It didn’t take me longer than 24 hours to testify all the hype about Buenos Aires. The steak really is the best in the world, dance halls filled with tango students every night of the week, the Malbec wine is exquisite and delicious – but Buenos Aires’ magnetism extends well beyond such clichés as I got a closer look into the city.

Elvis took a different flight route and has just arrived in the morning. On the way to pick him up, I saw a big group of people chanting, flags waving. I thought it was an after football game celebration but was told it’s a protest against some government policy. “I hate this, always blocking the traffic”, said Marcelo who’s driving. I forced a smile and swallowed back what I was going to say.

In the afternoon we first went to check the venue of SAMC. The day is getting chilly and windy, the sky clouded over and is spotting with rain. “Not a good day for stage setup”, Elvis and I exchanged a look. Finally we’re standing in front of the Estadio G.E.B.A., a multi-functional stadium. The production crews are working in their raincoats on the ground, where the outdoor main stage and the indoor speed (techno) stage can be seen half-finished. Looking at the surroundings of the venue, I noticed that the nearest apartment buildings are only a couple hundred meters away. A 6pm till 6am outdoor party in a well-inhabited neighborhood like this? I recall the clubs we visited last night, and it seems that they are all located in resident areas with lots of neighbors. Coming from Beijing, this is something my brain can’t comprehend. “Don’t the neighbors here complain about noise? They must hear the loud music from such a short distance,” I asked. “Yes, they sure can hear the music. But it’s the weekend, everyone understands there’s a party going on, if they aren’t at some party themselves already.” An outdoor party in the center of the city going on all night, now that’s something that doesn’t happen often anywhere on the planet.

We start off the night at a high-end lounge bar called El Clan. Many champagne sipping, model like ladies in designer dresses are killing their Thursday night hunting. “Do you know that the sex ratio in Argentina, female to male, is 3 to 1?” said my friend. “And that’s not counting the gay guys, so we’re high in demand on the market.” “Lucky you.” I grin. I can really feel those flirtatious glances are as passionate as tango. “Are the nightlife scenes here very separated? Would these people go to an afterhours place?” I ask Leo. Again it’s not the crowd favored by this too-cool-for-school kid. “No way. Can you picture these people in a basement?” Not saying anything but actually I can, the picture in my head is of people in Beijing going from exclusive fashion parties to White Rabbit. It happens every other day that friends of mine go from a luxury brand catwalk to a high-end lounge bar like Xiu then to visit White Rabbit in the basement. I always see die-hard looking metal fans or leather jacket wearing punk kids at Acupuncture parties. In comparison, Beijing can be such a small world where all the circles overlap.

After a few cocktails we go to Club State Alsina where Deadmau5 will be playing. With all the parking lots full, we have to go around almost ten blocks to find a free spot. Walking toward the club, a familiar scene appears – people lining up around the corner to get into the club. Among the crowd, I saw fans wearing Deadmau5 masks cheering. Right after we get into the club, it starts pouring. People seem unaffected, still waiting in line, still eager to party. The dancefloor was full of people, in fact too full to dance for me. Up in the VIP sections on the second floor, bottles of champagne and cans of Speed (an energy drink) are on each and every table; the combination is hardcore. No need to say, the rest of the night ends up in a sweaty blur. When we finally get out of the crazy hall, the outside world has turned into a flood field. All the cars on the street are almost half under water, if this looks like the end of the world, people inside the club are exactly partying like there is no tomorrow. Deadmau5 @ State Alsina

As the porteños (BA local) eat out late, go out late, party late and get up late to do it all over again, I deeply sense that strong, strange Buenos Aires people identity, which gives rise to a dance, a piece of music, a way to move around in the world, yet is difficult to understand and deny.