My second day in Buenos Aires, I grabbed breakfast in the hotel lobby with friends, participated in the scramble to check out, and then took a taxi to La Boca, where we saw the Caminito Tango Show during lunch and had a chance to wander around.

The show was amazing. In between the numbers, the MC would come out and sing. Each dance told a story, usually something very sensual and about love (duh). My favorites were the “gaucho” dancers; though their costumes weren’t as flashy as the other three couples’ costumes, the male dancer’s complicated syncopated stomping, accompanied by the female dancer’s clapping and twirling, was contagious. Everyone tried (and mostly failed!) to clap the rhythm.

I also had my very first steak! It was delicious and massive. I wasn’t able to finish it 🙁

BISTEC!

After the show, we were able to wander around La Boca. I bought some cute new sunglasses for 25 pesos (about US$6), and then wandered around for a bit. It was set up sort of like an open-air market. Artisans had little tables or booths showcasing their wares: leather, thread and beaded bracelets, scarves, sunglasses, keychains, belts, jewelry, and even little people, animals and symbols carved out of a single matchstick! I made a couple of new friends, and we wandered around, looking at some of the shops on the upper levels. We also walked to the nearby soccer stadium, although we didn’t go in because it required an entry fee. Manny, Alex and I decided to take the bus back to our hotel and wander around that area a bit more. Somehow, we got lost. For over an hour. Finally, after asking several people for directions and circling around, we found our hotel and checked out what the street vendors were selling. All in all, a pretty good day.

That night at 8, we all met back up at the hotel, grabbed our luggage from the three rooms we had stuffed everything into, loaded ourselves and our bags onto the bus, and left for Mar del Plata, a 6 hour bus ride. It definitely felt shorter than 6 hours, which was good, probably because I was getting to know people. Unfortunately, since we left at night, we weren’t really able to see the Pampas and the local scenery. We finally got to Mar del Plata around 3 am Friday morning.

Stay tuned to read about my adventures thus far in Mar del Plata!