Study abroad gets more unreal every day—am I actually getting credit for this, or is it just a vacation in disguise? Of course, I am taking four classes and have an internship, so there's no doubt that this program is rigorous, but I also have more free time than I do at Rochester and have been using it to explore! I've traveled the past three weekends, which is exhausting but completely worth it. My theory is that I should push myself to do everything I possibly can while in Argentina and then rest when I get home in July—so far so good! 🙂
This past weekend, I went on a trip organized by my study abroad program to Tigre, which is about an hour north of Buenos Aires. What makes Tigre so interesting is that it's on the Paraná River delta, and most of it is only accessible by boat via thousands of winding miles of river. Our tour guide compared it to Venice and also told us about the grocery boats that go around to each of the islands every day delivering food to people—what an interesting way to live!
On Saturday, we started our day at Puerto de Frutos, a large fruit and craft market:
My friends and I had a lot of fun browsing, and I got a ring for 12 pesos and a bracelet for 6—together, less than 5 USD! We also found the most greatest dessert ever: waffles filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate, all on a stick—delicious and portable!
After that, we went to the Museo de Arte Tigre. The art was super colorful and interesting; I enjoyed it a lot! We were there on the same day as the mayor of Tigre, which was bad because some of the exhibits were closed for the day, but good because there were waiters walking around with trays of food—yes, please!
We then took a boat ride to our hotel. It took nearly two hours but was cool because we went by many little islands with houses, and the weather was great! The hotel itself was awesome. It was on its own little island, and each room was a separate bungalow. Everything was connected by a series of decks, and at the center was a giant pool. We spent that evening and all of Sunday at the hotel swimming, relaxing, and even kayaking and paddle boating in the river!
On Sunday evening, we took a boat back from our hotel right to Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires. It took nearly three hours, but it was fun to be on the water and better than being on a tiny bus! This weekend was fantastic, and I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to travel so much! The only letdown was that the jaguars that Tigre was named for no longer live there. 🙂