Tango, Buenos Aires

The tango is a gorgeous symbol of Argentina and the passion of its people. The dance has become almost a cliché, but still to see it in motion surrounded by the brightly-painted pastel buildings of the La Boca district of Buenos Aires is a truly unique and beautiful experience.

While seeing the passionate dance done by veteran Argentine dancers is awe-inspiring, to truly appreciate the difficulty of tango you may want to try it yourself. A fun and more authentic way to catch the first few movements of this fluid dance is to go to a tango club. If you hit one of these on the right night you will be able to get a short lesson, which will be followed by free dance time. If you are not an experienced tango dancer this is probably just a good time to observe real Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) in the throes of a dance just between two people and not for an audience. However, if you would like to learn more of the dance and get a little time to practice there are also full classes available all over the city.

Just to observe the dance at its highest and most entertaining level one can’t miss the opportunity to see a live tango show in Buenos Aires. These shows range from glitzy stage performances with props and a story-line to more simple dances in restaurant basements. One of the longest running and best shows is at the Buenos Aires institution Café Tortoni. Here you can catch a tango show with an old world ambiance in the dimly lit brick basement after a meal at the classic eatery.

Penguins, Punta Tombo

Somewhere around the middle of September every year a small desolate strip of rocky terrain along the south-east coast of Argentina turns into one of the world’s most amazing breeding grounds. It starts with the arrival about 400,000 Magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo Wildlife Reserve and ends when the waddling tuxedo-clad creatures return to the sea to feed for the next four months.

Punta Tombo, being the world largest Magellanic penguin colony, was designated as a fauna reserve by the province of Chubut in 1979 and this puts restrictions on where the visitor can travel. These restrictions should be strictly observed as they are there to protect the penguins, and the visitors, as the penguins are notoriously protective of their young. Despite the restrictions this amazing reserve will give you a once in a lifetime chance to not only see thousands of the adorable water-birds, but to actually get very close to them as they waddle right across the path on their way down to the sea.

The thin peninsula is also home to a variety of other wildlife, from the llama-like guanaco to the cormorant. In fact the entire area is full of interesting wildlife including Right and Orca whales as well as sea lions and dolphins. This makes a visit to Punta Tombo not only unforgettable, but also possibly part of a larger Argentine safari.

Going to see the world’s largest Magellanic penguin colony is surprisingly easy as Punta Tombo lies only 110 km from the city of Trelew and only 180 km from the major beach town of Puerto Madryn. This means that it is easy to book a tour from the town. If you would like to see the penguins on your own schedule and have your own transport you can follow the paved Route 3 south from Puerto Madryn until Trelew where you change onto the small provincial Route 1. This is the unpaved section that brings you to the reserve, which can be impassable in bad weather – so check ahead of time.

Hill of Seven Colours

The Cerro de Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colours) in the small town of Purmamarca is one of the most spectacular examples of the amazing geological sites along the Quebrada de Humahuaca (Humahuaca Canyon). This canyon, which follows the Rio Grande, is characterized by the mineral-rich hillsides that have made it an other-worldly landscape splashed with bright earth hues – ranging from deep reds to greens and even bright oranges. The drive along Route 9 through the quebrada between the towns of Purmamarca and Humahuaca is surrounded by some of the area’s most impressive beauty. The trip isn’t a hard one to make, either, as there are frequent buses coming from the provincial capital, Jujuy. However, a nice alternative to allow for photo stops is renting a car in Jujuy.

Although it is the natural beauty that draws most of the visitors to the area it is of cultural interest as well. There is a strong influence from the many indigenous people that have called the region home for thousands of years. The cultural traditions of these people have been well-preserved and are very visible in the markets and adobe-style houses of the region. There are even white adobe churches more commonly associated with the highlands of Bolivia and Peru.

Gauchos

A dusty path in the blazing sun in the mountains of central Argentina – and around a bend comes the first of an extended line of horses. They plod along, some stopping to eat the grass at the side of the road. The last three horses to come around the bend are carrying three sun-soaked men wearing large round hats with folded edges, their baggy pants straddling the saddle. They shout at the horses and keep them moving down the trail toward the river. These are gauchos, Argentina’s answer to North America’s cowboys.

Examples of this fascinating culture can be found throughout the country in nearly any rural area, but one town is especially known for its gauchos. San Antonio de Areco sits in the rolling pampas about 113 km north west of Buenos Aires. One of the main reasons for its distinction as the gaucho capital of Argentina is the fact that one of the country’s most famous gaucho tales, Don Segundo Sombra, was set in the town and the author, Ricardo Güraldes, called the town his home. There is also a annual festival, the día de la tradición, which celebrates all the parts of the gaucho lifestyle which are enjoyed by Argentine people to this day. Although San Antonio de Areco may be the recognized gaucho culture centre of Argentina, examples of it can be found in every part of Argentine life.

One of the most important influences that gauchos have had on Argentina is the effect they have had on Argentine cooking and diet. Barbecued meat isn’t only a major part of the average Argentinean’s diet but the barbecue, or asado, is an important part of the social fabric for most people. Gaucho parties and ranch tours in Buenos Aires.

Perito Moreno Glacier

One of Argentina’s single most incredible natural wonders is is Perito Moreno Glacier, in the southern Patagonian province of Santa Cruz. The sight of this craggy ice wall rising 74 metres out of the water of Lake Argentino is truly awe-inspiring. This huge wall only shows about one-seventh of the actual height of the glacier as the rest is below the waterline.

This wall is the front line of one of the world’s few advancing glaciers and is followed by the massive ice flow that stretches 30 km back to the enormous South Patagonian Ice Field. The whole glacier covers an area of over 257 square km. With such a mass of advancing ice it is not rare to see huge chunks of ice (some the size of houses) begin to crack off the mass, sending booming gunshot sounds across the lake, followed by an eruption of water as the chunk splashes down.

Perito Moreno Glacier is only one of 48 glaciers that flow from the South Patagonian Ice Field, but it is definitely the most easily accessible. Countless buses run daily from the nearby tourist centre of El Calafate. These take you to the Los Glaciares National Park with a stop at a boat dock, where you have the opportunity to take a short boat trip to see the glacier from the water level. From there you will be dropped at the main visitor centre where you can set out on the winding series of boardwalks and staircases that allow you to see the glacier from many angles.

