I’ve just seen a couple of minutes ago the first Christmas decorations in shops. Walking by sweating in shorts and sandals gives me a funny impression…

One more week to enjoy before coming back to Winter.

Should that be the case it would be a national disaster. I don’t know if it’s the pasture here in the Southern hemisphere (if it’s something else I don’t want to know), but as usual, gravity is enough for your knife to cut your steak.

My record here? Last Sunday: one asado (barbecue) at lunch time, and another one in the evening…

I don’t have much to say at the moment except that I’m continuing with classes and milongas, seeing dawn regularly at the end of the night whereas in Switzerland I never last that long when I go out.

For my third trip in the Southern hemisphere, I took time at last to look carefully in which direction the water evacuates from my “showertub” and I can confirm that it does so clockwise, in opposition to anticlockwise in the North… Amazing!

Although it was a known fact for me, it was really fun to have a close look at it. Something to do with Mr. Coriolis, I was told… That leaves me with the eternal question: in which direction does a bathtub empty itself on the Equator?

Yes, I know, there aren’t that many bathtubs in the tropics…

When it ended at 3 a.m., it was time to walk a few blocks to continue practising. So cooool! I’m definitely not an expert but I really have a good time. Tonight, another milonga, but I don’t guarantee I’ll stay up that long.

Especially as I was moved to an overheated room close to the patio where the breakfast is served, so it’s not ideal to sleep in the morning. Luckily, tomorrow I should get a calmer and cooler room back!

Therefore all courses in Lausanne are given by non-Argentines, which I fully respect, but to me that makes it lose a tiny slice of its charm.

The main difference is that here in Argentina people dance much closer to one another, and allow some distance when the movement requires it.

In Switzerland intimacy comes into play, partners (unless they know each other “very” well) don’t tend to allow naturally such a close contact, at least to my beginner’s experience.

I must admit I like it how it’s danced here… But I might have to adapt a little at my return I fear.

It’s as if there had been this Winter (Summer in Europe) a gigantic advertising campaign here, but this wasn’t the case.

Anyway, it’s nice to go out and see a huge room packed with young relaxed tango dancers. It probably won’t be the best tango you’ll see, you get bumped into more than normal, but I enjoyed it. The place I went to last night was jam-packed with people, attending five parallel collective classes in quite a disorganised mayhem before dancing all night on conventional and electronic tango.

I am continuing my tango classes, which divide in two very distinct categories. One focalises on learning steps and figures that I forget the next day, and the other insists on correcting technical details, positioning of the body, leading techniques.

Well, you might have guessed that the latter is most adequate to me, which means I haven’´t learnt too many new steps (for the least I don’t remember them, but I accept that as a matter of fact), but at least I feel more comfortable with the basics, for instance my shoulders are slightly more relaxed now.

Lots to say you might know already, this is another world compared to Buenos Aires, probably more similar to the rest of Latin America. I am learning about what generosity really means here, despite a modest income.

The city is thriving, with lots of challenges to be met, a population of 560′000 I was told, increasing by 45′000 every year. Tourism is literally booming, let’s hope for the best. I went to visit a brand new museum, concerning three 500 year old mummies discovered a few years ago at the summit of Llullaillaco (try to pronounce that!) Volcano. Very impressive.

The only down side is that of the three airlines that assured the link with Buenos Aires, one went bankrupt, the other went down for organised drug traffic and only remains Aerolineas Argentinas, with some consequences on prices. That’s Argentina!

Hopefully a new company will step in shortl, such as LAN Argentina, a spin-off from the Chilean national airline. That might hurt the national pride…

That’s all for now, back in Buenos Aires on Monday night.

The problem is to keep some time for other things, which means for holidays, going with the flow, meeting friends and taking it cool. I shouldn’t be too greedy then, but temptation is here.

Yesterday I took a tango lesson with quite an incredible guy, very tough, and you can imagine that there’s a LOT to do with me in order to reach a tolerable level of style. And believe me, I’m not being overly modest there…

He’s tough, but on the other hand it’s a pleasure working with someone that doesn’t just teach you a figure and that’s it, but allows the time it will take to improve the position, and all the basics. And we have good fun.

Anyway, I got out of these 2 very intensive hours totally dead just redoing the basics properly. And normally, I can go there 6 evenings out of 7, only to rest on Sundays. But there’s a lot more dance to do on Sundays too…

Don’´t be too greedy…