la BOMBA de TiEMPO at Ciudad Cultural Konex is the place to be on Monday afternoon for a nice casual Happy Hour (7pm - 10pm)in BsAs. There’s a liquor store right across the venue that sells cold beer for those interested in getting that early head start. The best part is that they open the bottle for you at the caja (cash register) right after you pay. Oh wait, the other best part is that you can walk across the street and drink it while you wait in line to get into the show; no guilt. Genius.
As you stroll into the open-air venue, you hear the thundering sounds of about a dozen dope percussionists taking the elevated stairs - platform stage. The members of this drum orchestra, all dressed in red, take turns being Maestro taking us all on a musical journey. The crowd that surrounds them does however the music moves them. You got the wild style dancies, the casual juggling duos, the bobbing head w/ beer in hand drinkers, the shocked wide-eyes (trying to make sense of all the beautiful faces) mouthing the personal whisper “WOW” as the chicas walk by, and even the parents carrying their children on their shoulders giving them a better view of the show. It’s nuts.
Casual hanging out right underneath the stage.
Guest performers, Gentlemen (Barbershop Quartet & Other Herbs), singing "The Banana Boat Song." I was diggin' it. Not so sure about the tiespenders.
While everyone is doing their own thang throughout the show, as soon as that final beat drops, everyone in the venue joins in unison chanting “OTRA!, OTRA!, OTRA!, OTRA!” Obviously, this is their version of “ENCORE!, ENCORE!, ENCORE!” but why not ask a random hot chica
"What is everyone shouting?" Check out this clip of one of their encore performances. At one point they had the crowd all squatting at the same time. BOOM goes the dynamite!
DRUMS PLEASE.....
The Sugar Shack
Look familiar? This painting, The Sugar Shack, is featured in the credits of the sitcom Good Times. This is exactly what I thought of as soon as I stepped into the AFRO MAMA Jams.
Good Times!
The Hip-Hop scene is not big at all down here, but on Thursday & Sunday nights you can definitely get your groove on at the Makena Cantina Club. The AFRO MAMA Jams/Party brings live FUNK/SOUL/R&B/HIP-HOP acts:
…and the party don't stop with DJ CASABLANCA (100% vinilo) spinning crazy old school soul and classic tunes that’ll keep you grooving till the early morn. And when I say early morn, I mean people still waiting in line at 4am trying to get in. Yes, even on a Sunday night/Monday morn. It’s crazy. I try to stay awake just to hear the next jam. And rarely do I ever walk up to the DJ just to ask what he’s spinning, but this guy knows what’s good. One of my favorite jams was this song by Kwick. Btw, Jeff declared “possibly the best night of music in my life.” It was also cool to watch people groove to feel -good music just smiling with their ‘step together step‘ moves like old school Soul Train. I'm a big fan of happy people.
...and if you need a break from dancing , take a back seat and chill for a bit. Order another beer if you like. Maybe you need more energy? Go ahead and order yourself a pizza cuz the kitchen is still open. Looking out the window you can see the people still waiting in line to get a taste of the funky soul craziness.
A casual b-boy battle even got thrown into the mix. Really though???…Who do you know that does hydraulics & 1990 handspins at 5:00 in the morning. I think they did 'babies' too...or was it 'coin drops'....Hoagies would know. Anyways, One of the b-boys was an emcee as well that rocked the mic on stage earlier. He went up to Jeff and told him that he likes that one Asian rapper, Jin. Guaranteed he only made that reference because he thought he was Chinese. It’s all love though.
The Chocolate Box
- warming up for the match with beer and pizza (Carol & Sergio, Me, Jeff, Mark2) and making our way to La Bombonera stadium aka "The Chocolate Box".
This place is no joke. Be careful ("pleeease be careful") who you cheer for. It is home to Argentina's most renowned local team - CABJ (Club Atletico Boca Juniors). It only took me 29 years to finally watch my first LIVE futbol match. Let the drama begin....
"Boca, mi buen amigo
esta campaña volveremo a estar contigo
te alentaremos de corazón
esta es tu hinchada que te quiere ver campeón.
No me importa lo que digan, lo que digan los demas
yo te sigo a todas partes
CADA VEZ TE QUIERO MÁS!"
They got the Seattle Seahawks "12th man" steez in the box. They're known as la numero 12 which includes a percussion team that bangs the drums all game long to fire up the chants of doom. I couldn't remember all the words to the twenty differnt chants the fans were yelling, but I definitley mastered the art of the "loose arm" motion that goes along with them. 