Los Glaciares National Park was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981 and remains one of Argentina’s most important and impressive natural wonders. For the closest possible look at the glacier ice walks are offered, which take you on a short guided tour around one portion of the glacier.

El Chalten

The rugged and jagged peaks of the Fitz Roy range surround the small town of El Chalten Argentina and make the developing tourist town an amazing place for Argentina’s outdoorsy visitors. The sight of the Torre and Fitz Roy peaks rising sharply above the surrounding hills can be seen from many places in the town. These two peaks, some of the most impressive and recognizable in Argentina, are accessible by beautiful day hikes that start at the outskirts of the town.

The town itself holds its own charms, as it has only begun becoming a tourist draw. You can still make your way around town without having the gorgeous mountain surroundings obscured by rows of tourist shops, high-rise hotels and exhaust-belching tour buses. There are definitely enough amenities for any independent traveller to be very comfortable, although at this point they are all in their early stages of development. Still, the parks administration office in the town has helpful information and can give you simple maps.

In addition to the two major mountains of the area there are countless other day hikes, multi-day camping excursions or full rock climbs you can embark on using the small town as your base.

Lake District

One of Argentina’s biggest draws for its own people is the stunning lake district. This area, stretching along the western border with Chile, boasts some pristine mountain wilderness and incredible, clear lakes.

Many of Argentina’s own tourists flock to Bariloche around holiday times for its ski slopes, lake side scenery, and European chocolate all within a well-established tourism infrastructure. Bariloche is also the best place to get all the information and gear needed to start out into the back-country of Nahuel Haupi National Park, which encompasses much of the lake district. The park is home to day hikes and multi-day trips that can take hikers to remote lakes, mountains or some of the parks snow-capped volcanoes.

For those looking for a spot in the lake district that doesn’t require days of hiking – but still isn’t a tourism Mecca – there are still plenty of options. The quaint towns of San Martín de los Andes, El Bolsón and Villa la Angostura all offer different options. From the upscale lakeside beauty and European-inspired architecture of San Martín to the fun and whacky hippie market of El Bolsón there are so many options of things to do and see in this highlight of Argentina.

The Friendliest People on Earth

Although it is the bounty of natural and cultural sites that will attract you to this diverse and beautiful land, it will be the endless kindness of the people that will make you want to stay forever.

Whether you are looking confused on a busy street corner in Buenos Aires or fumbling through a Spanish sentence in a small town market, the people of Argentina are incredibly patient and friendly and you will be amazed at how far they will go out of their way to help. Not only will the locals’ helpful nature be a big aid when you are lost or puzzled, but the passion of the Argentine people is what makes them even more alluring. This passion comes through in every facet of life – boisterous dinners starting just before midnight, the love of dance, food, wine, and most of all fútbol (football, soccer).

Whatever it is that brings you to Argentina there will be many, many reasons that you will want to stay. To any visitor who spends some time it becomes obvious that Argentina is so much more than its obvious, world-class sites it is about the amazing experiences to be had and the incredible people that you will encounter along the way. It is this mix of sites, experiences, people, and of course the food and drink that make Argentina one of the world’s most amazing places to visit. Once you spend a little time you will realize that no amount of time will ever feel like enough.
__________________________________________
SOURCE:
“8 Reasons to Stop Putting Off That Argentina Trip”
By Brendan Nogue
January 4th, 2010
http://www.bootsnall.com
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-01/8-reasons-to-stop-putting-off-that-argentina-trip.html

Waiting at the gate to board the flight to Buenos Aires, an awful sense of disquiet creeps upon me. I’m making a huge mistake. I’m flying to Argentina for a week, on my own, to learn to dance the Argentine tango. What the hell am I doing? I don’t speak a word of Spanish. I haven’t danced a choreographed step since 1982, when I tapped non-rhythmically along to The Red, Red Robin in a community centre. The only things I know about Argentina are that it’s very far away, we went to war with them once, and years ago I saw a film where their king appeared to be Jimmy Nail. And, worst of all, the Argentine tango (I’ve checked with YouTube) is a complex dance, built on instinct, litheness and a non-coy Latin American attitude to sensual proximity to strangers. I, on the other hand, am fully British in my dispensation of body contact. Grab me without permission and I go rigid and show fangs, like a tomcat being forced into a pet carrier.

As my flight is called, the terror of a week at the Tango Escuela de Carlos Copello begins to take hold. Copello is a born-and-bred tanguero. His website is full of shots of women chucking their ankles over his shoulders and dancing with their bodies wrapped round his, their faces tucked intimately into his neck or gazing deeply into his eyes. “I feel a bit like crying,” I confess pathetically to the Argentinian businessman stuck beside me and my anxieties for 13 long-haul hours.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he says, unfazed. “Everyone cries in Argentina. You’ll fit in well. We’re very dramatic people.”

As it turns out, I do fit in rather well. Buenos Aires is beautiful, hot and glamorous, and the malbec is plentiful enough to make me feel roughly similar. I arrive at dawn on a bright November morning and jump into a dirt-cheap yellow cab that sneaks me into the well-heeled Recoleta district, to Algodon Mansions, which is going to be my home for the week and which slightly ruins any future trips to Argentina – the suites are enormous, with showers that fit at least a dozen people (I estimate; I couldn’t get a crowd large enough to test this) and attended to by 24-hour butlers. There is also a balcony full of flora and fauna on which my own chorus of birds gathers to chirp each morning while I eat pain au chocolat, the back of my hand resting on my forehead like a 1930s movie starlet as I wonder at what time it is polite to crack into the Algodon Estates pinot noir.

