Cycling, Salsa and First Impressions

Summing up first impressions of a city can be unwise as one tends to concentrate on the 'wow' factors and some of the minor annoyances and I have definitely noted a few of each. A week in and I find myself living fairly luxuriously and contentedly with some agreeable and helpful apartment sharers; I have identified a timetable of regular activities punctuated by exploration of some of the city's main attractions.

Apartment in Belen, Medellin

Cycling is a pretty substantial focus and you can see the rides I have completed on the Blog's Strava feed. When cycling in Medellin extra care is needed – drivers seem fairly forgiving but eager to get where they are going – there is a lot of traffic and the fumes are horrible. Thus far my new friend Juan Carlos has shepherded me through the streets and we have set off for 3 mountain climbs, Las Palmas, Altos de Minas and Alto Sierra. The climbs were long, each more than 15km and offered great views of the city below, and in the case Altos de Minas of a dense and stunningly green forest.

having climbed Alto de Minas

On one day we went to a cycle track and had a training ride on the flat with 26 circuits of a 0.9 mile race track – the other rides were short but hard and I am feeling some of the effects of the altitude leaving me somewhat breathless on the steeper sections. I am pretty pleased with the cycling here and we have a long group ride planned for Sunday, leaving around 6am with the team and a 4 day road trip planned over Easter weekend. My aim is to drive up my fitness and if possible lose a little weight.

At the practise track

My other focus to date is salsa. I am enrolled at a dance school in a group salsa/rueda/casino class and am taking individual lessons in Cali style salsa. The lessons offered are of good standard and very economical by comparison to London. I will probably take a block of individual cross-body lessons as well and there is a free lesson offered on Tuesdays at the Wandering Paisa Hostel. There are also some social dancing options offered by the salsa school. Unfortunately these venues are somewhat distant but I can walk in one direction and the taxi fare back is about £2.50 – not a problem!

Salsa Casino

The other night I found a more local dance school, 'Swing' and dropped in to check it out. They were running a social dancing session and the instructors, all but one of them young men invited the mainly much older women to dance. I danced a little with the manager and a few others and she was quite encouraging but the dance repertoire was so wide-ranging as to confound me completely. During the time there they danced merengue, cumbia, cumbia electronica, cha cha, porro, tango, milonga and bolero. I didn't recognise one salsa tune and so I ditched it and came home.

In terms of being a tourist, most notably I have visited some very lovely botanical gardens and viewed the Botero sculptures in the centre of the city – they were both fantastic visits and you can check my Flikr feed for more photos.

Botanical Gardens

Fishing

Botero Sculpture

Aside from all this, minor annoyances include heavy traffic, its fumes and motor bikes – impenetrable street numbering and occasional biblical rainfall; but on the plus side, there is good infrastructure, particularly the Metro, Cable Car and Metro Plus, the friendliness of the Paisas themselves as the People of Antioquia are known and, the almost ideal climate. I am pretty sure I am going to love it here and I am looking forward to all the great things I might do.

From Medellin, Colombia

It has always been the case, at least since 911 that transiting via US has meant picking your case off the conveyor - for me in Miami - and passing it through physically to the onward flight. Well, seemingly not anymore, at least for UK to South America routes, and thankfully so considering other problems with my connection through to Medellin Colombia.

Yes, not Peru this year - Colombia, off to the city of eternal spring, set in a deep valley and the country's second city - a bustling modern metropolis, where currently it is raining! 'Pues nada' .

Due to fog at Heathrow I sat nervously but comfortably in my upgraded club class seat doing the maths on my 100 minute connection window fast dwindling due to 'delayed slots' – I pondered if this technical term had medical connotations whilst soothing my brow with the hot towel offered me by one of BA's female flight attendants as they are now known, plausibly a late 70s debutant with a plummy voice.

We arrived late and with 60 minutes to spare for my connection and I headed off through immigration feeling some salvation at being passed on to the express queue which was anything but, and then dashing for the Sky Train heading for gate D41, 2 stations down the line and quite a hike! When I arrived the plane was still there but frustratingly all other passengers were boarded and entrances were locked down with apparently no staff to let me through. Well finally I found someone and was boarded as the last passenger. Well maybe not such a drama as all was well with my arrival and collection from the airport where Juan Carlos my new cycling buddy was patiently and kindly awaiting my arrival.

