Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
clubs throughout the city. These run the gamut,
and we'll leave it to you to find your niche. How-
ever, no visit to Argentina would be complete
without a visit to a tango club. Tango is Argen-
tina's contribution to the popular music scene.
Born in clubs, music houses and bordellos in
the late 19th century, tango mixes the
candomble rhythms of Africa with the haunting
melodies of Southern Spain and Italy. At its
peak after the Second World War, interest
waned in the 1960s and 1970s. Fortunately, the
intricate dance steps and sultry melodies are
once again very popular.
If Buenos Aires is your only Argentinean desti-
nation, we suggest a daytrip or overnight to the
nearby
pampas.
Just an hour's drive or train
ride from center city, the world of the
gaucho
has rolling pastures, corrals of cattle and
sprawling
estancias
(ranches), which are often
home to priceless collections of silver and other
treasures.
Gauchos
If the fabled
gaucho
no longer exists, don't
tell the Argentineans. The lore and legends
are kept alive by city and country dweller
alike. The
gaucho
, erect astride a handsome
horse, a
maté
gourd in one hand and his
boleador
(lariat) in the other, is the personi-
fication of the country's pioneer spirit, cour-
age and dogged independence. He is loyal to
nature and true to himself, a romantic and
an idealist - in short, an Argentine.
