One day on Tigre

Since I have been extremely lazy when it comes to blogging this last month, I will try to catch up a little. So I will try to make some short versions of my great experiences in Argentina!

First time!

5^th November I was watching my good argentinian friend Francisco have an exam concert at his university. He is studying classical music on guitar. Getting to the concert was a challenge in it self!

The short version: I got into a cab. The time was around 19:30. And normally a taxi ride like this should take about 15-20 minutes. I was going to meet Andreas there. But my driver seriously hit every red light in Buenos Aires! Also the traffic was awful. It took almost an hour when I finally got to where his concert was.

Francisco had already started playing. But I got to see two of his three songs at least. One was by Bach. I enjoyed it! He is really good. Others to had their exam concerts that day. So I got to watch them to. Many talented youth. And some not so talented. But everyone certainly more talented than me!

After that, we, I, Francisco, Andreas, Christian and Bruno went to Franciscos home. Where we played videogames, and fuzball. I got to meet his whole family. Very nice people. His younger brother, Nacho, challenged me in Pro Evolution Soccer which he of course won with way to many goals!

In the middle of the gaming night Franciscos father came and said: «Tomorrow we'll have a day for just men!» By that he meant that we were invited to a trip with his boat on Tigre.

So in saturday 6^th November, a really hot day, I went with Francisco, his brother Nacho, his friend Christian, and his father to Tigre. Tigre is a river delta system outside of Buenos Aires. Rivers and canals go everywhich way here. And it is amazingly exotic! I felt like I was on a river in the middle of the jungle. I was hard to imagine that Buenos Aires, a city with 13 million people is so near!

In one of the rivers it was possible to see BA's skyscrapers in the far distance. A really cool sight.

The captain, Christian and Nacho

Tres caballeros: Yo, Francisco y Christian

The boat we are in is incredibly fast. And it hits the waves so that it feels like we are in a rollercoaster. And I am sitting in the front of the boat. Fantastic feeling!

After a while we reach to a place where we can go waterskiing. My first time ever on water skis. Franciscos father (the reason I write Franciscos father all of the time instead of his name, is because I actually never caught his name, and it is embarrassing to ask for it after spending many hours with the guy, a great guy by the way!) gave me a long and thourogh lecture of how I should rise and how to keep me from falling in the water. Thereafter Francisco went out.

Franciso is a seasoned skier

It's easy to see that he's done this a lot in his life. I'd almost say like a fish on water, except that fish are not on, but under the water. And then it's my turn.

It is a prosess in it self just to get the skiis when you are in the water. But that done and ready to go. The boat starts pulling me. I start to rise.. But of course, first time is like first time in everything, mostly a disaster. I fall forward like scoring Klinsmann (not as elegant of course) and it feels like I swallow 10 liters of water!! I get water in my mouth and nose and down my lungs. Caughing like an old man who has been smoking for 50 years I lie there in the water, waiting for the boat to come back.

Alright. Ready again. Steady. Calm. I don't want to experience that again! The boat starts pulling. I rise up just like Franciscos father (I really wish I had his real name, bet his coworkers don't call him that!) told me. And suddenly I'm up! And amazing feeling. Now I have a slight idea of what Jesus must have felt like when he walked on water.

I even manage the turns without to much problem! It is weird how hard water gets when you're riding it in high speed. When I finally am back on the boat my legs are like jellow.

But there is another newbeginner with us. He does not manage as well as I. He falls 6 times without getting to really ride the water. He decides not to try again for a while. Who can blame him. (Of course I wont tell the readers that it was you Christian!). But to the other newbeginner's defence, who's identity remains a mystery, I have been skiing a lot on snow in my life, and he never, so that was a huge advantage, or else I might have swallowed x more liters of water.

The other beginner

Then it was Nacho, Franciscos younger brother. He looked like he lived on the water. He even skiid on one foot!

The honor lap and last one belonged to the captain of the boat. 

Nacho!

El Capitan

Picnic

After that we had a nice lunch in a narrow canal with green trees hanging over the boat. The end of the trip we spent on an Island which was surrounded by a beach. 

The Island

Returning