Tren de la Costa

A wonderful day trip out of the city centre is to take the "Tren de la costa" to Tigre.   For a fee of $16 (pesos) one way you can enjoy the river route that travels along and stops at all the 'old' stations en-route.  One trip I did recently was out to San Fernando to sample the newly established organic weekend market.

A little history about the line.....

The line was developed during the period between 1891 and 1896 as part of the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway (BA&R) connecting Coghlan junction in the Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Belgrano with the port of Tigre and was known as the Tren del Bajo. The line served as an alternative route to Tigre already served by the Buenos Aires Northern Railway. The line was later absorbed by the Central Argentine Railway when this company took over the (BA&R) in 1908. It was electrified in 1931, nationalised in 1948 when it became part of F.C. Mitre; but in 1961 part of the system was abandoned and left to decay for 30 years.

In 1990 plans were formulated for re-opening the line and with railway privatisation in 1992, the Tren de la Costa company (part of Sociedad Comercial del Plata, controlled by local businessman Santiago Soldati) was formed to take over the concession for the service.

Organic herbs for sale at San Fernando Station

The track was converted from 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) Standard gauge, and electrified in 1994. Public services and the related commercial operations began in April 1995, and the maiden ride, on April 21, was shared by Soldati, company and government officials, and President Carlos Menem.

The line and its stations offer various forms of entertainment and enjoyment for both adults and children and is used by both tourists and commuters. Each station, seven of which are original stations refurbished, has history and art displays, and the stations at Maipú Avenue (Vicente López), Avenida del Libertador (Olivos), and San Isidro have substantial shopping areas. Borges Station, by the Olivos marina, is 'the station of the arts' and has an art café with open-air sculptures. Located nearby is the Juan Carlos Altavista Cinema, one of the oldest still operating in the world. Anchorena station is the 'Tango station' with a cultural centre, and Barrancas station hosts an antiques fair.  Recently, the station at San Fernando hosts an organic food market every weekend.

The Collectibles Fair at Barrancas Station

The route between Libertador and San Isidro has been adapted for use by walkers, joggers and cyclists. Delta station serves the Parque de la Costa, an amusement park, as well as Tigre's other important tourist attractions including the casino, a crafts fair, riverside restaurants and boat trips.

The line has not been wholly successful and has seen a large drop in passenger numbers since its opening in 1995. Around 100,000 journeys were made each weekend initially; but, by 2005 there were just 150,000 a month, a third of which were foreign tourists. The coinciding economic downturn has resulted in ridership declining to around 70,000 a month by 2010.

 The story of this railway line is indicative of what is happening in Argentina today, the deterioration of everything due to lack of maintenance and upkeep.  A country that at one time had one of the top economies in the world is now regarded as just another corrupt, run down,  South American under-developed country!!

The wrong flight path...

The Carancho on the roof top across from our apartment

Two Saturdays ago we were having breakfast when Brad noticed this great big bird on the roof top opposite our balcony.... out came the binoculars and camera to have a look and capture this bird! We searched our bird book and found out it was a 'Carancho'. He had obviously lost his way, but seemed to be quite at home in the city centre. A little bit of research has revealed the following info:

The Carancho, or Southern Crested Caracara, is a bird of prey. It measures at adulthood around 25 inches in length, with a wingspan of 45 inches. Those found in the colder regions of southern Patagonia are known to be a bit larger.

It’s coloring is a mix of brown and white (the youth having a lighter coloring than the adults). Its sturdy appearance begins with a crown of dark, almost black, feathers that has an appearance of a small toupee. The face is a fleshy orange-pink to deep yellow coloring that melts into a sharp, off-white beak. The throat, chest and back are a strong brown, with the legs, wings and belly having a darker tone. The underside of the tale has a white plumage as does the feathers that are shown off in flight. Its legs have a light yellow coloring.

The Carancho is a bold bird that is not afraid to scavenge the ground in search of food, kick out a timid vulture from a carcass or attack another’s nest for edible goodies. It is known to also feed upon such miniature treats as insects or large meals like an oversized rodent.

Their mating is done usually in late spring or early summer. Two eggs are the norm, which are cared for in an open nest placed in the tops of trees.

Although the Carancho is found from Tierra del Fuego (with an isolated population living on the Malvinas Islands) to southern Peru, it is not one that enjoys dense, humid wooded areas like the rain forests of the Amazon. It also tends to stay away from the high Andes. Instead, it is more at home near open forested land and near rivers. It also is known to enjoy semi-inhabited landscapes and is not afraid to mingle with humans.

Garden's for fun ....one of life's little essentials

Gardens and plants are an essential part of my life. It's possibly because I am a Virgo - an earth sign - and I need to be digging in the dirt from time to time.