- getting as close to the action as possible.
- At half-time (not sure if that's what they call it) two sets of these Energizer guys walk around the stadium waving to the crowd. They must have rounded the field like twenty-two times. Adverstisement at its finest. That's strange.
True story (AT). As soon as we get to our seating/standing area, the football match is just beginning. The fans are slowly making their way in sporting the blue & gold boca jerseys, bucket hats, and flags for capes. It is very casual. No drums. No chants. I hella want to experience the chants already. Next thing you know, the first half is over. Opposing teammates are hugging each other and taking team pictures at center field. What is this steez? I guess the fans don't get that hype until the second half.
And then BOOM! OHHHHHHHHHHHHH. As soon as the players come out of the Energizer tunnel for the 2nd half, the fans go freakin' BANANAS (Re-watch the video). YEAAAAAAAAAH. CRAZY HYPE for the 2nd half. Non-stop jumping and chanting, & confetti flying all over the field. This is what I came for. I LOVE IT!
The second half officially starts and I look up at the scoreboard. Hmmmm, it seems that they have reset the score to 0-0. Uh oh. Apparently, no-one informed us that the first match that we were watching was actually a 'Junior's Match' between the two teams. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!!!!!!! It doesn't help when the Junior's Team uniforms are exactly the same as the Official Teams. Major Confusion! C'mon guys. BOCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
EARLIER that day......
On Sundays, they close down Defensa St. in San Telmo and hold the Feria de San Pedro Telmo. This is where I picked up my sic CABJ Fan Scarf for the game.
Where else can you find white cotton candy?
Welcome to the "Good Air"
Hola! Just touched down in B.A. town and I already want to buy an "I 'heart' BA shirt.
After 100% Spanish talks, I somehow arranged for a shuttle ride + taxi transfer to get Buenos Aires. Then with full trust and next to zero confidence, I handed my backpack to the driver and hopped in the shuttle and finally arrived at the Ostinatto Hostel.
Mate was my first taste of BA offered to me by the Hostel receptionist Joaquin. It's made from pouring hot (not boiling) water over leaves of a native holly plant. The metal straw is called a bombilla and has a filter to stop leaves from being sucked in. Who drinks this? Anyways, I had know idea that it was a straw and I started to stir it up. Joaquin tells me no need and to just taste it. I still had no idea that it's a straw and lift the gourd (cup) next to my face in an attempt to sip those nasty floating things (weird thoughts in my mind for sure). Finally, I am instructed on how to drink this bad boy through the funky straw. Major fiasco for a simple cup of mate. It's got some caffeine in it and tastes sort of like tea and coffee combined. Not sure if I'm a fan right now...
Where in the world is: (BASS) Jeffrey Scott Bautista?
Casual dish washing after breakfast.
Getting around town is quite chill with the use of BA's subway system known as the Subte. When we see the sign we sing "Subte doop, Subte doop, Subte subte subte doop" from Salt-N-Pepa. I usually stop after that part but then Muzz continues with "Here I go, Here I go, Here I go again. Girls, what's my weakness?" and then of course I have to answer "MEN!" j/k Hella Gay.
We walked around the city and found the Casa Rasad at the Plaza de Mayo. This is their version of the White House aka the Pink House here in B.A.
The parilla scene in Argentina is known to have the BEST beef in the world!
I ordered the Bife de Chorizo Mariposa. Estaba buenisimo! Btw, standard dinner time in BA is at 10p.m.
Casual shopping up & down the streets of microcentro which is sort of like the financial district.
Obelisco - Inaugurated in 1936 on the 400th anniversary of the first Spanish settlement and stretching 68 meters skyward above Plaza de la Republica. It dons a pink condom for AIDS awareness day.
Ave 9 de Julio is the widest street in B.A. At least 14 lanes wide. In the Philippines, when cars are stopped at a light, people would zig-zag their way through the cars to try and sell cloths or newspapers. But on this Ave in BA, they do the same but sell super size tennis balls. Hella weird.
Hollllla! We decided to grab some chocolate y churros in BA's oldest cafe, Cafe Tortoni which opened in 1858. It definitely had an OTS (old time setting) feel to it.
Churros dipped in thick hot chocolate. I put my churro on my tip(finger). When I dip, you dip, we dip.