Grace Dent is put through her tango paces in Buenos Aires: ‘Grab me
without permission and I go rigid and show fangs, like a cat in a pet carrier.’
Photograph: Alejandro Kirchuk for the Guardian

November and December are good months to be in Buenos Aires. The weather is warm, not yet searing, and the polo season is in full swing, as the pilgrimage of ruddy-cheeked, expat Prince Harry-alikes bumbling through the airport will denote. Do spend a Saturday afternoon at the Campo Argentine del Polo watching men on horses being macho, then carry on to after-parties in Palermo Hollywood with the great and good of Argentina’s equestrian-obsessed party rabble. If you’ve read Jilly Cooper, you’ll know what goes on.

Take a tolerant credit card and flat shoes for shopping in Patio Bullrich and Arandú (think Ibiza Town married with Knightsbridge) and pack clothes made of stretchable fabrics because you’ll consume too many steaks, brioche-based pies and cocktails. Do pack bug repellant: the mosquitos are silent, invisible, industrious buggers who adore sweet British skin. And definitely, definitely try to learn tango.

I say the latter part with hindsight. On day one of lessons with Carlos Copello, stood in a dance studio, watching the Argentinians pass round a cup of mate (the never-ending communal equivalent of tea), wearing my stupid tango shoes – too low to be glamorous, too high to be practical, so truly useless – I want to run away. Carlos seems to sense I’m going to be trouble from the moment he explains that tango is a dance where the man leads, the man makes all the decisions and that – unless you want to be seen as either insane or a sex-crazed harpy – a woman never suggests a dance and monitors her eye contact with men.

“Pghhhgh,” I say, a sound of feminist dissent I find is usually understood in all languages.

We begin with “the basic step”, the one that carries two people round a dancefloor clockwise. Facing Carlos, my role goes: left foot forward, right sweeps to the side, two quick steps back, leaving left crossing right, right foot back, left sweeps across and both feet together. Repeat. It takes me two hours of stepping on Carlos’s shoes and being moaned at to master this. Two of the most excruciating hours of my life. I can do the feet. I can even do “ochos”, the twirly-feet steps that abbreviate the basic step. What I can’t do is let Carlos lead while I wrap around him, pulling a distant, yet vaguely lustful expression. He seems furious at even the slightest hint of authority in my body language. “Tranquilo,” he says, 275 times in the first lesson. I’m supposed to be looking into his eyes, or have my head tucked sensuously into his neck. To me, this feels wrong. In Britain, the only time someone touches you so tenderly, they’re either your official “other half”, someone you’re about to get off with, or you’re being sexually molested. So how come everyone else at tango school just gets on with it? I can’t unlearn decades of social conditioning overnight, but I had better bloody well try if I don’t want to be the pale English wallflower with the cat’s bum mouth for the next seven days.

Days pass, as do my jet lag and my feeling of pointless anxiety. I’m paired with Carlos’s son, Maxi, a strapping, 6ft 2in twentysomething with large, hazel eyes and broad shoulders. He begins lessons with long periods of making me gaze into his eyes and hum along to the music, so we are “sensing the rhythms in each other’s bodies”. Oddly enough, dancing with someone so gorgeous and whom I have no aversion to whisking me around the floor like a compliant rag doll makes things much jollier. A small flash of tanguero spirit takes hold – the music, the flamboyance, the leg kicks, the ability to grab a stranger and dance for four minutes emitting the vibes that you’re wildly in love, then turn on a heel and walk off. Suddenly, it all begins to make more sense. If you let go, float above your British worry and shame, and begin dancing round and round the floor, tango will grip you like a fever.

By day three, the tutors roar with glee as I dance rather proficiently, pulling the trademark Argentinian face of aloof, undying love. I take group lessons, solo lessons and technical classes that explain precisely what muscle should be working where and when. By day five, I think nothing of venturing out into the rush hour traffic to dance with Carlos for a photoshoot. I don’t care, and the passersby don’t, either. Everyone is quite dramatic in Argentina – my travel companion on the flight out was right.

I miss Buenos Aires desperately. My tango shoes sit expectantly under my bed in wintery east London. I’m still 99% stiffly British, but now with a tiny touch of tanguero madness lying dormant in my soul.
________________________________________
SOURCE:
“Grace Dent learns to tango in Argentina”
By Grace Dent
guardian.co.uk
Friday 27 January 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/jan/27/argentina-tango-lessons-grace-dent?newsfeed=true

• Grace Dent travelled with Latin American specialists Dehouche on their Tango Experience. Seven nights at Algodon Mansion, including five private lessons at Tango Escuela Carlos Copello, three group classes and a Rojo Tango show Buenos Aires, starts from £3,200pp, including return flights with British Airways.

• WIN: Belly-dancing lessons in Morocco. For full details of the holiday on offer, plus how to enter the competition and full terms and conditions, go to weekend travel competition

“People are really waking up to what Buenos Aires is all about,” says Gordon Campbell Gray, the celebrated hotelier who created One Aldwych in London, Carlisle Bay in Antigua and Le Gray in Beirut. “It’s a party city – it’s very beautiful architecturally but it’s really about great food and great nightlife in a glamorous setting.” By day, tourists can visit beaches, the pampas or the Iguazu Falls, then return to spend nights in the city’s famous tango bars or at the Teatro Colón opera house. The impressive choice of hotels includes the new wine-themed Hotel Mio (www.miobuenosaires.com; doubles from $346), with rooms featuring carved wooden bathtubs and free wine on tap. Geoffrey Kent of Abercrombie & Kent recommends staying on an Argentine ranch where guests can fish and ride, a perfect antidote to nights of hedonism in the capital. Bahia Bustamante (www.bahiabustamante.com; from $215 per person per night), for example, offers more than 200,000 acres of Patagonian wilderness, to be shared by a maximum of 30 guests at any one time. They can spend their time hiking, riding, kayaking, exploring the 60m-year-old petrified forest, or simply watching wildlife, from whales, dolphins and sea-lions to ostriches and armadillos.