My first days here in Medellin have been dominated by bike building, apartment hunting and cycling. It feels as if I have been lucky in all departments:

On the bike front, my friend Juan Carlos has facilitated the construction of my Trek and bits and pieces bike, me having carried the pieces in my almost 23Kg case. Additionally he has kindly shepherded me up some stonking great hills and has shown me much kindness.

climbing Alto de Minas

Juan Carlos on the descent from Las Palmas

Apartment hunting was hard graft but having had romantic ideas about living among Colombians I now find myself in a 5 bed 2 bathroom apartment with 4 other men, 2 English, one German and the other from the USA – but all is well and I am situated close to a huge sports complex with reasonable access to the city and elsewhere. The cost is around £200/month.

So all in all a good start. I will leave my early impressions of Medellin to subsequent postings but suffice to say so far I am agreeably happy.

Comment is free and appreciated.  

Buenos Aires - Salsa edition

Many come to Buenos Aires for tango and you can see why – the town is steeped in the tradition and although not all are familiar with the steps most can identify with the culture and seem proud of the way this distinctive dance has imbued the city with its music and powerful images and style. You can see the dance hall 'milongas' everywhere and there is a strong following among the 30+ age group followers. Many people visit the city just to learn and practise tango and I met one in her 60s English lady in who comes for 6 months every year to take private lessons and dance 2 or 3 times a week in milongas.

But I didn't come to Buenos Aires for the tango, rather I was keen to sample the local salsa scene. I now count salsa as one among other forms of enjoyment, exercise and as a way of meeting people in a friendly and generally uplifting environment. At its best it can be exhilarating and fun and the challenge of learning has multiple layers rhythm, steps and expression, I love it. In Buenos Aires there is a vibrant salsa scene and some great exponents - but many just dabble for the odd night out or as a change from tango and milonga forms. Cross Body or LA style seems most popular but expect to find it fused with the more exuberant cuban style salsa.

Azucar Abasto is a large dedicated salsa venue in the Abasto area on Avenida Corrientes. In the UK salsa is largely to be found in halls and bars and it is doubtful that we could easily sustain a dedicated club/school (may be worth a try though). I have been to Buenos Aires salsa 5 times now and generally enjoyed the contrast with the South London scene; although the teaching is a bit sketchy the price is very reasonable. On entry the cover is generally 25-30 pesos or between £3 and £4 and for this you can take advantage of a set of lessons typically of 3 Rueda, Merengue, Bachata and then invariably Salsa, each lesson being about 70 - 80 minutes with a 10 minute break and some free dancing. There are generally 2 or 3 levels of classes.

At Azucar I hung with the intermediates and although it was a fairly young set it wasn't exclusively so. They are open at least 5 nights a week and publish a somewhat inaccurate diary. The teaching was less explicit than in the UK and I struggled a bit with unfamiliar combinations but it was survivable. There was some free dancing between sessions but a lot of people were standing around watching and only participated in the classes. Everyone was friendly and the girls patiently adjusted my moves and the frequent repetitions finally imparted the desired combination.

La Salsera is a similar but smaller club/school in the same area and had a more mixed age group and floors of dancing but it basically offers the same diet as Azucar.

Another night I went to La Viruta which is really a tango/milonga place with, as it were, some salsa on the side. This was poorly taught and most of my partners found difficulty in following and my lead. I guessed that they were more comfortable with tango and I'm not sure the two forms coexist comfortably in one's body. It did however enable me to watch a milonga lesson (milonga confusingly being both a place where tango is taught and danced and itself a form of tango). At beginner level it looked fun – but I couldn't envisage confusing myself more with the different steps and timing so I just watched and enjoyed. The entry here was 30 pesos which paid for salsa, milonga and tango lessons. I recall dancing with one partner who I assessed as having almost no natural salsa rhythm but then saw her in the top of 5 levels of tango class she looked totally in her body and following her partner across the dance floor in complicated and stylishly flowing steps.

On one of my long walks I came across Club de Espana a large club/function room on the 12 lane road 9 de julio. Upstairs I found a small class of around 8 people taught by Estaban a happy and versatile instructor. I did a couple of classes which included a medley of salsa, regaton and merengue and I would have gone back to the class for more the following week had I not been going to la Bomba a lively drumming show in an open air venue! Anyway here is a video of the move!

When Mark, my non salsa dancing pilot friend flew in from London he took me to a football game between Argentina and Bolivia and in return I took him to a salsa club, Belgrano. On arriving at 10.30 pm we were way to early for the action but on returning shortly before 12 we sat down to a 3 course meal of dubious quality - there was no entry charge – just pay for what you consume we were told. We were firstly entertained by a 2 piece salsa band with singing, some percussion and keyboards/drum machine. They were actually pretty good and a few people danced – some of them very well. After the meal they cleared away the tables and lessons were commenced by a cuban team of 3 muscular guys with huge energy and gusto – this was fun and Mark joined in enthusiatically. After a fun warm up the lesson was a bit rudimentary but it got everybody going and there was free dancing afterwards. Mark was tired as he had flown in that da, losing 3 hours in the time change so as we left at about 3am while others were just arriving and I believe at that time paying a modest entry fee.

