Have you ever just wanted to escape the city for just a weekend? Exchanging all the city concrete for green and fresh air and water of the countryside.
A couple of years ago, I discovered Bandoneon a Bordon, Ariel Hernández a well-known Bandoneon player, as he offers a unique experience in his home, dinner and a bandoneon concert in his island home on the Tigre Delta.
Think about the idea of a river delta with maybe 3 or 4 feet of water in the smaller tributaries that gets a bit deeper as these streams run into the Rio Paraná. The water is brackish in color, as is a mixture of fresh and salt waters.
Think classic old small, well maintained wooden boat slicing thru the water at increasingly faster speeds as the water gets either shallower or deeper depending on the tributary that you are on. And the weather is a bit cooler or so it seems as if you are relaxed and on a boat ride.
I discovered Ariel Hernández and Bandoneon a Bordi on Instagram when I was looking for a boaying experience for us to share with my visiting best friend from Istanbul Turkey.
I contacted him and made the money transfers fairly easily. We booked. We reserved. The date was only a couple of weeks away.
Ariel reserved us a fast water taxi to take us to his place, taking us up the river approximately for 30 minutes until we arrived at his home on the rio.
As we went upriver the river brought about some changes to us all. We all relaxed and started to breathe the air. We all started to relax, and smiles were on all our faces.
Upon reaching his home, we were greeted by the dogs and our human host. We were offered an area to change into our bathing suits and go for a swim. Or just sit on the pier and drink water or wine.
We all let out a collective sigh, as no one realized how tightly wound up we had become living in the city. Not breathing, either.
As a group of strangers gathered together for a festive occasion, some people were tuned tighter while others immediately relaxed and sought out the water and others the glass of wine or water.
All together, it was a magical day filled with lovely adventures of swimming, eating, and listening to a Bandoneon concert. That was amazing. It was a retreat for all the senses.
We ended up repeating this trip a year later with another group of friends.
In 2024, we would like to visit again, but this time, this experience has been expanded to include an overnight stay and breakfast for two as Ariel has added guest accommodation.
Somehow, going up to Tigre about an hour by train just helps ameliorate the experience of being a city dweller.
For me, overnighting on the river allows us to join together, to breathe and to take a moment from our busy lives to seek solace with each other, to be grateful for these small moments of quietude Eating good home cooked gourmet meals, swimming or soaking, boating or sitting. Just being!
Listening to the boats running the river, the birds chirping, and the smell of fresh local food cooking away.
A slice of heaven here on earth brought to you by our friends at Bandoneon a Bordon Ariel Hernández, and his family.
For more information:
Bandoneon A bordo (Tigre), Ariel Hernandez Y Flavia
info@bandoneonabordo.com
+54 911 65891968
Www.bandoneonabordo.com
Los Alamos , Tigre, Buenos Aires 1648