fractor friction
Tales of Steam Fever
title by ana gram
El Tigre 2007

I caught the Tren de la Costa at the Maipu station in Buenos Aires and rode it up to the end at El Tigre. The ride was pleasant, lasted about thirty minutes, and cost just a few pesos. I had taken the subway from a station on Santa Fe near my apartment right to the Maipu station for the coastal train. The subway is good, cheap transportation, but I learned to avoid it at rush hour to miss heavy crowding.

The only constant is
change
Heraclitus of Ephesus (c.535 BC - 475 BC)



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El Donaldo prepares to board the Tren de la Costa

Hamburgers, chorizos and other meats are grilled at a sidewalk cafe. Cotton candy, popcorn and the usual treats are also available.

Adult refreshments are also easy to find.
















I'd been checking the climate on the internet. wanting to estimate a good season to visit, and I searched out things to do, and discovered an almost inexhaustible list of activities. As thing developed slowly it looked like the fall of 06 would be a geat time to start. Events pushed the schedule up to the spring, and there I went to Miami, and on a long overnight non-stop flight to Buenos Aires or BA.











thirty kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires. One can spend countless hours, days and probably weeks exploring the area. I took the train which ends virtually in front of the Trilenium Casino, with the Parque de la Costa (an amusement park) adjacent to it. El Donaldo and I walked around a bit, then to the bank of the river. There are countless varieties of excursions available from small vessels in which the proprietor will take you around as you request, or the larger tourist type vessels. We opted for one of the latter and soon embarked on a tour that lasted a couple hours during which I took many of the photos here. They also provided at a small cost chilled Quilmes and other beverages to allay ones thirst. I took so many pics from the boat that they need a separate page.



Calatrava spans the canal at Dock 3 in Puerto Madero. It is a popular meeting place for locals and tourists, and I met some lovely people here too. One fine evening while wandering about, I encountered a choral group from the University near the port side foot of the bridge. I was trying so hard to speak Spanish that I would try to converse with whoever would humor me, and these kind folks were most gracious. Right there at the foot of the bridge, in the darkness of the evening, they broke into a beautiful rendition of one of their traditional songs, just for me....well and everyone else who gathered around. If you have broadband and a couple extra moments you can
listen to the recording.
All the photos on this site, and all the videos were taken with my pocket digital 8 megapixel Konica-Minolta camera.