My final dance experience of the week was in fact tango. My friends Johanna and Chad were offered an introduction to tango as part of their hostal package. Ana the manager of the hostal gave us a brief but insightful history of tango in Buenos Aires illustrated with several examples of the music. We were then whisked off to Milonga Maldita which was over in the clubby district of San Telmo. On arriving we were led through an inconspicuos door to a large first floor venue with maybe 100 or so people and an already ongoing beginners lesson. Some, like me were total novices whilst others were clearly experienced exponents of the form. I seemed to get paired with a succession of students from Warwick University all of whom were tense and very conscious of their body and personal space. Tango is pretty up close and personal and you lead via body contact and English reserve just doesn't do it. After the class which was given in both English and Spanish there was an interesting and creative 6 piece band and singer followed by disco. Like me none of the other beginners felt sufficiently accomplished to return to the dance floor and most who did seemed very capable and we enjoyed watching them.

VIDEO

Finally, arriving back at my apartment in the Congreso I decided to briefly check out my local salsa club only 2 blocks away. Entry was 25 pesos but that included a soft drink. It turned out to be mainly cuban salsa but people were well into it and there were some lively dancers and someone's birthday party was in full swing – I watched for a while, had one dance then hung up my Buenos Aires dancing shoes and went back to my apartment to sleep and then pack.  

Tigre

I decide to take a day out of the city and travel to the town Tigre which is on the delta to the north of the city. I lost my way to the train station Retiro which given its hugeness was probably remiss so decided to curtail my aspirations to a boat ride and lunch visit. On the way a detachment of soldiers marched round the corner which seemed a bit strange.

I opted for the train journey in two parts, the second via a coastal route. It wasn't possible to buy a through ticket but the first part to Mitre was only 15p although I was possibly short changed at the boleteria. The second journey, costing around £2.50 took the nicer two carriage coastal train to Delta station where it was possible to catch a public launch/water bus.

On on the Northern edge of the town Tigre lies the delta comprising a network of waterways edged with houses, some dilapidated but others palatial. Each has its own dock and they have evocative names like Amor, Amenecer and Media luz. I joined with locals and out of season renters and passed more than an hour weaving through liquid avenues, stopping to drop people off at their stilted houses eventually to alight at Bonanzas a restaurant and horse riding business and my lunch stop.

As the afternoon's only customer I had the royal table on the deck overhanging the river . I was served gaucho sized barbecue on a small charcoal laden individual parilla. It was loaded with portions of pork ribs, chorizo and chicken and I washed it down with an excellent half bottle of Malbec followed by ice cream and coffee. I had plenty of time to sit on the deck taking in the waterside tranquility and wildlife but resisted the lure of the hammocks. 

Yes I did

The return boat was laden with children who were being dropped off at their homes and each stop took several minutes of manoeuvring the large boat alongside the dock. Eventually we landed back in Tigre and I rode a busy and airless commuter train back to the city.

Buenos Aires, first impressions

More Photos here
Well, 3 days into my visit to Buenos Aires and I have taken refuge from the hot sun and my self-imposed city hiking to try and record some impressions. This is the first South American city where I have felt less obviously visible – my clothes don't stand out – I'm not much taller than nearly everyone else and I don't get called Gringo. The city is a bit dirty and noisy but at the same time vibrant and hot in both senses. The Porteño are friendly if somewhat introspective and studiously political, well probably more so the middle classes – the seem to read a lot of newspapers and debate and hold forth a lot.

The architecture is somewhat haphazard and the traffic constant and heavy but perhaps not as polluted as other cities I have visited – newer cars and greater emission controls I guess and buses are relatively modern. Police presence is minimal which is a surprise given some of the history. Restaurants are in abundance and it feels like prices are around 20% less than UK equivalents. Most of all the feel of the city is good – It is a big place with much to explore, lots of cultural possibilities and some excellent open spaces.

