middle; it was kind of funny hearing the kitchen noise from one side and the music from the other. The kitchen was partially open and hence all the racket made there echoed around.
And tomorrow, I am off to Bariloche in Patagonia. The area is called the "Lake District". It looks absolutely stunning there; I shall of course be taking many photos.