Back in Buenos Aires, we´ve been lodging in San Telmo these last few nights, on the other side of town from where we were before... Famed for its cobbled streets and bohemian arty scene, I have to admit it took us (well, me in particular) a while to get the hang of the area - a few too many wasters and down-and-outs staggering about the place in various states of intoxication/lunacy, basically lots more people who you´d cross the road to avoid, looming out of doorways at you. (Characters like these two:)
The place we´re staying in took a bit of adjusting to as well. It´s a beautifully restored 1840s house with just seven rooms, most of which open out onto a lovely little garden with benches and a fig tree. The owners steer well clear of the place, so it tends to be just the guests, the cat, and various unintroduced characters drinking mate in the garden, smoking cigars and cooking in the kitchen.
The guests all seem to be eccentric tango aficionados in their 40s or 50s (Bavarian farmers,
Iranian bon viveurs... all sorts), who come on their own year after year to dance tango. So the first night, we´re trying to figure out where everything is and this Russian lady enters the kitchen dolled up in her tango gear asking us which milonga we were visiting that night. By the next day, we´re fixing the electricity in the place ourselves, after it´d been down for most of the day!
But after a couple of days, we got used to the anarchic and fiercely independent spirit of the area, and today (Sunday) San Telmo seemed to come into its own. Bands playing in the street, spontaneous tango dancing (as spontaneous as it can be when it´s geared towards tourists) and a lively street market. Feels a lot safer!
Today we visited the Mataderos fair in a faraway part of town hardly any tourists go to these days, in search of some gaucho action...
Our taxi driver put the fear of God into us about venturing a block too far in any direction - but we not only had nothing nicked (hooray!), we actually had an excellent day out. Scoffed some locro and a couple of empanadas for lunch with a glass of vino patero, watched this fella sing some stirring odes to gaucho life...
Next stop... Patagonia!! (after the 18-hour coach journey! Let´s hope the "cama ejecutiva" service is as comfortable as advertised...)
san telmo me recordo la cancion:
ReplyDeleteLas tardecitas de Buenos Aires tienen ese que se yo, viste?
Salis de tu casa por Arenales.
Lo de siempre: en la calle y en vos...
Cuando de repente, detras de un arbol,
me aparezco yo.
Mezcla rara de penultimo linyera
y de primer polizonte en el viaje a Venus:
medio melon en la cabeza,
las rayas de la camisa pintadas en la piel,
dos medias suelas clavadas en los pies
y una banderita de taxi libre levantada en cada mano.
Te reis!... Pero solo vos me ves:
Porque los maniquies me guiñan,
los semaforos me dan tres luces celestes
y las naranjas del frutero de la esquina
me tiran azahares.
Veni!, que asi, medio bailando y medio volando,
me saco el melon para saludarte,
te regalo una banderita y te digo...
Cantado
Ya se que estoy piantao, piantao, piantao...
No ves que va la luna rodando por Callao;
que un corso de astronautas y niños, con un vals,
me baila alrededor... Baila! Veni! Vola!
Yo se que estoy piantao, piantao, piantao...
Yo miro a Buenos Aires del nido de un gorrion;
y a vos te vi tan triste... Veni! Vola! Senti!...
el loco berretin que tengo para vos:
Loco! Loco! Loco!
Cuando anochezca en tu porteña soledad,
por la ribera de tu sabana vendre
con un poema y un trombon
a desvelarte el corazon.
Loco! Loco! Loco!
Como un acrobata demente saltare,
sobre el abismo de tu escote hasta sentir
que enloqueci tu corazon de libertad...
Ya vas a ver!
Recitado
Salgamos a volar, querida mia;
subite a mi ilusion super-sport,
y vamos a correr por las cornisas
con una golondrina en el motor!
De Vieytes nos aplauden: “Viva! Viva!”,
los locos que inventaron el Amor;
y un angel y un soldado y una niña
nos dan un valsecito bailador.
Nos sale a saludar la gente linda...
Y loco —pero tuyo—, que se yo!;
provoco campanarios con la risa,
y al fin, te miro, y canto a media voz:
Cantado
Quereme asi, piantao, piantao, piantao...
Trepate a esa ternura de locos que hay en mi,
ponete esa peluca de alondras, y vola!
Vola conmigo ya! Veni, vola, veni!
Quereme asi, piantao, piantao, piantao...
Abrite los amores que vamos a intentar
la magica locura total de revivir...
Veni, vola, veni! Trai-lai-lai-larara!
Gritado
Viva! Viva! Viva!
Loca ella y loco yo...
Locos! Locos! Locos!
Loca ella y loco yo!
ENJOY!! (y conpramelo si tienes la oportunidad!!)