Sue's Travels: Buenos Aires, Argentina 16 January 2013

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

I had some trouble with the internet and had to request that the router be recycled. I still did not have very good connectivity, but when I saw that I had no e-mail from either Marla or Herman, I went down for breakfast. I wound up eating with the folks from South Africa transplanted to Texas. I waited in the lobby for the bus for the Tigres tour. It didn’t arrive until close to 10:00, but I have to remember that we are in Argentina and 9:30 does not mean 9:30, but in that vicinity. There were probably 15 people from my tour on the bus. People who were not willing to go on the tour for $63 were interested in going when told the price was $30, which on the bus turned out to be $29.

We went to San Isidor first, which is effectively a bedroom community to Buenos Aires.

This is a residential area with mostly private houses unlike most of Buenos Aires where people live in apartments. Some of the houses were exquisite and some were just nice. We stopped in a shopping arcade where they had craft shops. I found a sweater for Hermie and two sweaters for my twins. I also found a chotchky for my shelf. We loaded back on the bus and headed for the delta. These are islands formed by the mud brought down by a river. It is probably like Breezy Point in that it started out as summer colony and people decided to live there full time. There is a train station which will transport one to downtown Buenos Aires. They have a boat supermarket, which charges about 15% more than stores on land. There are police boats and ambulance boats. Rowing is a big thing and there are several clubs that compete. There are two hospitals in the delta for people who can’t quickly be taken to hospitals on land. The delta is formed by Rio Capitan.

Craft Market in San Isidro

Spire of Cathedral in San Isidro

San Isidro

Housing In San Isidro

More upscale Housing in San Isidro

Club in Tigres

Pier in Tigres Delta

Housing in the Delta

Rowing on the river

Tigres Delta

Housing in Tigres Delta

On the Ship

Housing in the Delta

Upscale housing in the Delta

Housing in the Delta

Supermarket Ship

Description

Original Housing in the Delta

Enjoying the water

Garbage Collection

Leaving the Delta, there is a playground

The Delta Police

The ship and people getting off

A municpal building in Tigres

I asked to be dropped at Avenida Santa Fe which enabled me to leave my purchases in my room before heading out to the Jewish Museum. I headed over, but had to return to the hotel as they would not let me in without my passport. They showed the start of a video tape about the first Jewish settlers who arrived in 1889. They were supposed to be farmers and some probably were. Most were anxious to escape the pograms in Russia and Poland. Sephardic Jews from Morrocco and other Middle Eastern countries followed. There are still Sephardic synagogues in Buenos Aires. I was given various estimates of the Jewish population. The highest was 300,000 and the lowest was 180,000. At the synagogue, I got an estimate of about 250,000. Apparently there is a high intermarriage rate. Chabad has arrived! I took some pictures of the interior of the synagogue. I walked back to my hotel to return my passport to the safe. After resting a while, I headed over to the pedestrian mall on Florida. I was hoping to find the wallet I saw at the ranch, but none of the stores had it. I then walked back to the hotel, rested a while and then headed to the same restaurant. I decided to have ice cream and Malbeck wine. The South African group came in and later Susan and Delores joined me at my table. We gossiped for a while and then I headed back to the hotel. My stomach is acting up. It is time for another immodium.