We enjoyed our time in the city of Buenos Aires and found it easy to walk everywhere and find places to eat and do the things we wanted to do. We read a bit about Tigre on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. It is a popular place for Portenos (residents of BA) to go to on the weekends to row, walk, cycle or relax, so we decided it would be a relaxing pace for us too. The Parana River delta with its many islands and waterways seemed a refreshing change from BA.
We went with Clara by bus to the Mitre train station as she was working with some of the poor people in the area to improve their learning. The train was modern, and open from one end to the other so you could walk up and down without having to open doors between carriages It was quiet and had absolutely no graffiti anywhere. The seats were not drawn on and the windows were not etched by vandals.At every station a few hawkers would jump on with chocolate bars or snacks. A few musicians would appear with guitars or accordions busking for spare change and made the hour long trip go quickly.
Tigre is clean, well organised and used to having hordes of tourists. We could not find any accommodation so searched for a Couchsurfing host and were invited by Tom and Vale to stay with them. Vale is a music therapist working with special needs children. She used to travel and busk to earn money while she was on the road. A very talented lady.
We all went for a walk before the sunset to see some of the locals sights. Along the river were rowers in their wooden boats and water taxis picking up workers to return them to their homes in the delta islands.
At the Museum of Art we watched a black and white film of life in the delta when the British, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish started settling the area. The building was the centre for social events and it is a well decorated and stunning building.
In the evening Vale entertained us with several different instruments while Tom prepared the asado (barbecue) and John watched on. He cooked us intestines, beef, blood sausage and glands from the cow's neck.
Vale's sister Natali joined us with her children and a friend. Natali didn't speak much English so I had to speak to her in Spanish. It is amazing how much is stored lying idle in your brain after having learnt the language for the first time in 1979. Even John could remember some words from when we went to a language school in Guatemala in 1981.
The next day Vale and Tom had a birthday party to go to in a country area and we waited at the station for the free guided tour to start. We were the only two people interested and Soledad was happy to show us around. She worked in a tourist hotel and her and a friend recently started the free guided tours as a hobby. She spoke excellent English.
There are many rowing clubs buildings on the river with different architectural styles depending on what country they were from. On one side of the river the houses flood when the south east winds blow the water up onto the streets and into the houses.
These houses have several steps leading to the front door to keep the main living areas out of the flooding. It had rained a few days before we arrived and the footpaths were still damp and muddy and some of the houses were being water blasted to get rid of the mud.
The tour ended at the original fruit market dock, it was where the fruit and vegetables grown on the delta islands would be brought to town ready to be sold and taken to the city shops. Now it is a tourist shopping area for handicrafts and paraphernalia.
In the afternoon we did an hour long trip on a boat through six of the smaller rivers in the delta. Only about 20% of the residents live in the delta full time as there are many holiday homes. There are no roads to the many villages so a boat or canoe and jetty is necessary. Most of the houses have electricity but not running water.
We spent a nice evening with Vale and Tom catching up on each others day and headed out early the next morning to take a boat to Uruguay.
We went with Clara by bus to the Mitre train station as she was working with some of the poor people in the area to improve their learning. The train was modern, and open from one end to the other so you could walk up and down without having to open doors between carriages It was quiet and had absolutely no graffiti anywhere. The seats were not drawn on and the windows were not etched by vandals.At every station a few hawkers would jump on with chocolate bars or snacks. A few musicians would appear with guitars or accordions busking for spare change and made the hour long trip go quickly.
Tigre is clean, well organised and used to having hordes of tourists. We could not find any accommodation so searched for a Couchsurfing host and were invited by Tom and Vale to stay with them. Vale is a music therapist working with special needs children. She used to travel and busk to earn money while she was on the road. A very talented lady.
We all went for a walk before the sunset to see some of the locals sights. Along the river were rowers in their wooden boats and water taxis picking up workers to return them to their homes in the delta islands.
At the Museum of Art we watched a black and white film of life in the delta when the British, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish started settling the area. The building was the centre for social events and it is a well decorated and stunning building.
Vale's sister Natali joined us with her children and a friend. Natali didn't speak much English so I had to speak to her in Spanish. It is amazing how much is stored lying idle in your brain after having learnt the language for the first time in 1979. Even John could remember some words from when we went to a language school in Guatemala in 1981.
The next day Vale and Tom had a birthday party to go to in a country area and we waited at the station for the free guided tour to start. We were the only two people interested and Soledad was happy to show us around. She worked in a tourist hotel and her and a friend recently started the free guided tours as a hobby. She spoke excellent English.
There are many rowing clubs buildings on the river with different architectural styles depending on what country they were from. On one side of the river the houses flood when the south east winds blow the water up onto the streets and into the houses.
These houses have several steps leading to the front door to keep the main living areas out of the flooding. It had rained a few days before we arrived and the footpaths were still damp and muddy and some of the houses were being water blasted to get rid of the mud.
The tour ended at the original fruit market dock, it was where the fruit and vegetables grown on the delta islands would be brought to town ready to be sold and taken to the city shops. Now it is a tourist shopping area for handicrafts and paraphernalia.
In the afternoon we did an hour long trip on a boat through six of the smaller rivers in the delta. Only about 20% of the residents live in the delta full time as there are many holiday homes. There are no roads to the many villages so a boat or canoe and jetty is necessary. Most of the houses have electricity but not running water.
We spent a nice evening with Vale and Tom catching up on each others day and headed out early the next morning to take a boat to Uruguay.
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