I Cry for Me, Argentina!

OK, OK, Evita might have sung it differently but then again she probably had all her clothes. Yes, alas, alack, still no luggage, however the good news is that my friend, Chris from Wales who was diverted to Rio finally arrived today or was it
yesterday...FYI, this is Wednesday's blog.

Soooooo...I got up at my leisure (or as Chris would say, Lezure) After vacationing with her, I usually come back with a British accent:-) Walked over to the fitness centre, coveted the machines I could not use (did I mention that I had no luggage...translation... no workout clothes), came back to hotel for my first Argentinian breakfast. I would be sharing photos at this point, but my plug is in my...you guessed it...my luggage. They serve Dulce de Leche with everything which is basically caramel with the consistency of butter. You put it on brownies, yes, for breakfast, croissants, bread, etc. In the spirit of full disclosure, I HAD to immerse myself in Argentinian culture and try it. It was fabulous but if I did that everyday the fact is that I came over as a passenger but would be going home as cargo.

Our fabulous hotel has a lovely garden eating area so I stayed out there and read my book, "Great by Choice". Went up to rooftop pool to read and sun in the same outfit I traveled in (did I mention I had no clothes?) I took a walk through our very hip neighborhood, Palermo Soho, were you expecting anything else (yes, like NY Soho) and tried to pass the time till Chris arrived. I made list upon list of all the things we would do and see. I love doing that...researching restaurants, bars, shops, tourist attractions, etc.

Chris arrives at 3PM, hooray. we giggle like two schoolgirls at a dance, make fun of each other's words, ie, she's absolutely knackered, translated means tired. We grab a bite to eat then plot and plan our days. Chris loves all that I chose as she hates to do that. it's wonderful to have a friend that you are so compatible with in travel. I'm blessed with many.

We decide to check out one of the many recommended tango places Il Vitra then go to the famous Tango store, Comme de Faux for the shoes and clothes we will need. did I mention that not many speak English here, quite challenging as neither Chris nor I speak Spanish...but I'm learning fast. We arrived too early so we walked, talked and window shopped.

When we got to Il Vitra people were lining up to pay to get in to this massive ballroom. Spanish speaking all around us till I spotted a guy wearing a Nevada T shirt and asked my usual...English??? He was from Spain but yes, spoke "American". Why are we the only ones who speak one language? I digress. He explained the process and before you know it Chris and I were in our respective tango classes, beginner for her, intermediate for me. I am a dancer but I can confirm that this is THE most challenging dance ever. Let me affirm the definition of the Argentinian tango..it's a vertical expression of a horizontal desire:-) Sam, are you lovin' all my smileys?...she hates them, LOL (that would be "my Samantha, my Director of Everything)

Oops, gotta run, time for Dulce de Leche, I mean breakfast. So let me sum up last night, we danced for hours, 1 1/2 hour lesson 1 hour practice with men who could not speak a word of English then line dancing, then rock and roll as they call it (was really east coast swing) which I know very well then Chris's jet lag hit and we walked back to hotel at 10PM. Guess what I asked when we arrived back...oh you're so smart and yes...no luggage!!!