Tuesday 24th October
Despite the four hours sleep I´m up for a breakfast of sweet croissants and coffee, and ready to embark on a walking tour of the city. End up walking through the centre and around San Telmo, Recoleta and back again. The whole thing takes 6 hours in the relentless heat but gives me a good feel about which areas I´d like to explore more.
By the time I get back I´m knackered. Having walked all day in my Havaiana flip flops my feet do not take too kindly to being squashed into shoes ready for a my tango lesson in an hour.
Tango shows are everywhere and and 60 US dollars buys you a three course dinner, an hour´s tango show including transfers to and from your hotel.
Me and a couple of others decide to go to the ´Complejo Tango´ show because it includes a free one-hour tango lesson.
On arrival our tango instructor teaches us the 8 basic steps of tango and once we´ve ´mastered´ these we pair us with the other tourists to practise. My partner is a 60-year old American from Colorado who annoyingly prefers to chat about his holiday than practise the steps.
The show is spectacular - showcasing tango through the ages. There are a myriad of dazzling costumes and the six dancers whirl their away around the dance floor with ease and elegance. The speed in which they move is incredible. Rather depressingly there is also not a basic step in sight. The movements are fluid and graceful even with the rapid kicking inbetween each other´s legs their timing is impeccable. I am left wondering if a mis-timed split second would ruin the whole sequence among other things.
At the end of the show a couple of us are pulled up to dance in the aisles with the tango dancers and I have my photo taken with my leg wrapped around one of the tango dancers (who looks about 16). I think this is great until I see dozens of tourists doing this in La Boca later on in the week (more on this later).
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