Re: [TANGO-L] Report from Argentina.

[Jean-Baptiste De Gandt <jbdegandt @NORDNET.FR>]

I was so surprised reading the report of A Coleman : 
The report of World Tango Festival of Buenos Aires seems a very typical view 
of what matters really for a US tourist in Buenos Aires : Money, what you can 
buy with your money,  how difficult it is to eat US food, and again money, 
money...
No idea of how he felt with tango there, with places, with tango 
partners,with argentinian way of life,...

Thanks God, people like Janis Kenyon, for instance, tell us about this boader 
view 

Jean-Baptiste De Gandt


---------- Message d'origine  -----------
De : A Coleman <gurps_npc @HOTMAIL.COM>
A : TANGO-L @MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Envoyé le : Thu, 16 Oct 2003 18:52:02 -0400
Sujet : [TANGO-L] Report from Argentina.

> Just got back from World Tango Festival II.  Here is my report.
> 
> 1)  It was a great trip and a great festival.
> 
> 2) However, do to the current money situation in Argentina, a money concious
> person might do a LOT better to go with a group of 4-12 people.  
> Taxis cost about 7 pesos per trip, usually, milongas or a groupl 
> class cost about 5 pesos.  But if you do not speak spanish extremely 
> well, expect to pay around $100 U.S. money for a private lesson. 
>  Also, if you do not go as part of a festival, you get to dance with 
> more than a couple argentinians instead of europeans, North 
> Americans and Asians.  But remember, while more argentinians dance,
>  the festival will probably have better followers/leaders, as the 
> members will include some very good dancers.
> 
> 3) If going, I suggest you plan a day or two break from tango.  They 
> have some really nice falls, bigger than niagra, if you can spend 
> two days to get there and back.
> 
> 4) If renting a car "gas" means natural gas, not gasoline.  Gasoline 
> is too expensive, so their taxis use either diesel or natural gas. 
>  The taxi driver told me some urban legends of fools blowing 
> themselves up by putting the obviously not normal natural gas hose 
> into the gasoline tank.  Probably just cautionary fables, but heed 
> the caution.
> 
> 5) A LOT of places take american dollar bills at 3 for 1.  (even 
> when the official exchange rate is 2.7 to 1.)  Maybe tax (20% sales 
> tax ) evasion, maybe just people looking to make some money if the 
> exchange rate gets worse.
> 
> 6) EXIT TAX of $18. (US).
> 
> 7) Hotels often will not include the 20% tax when quotig you a 
> price.  Watch out.
> 
> 8) You can get great deals on shoes, but most leather stuff is 
> really priced about the same as in the US.  While you might get a 
> slight discount (5-10%) the real benefit is that they will alter it 
> to fit you for free - so shop EARLY.
> 
> 9) San Telmo area is very touristy, as are most of the tango shows.  
> I would not pay for them.  However, the flea market at recoletta 
> every weekend is great.  Good art, crafts, and souvenirs.
> 
> 10) Remember, that to an argentinian, we are all rich.  A soda costs 
> about 1 peso their, just as it costs 1 us$ here, but with the 
> exchange rate, that is about 35 cents.
> 
> 11)  If you are a vegetarian you will starve their.  Typical pizza 
> is bread, ham, tomatoe sauce, as much cheese as everything else, and 
> some olives.  But if you are a carnivore, you can get Steakhouse 
> quality meat for the us equilevent of $10.
> 
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