La Delta del Río Tigre

A crew member pushes the boats apart as we prepare to depart.

The boats are three or four deep at the dock.

One of my new, favorite words: La Lancha

A "bus" of sorts on the delta of the Tigre River.

A view out the stern of the boat -- our entry and exit point.

A Paneria y Negotio -- a floating grocery store

that stops at homes and resorts along the river.

Our resort. We ate under the shelter on the left.

The pool is in front of the building,

and you can barely see the cabañitas are on the right.

La pilota (or piscina in other Latin American countries).

Liliana soaking-up the last bit of sun on our return trip.

Passing a fully-loaded lancha.

For my final day in Argentina, sábado, el 3 de febrero, Liliana and I went a good ways into the delta of the Tigre River to spend our day on a little island at a hotel kind of place -- a combination of a hostle, hotel, day-spa, beach resort and fine restaurant, with 50 meter of river-front property.


We walked several blocks from the apartment to catch the train, which took about an hour to get us all the way to the final stop at the city of Tigre. From there we took la lancha which, as you can see above, is a bus for the delta. There are no roads in the delta, other than the many, many rivers and canals that have formed thousands of islands over the centuries.

It was about an hour by la lancha to get to where we were going. To allow passengers to disembark, the boat passes the pier and then backs-up to it. A crew members jumps off, wraps a rope around a step to secure the boat, and then helps the passenger to achieve the dock without going swimming, all about 4 to 5 feet above the water. The boats pass up and down the rivulettes about every hour or so, and when you´re ready to go, you just wave them down and the pick you up for the return trip.

My only regret from the day is that I didn´t do a good job of applying sunscreen. I had put it on my arms and face before we left the apartment (as I do every day), and when we got there, on my legs and chest and, with help, on my back. Well, I totally forgot the upper arms -- the part normaly covered by my sleeves. Ouch! I got a pretty good burn (IN THE SHADE!) before I realized what was happening. So tonight, I´m in a good bit of pain. This is my second sunburn here, the first one having happened on the day we were way up high in the Ándes, when I burned the top of my head THROUGH my hair -- to the point of blisters! Ah, the BURDENS of fair, FAIR skin. (I recall the youth in one confirmation class at The Church of the Good Shepherd saying, "Our pastor isn´t a white guy. He´s pink!" Well, today, I´m red!

Regardless, spending time in the delta of the Tigre (pronounced TEA-gray) River was a tremendous conclusion to a wonder-filled stay in Argentina.

Tonight, I pack, and tomorrow I will fly to Santiago, Chile.

Thank you, one and all, for keeping track of my days here. I hope you continue to hold me in your prayers. I certainly need them! Even though this is a trip filled with many, MANY blessings, it also can be very difficult at times, and I have felt more than a little bit homesick on several occasions.

Oh, and while you are praying, know that I have also gotten a bit of a summer cold. It´s all congestion in my chest and head at this point, but I also am developing a cough, and my shoulders are aching quite a bit. I hope and pray it doesn´t turn into a flu! Several of my fellow students had similar symptoms, and they said it passes in about 4 days. This is day 2 for me. So, we shall see.

Much, MUCH love to all of you!

-- Bill