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We'd been recommended Tigre by a couple of people and it seemed like the perfect antidote to the hectic pace of B.A. A 1hr train ride out of the city and the pace of life dropped considerably. The train ride in itself was an experience, first it was someone selling wallets, then headphones, then a full 5 piece band entered the carriage complete with amps and microphones. They rocked us with a couple of songs featuring a mix of classic South American Mariachi and modern rap. It kind of worked and they seemed to make a lot of money, we threw some pesos into the hat and arrived in Tigre with a smile on our faces.
Tigre is a strange sort of place, it lies on the delta a series of rivers and tributaries, it would be stunning if it wasn't for the Mc Donalds and Burger King that greet you when you exit the train station. This along with a Theme Park and Casino lead Tigre to feel like a South American attempt at Disneyland. I guess it's natural for a country to look north at it's more affluent brothers but they don't seem to realise what a unique and beautiful country they have.
A slow and stressful 20min walk in the 40 degree sun with our bags and we were at our new abode. The swimming pool in the backyard cooled us down and we made regular use of it during our stay. Our hosts made us feel very welcome and this gave us our first chance to cook our own food. Giant steaks from the local supermarket for a pound helped us try and get back on budget.
The highlight of our stay was a day spent on the river in our own two person Kayak. With a quick tour from our guide, we were let loose on the open river. This should have been a peaceful and tranquil experience but the river was actually quite busy and the larger boats that sped past us led to a few yelps from a certain crew member. A quick pit stop at a local riverside bar and a couple of fresh strawberry daiquiri's and the return journey wasn't quite so stressful.
Before we knew it, it was time to bid our hosts and Tigre a fond farewell. The return train to B.A wasn't without it's mishaps, Briony managed to get herself trapped in the train doors with one bag out of the train and one bag on her back. The doors weren't budging even with the help of a few locals, tears and a few shrieks later and Briony managed to wrench her arms free. Luckily the doors on the otherside of the train were open so she didn't have to go back to Tigre with the next lot of passengers!
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