Mozambique

“With 2,500km of beautiful, undeveloped coastline, Mozambique is the new kid on the block as far as coastal destinations are concerned,” says Will Jones of Journeys by Design. Joel Zack of Heritage Tours says: “Mozambique offers luxury but still very much feels like you’re in Africa. The beaches are beautiful and the people friendly.” Attracting most attention is Azura at Quilalea (www.azura-retreats.com; from $595 per person per night), part of the Quirimbas archipelago in the far north. It opened last month and offers nine villas, set on an otherwise uninhabited 86-acre island, surrounded by a marine sanctuary. Nearby are more stunning island resorts including Vamizi (www.vamizi.com; from $590 pppn) and Ibo Island Lodge (www.iboisland.com; from $335 pppn). Some 800 miles further south, the Bazaruto archipelago is the other big draw for those seeking paradise beach resorts, including the second Azura, on Benguerra island. But travellers are also turning their attentions to Mozambique’s mainland and, in particular, Gorongosa National Park (www.gorongosa.net). Game viewing is less guaranteed here than in more developed parks of South Africa but it is much less-visited. Explore Gorongosa (www.exploregorongosa.com; from $440 pppn) runs a tented camp, as well as setting up temporary “fly camps” for visitors to explore the bush.

Burma

Two years ago Burma was almost completely ignored by tourists. But in late 2010 Aung San Suu Kyi was released, then opposition groups dropped their calls for a tourism boycott. A month ago Hillary Clinton made a high profile visit in recognition of the government’s steps towards democracy and this week brings the release of a new biopic about Suu Kyi.
The result has been a tourism boom – so much so that tour operators report some hotels are fully booked for the first few months of 2012.

The key attraction is the lack of tourist development, a by-product of years of isolation. “It’s like Thailand 50 years ago,” says Tom Barber, of Original Travel. Jonny Bealby of Wild Frontiers says: “Mandalay and Bagan are unbelievable destinations. Burma has a huge amount to offer.” Tom Marchant of Black Tomato recommends visiting the Mahamuni Pagoda Festival in early February: “It’s a great chance to get out there and see what I think is truly authentic Asia.”

All visitors should see the well-preserved colonial buildings of Yangon, the former royal capital Mandalay and Bagan, the site of more than 2,000 pagodas and temples. Adventurous travellers are pushing north, some making it as far as remote Putao, where they go rafting, elephant trekking or to visit traditional villages in the jungle. Malikha Lodge (www.malikhalodge.net; from $1,900 per person for three nights) is a luxurious wilderness lodge hidden among bamboo trees above the Nam Lang river, about 10 miles from Putao airport.

Papua New Guinea

“It is an intrepid and immersive experience; it feels like a last frontier,” says Marchant. And yet Papua New Guinea’s beaches, fascinating culture and unrivalled scuba diving are starting to attract adventurous tourists as well as hardcore explorers. Visitors can take part in supported expeditions that visit volcanoes and some of the island’s 1,000 isolated tribes. Barber also recommends diving and fishing in Papua New Guinea, which sits in the Coral Triangle, an area known as the Amazon of the Seas for its marine biodiversity. For diving, consider Lissenung Island Resort (www.lissenung.com; from $141pppn), Walindi Plantation (www.walindi.com; from $115 pppn) or Tufi Dive Resort (www.tufidive.com; from $162 pppn). Inland, Karawari Lodge (www.pngtours.com; from $603 pppn) sits amid tropical rainforest, overlooking the Karawari river in East Sepik province. There is no road access, so guests arrive by air, landing at a jungle airstrip, and take boat trips to nearby villages built on stilts by the river’s edge. Wildlife is abundant and at least 229 different species of bird have been recorded in the area.

Sweden

Perhaps helped by the popularity of Nordic food and design, not to mention Stieg Larsson’s Millennium books, tour operators are getting excited about Sweden. Stockholm makes a perfect weekend-break destination, with boutique hotels and world-class restaurants. Stay at the fashionable Lydmar (www.lydmar.com; doubles from £299) and check out the bohemian area of west Stockholm, Rörstrandsgatan, packed with interesting cafés and antique shops. But Stockholm is also a good jumping-off point for longer trips. Barber recommends moving on to northern Sweden, where tourists can ski, go dog sledding and see the northern lights. Marchant recommends visiting the northern city of Lulea and the Unesco-recognised Gammelstad while staying in the Tree Hotel (www.treehotel.se; doubles from £364), where guests sleep in a variety of architect-designed treehouses.

Ethiopia

Though the rock churches of Lalibela have long drawn intrepid travellers, 2012 could see tourists discover far more of the country, from the Simien mountains of the north to the lower Omo valley in the south.
“Ethiopia has always struggled because of a lack of infrastructure and a lack of decent accommodation options but that is changing,” says Jones.

While not luxurious, Gheralta Lodge (www.gheraltalodgetigrai.com; doubles from £37) is a stylish base for trips into the Danakil desert, somewhere Bealby describes as “the most surreal landscape you’re ever likely to see”. If short on time (and energy), Tropic Air (www.tropicairkenya.com) offers helicopter tours to whisk visitors into the most remote parts of the country.

Panama

“Panama lets you get a taste of the whole of Central America in one trip,” says Marchant – its small size means you can easily swap between Caribbean and Pacific coasts, as well as getting inland for jungle and wildlife experiences.
On the northern, Caribbean coast, visitors should head to the San Blas Islands for white sand beaches, diving and to meet indigenous tribes such as the Kuna, advises Barber. “They are autonomous from the rest of Panama and have their own customs that are still flourishing,” he says. Visitors stay in thatched eco-lodges on the beach, such as the Coral Lodge (www.corallodge.com; from $105 pppn).

Further west, closer to the Costa Rican border, is the Bocas del Toro archipelago, which is more developed and has a greater choice of accommodation, including Punta Caracol (www.puntacaracol.com; doubles from $344). On the Pacific side, the hot destination is Isla Coiba, an isolated marine reserve that was a notorious prison colony until the last inmate was released in 2005. This past means there has been little development – a maximum of 60 guests are allowed at any time, while there are more than 700 species of fish, 30 kinds of sharks and 20 species of whales and dolphins.

