Rooftop BBQ, Mo' Money, & Local Beatniks

Yesterday I decided to just lay low at the hostel because one of the managers here, a Frenchman named Alex, is leaving and so they were planning a barbecue for him. The roof of the hostel has a great outside area including a badass grill, however this summer has either been too hot or too rainy for barbecuing, so they hadn't done one all year. So I went to the store and grabbed a huge slab of pork - specifically the type they call "matambre de credo". When I was at the ranch on Sunday, Benji cooked this same meat and it was incredible, so I wanted to make sure to get it for this barbecue as well. As usual, I got way too much, so when I got back to the hostel everyone was laughing…but secretly I know they were fired up that we had so much food. I opened a bottle of wine I got in Cordoba, at that great little shop near the market, and shared that with my crazy french friend Fred. Yes, Fred had gone away for a few days but was back for just one night in Buenos Aires before going off to see his girlfriend in Paraguay. Fred tells me that he got off the bus in Buenos Aires last night at 8pm and went right to the casino, where he proceeded to lose $2K pesos. Classic. So anyway, Fred is there and we're all drinking great wine and enjoying this amazing barbecue. The guys who run this hostel couldn't be more of a jolly and great crowd. I would recommend that anyone coming to Buenos Aires should stay at this hostel for sure - here's a link to On The Road Hostel, BA.

While at the barbecue I meet a few newbies to the hostel from Holland - both nice girls who work in helping kids with either learning disabilities or behavioral issues. I love meeting people who do such great work for their jobs. Both girls need to exchange money downtown so me and Fred decide to take them. I wanted to exchange some dollars as well, because I heard the market was going down. Last week I exchanged at 12.2 but yesterday was 11.6. Still not bad but I wanted to cash in as soon as possible before it went down further. Fred takes us to his "guy" which is literally a small room in the back of a newspaper and magazine stand in the middle of a main street in the tourist area. I mean we are walking on the sidewalk, as in any city, and you see the huge stand for magazines and such, and then there's this little door next to it and a guy pops out and brings me in. All business - very nice - and loves seeing US dollars. So I exchange my money and then we walk around San Telmo, the tourist are which I really haven't spent too much time in. We grab a drink at a nice cafe and meet a random hippie named Tony from Whales, and apparently he's lived here for about 12 years (all subject to doubt cause Tony was a weird dude - but hilarious). Fred then needs to head to his bus so we bid farewell, but I know I'm gonna see his crazy ass again soon enough. Maybe in France. Maybe in some casino somewhere…

So I head back to the casino with the two girls from Holland, and I get back online to get a message from Marcos and Benji, the two guys that I hung out with on the ranch on Sunday. Marcos knows about a local musician-friend of his playing so he wanted me to join. He and Benji pick me up around 8:45pm and we head over to Recoletta - my fav neighborhood - and into this amazing cobble stoned side street. There is a tiny little bar here where Marcos' friend is gonna play with another guy, but he doesn't really know what it's about. The place is very cool - almost speakeasy style. We order a few empanadas and pizzas and I get a fernet and cola, the locals drink. We sit and talk with another buddy of Marcus' who is a guitarist - looks like a rocker from 1975 - nice guy - not great at English. So as we're sitting I see a guy walking around with a kimono on with high tops and a Miami, Florida t-shirt underneath. Immediately I like this kid. He's the main act tonight, and Marcus' friend is just playing the bass for his show. As we are sitting eating pizza I hear someone yelling in a bullhorn through the outside windows (from the street). It's the kid in the kimono, and he's reading an Allen Ginsburg poem (in English) about how America is evil. I'm definitely the only American in the room so at first I was a little weirded out, but I loved this guys style and his energy. He comes from outside into the room and it's now just him and the bassist in front of the entire room. The bassist, btw, is AMAZING. Dude is smooth and funky and doing slap bass notes and everything. So the lead-guy goes on and on reading this intense poem and at times he's convulsing, at times dancing, at times pausing. The entire audience, about 30 locals, is stunned and mystified - captured and entranced. He finished the first poem and then starts speaking in Spanish, which I don't really understand because he's speaking so fast, but the audience loves it. He then does some more spoken word and eventually asks people in the crowd to hand him anything and he'll improv over it. One girl hands him a shopping list. Another hands him a note from a friend. He is great with each one - making everyone laugh with his intensity and gyrations. I really wish I had a camera or video of this night, but you'll have to take my word that this guy was rad. After about 45 minutes of his act he takes a break. At our small table we are all laughing at how crazy he is, and how much we all love it. When he's about to come back on I go up and introduce myself and tell him how much I love his vibe. His English is very good, which I knew because he was reading very well, and he tells me that he's been to SF and Chicago. This guy would fit in like a glove in SF - what a gem. So for his second set he starts off with a jam and then again offers to do freestyle off anyones things, so I hand him my passport and he loves it. Starts reciting about Abraham Lincoln and then he grabs a shopping list from a girl who went to a chinese grocery store, and he combines her list with my passport info. HILARIOUS. It was one of the funniest and best moments I've had here, and I have to thank Marcos and Benji for including me. What a treat. The performance ends with the lead singer repeating, over and over, "Estoy no triste" which translates to "I'm not sad". He repeats it over and over again, and then makes everyone in the crowd repeat with him - louder and louder. Then at the peak of our cheering, he turns on this fun-ass techno and everyone gets up and starts dancing around and yelling "Estoy no triste". YES. I friggin love this kid. I'm up dancing around with everyone and having a great time. When it's all done I meet some cool people in the crowd - everyone is very nice and I'm feeling very at home. Benji has to get to work the next morning so we leave around midnight, and they drop me home. What an amazing night. Such a cool local musical experience. Little did Marcos know that this type of performance art is RIGHT up my alley. So perfect. What a day...

Juan - one of the owner's of the hostel and a great chef!

Of course - crazy Fred shirtless