Try as we might, we were not able to experience Argentine Tango in Medellin. The supposed birthplace of Carlos Gardel (Wikipedia says so… OK, it also goes on to say he was born in Argentina and Uruguay too) and his place of death. Apparently that’s what counts.
We researched on the internet (very little un-detailed info), we e-mailed a teacher in the city (helpful), we tried to find the milonga cafe (you try navigating those streets), and we even called the milonga location (the number was out of order). However, the Tango universe was against us and Saturday night remained another Tango-less night in our travels around South America.
Medellin, and Colombia in general, have not been complete Tango disappointments though. The moment we arrived in Colombia we heard Tango playing on the radio stations. Mixed in with all the other Colombian rhythms, there was Tango! At times, the songs were completely bastardized versions of the old greats, but at other times we were treated to beautiful pieces we had never heard before by the Maestros.
We left the beautiful city of Medellin to catch a flight to Ecuador only two days before the Medellin Tango Festival begun. Had we known about the festival earlier, we would have tried to plan our travels around it. The event seems to be quite a huge deal. The beauty of this festival is that, unlike other places in the world, the festival interests everyone and not only Tango enthusiasts. Tango and Gardel seem to have very special places in the hearts of the Medellin people.
Perhaps one day we will have the opportunity to experience the Tango Medellin has to offer… but not until someone in that city actually makes their Tango/milonga information readily available on the internet!
Movement Invites Movement 