Panama City itself has much to offer, including colonial buildings, lively nightlife and good restaurants, as well as the spectacle of vast ships navigating the canal. The Museum of Biodiversity (www.biomuseopanama.org), designed by Frank Gehry, is currently under construction, and is due for a soft opening in late 2012. Stay at the Casa del Horno (www.casadelhorno.net; doubles from $275), an eight-suite boutique hotel that opened in 2011 in the old quarter. From the city it’s possible to make day trips into the jungle, along the coast and to El Valle, a pretty town in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Zambia

Visiting Zambia is a chance to experience “sheer wilderness”, says Kent. The Luangwa valley is known as the home of the walking safari and offers the chance to see wildlife without the clusters of tourist minibuses found in some of the more popular African safari parks. “With a great guide, you get a lesson in the African bush going from major game down to the dung beetle,” says Kent.
After a day on safari, guests can relax in one of the elegant lodges, including Sanctuary Chichele Presidential Lodge (www.sanctuaryretreats.com; from $320 pppn) once home to Kenneth Kaunda, the former Zambian president.
At Victoria Falls adrenaline junkies can bungee jump from the bridge dividing Zambia from Zimbabwe and go whitewater rafting, then retreat to the Royal Livingstone hotel (www.suninternational.com; doubles from $440), part of the Falls Resort which had a $7m refurbishment in 2011. Those looking for a calmer activity can cruise along the Zambezi river and spot wildlife on the way or rent a houseboat on nearby Lake Kariba.

Kent recommends following up a Zambian safari with a beach holiday in neighbouring Mozambique. He says: “A week in Zambia, with family or on honeymoon, and a week in Mozambique, what could be better?”

NEW DIRECTIONS: Trends to watch for

Twin-centres Splitting your holiday between coast and mountains or city and country is nothing new, but today’s travellers are taking the idea to extremes. Tour operator Black Tomato reports strong demand for itineraries offering striking contrasts: two-week trips split between skiing in Colorado and beaches in Mexico, for example, or a combination of Tokyo and New Zealand, Rome and Beirut and Iceland and New York.

Who you know, not where you go Luxury travel company Nota Bene says clients are increasingly asking for holidays that include introductions to key people in the region they are visiting. Past trips have included a meeting with Asma al-Assad, the British-born first lady of Syria and lunch with Andrea Bocelli on the private island of Li Galli off the Amalfi coast. www.notabenetravel.com
The new travel clubs Once travel clubs and concierge services were all about paying a premium to jump the queue at the most exclusive restaurants, nightclubs and so on.

Today, they are increasingly offering good deals too. Jetsetter, for example, works on a “flash sale” principle – members receive emails offering trips at discounts of up to 50 per cent but that typically must be bought within 10 days. For around $200, members can also have trips personally arranged by the club’s roster of travel writers. Global Artichoke, meanwhile, is aimed at wealthy globetrotters: they pay an annual fee of £9,000, but then pay cost price for all their travel. Even private jets are being discounted: members of online club Victor can share the cost of jets, leading to significant savings.
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The panel

Tom Barber is co-founder of Original Travel (www.originaltravel.co.uk); Jonny Bealby is a travel writer and founder of Wild Frontiers (www.wildfrontiers.co.uk); Gordon Campbell Gray is founder of Campbell Gray Hotels (www.campbellgrayhotels.com); Will Jones is managing director of African specialist Journeys By Design (www.journeysbydesign.com); Geoffrey Kent is founder and chairman of Abercrombie & Kent (www.abercrombiekent.co.uk); Tom Marchant is co-founder and director of Black Tomato (www.blacktomato.co.uk); Joel Zack is the founder of Heritage Tours (www.htprivatetravel.com)
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SOURCE:
“Top destinations 2012″
Jan 02, 2012
Interviews by Maria Howard
http://ibnlive.in.com
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/top-destinations-2012/217176-68.html

Buenos Aires and Argentina have received a flood of international tourists. The rapid increase in tourists is set to rise further as people head to South America for its summer and to experience the culture of Argentina such as, through a tango experience.

Buenos Aires and Argentina’s tourist industry is already booming due to the incredible and diverse landscapes and cultures and, the capital is getting itself ready for its busiest period over the festive season. Tourists are especially interested in Buenos Aires this year due to the current favourable exchange rates with the Argentine Peso to American Dollar, the Euro and the British Pound as well as, due to the wide range of travel activities such as, tango, football and many cultural activities available within Buenos Aires.

The majority of tourists travel to Buenos Aires to spend Christmas and New Year holiday there however; they are still searching for a unique and cultural South American experience where they can spend time with their family and friends. BsAs4u.com has seen this gap in the market and has since formed many ties and links for Christmas and New Year’s Eve with the local tango show houses in Buenos Aires in order provide the tourists with new, traditional and exclusive holiday celebrations that also include professional tango experiences. During the Christmas and New Year tango shows, tourists will be able to enjoy a traditional Argentine dinner with their family and friends whilst experiencing tango; a deep routed part of Buenos Aires and Argentina culture.

The Christmas and New Year events will take place in some of the most authentic tango houses in Buenos Aires. Tango is more than just a dance as it forms an important part of the lives of the Porteño’s in a country that was previously split by social class and political affiliations. Bringing the holiday celebrations together with tango, BsAs4u.com is making sure that all tourists celebrate this Christmas and New Year with an authentic and unforgettable tango event in Buenos Aires.

The agency has designed a package for Christmas and New Year that includes a free transfer from the international airport and a free city tour when you book a Christmas or New Year show through the BsAs4u website. The tango houses offer a unique and authentic experience and a different way to celebrate Christmas and New Year. All the tango houses on Christmas and New Year’s offer a reception; 3 course meal; tango show and a DJ so that those attending can dance their night away until the early morning. The Christmas and New Year’s shows also include transfers to and from the tango houses which mean the customers will avoid the inflated holiday prices. The package is perfect for tourists looking for a way to spend Christmas and New Year with their friends and families and fellow tourists or locals.

