Finally, a slow day in Buenos Aires.

We have been hitting the city pretty hard the last few days. Sadly, though we have been running ourselves ragged - we can´t keep up with the pace here. We have been staying out till four in the morning..still, as we are heading back to the hostel, some are just beginning their night. Thursday through Sunday it is common for the hostel lobby to be full through the night (there is a bar here) ..and for people to stumble into the bunk room between seven and ten in the morning. Poor creatures.

Meanwhile, we are keeping ourselves occupied. Two nights ago all the museums in the city were free from 8pm to 2am. We went for dinner at Desnivel, the most holy of steakhouses. I have never really been into steak, but I am now convinced I had not had steak until Desnivel. All told a massive choice cut (and well cooked!), salad, and wine came out to the equivalent of twenty dollars US. Unreal, a meal of that quality would certainly be pushing the $100 mark back in the States. Such is life here...

Sorry, I got sidetracked, but that meal was a truly happy time.. followed by more.

After dinner we joined what seemed to be all of Buenos Aires as we walked the streets of San Telmo in search of a museum. Eventually we came to the Museo Penitenciario Argentino - a museum on the grounds of what was once a massive prison in San Telmo.

The exhibits were interesting enough, including period garb, weapons, documents, and medicine on display. However, the main attraction was taking place in the courtyard. There a full concert band was assembled to play everything from the theme song to The Godfather to Queen and various classic rock hits. Eventually the band made way for tango dancing and cover singers.

We soon realized how lucky we were to have stumbled upon this museum. As a smaller venue it attracted more locals. After the last tango (which was incredibly intricate and dynamic) a folk band took the floor.

After the first song, a group of more than twenty girls came from nowhere and began dancing to the folk music. They stayed and dance for over an hour, begging the old men to continue playing. I was smiling the entire time. It filled me with such a warmth..to see youth so exuberant for and appreciative of their tradition.

Perhaps I wanted it to end less than anyone, but the old men had played more than they bargained for and were unable to continue. We dispersed with the crowd and left to find a bar in the direction of the hostel.

We stayed at a cafe near the Plaza de Mayo until they closed, I think around three in the morning. By the time we were a block from our hostel it was nearly four. Exhausted, but content, we stumbled up the stairs, knowing most in Buenos Aires were just beginning their evening.