My first walk was somewhat unplanned and I found my way down to the water side via impressive congressional buildings expansive piazzas, across a 14 lane highway which bringing an enormous quantity of traffic right through the heart of the city. Puerto Madero is a modern development of high rise apartments, shops, restaurants and parks which takes in some reclaimed docks. It is pleasantly peaceful and leads down to an ecological park which is bordered by a road that has several parrillas where you can buy charcoal grilled hamburgers or chorizo – the cooking smells are enticing but the product of it are poor in quality. I headed back via an area of older buildings with a market that was partly antiques and bricabrac and partly food. The fruit and veg and other products all looked fine and there were some interesting speciality stalls selling things like old metal toys and matchbox packets. I also took in a large and rather brash shopping mall/children's amusement venue and cinema in Abasto. The children’s bit was called Neverland and this didn't redeem it one bit. Around Abasto it is somewhat run down but looking as if it could become quite fashionable some time in the future. I came across an odd assortment of shops selling naked manikins for modelling closes in shops. I wanted to take some photos but felt that it could appear a tad dodgy so didn't.

In the evening I retuned to Abasto to check out Club Azucar the salsa venue. Entry costs 25 pesos, about £4 and for that you could bag and hour and a half each of rueda, bachata and salsa. I watched some bachata and joined in the salsa intermediate class. The moves were a bit unusual and the teaching somewhat sketchy but there was a lot of repetition and I just about mastered it but was pretty tired by the end. People were very friendly and forgiving of my mistakes but it was mostly a young crowd and somewhat rah rah for my tastes – but I was proud of myself for giving it a go. I'll probably go back.

Final thoughts on Arequipa

As you may have gathered this year's trip to Arequipa Peru was a most fantastic experience. I will continue my association with Peru via its small but friendly community here in London. Specifically I am planning to act as a befriender to a socially isolated Peruana living here in South London. I am also going to seek out some cajon lessons and maybe try and develop my interest en la musica Criolla which I find I like a lot. Next year I'll maybe head off to Colombia where I know a few people and where they both dance and cycle well. Until then here are 3 links which I hope will be of interest. Take care and if I can help in any way with you own travels to Peru please let me know. Thanks for following this blog. Hasta luego, Alan

A cold ride up to some trees at the foot of a volcano

la despidida de Alan or Alan's extended leaving parties


Cycling video

Eva Ayllon, a fine singer 

Leaving Arequipa

Well, I just realised that this is my 100th post on this blog. Ah well, if you missed the other 99 you have some catching up.

Ariquipena Cerveza Queen

The final couple of days in Arequipa passed quickly enough. I mainly attended Spanish and salsa classes as normal and said my goodbyes to my teachers, respectively Carmen and Christian. I also dropped into the the bar Cafe & Vino for a final copa of his excellent Bordeaux and chilled out there among the to me at least, unintelligible french speakers.

The last dance in Arequipa

Bar Cafe y Vino, Claustro de la Compania

We planned and executed a small but successful house party with me inviting mainly cycling friends and Marta my cajón teacher. She was a big success, playing the guitar and singing well known Peruvian songs. The Party continued until around 1am and it was a really nice and diverse group.

Apartment hunting and Spanish school friends

Marta entertaining cyclists
My penultimate day was all go. I went to the centre with Chad and Johanna and we enjoyed a coffee overlooking the plaza with a great vantage point for watching the carnival procession and lively battles of water and foam spray. Carnival in Arequipa is more understated than Cajamarca but even in our small urbanizacion there was a spontaneous water fight, but here at least no throwing of paint bombs.

Me at Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

Carnival

Later we had lunch in Capriccio's joining with Laura's happy band of expats and we made considered western world comparisons of the merits of local bathroom facilities and the advisability of carrying a personal supply of toilet paper. Laura asked me what I would look forward to most on my return to the UK and after giving it some thought it came down to friends and family and the relative certainty of western style living, bus timetables, less pollution, less sugary/salty food and maybe road bikes, oh and of course not tossing the loo paper in a box! That said, I haven't really craved for any of thise things.

That afternoon I was also scheduled for my last meeting with my cycling buddies. We gathered in the garden of William and barbecued pork steaks and salchitas. True to form the group partook of quite a lot of pisco and I furnished a bottle of Black Label. Everyone was very kind and as well as making embarrassing speeches they all signed a photo, presented me with a team shirt and Dante had produced a 12 minute video of some of my various cycling trips. How kind they all were and I count myself as very lucky to have enjoyed the company of such a fing group of cyclists.

Jesus at the BBQ

The next day chad and Johanna accompanied me to the airport and gave me a nice piece of polished aquamarine and we said our goodbyes. They have been great people with whom to share time and space and I have no doubt they will continue to shape their lifestyles to the challenges of living here in peru, and add their own style and flavour of life to Arequipa's growingly  diverse community. 

Chad and Johanna

Well, I guess in summary, with about 2 months in Arequipa I could happily recommend it to anyone. It is very much in change but the variety of its lifestyles and places offers much to travellers of all kinds and I at least have experienced nothing but kindness and friendliness from Ariquipeños.