Tired in El Tigre

9-02-09 20:23
Mi Casa

On the previous episode of Coli Goes Abroad…

She spent all night partying downtown, leaving the boliche (what they call clubs here) at 6 am. Smart decision? We’ll find out...next!

So I returned to mi casa at 6:45 and had the opportunity to sleep for one hour before leaving for an ISA excursion (since I had missed the one the week before) to El Tigre, a small town in the BA province. After taking a train, we arrived in the quaint little town, which is a popular weekend getaway for porteños. We took a boat cruise along the river, which was the color of mud (someone told me it was just because the silt deposits don’t settle). We were dropped off at a little beach area to spend most of the day relaxing, which I desperately needed from my lack of sleep.

It was a wonderful, peaceful day of relaxing in the grass next to the river, taking a mini siesta on the sand at the beach, tomando el sol (sun-bathing) and partaking in my first asado, or Argentine barbeque. It is very popular, as asadores (those who grill) slap ridiculous amounts of meat over the coals. And I do not exaggerate when I say absurd. Some of the other ISA people purchased an asado meant for three people which ended up feeding twelve of us (I was fortunate to be one of those twelve). They served many different cuts of steak, many of which I’ve never had before. I even ate cow intestine and kidneys. A little bland and chewy, but I loved the pico de gallo sauce they served with the meat.

After taking the boat back to the port in El Tigre, we walked a bit around the town, passing South America’s largest amusement park and stopping at the Mercado de las Frutas, or Fruit Market, although it lacks in the fruit department nowadays. We spent an hour or so walking among the feria, or crafts market and I purchased an awesome licuado so that I could at least say I had fruit at the fruit market. A licuado is sort of like a smoothie, with fruit (I had frutilla, or strawberry), ice, and milk (con leche) and I’ve become completely obsessed. The stand that I went to gave me a huge cup and then the rest of the pitcher of licuado (for only AR$10 or US$3!) so it was more like two and a half licuados. Needlessly to say, I was happy.

When I came home from El Tigre, I meant to take a four hour nap and then go out again but apparently I was so exhausted that I don’t even recall waking up to my alarm clock nor to my telephone ringing. I didn’t regain consciousness until slightly before 7 am, and since it was so early, I went back to sleep until 9 am, sleeping a grand fourteen hours.

TIP OF THE DAY
Don’t attempt to be a true porteño and go straight from the club to a full day excursion followed by going out the following night, because it might end up as a slight fracaso (failure). If you can make it through at least the whole day with a good attitude despite droopy eyelids, I semi-recommend it. However, it’s not for the faint at heart.

Besos,
Nicole