Boats, Trains and Automobiles

My transfer to Argentina was a more involved affair than just getting onto a bus, however it did start with a bus, and an early one at that. As we lifted our bags onto our backs the sky was still as black as a gaucho´s thick, well trimmed moustache. The bus´arrival in Carmelo was signalled by... well nothing really, there´s just not a lot there.

By just after mid-day the boat we were to get over to Argentina left its mooring position and headed off through the delta. Never really loosing sight of some sort of land for the entire journey it was almost a surprise when we arrived in Argentina, Tigre to be precise, just north of Buenos Aires. The train into Buenos Aires was brilliant, the Tigre station is the end of the line and only has one route running on it, yet it has 4 platforms. The ticket was 15 of your English pennies, even better.

So now im in a 1920's building with 5 floors accessed by a design of walkways M.C. Escher would be proud of (the picture above doesn't do it's complexity justice). Situated in the historic area of San Telmo its not a surprise that come Sunday there was another antique market to visit, but it wasn´t the fancy grammer phones that stood out to me here, it was the street music and tango along the cobbled streets. Some of the more youthfull bands were very good.

The newly developed part of Buenos Aires is the docks but this doesn't come close to the charm the older parts of the city holds. The only solution then, as it appears I had stroled into happy hour, was to make full use of the buy one get one free cocktails at TGI Fridays within the docks complex of trendy bars.

Within the city there is the National Art Gallery which I obviously visited but behind the building and over a busy road a surprisingly large metal flower sculpture stood. This sculpture it seems, opens in the morning and closes with the coming of the night, but don't be fooled into thinking it has been cleverly designed using solar pannels as would be interesting, it is just motors on timers.

A few more days in Buenos Aires should be enough and with my newly purchased tent I can move on to more adventurous Argentine places like the nature reserve that I have to camp outside before they let you in in the morning. Bring on the mozzies.