Day 8: City by day, Tango by night

Scrambling to get to a 9 am tour bus pick up after a 3 am night at a nightclub (Rumi, not bad) is always going to be difficult. Somehow we all made it. And so it was that a lazy bus ride and light sightseeing got underway. Casa Rosada and La Boca featured heavily on the tour, and we finished up at San Telmo market. And that was just the way most of us wanted to spend the afternoon - traipsing around a crowded Buenos Aires market, picking up gifts, drinking mate and eating cajetas.

With a group this big and enthusiastic, everything's a production. And given our own room at this mate house - we kinda went to town. Hundreds of mate glamour shots later, we cabbed it back home to our apartments.

The highlight of the weekend of course, was Tango night. I don't have group pictures on hand, but trust me, we all looked very spiffy decked up to tango. And in the capable (if forceful - in a good way) hands of our instructor Julietta, it was only a matter of minutes before we were like.. totally redefining the way that Tango should (never) be danced.

This took place at a lesson-dinner-show tango place. And so after the lesson we were treated to a very solid dinner and a fun stage show. Of course, this being our last night in Argentina as a big group, there was much toasting and speechifying. Remember that this was at a tango show, so all that merrymaking didn't go down too well with the patrons at other tables. I'll have you know it was Amrita's table (NOT mine) that came close to being thrown out on account of disturbin' the peace.

It was indeed tragic that Jonathan had to miss the show. Not that he couldn't make it. He totally did. He was at the same table as I was. He just wasn't... all there. You know?

After the show wrapped up we insisted on continuing as if we owned the place - and so eventually the owners pretty much had to usher us out. (It was getting to be just that kind of night)

The afterparty at home was just a sordid affair that needn't be described here. Suffice it to say there was rowdiness and assault with deadly shaving cream thrown into the mix. If you don't understand what that means - you should feel fortunate.