BsAs4u.com, the first Buenos Aires travel agency operating exclusively online reservations, offers online booking services and assistance to tourists in 4 languages: English, Portuguese, French and Spanish. BsAs4u provides more than 100 services that can be booked securely online using any international credit card and PayPal and within their service catalogue there is a section exclusively for the Christmas Eve dinner shows and New Year’s Eve celebrations in Buenos Aires. The BsAs4U.com website is supported by the travel agency, Webracion Viajes; a registered travel agency with Argentina’s Ministry of Tourism and, holds an EVT number 14405 guaranteeing the reliability of the travel services and the security needed by tourists to have a stress free vacation.
_______________________________________
SOURCE:
“BUENOS AIRES WELCOMES TOURISTS FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS”
December 2nd, 2011
http://www.travpr.com
http://www.travpr.com/pr-10457-buenos-aires-welcomes-tourists.html

The festival, whose sponsors include the national and city governments, upends the rigid stereotypes of the dance.

“Normally “the man leads and the woman is led. In Tango Queer, those roles are flexible,” said Augusto Balizano, one of the organizers. “There can be men who lead, men who follow, women who lead and women who follow.”

And some couples switch roles, a woman leading while the man follows.

If it sounds odd to some, it actually harks back to the beginnings of tango, which arose at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, Uruguay. At the start, both partners were men.

Ellis, 71, said that sometimes she likes to lead, other times to follow. Tango is a dance of the heart, not the head, she said.

The festival began in Hamburg, Germany, at the start of the century, and versions of the event have been held since then in Stockholm, Berlin, Copenhagen, San Francisco and Mexico City.

Buenos Aires has hosted an international festival yearly since 2006, mixing seminars, films, classes, performances and social dancing.

Tango dancers Augusto Balizano, right, and Claudio Gonzalez rehearse during the
Queer Tango Festival 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 15, 2011. The festival
was born in Hamburg, Germany around 2000, when a group of women decided to
organize a tango festival for a gay audience, but not limited to gay participants.
(Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

________________________________________________
SOURCES:

“Tango Queer festival challenges stereotypes about historic dance”
By Associated Press
November 16
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/tango-queer-festival-challenges-stereotypes-about-historic-dance/2011/11/16/gIQAUPoxRN_story.html

“Today in Pictures: Nov. 16, 2011″
Nov 16, 2011
http://abcnews.go.com/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/11/today-in-pictures-nov-16-2011/

New holidays 2012 trends:

We’re always looking for the next big thing in travelling and it’s even better if we’re the ones who discover the trend first. So here it is.

Glamping is passé and staycations are yesterday’s news. ‘Thrillaxing’ – relaxing through getting active while on holiday – is the next big thing for travel trendsetters with a survey, commissioned by new website iExplore, revealing that just over half of UK holidaymakers have already ‘thrillaxed’ this year.

With two thirds of UK holidaymakers surveyed believing that choosing a more adventurous trip is the key to escaping the stresses of their day-to-day lives, and 75 per cent finding that keeping active abroad helps take their minds off what’s happening at home and in the office, it’s clear that Brits are looking for a bit more from their holidays.

One man who has had his fair share of adventures is TV presenter, former ‘Holiday’ front man and seasoned traveller Craig Doyle who has listed his top five active holidays for 2012 for those looking for something a little bit different:

1. TANGO AND SAMBA TOUR OF ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL

A tango and samba tour can give an incredible insight into these beautiful and diverse countries.

Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay (collectively, the “Rioplatenses”). It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons. Earlier forms of this ensemble sometimes included flute, clarinet and guitar. Tango may be purely instrumental or may include a vocalist. Tango is well-known across much of the world, along with the associated tango dance.

2. CYCLING IN Vietnam

Vietnam is steeped in culture and what better way to get around this cycle friendly country then by bike.

3. DUBROVNIK YACHT CHARTER

An ideal way to explore the Dalmatian coast, taking in the beautiful island of Lokrum or the Elafiti Islands.

4. NAMIBIAN FAMILY ADVENTURE

One of the most spectacular and family-friendly countries in Africa, this is your chance to spend a couple of weeks watching the wildlife and discovering the culture.

5. ARCTIC AND SNOW HOTEL IN SWEDEN

Dog sledding and snowmobiles, the fantastic snow hotel and a chance to take in the spectacular northern lights make this a romantic destination.

Street performers are dancing the tango everywhere in Buenos Aires.
RIck Wianecki/My Shot

Feeling inspired by all this tango talk? Check out the competition happening in Buenos Aires, now through August 30, or try one of these B.A. milongas where you can learn, dance, and watch “the most sensual dance in the world.”

Learn to Tango

La Viruta Tango Many milongas have very complicated and subtle rules of etiquette, but at La Viruta Tango, a relaxed vibe makes it welcoming to first timers. Tango lessons are offered Wednesday through Saturday nights at six different levels with both Spanish- and English-speaking instructors. Armenia St. 1366; +54 11 4747 6357 www.lavirutatango.com/

La Catedral At this former grain silo, dairy, and refrigerator you can take a tango class any night of the week. The etiquette at La Catedral is slightly more traditional: for example, when you agree to take a dance partner, it is considered rude if you leave before the set of four to five songs ends. Sarmiento 4006; +54 11 155 325 1630 www.lacatedralclub.com/

Club Gricel The expansive wooden dance floor at Club Gricel provides a great place to learn the seductive art of tango. Classes include free entrance to the night’s milonga, where you can show off your newly acquired moves. La Rioja 1180; +54 11 4957 7157 www.clubgriceltango.com.ar

Watch the Tango (Tango Shows in Buenos Aires)

Complejo Tango: This beautiful old building is home to all things tango including a hotel with dance-themed rooms. At Complejo, dinner starts at 8:30 p.m. every night with the show at 10 p.m. Dancers are accompanied by a live orchestra, and the show illustrates the history of tango in five scenes. Optional lessons are available every night. Reservations are required. Av. Belgrano 2608; +54 11 4941 1119 www.complejotango.com.ar/english/index2.html

Señor Tango: Looking for a tango show that’s so shamelessly over-the-top you’ll walk out covered in glitter? Señor Tango is the place for you. This elaborate theater and lounge hosts an event that is more theatrical than traditional but guarantees an unforgettable night. Vieytes 1655; +54 11 4303 0231 www.senortango.com.ar

