On Friday we decided to head up the coast to a small resort town on the river delta. Tigre is the rowing capital of Argentina as the delta is filled with small islands with several rivers and numerous channels. The somewhat picturesque town of Tigre is a bit of a hodgepodge with faded glamour. It is about 12 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. Our one hour train ride (cost: $0.60) included 16 stops on the way! The very modern, clean, air-conditioned cars were filled (a train leaves every 15 minutes) and punctuated with entrepreneurial singers, sellers of food, key chains, headphones and some limited beggars. The singers’ were quite entertaining; and initially we thought the train had piped-in music. The train wound its way through some very cute suburban towns as well as an area that had a number of tennis clubs with a combined total of probably 50 clay courts – we have never seen so many courts.
Upon arrival, we took a boat ride around the delta in the brown muddy river. Beyond the first section of the Rio Parana, which is very wide, you almost feel like you have stumbled into a tributary of the Amazon. All water to the residents is from the very murky Parana Delta which is filtered and used for everything but drinking water. Children go to school by boat buses and deliveries and getting to and from town is by the “locals” water taxi. The most magnificent and very impressive structure in this town showed up within minutes of the boat ride. It was the town’s former casino, the Tigre Club, now the Museo De Arte. The traditional and mostly shabby houses on stilts peep out from the vegetation along the river bank. There are also a number of petrol stations and old restaurants & hotels that line the edge of the river. There is even a mobile library. Our boat cruise was a non-event as was the subsequent “sightseeing” bus trip around the town. From everything we had previously read about Tigre, we kind of knew the area’s limitations before we visited;but, we were curious on why it it such a popular tourist destination. There is a large amusement and water park on the rivers edge; perhaps this park explains the areas popularity. The Tigre is actually a favorite weekend destination for Portenos and is home to about 3,000 full-time islanders. Other than our 7+ mile walk to from the train station, the train ride was the highlight of this adventure.
Buenos Aires is made up of 40+ “communas”. Palermo, where we are staying, is similar to the upper west side of Manhattan. It is the most popular area, trendy and contains more clothing boutiques and restaurants than any other part of the city. Recoleta, closer to the water, is similar to the upper east side of Manhattan. It has classic buildings, including some embassies, and small high-end shops & art galleries. The city has a significant Italian influence in the architecture, food & a cafes on every corner (also lots of pasta & gelato), staccato Spanish (that sounds like Italian) and hand gestures. On one of our “free” walking tours, we were given a lesson in “Argentinean” hand gestures and the “art” of ordering various types of coffee. It was hilarious.
