HASTA EL PROXIMO TANGO!  Orlando
Contact Orlando Budini at orlandobudini@metatango.com 
Visit his web site http://metatango.com/index.html

Bouquet of Tango
June 2005, an Exotic Tango Vacation

Golden, voluptuous mounds of hills lay to the east of us. Undulating rows of grapes flirted with us in the afternoon sunshine. The vineyards clothed the hills in graceful robes of green; a backdrop to the welcoming tasting rooms of Anderson Valley, California. I had just picked up the two tango teachers at the airport in San Francisco, and we were headed for the Inn for a restful evening before events started the following morning. The CD player of the rental jeep was spouting Spanish poetry in an Argentine accent and Paulo Araujo and Eduardo Saucedo were enjoying the ride to the Mendocino coast, well, almost enjoying it. Eduardo’s pale face looked reproachfully at me in the rearview mirror. “Can you take those curves at a kinder pace, mi vida?” I slowed my enthusiastic pace and Eduardo relaxed.
“Where are those trees that are so big it takes several people to embrace them?” asked Paulo. “Oh, that must be the redwoods" I answered. " We will be driving through a forest of them soon.” As we entered the forest, the light dimmed and the air cooled. Mists were rising in the densest deep woods. These trees were young and only a few had the famous, huge circumference. A palpable peace accompanied their stature. Paulo kept asking “how far do we go till we reach the ocean”, a native of Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo was focused on finding somewhere to buy cookies. Eduardo’s parents own a bakery in the town of Santa Fe, Argentina and he grew up with daily fresh baked goods.
The sky seemed to open and expand as we reached the coastline and HWY 1 and then we headed north to Little River. Our tango destination was the Little River Inn, just three miles from the quaint town of Mendocino. I had last visited Mendocino in June 2004, my first visit having been 28 years before. It is still one of the most scenic places on earth, and a perfect destination for an Exotic Tango Vacation. For these special trips, I search out fantastic natural environment, artistic atmosphere, and a place where memories and moments are magically created. The Inn spread beautifully over a hill overlooking the sea. I could not wait to meet Joan Russell, the sales rep for the hotel who had so effortlessly organized all my proposed dreams and made them actual events we would enjoy. We were all ecstatic over our rooms at the Inn. Wide private verandas with rocking chairs spread out towards the sea. Fireplaces piled high with wood were in our rooms. Soft and comfortable warm bedding adorned our beds, and we had huge Jacuzzi tubs. Our rooms were a few paces, literally, from the dance salon. The salon, also was surrounded by a very large wooden deck, with benches to sit and contemplate the sea. 
Over the next few days, we had classes with both teachers, learning two very different approaches that kept us alert and curious. Eduardo’s approach is elegantly joyful and energetic; Paulo’s introspective, evocative and probing. When not dancing, we walked over acres of botanical bliss at the seaside gardens, accompanied by Mario, a sexy encyclopedia of horticultural knowledge. We lunched in the garden, and savored homemade ice cream for dessert. The winds whipped our hair and made us walk arm and arm, bundling together in the cool air.

 We enjoyed a delicious Asian catered dinner together, after our dance salon was transformed into an elegant dining room. And then back into a milonga room. We had a feast of organic flowers from the local gardens and a wine tasting. Julia Conway, a professional chef, lectured on everything from how to correctly sharpen your knives, to how to make simple wrapped organic food for special events. She was joined by Neely Bryant, who explained how to correctly eat flowers for their sweet, and simple crunch, what blooms to avoid that are toxic and bitter, and gave ideas for using them lard-tistic in salads. Azure bachelor buttons, flaming geraniums, velvety pansies found their way to our lips and left pollen on our noses. John Sverko was our wine expert, who was so entertaining, and such a wine wizard, that we were first intoxicated by his words, and secondly to a world of flavors and bouquets that were nascent in the neighboring vineyards. That night, after the blooms and wine, we had a big bonfire on the beach. Fire flickering on happy faces, arms linked, we munched marshmallows and hot dogs melting over the fire, steaming cups of hot chocolate kept our hands warm. We had begun this week as strangers and were fast becoming friends. And then I had an “aha”.

This is the reason I created Exotic Tango Vacations. Initially, as a woman who lives far from an experienced tango community, I wanted to create an opportunity to dance. However, I noticed that it is not tango by itself that makes the skin glow and the blood leap in our veins. It is the bonding of two that lends each to the other the ability to go further and deeper than we ever can by ourselves. There is kinship in this deeper voyage and the kinship is what leads me.

  
let's tango!  Christina Johnson

BUENOS AIRES CULTURE ON THE WEB  
 

Pérez Celis at La Boca: color for a porteños' passion

Pérez Celis shares his living from Miami to Buenos Aires. His early and fruitful artistic career led him to live in several cities, such as Montevideo, Caracas, Lima, Paris and New York. But at the age of 65, the tireless Argentine painter, muralist, engraver and designer, doesn't give up getting back to "his place in the world": the porteño neighborhood of La Boca. This is the place where he grown, where his atelier is -at an old printing-house building which façade he painted himself-; where he covered the Boca Juniors' stadium with a mural made of Venetian mosaics; where he meets with friends, cooks for them, makes plans, works, talks….

Nowadays he is in Buenos Aires presenting the exhibition Xentenario, at the Benito Quinquela Martin museum, at the traditional barrio of La Boca. The event displays 30 pieces of great size from recent productions –including a portrait of Quinquela, the painter of the city port-, and it is part of the celebrations due to the Centenary of Boca Juniors football club, the most popular team in Argentina and Celis’ favorite: “I was born in Buenos Aires, but nationalized boquense”, he jokes.  
 
He gets serious when he outlines the importance of this Boca's exhibition: "In the first place, I am proud to exhibit my work in the house where Quinquela Martín lived, he was one of the most popular Argentine artists and maybe for that reason, he was ill-treated by certain critics. In second place, La Boca is an inseparable part of my life. I lived many years in this neighborhood and I'm still tied to it by means of affection. And last but not least, I am a Boca fanatic and I love to be part for its Centennial celebrations".  
Pérez Celis has the ability to communicate with the most diverse society classes, and that’s the reason why he became one of the best known artists in Argentina and abroad. He is also a tireless researcher of his own work and experiments with all the plastic techniques, using a variety of materials such as painting on canvas using mixed techniques, metal, acrylic, oils, pastels, water color, graphite, engraving, murals made of Venetian mosaics, bronze, steel, plaster and wood.

Visit Let'sTanGO! for more information about porteños’ culture, including tours, sites of interest, restaurants, museums, milongas and tango shows in Buenos Aires. Enjoy it ! click here!