El Tigre (the Jaguar!?)

Today, we are off to explore the Tigre Delta by boat, and yes, before you say anything I know El Tigre doesn`t mean Jaguar, but there was some sort of confusion (stripes versus spots!) and the name seemed to stick! As an aside, they still have Jaguars in the north of the country, and they are protected!

We were picked up by Ezekiel at 9am after having avery quick breakfast as neither of us was hungry. We had one pick up to do, a really nice Aussie woman, on the way to Puerto Madero. The guide was so loud and a bit of a nutter, I can`t think of a more polite way to explain him, so we were delighted that the trip up the Tigre Delta would just be us, and the other guest on the boat.

We ventured out of port and followed the coast up north, before cutting into what they call `the Venice of Argentina.` These are natural deltas where the land is cut-off and people need to have a boat to get anywhere. They are kind of idyillic, until you realise that not all have electricity and most do not have running water! For a summer house though, they seem lovely! As we came into dock in the city, we also passed by the Argentinian version of Disney World with 37 acres, it looked quite fun but also closed as it was a Monday.

After 2 hours or so, we arrived in El Tigre where we met the guide and headed to the Italien Rowing Club for lunch. Three empanadas and a beer later, and I wanted to sleep! Instead, we went to Puerto de Frutos, the old fuit market which is now for a place of souvenirs and other shops for locals. We only spent 15 minute looking around as again, most places were shut due to it being a Monday.

The final stop before returning to the city was the Museum of Art inTigre; the buiding is absolutely stunning. We didn`t go inside, but it was still worth a quick photo. The journey back to Buenos Aires passed quickly, but the guide was determined to show us the famous book shop in the city. It sounds pretty underwhelming, but the bookstore is housed in an old theatre, and is deemed one of the most beautiful in the world! The fresco on the ceiling depicts the end of the first world war in 1919, and the need for unity and peace. We didn`t buy anything, but it was worth a visit. 

The bookstore was just a stones-throw from our hotel, so Ezekiel said his goodbyes, and pointed us in the right direction! We decided to have a drink or two before retiring to the room and beautifying ourselves for the evening ahead.

Tonight was Tango night, or more accurately, VIP dinner and drinks at a Tango show, but you get the gist! David picked us up at 8pm and drove us the 15 minutes to San Telmo. We had booked El Querandi after investigating numerous tango shows in the city. We upgraded to VIP which just so happened to give us better food, better wine and transport included! 

Dinner was three course, and we both chose Humita (the corn dish we had at the wine tasting!), a fish pie the size of the sun, and dessert (I had chocolate mousse, whereas my mum had profiteroles!) Both of us struggled to finish the portions, but the food was excellent!

As I said, this was VIP so we were seated at the front of the stage and had a fabulous view of the musicians and dancers. The show was absolutely fantastic, and i you have never been to a tango show, I highly recommend!

We left feeling full and completely happy with the choice of tango show! This one basically explained the history of tango from the immigrants coming into port and the `entertainment` to the modern day tango.

Maybe I`ll get my dancing shoes on at some point, but tonight, I was stuffed with food and wine, and required plenty of sleep!  

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