The hour train ride to the delta town of El Tigre cost 30 cents. Before we even arrived, this was already one of the best excursions of my life for that fact alone. And even with the fanfare weekend crowds, this city on the delta of Rio de la Plata was a bubble of serenity compared to the tempo of Buenos Aires living.
The Argentine palette isn’t exactly what you would call robust when speaking about tolerance for spicy foods, so with that knowledge we set out with two goals for our dinner at the Indian Restaurant, Katmandu in Buenos Aires: 1) eat the hottest curries 2) enjoy them.
The bright neon blue sign doesn’t exactly sweep you into a fantastic realm of Indian adventure, mysticism, and musings, but things definitely improved when we entered. To our left was a bread counter with some fresh naan, and servers were donning tunic length shirts that suggested authenticity. Later, when we were seated, we found a large piece of carved wood, probably used in ancient Indian schools, displaying many of the positions used in Kamasutra.
Well, to date I’ve tried three “tenedor libres” (all-you-can-possibly- fit-in-your-stomach- depending-on-your- drive-and-compulsion- to-squeeze-every-centavo- out-of-the-fixed- price-resatuarants), and Gourmet Porteño brought my GI tract the closest to circuit overload. But that says more about my mentality than it does the restaurant. Still, gorging myself to the brink of a consciousness didn’t have to be as pleasurable as it was. Each bite there was a bite-sized pleasure.
If you are lucky enough to have a permanent address in Buenos Aires to have a package sent, then cross your fingers so you are home when the Postman comes to drop it off. If crossing your figers doesn’t work, then pack your travel pillow and head down to the elephantine International Post Office in Retiro. Of course you can bypass this adventure by shipping via FedEx or UPS, but for the more economic route this is the game in town.
One of the first things I learned about Buenos Aires nightlife the second day I was here was that there was a club with a Thursday night transvestite party. Club 69 at Niceto Vega, on Thursdays. Conforming to the wishes of my friends I passed up the opportunity my first week and only now, two months later, checked out Club 69 at Niceto.
Now, a transvestite party sounds crazy and believe me my mind was working hard to conjure up the wildest images of transvestites doing cabaret with sword swallowers in the background as pyrotechnics highlighted the whole experience.
