Jam-packed weekend Pt. 2: Sunburned in January

After my nice looong sleep (a full six hours), I met some weary BAIS members and TEFL students at the Retiro train station.  For less than two pesos a person, we all bought round-trip tickets to the delta town of Tigre, which is about an hour north of the city.  Although I had only been in the maze that is Buenos Aires for a week, it was wonderful to escape the city blocks and bustle.

The tree-lined avenues of Tigre are divided by the River Plata (the same one that travels to BA) and hour-long boat rides a visitor must.  We went on one of the tours, and I was actually quite surprised by the landscape.  Because the town rests on a delta, there are multiple rivulets winding all around with cute little houses and docks dotting the sides.  In a way, it reminded me of the narrower (and murkier) intercoastal waterways of the Carolinas.

Although I had a good time with good company in Tigre, I would be remiss if I did not mention the scorching heat and dangerous rays.  I knew there was a hole or gap in the ozone layer over the Southern Hemisphere, but I had no idea it was right on top of Argentina!  I'm not usually the first person to burn, but within a couple of hours my shoulders and chest were rouged and have yet to turn brown.  Anyone planning to visit me: wear suntan lotion!

On Sunday I went to a milonga called El Balcón in the San Telmo neighborhood with some TEFL friends.  The atmosphere was fantastically funky: red lampshades, star-painted ceiling, tiny wooden tables all facing a muraled stage and a 3-D unicorn to boot.  The show featured Spanish guitar, solo ballads, Flamenco and, of course, Tango. 

Below Balcón, the Sunday flea market was a sight to see, despite some sporadic rainfall.  Before now, I had always thought that San Lorenzo in Florence was a decent-sized outdoor market, but it's like a tiny tienda compared to this monstrosity that spans about 10 city blocks.  With vendors selling everything from wire artwork to mate cups carved out of cow hooves (not kidding) to leather bags, it's easy to spend the whole day picking over the mountains of knick-knacks... Especially when you have live music and street Tango to keep your hips swaying.