every day is a journey

timeless

Beautiful smiling faces. The porteños are not afraid of eye contact, or of checking each other out from head to foot and then back again, not from a place of judgement, but from the angle of appreciation. Nor are they afraid to share what they know about barrios/neighborhoods, or to give a full schedule of buses off the top of their heads. These are porteños. The beautiful smiling faces of Buenos Aires. The people here are full of laughs and generous offerings of their hearts. What makes the portenos such joyful people? They know how to live large -- with mate´, helados, carne, vino, tango, walking and lots of afternoons in the park.

Ashtanga -- Yes, I found a small neighborhood ashtanga center and tried my first Argentinian mysore class. The practicioners were serious, and my lighthearted/smiling yoga practice was noticed and (it seemed to be) appreciated. The class was on the roof top in a small white tent, with 10 people packed in and pouring sweat. I loved it. Pablo, the teacher, was perplexed by my creative sanscrit-spanish explanations of my poses, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Contact Improv -- Within 5 blocks of our hotel, we discovered the Espacio Eclectico which holds Contact jams once a week. The timing was perfect and I showed up for the "early jam" from 10pm-midnight. It was a wonderful reassurance that a jam is a jam is a jam, where ever you go a jam is home. The space was filled with great dancers, with the ambiant music of a small violin being plucked. I was home again and within minutes I was rolling around on the shoulders of my dance partner, then inverted and being spun in circles. During those moments of the world spinning underneath me, I left Buenos Aires and was transported to a home that has no name, a place that´s timeless. I was everywhere at once.

posted by paulandtamara @ 3:24 PM