There are many things in life that I could do without, but a garden of some sort is absolutely necessity for me. Having had my own garden and my own landscape design business it was rather difficult to move into a small apartment with only a tiny balcony. One of the first things I did was buy some pots and some plants to make my own little green space amidst the concrete jungle. I inherited a ficus benjamina that was on its way out and a sad looking aloe ferox - I guess you can’t expect too much else from a rental apartment. So what did I buy first, an azalea, and some ivy geraniums. Then came the jasmine and some herbs - rosemary, thyme, mint and lavender and a pot of lipstick pink impatiens. And then there was the orange striped gazanias that are totally amazing in the sun. I transplanted the ficus into a bigger pot and with its new lease on life it has sprouted many new leaves and is looking rather lush and healthy. I am slowly transforming the balcony into a little oasis. I encourage the little sparrows and doves (baby dove in the dish of crumbs - nickname "greedyguts") every morning by putting out crumbs for them and they also have their own splash "pool", and more recently I have even had butterflies visiting! Might not quite be the garden I had before but all great projects have to start someplace.

Well its almost 2 years now that we have been in the apartment, and the little garden is doing really well. Of course we have had a few fatalities - the azalea didn’t make it, there was too much wind. The Impatiens died due to a combination of root rot and cut worm. The jasmine has doubled in size and is doing well, I bought a bougainvillea for an extra splash of colour… the herbs are doing well and the geraniums never stop flowering....

River Pollution.............

Pollution along the Rio de la Plata

This says it all.....

Good Friday 2011

A perfect Autumn day..... so we decided to get out of the apartment and head up north of the city and spend some time by the river. We caught the No.29 bus all the way out to Acassuso Station we the walked down to Las Barrancas Station which is on the Tren de la Costa line, some 12 blocks. Brad managed this so well. We had lunch at Las Barrancas station. The train station has been converted to an out door "collector's market", rather fun. We then wandered down to Peru Beach and the river. I am always so embarrassed to be part of the human race when I see the filth and pollution that we leave behind to destroy our waterways... The Rio de la Plata is so polluted - it is a disgrace!!! On one side of the peer are yachts worth a bloody fortune and on the other side a shore line that is nothing more than a rubbish dump!! No one really seems to give a damn, always blaming someone else - no one ever takes any responsibility. It's easy - just take your garbage home with you and dispose of it correctly - no real rocket science!!!!!!

Well what is Easter here like?
There are loads of chocolate Easter Eggs everywhere - but not a hot cross bun in sight!!! Although 92% of the population are Catholic, only 2% are practicing so today was much like a Sunday, some stores were open, restaurants, coffee shops and cinemas were also open. Banks and major commerce closed. Great, another 2 days off before back to work on Monday.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Watching Polo in Palermo

The official Polo Season here in Buenos Aires is from September - November, but we were rather lucky recently to be invited to an off season inter club game.

One of our trainees from the TEFL programme plays polo, and while she was here doing the course her husband played polo everyday. They live in Singapore and he was here looking for another polo pony to add to his stable. So it was very interesting to hear all the ins and outs of polo, and also to learn some of the rules of the game.

The polo ground in Palermo was opened in 1928, and has a capacity for 45,000 spectators. It is the country's major stadium and is apparently one of the best places to see the international polo stars, although the day we went I didn't get to see any of those hot guys that model for the polo clothing brand!!! - maybe next time.

An Autumn Saturday (16 April 2011)

I know over the last two weeks or so I have been catching up on my blog entries from 2010 but today's entry is from today!! It was a perfect Autumn Day and we decided to get out of the apartment and enjoy the good weather.

While taking a coffee this week I read about a new exhibition at the Museo Evita. A group of art students were all given identical copies of busts of Evita and Juan Peron, they then had to interpret them in their own way - some really awesome work. I took a couple of photos for you to look at.




 This exhibition opened yesterday and runs until the end of the month and is well worth a visit.

"The Holy Trinity"

 The museum is dedicated to Eva Peron, and is housed in an early 20th century mansion that was converted into a shelter for the homeless when it was bought by the Evita Peron Foundation in 1948. The displays trace the life and passions of this amazing woman.   I think that the most impressive exhibits are a collection of her personal items, particularly shoes and hats and a number of outfits from her Dior Collection!

There are also exhibits from her early radio and acting career. Archived footage of her inspiring speeches from the Casa Rosada, and then of course of her funeral in 1952, which extended for over four days. She was only 33 when she died of cancer. In the six years as the wife of the President, she achieved amazing things. Most notably getting the vote for the women of Argentina.

Trying those tasty chicken feet!!

After the museum visit we were feeling a little hungry so we jumped on the bus and headed to barrio chino (China Town). This is one of our favourite neighbourhoods, the supermarket is awesome with a selection of produce from all over the world, but particularly of Asian influence, and our favourite Chinese restaurant is right next door to the supermarket. The restaurant Todas contentos, which when translated means Totally Content, pretty much sums up how you feel after your meal. Today, Brad has an enormous bowl of soup made with chicken stock, bamboo, noodles, fresh carrot and red pepper, mushrooms and of course egg and noodles. I had my favourite - Pork rolls with sticky rice and sweet and sour sauce - yum!
At the entrance of China Town is a little kiosk that sells authentic Chinese street food, I have always been curious about a few of the items sold there and so today I decided to buy and try a chicken foot. What does it taste like?

The basting had a spicy sweet sour taste, the actual claw was very tender, a little fatty but the bones were very soft and easy to eat. It was an interesting experience. Would I do it again? Probably not! somethings are best just tried once....