El Tigre.

Yesterday we went to El Tigre, a town located in the Delta region, approximately 40 minutes outside BsAs by train. Actually, it is a bunch of islands, connected by rivers and canals. The locals use boats to get around because there are no bridges. In fact, the public transportation in the area are boats. You stand on the dock and flag them down just like a bus. Certain ones go to certain islands. We paid $17 AR for an hour round trip journey to and from a small island called Tres Bocas (3 mouths), where we wandered around, checked out the local houses, and almost got attacked by two scary, territorial, barking dogs (Ab was armed with a stick, thank goodness). This island was recommended to us by the tourist office because of its traditional homes & gardens of the Delta region. However, when we saw the return boat in the distance (we were trying to check out a local school and church), we took off running and luckily caught it as the last couple people got on. After the near death dog experience, we were quite finished with 3 Bocas.

After that we headed down the Puerto de Frutos (a local fair that was highly recommended), which turned out to pretty much be a pile of junk, grabbed a rip-off meal and then paid the $7 AR (they gave us the “locals” rate accidentally – nice! - was supposed to be $12 AR each) fare for the Tren de la Costa which was also highly recommended on reviews I saw online for its scenic views of the Rio Plata and the coast. However, during the 30 minute ride, we saw the coast for about 30 seconds. The benefits were the air conditioning, the spacious seats, and the view of the local color/poverty-stricken areas (heartbreaking) on the way.

We grabbed another train where the Tren de la Costa dropped us and headed back into the city. The area around Retiro (the train station) is one of the large slums in Buenos Aires. We passed shanty-towns and areas of severe poverty. That kind of thing really opens your eyes and reminds you to be thankful for what you have.

Other noteworthy items:
On the way there we took the regular commuter train with the locals ($1.35 AR). By the time we were 8 stops into the trip every seat was taken and there were quite a few people standing. I noticed that behind us there was an elderly Asian woman standing. She was an itsy bitsy thing, so instead of getting up (we still had quite a ways to go), we just pushed over and she squeezed in next to us (all three of us in 2 seats). She was so adorable and thankful.
We also saw a young kid (20 or so) that had huge blood-soaked bandages on his elbows and knees and his arm in a homemade sling. Aside from the fact that he looked like absolute hell and could barely walk, he looked so sad. We were really hoping he was on his way to the hospital.
When we got off the train and walked out of the train station we were in shock! Manicured lawns, cross walks, a rotary with flowers! We instantly loosened up the death-grip we have learned to keep on our purses.
We also checked out a small Mate Museum in town, which was pretty cool. Mate is a gigantic part of the culture here. There were many incredible artifacts and we enjoyed the 45 minutes or so that we spent there. Did you know that yerba mate is traditionally drank out of a gourd? If you want more info on mate, check out my earlier article:
http://corinisliving.blogspot.com/2010/01/rules-of-mate.html

Pics to come soon.