Madero Tango: Most tango shows focus on the dancing rather than the food, but Madero Tango repeatedly gets high marks for its culinary decadence as well as the elaborate show it hosts. Alicia Moreau de Justo y Brasil – Dique 1 – Puerto Madero; +54 11 5239 3009 www.maderotango.com

Dance the Tango

La Glorieta de Belgrano This milonga pops up in a large gazebo every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night in the park Barrancas in the barrio Belgrano. Dancing starts at 8 p.m. Show up an hour early for a free lesson so you can spin along with the locals. 11 de Septiembre between Sucre and Echeverría streets; (+54 11) 4674 1026 www.visittangobuenosaires.com/La_Glorieta-en.htm

Parakultural at Salón Canning Popular with Porteños, at Parakultural, tango is not a spectator sport. Open only on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, patrons come here to show off their skills on the dance floor. Scalabrini Ortiz 1331; +54 11 5738 3850 www.parakultural.com.ar

La Marshall At La Marshall, the traditional he-leads, she-follows method of tango is turned on its head with a number of same-sex couples proving there are many ways to dance the tango. The location of this moving milonga changes from night to night, so check the website for up-to-date details. +54 11 4300 3487 www.lamarshall.com.ar
__________________________________
SOURCE:
“Tango Heats Up in Argentina”
By Sarah Langdon
August 23, 2011
Former Traveler intern, Sarah Langdon, is a fifth-year visual communications major at the University of South Carolina and is spending her last semester studying in Buenos Aires, a city that truly never sleeps. Follow her @sarahmlangdon.
http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com
http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2011/08/23/the-tango-heats-up-in-buenos-aires-argentina/

The Argentine Tango seems to be a phenomenon that has swept the UK over the past ten years. Nearly every large town and city has a Tango club allowing members to take classes or attend a Milonga (an event where the Tango can be danced). In particular, there are now a whole variety of places for beginners to experience Tango classes in London.

So what is Tango and why is it so popular? The Argentine Tango originated from Buenos Aires in the 1890s, taking its influence from African rhythms and European music. It was in the densely populated, working class areas of the city that the dance thrived amongst the mainly Spanish and Italian immigrants. The bars and drinking houses of Buenos Aires would fill with mostly male immigrants, outnumbering the women fifty to one and thus making it extremely difficult for these men to meet a potential partner.

Of course, given such a huge disparity in numbers, many men remained lonely tangueros – and this sense of hopeless desire, of urgent longing, has remained within the spirit of the dance. It is this passion, energy and emotion that attract people to learn Tango; the intense feeling of being close to a partner to enjoy the small steps and rhythmic footwork that fuses two movements into one. Other men decided to learn the female aspect of the dance, which allowed them to become a more rounded dancer as they progressed to the male role. The learning of the female role by men is still practised in some of Argentine Tango’s leading dance schools.

Tango Shows in Buenos Aires

The resurgence of Tango’s popularity from Buenos Aires to London was largely due to the end of the military dictatorship in Argentina, which had banned the dance. The country adopted the Tango as a form of national identity, which also helped reduce its perception by the wealthy classes as being a lower class pastime. Since then, Tango clubs and classes have sprung up all over the world and breathtaking scenes within Hollywood movies such as ‘Take the Lead’ (Antonio Banderas) have taken the passion to the masses.

In London, Banderas wannabes have many ways to learn how to dance Tango; group classes are popular and add to the fun and sociable nature of the dance, whilst there is also an upward trend in busy London folk enrolling in private lessons to get to their first Milonga more quickly. In fact, the British reserved culture means that many of us are too self- conscious to attend a class without at least knowing the basic steps first. Motivations for taking up Tango can vary; from gaining inspiration from increasingly common dance-based TV shows and Hollywood movies, to engaged couples secretly learning their sultry moves to release during their wedding dance. Whatever the reason and however the method of learning, Tango is sweeping the nation and here to stay.

Bruges, Belgium

It’s the type of thing you’d expect to see in Buenos Aires, or even Seville, but not in Belgium. And definitely not in a fish market in Belgium.

Yet as we were walking along the canal in Bruges last night, we were drawn to the Vismarkt by the twinkling music of the tango. When we got there, we found the cobbles had been covered over with board, and ladies and gents were getting all dressed up, heels and flowers in their hair and everything, and dancing.

Turns out it’s the idea of a tango school owner. During the year, Pasos de Brujas holds lessons in the classroom, but every Sunday in July and August, they spill out into the Vismarkt, and anyone—whether or not you’re a pupil at the school—can join in.

We first went by about 6pm, when things were pretty quiet. Later that night, we went back for dinner by the Vismarkt, and the place was packed. When we left at 9, it was still going strong with about 30 couples on the dancefloor.

According to the website, the Milonga del Pescador Sunday tango starts at 5pm and goes until 10.

Chicago, USA

“Maria de Buenos Aires”: Thrill to the seductive sound of the Argentine tango when the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the city’s Office of Tourism and Culture, presents the tango operita by Astor Piazzolla and Horacio Ferrer. Soprano Catalina Cuervo, above, stars as Maria, and Elbio Barilari narrates the fully staged production, to be conducted by Gerardo Moreira, with guest dancer Victoria Vargas and dancers of Tango 21. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday at Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; free, tickets must be obtained in advance (sold out, waiting list only); 312-742-8497
____________________________________
SOURCES:

“The Argentine Tango: From Buenos Aires to London via Hollywood”
23rd August 2011
http://www.easier.com
http://www.easier.com/93998-the-argentine-tango-buenos-aires-london-hollywood.html

“Summer in Bruges Means Free Tango in the Fish Market”
August 22, 2011
http://www.jaunted.com
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/22/5043/94088/travel/Summer+in+Bruges+Means+Free+Tango+in+the+Fish+Market

“‘Maria de Buenos Aires,’ a summer tango”
August 12, 2011
http://www.chicagotribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/events/ct-ott-0812-classical-pick-maria-buen20110812,0,2313035.story

But a young generation of musicians, lyricists and composers are proving him wrong.

Moving away both from purist rhythms and the electronic fusions of the late 1990s, the new generation fills up venues playing compositions with contemporary themes that aim to put tango back in the spotlight on the national scene.

