Fernando the safari guide
Our second weekend in the city it was time to get out and see where the Porteños spend their weekends. It took us a while to get out to Tigre, about 30km north of Buenos Aires. First there was that impossibly long bus ride (the 152) that went out into the suburbs of Buenos Aires. The tren de la costa (also known as the tourist train) to the delta is located in Olivos, a neighbourhood north of the city that is famous for being the home of Argentina's presidential residence. Some can't be bothered to deal with traffic so they take a private helicopter out and cut their commute to about 5 minutes. Clearly we did not have that luxury.
The first thing we encountered at the final stop was a yellow booth with the words Safari Delta painted on it. A well tanned, thin Argentinian man named Fernando asked us where we were going and proceeded to give us his pitch. He runs a company that takes you out on a tiny little boat into the Paraná delta. His route is vastly different from the large tourist boats and even the small public transportation boats that ferry passengers to and from their neighbourhoods. What makes Safari Delta unique is that they cater to their customers and create personalized tours. If you want to go swimming he'll take you to a quiet spot far far away from the noisy rush of the weekend crowds. If you want to sit in the boat and explore the delta he'll take you somewhere 30 kilometers into the delta to explore the quietest rivers to see the wildlife. And, if like me, you want it all he can arrange for both of these things in one trip.
It was two in the afternoon and somehow that seemed to late to go on a customized tour. There was also the fact that none of us had brought swimwear and after being on the bus and train for over an hour we were starving. We walked out of the train station and down a little street to a kiosk that sold hot dogs. I was working on my second footlong hot dog when Fernando biked by and stopped to chat. At this point it was pretty obvious that he was a) friendly and b) helpful as he warned us of the big boats and said we'd be better off paying what the locals pay and getting on the public transport boats. Guess what happened right after we bought our 26 peso local boat tickets? Fernando double parked his car on the street jumped out and offered to take us out on his boat for the afternoon to hang out. It took all of 10 seconds to decide to go with him.
His boat is a small zodiac with no sun protection. It is mind boggling how many Porteños own big expensive boats. We passed more than a dozen boat warehouses and jet ski garages. Traffic on the river was heavy near the port but slowed to a lazy float as soon as you entered one of the little rivers off the main waterway. Aside from being a great place to show off your wealth on the biggest boat you can fit into the smallest riverways, Tigre is where the big vacation homes of the wealthy are. There are locals here as well but they live in much more rustic conditions right next to the giant weekend homes. Fernando owns a little spot called Soledad on one of the rivers. We spent our afternoon sitting on his porch drinking red wine and eating what I would consider the most amazingly tender and juicy steak I've ever had. The lush green garden surrounding his rustic cottage with it's huge cypress trees reminded me of Louisiana.
Having lost everything in the crash of 2001 Fernando came out to the delta to consider his future and reevaluate his life thus far. He watched the giant tourist boats slowly motor their way up the big river and all the bored tourists reading or taking a picture of him as he motored by on his tiny zodiac. It occured to him that people weren't getting the experience they were looking for when they came out to Tigre. Fernando was convinced that none of the people on the boat understood why so many locals came out to the delta. With no access to a private boat or a local guide it was impossible to appreciate what the delta had to offer. It's been over 8 years now that he gives private tours of the delta and his crew has grown to 4 guides (none of them young nor good-looking according to him). One of these was a former customer from Switzerland who found himself reconsidering his life's goals at 50.
Eight years of guiding tours makes for some great stories.
The first thing we encountered at the final stop was a yellow booth with the words Safari Delta painted on it. A well tanned, thin Argentinian man named Fernando asked us where we were going and proceeded to give us his pitch. He runs a company that takes you out on a tiny little boat into the Paraná delta. His route is vastly different from the large tourist boats and even the small public transportation boats that ferry passengers to and from their neighbourhoods. What makes Safari Delta unique is that they cater to their customers and create personalized tours. If you want to go swimming he'll take you to a quiet spot far far away from the noisy rush of the weekend crowds. If you want to sit in the boat and explore the delta he'll take you somewhere 30 kilometers into the delta to explore the quietest rivers to see the wildlife. And, if like me, you want it all he can arrange for both of these things in one trip.
It was two in the afternoon and somehow that seemed to late to go on a customized tour. There was also the fact that none of us had brought swimwear and after being on the bus and train for over an hour we were starving. We walked out of the train station and down a little street to a kiosk that sold hot dogs. I was working on my second footlong hot dog when Fernando biked by and stopped to chat. At this point it was pretty obvious that he was a) friendly and b) helpful as he warned us of the big boats and said we'd be better off paying what the locals pay and getting on the public transport boats. Guess what happened right after we bought our 26 peso local boat tickets? Fernando double parked his car on the street jumped out and offered to take us out on his boat for the afternoon to hang out. It took all of 10 seconds to decide to go with him.
His boat is a small zodiac with no sun protection. It is mind boggling how many Porteños own big expensive boats. We passed more than a dozen boat warehouses and jet ski garages. Traffic on the river was heavy near the port but slowed to a lazy float as soon as you entered one of the little rivers off the main waterway. Aside from being a great place to show off your wealth on the biggest boat you can fit into the smallest riverways, Tigre is where the big vacation homes of the wealthy are. There are locals here as well but they live in much more rustic conditions right next to the giant weekend homes. Fernando owns a little spot called Soledad on one of the rivers. We spent our afternoon sitting on his porch drinking red wine and eating what I would consider the most amazingly tender and juicy steak I've ever had. The lush green garden surrounding his rustic cottage with it's huge cypress trees reminded me of Louisiana.
Having lost everything in the crash of 2001 Fernando came out to the delta to consider his future and reevaluate his life thus far. He watched the giant tourist boats slowly motor their way up the big river and all the bored tourists reading or taking a picture of him as he motored by on his tiny zodiac. It occured to him that people weren't getting the experience they were looking for when they came out to Tigre. Fernando was convinced that none of the people on the boat understood why so many locals came out to the delta. With no access to a private boat or a local guide it was impossible to appreciate what the delta had to offer. It's been over 8 years now that he gives private tours of the delta and his crew has grown to 4 guides (none of them young nor good-looking according to him). One of these was a former customer from Switzerland who found himself reconsidering his life's goals at 50.
Eight years of guiding tours makes for some great stories.
posted by LOTC at 11:19 AM
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