“They’re recovering tango‘s history, not just the golden age but its grittier origins,” said Sergio Pujol, a historian and author of “Argentine Songs: 1910-2010.”

“They’re going back to compositions that speak to a cruder, more complex social reality. It’s an interesting, less travelled road.”

Instead of an older man in a suit, slouched hat and slicked back hair, Julian Bruno, 27, walked on stage recently wearing a plaid shirt, his hair in a pony tail, looking more like a grunge band member than a tango singer.

“It’s a myth that tango doesn’t make sense to you until you’re older,” said Bruno, a singer with the 12-member Ciudad Baigon Orchestra. “We’re making new tango that speaks about today’s reality using a current language.”

The tango — born in 19th century in the ports of Buenos Aires and danced in the early morning hours after work by prostitutes and dockworkers — originally spoke about a cruder reality often using a slang known as “lunfardo”.

But tango’s grittier origin and social conscience was hidden when the music lived its golden age in the 1940′s and big orchestras played sentimental and commercial versions.

“Tango used to deal more with trivialities and not social issues,” said Gabriel Gowezniansky, 26, a lyricist for Ciudad Baigon. “Now tango is taking on themes that are more social just like rock did at a time.”

“DOING THE REVOLUTION”

When rock struck a chord among young Argentines in the 1960′s and later during a military dictatorship as a way to bring about social change, tango, with its nostalgic lyrics about loneliness, was seen as grandpa’s music.

“My parents wanted to listen to the Beatles and do the revolution. Now we want to do the revolution but through Tango,” said Hernan Cabrera, 30, director of Ciudad Baigon, which released its album “Destierro” (Exile) this year.

Tango gradually recovered its global significance after a long hiatus through its stylish depiction in movies and Broadway shows such as “Tango Argentino”.

It also came back slowly through the music of Astor Piazzolla, Argentina’s best-known bandoneon player, who revolutionized the genre from the 1950s to the 1980s.

But traditionalists were angered by Piazzolla’s greatest sin: the merging of the tango with classical music, jazz and electric guitar. This blasphemy, they say, in time turned tango into a free-for-all for modernizers such as the Gotan Project, which mixed it with everything from Jamaican dub to hip-hop.

“The importance of what the new young lyricists and composers are doing is trying to make something that cannot be cloned like electronic tango,” said Pujol.

At Zona Tango — a typical milonga, or tango club — in the working class neighbourhood of Boedo, young couples embrace cheek-to-cheek, gliding and pausing across the crowded tile floor. The mournful chords of the bandoneon, a type of concertina, and the syncopated beats of Orquesta Tipica Vidu flow over them.

“I listen to Metallica but the Tango is ours, it’s from our country and it runs through our veins,” Ismael Bartolomei, 15, a violinist for Vidu, said during a break.

On another side of the city, under the dim lights of a club in Bohemian San Telmo, the tango had less working-class flavour but the same young essence and original lyrics.

“When I started studying the genre I realized that Tango is a feeling that anyone can share regardless of the age,” said Josefina Rozenwasser, 24, a singer who released her album “Proyeccion” this year. “I’m sure you can get the tango even when you’re not in your thirties.”
_________________________________
SOURCE:
“Argentine tango new generation does the revolution”
By Luis Andres Henao
BUENOS AIRES
Wed Aug 17, 2011
http://www.reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/17/uk-argentina-tango-idUSLNE77G03J20110817

“Let’s face it. Most people aren’t willing to shell out the cash for a trip to South America unless there’s a good reason to travel,” remarks Kaitlin Nunn, Marketing Coordinator at SouthAmerica.travel. “What better excuse to travel to South America than to take a honeymoon tour and revel in the romance of this vast continent.”

Honeymoon in Buenos Aires

Offering new honeymoon tours to South America is one of several strategic promotions for this year. In an effort to meet the growing demand of honeymooners who want to make the trip to South America, the company is responding with more customized, private tours and honeymoon trip ideas. “Honeymoon tours became one of our primary selling points because we have become experts in customizing luxury tours over the years,” explains CEO Juergen Keller.

The company’s website, www.southamerica.travel, offers several new honeymoon tour pages. There are wine tours including wine tasting in the Mendoza Valley in Argentina, adventurous treks such as the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Brazilian beach resort tours, and Amazon tours that will delight any wildlife-loving couple. Patagonia cruises and Antarctica cruises are also recommended for honeymoon tours. And multi-country tours, such as the Tango, Samba, and Waterfalls tour to Argentina and Brazil, are also available.

One of the most popular honeymoon tours is the classic tour to Machu Picchu, a four day Peru tour that starts in Lima, heads to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and ends with the spectacular city-in-the-sky, Machu Picchu.

Another popular choice is hitting the beach at a pousada on the coast of Brazil. SouthAmerica.travel offers several choices for Brazil Beach Resorts for honeymooners.

All South America honeymoon tours include hotel nights in 4* or 5* hotels; all breakfasts in hotels, other meals as mentioned in itineraries; all tours, transfers, and entrance fees; all private tours and transfers; domestic flights, trains, and buses; English-speaking guides.

Travel agents and tour outfits can get in touch with SouthAmerica.travel to book South America honeymoon tours by calling 1-800-747-4540, by email at info-please@southamerica.travel, or by filling out our Contact Us form. Travel agent commissions are 15%.

SouthAmerica.travel LLC is a US-based travel agency and incoming tour operator with offices in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Lima. They offer 4* & 5* luxury South America tours to Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Colombia. Licensed and bonded in the US, the company has been sharing its love of South America travel since 1999, and is proud of its A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau. They are members of the ATSA, USTOA, SATA, and BTOA. The company stands by its commitment to offer valuable travel packages, trust-worthy sales practices, and real-world South America travel expertise.

Contact Info

SouthAmerica.travel
Phone: 1-800-747-4540
Web site: http://www.southamerica.travel
322 SE Parkhill Dr
Chehalis WA
98532 USA

__________________________________
SOURCE:
“South America Travel Experts Unveil New South America Honeymoon Tour Packages”
August 13, 2011
http://www.theopenpress.com
http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=113065