Chaos in Córdoba!

It's Thursday and I am still tired from my chaotic but unforgettable weekend...

A week ago I ventured west to the city of Córdoba. It was the most disorganized trip I have ever been on but I loved every spontaneous moment. I left Thursday night with Susan, Alejandro for Columbia, Martin and Martin's roommate, Patricia who is also from Holland. We arrived Friday morning in Córdoba with absolutely no plans.

The first problem. We had to be back for class on Tuesday so first order of business was to buy the return tickets. We went from company to company looking for a bus to take us home but every single one was full. The difficulty was that, on this particular weekend, a huge amount of people were in Córdoba. Everyone came for one thing: Festival de la Cerveza aka Oktoberfest. We ended up buying tickets to Rosario, which is halfway in between Córdoba and Buenos Aires plus a ticket to Buenos Aires from there. Took a deep breath at this point!

Our hostel in Córdoba was great. I went up to the rooftop patio as soon as I arrived and is was so great. The city of Córdoba is large but very relaxed and feliz. It was an absolutely gorgeous day so we just decided to walk around and explore for the day. Museums, a wonderful Argentine meal with sangria, beautiful churches, parks and jokes filled the day. After a long day we decided a nap might be nice before the night began. I rested for a minute before jumping up to see what was going on in the hostel. Later, we met up with the Israeli's we met in Salta and headed out to the boliche! (aka the club!) We had VIP status all night and champagne bottle service-FREE. I know, I live a rough life! :)

The next day we woke up and headed out for brunch before leaving for Villa General Belgrano. VGB is a little german pueblo outside of Córdoba, and the home of the Argentine Oktoberfest, popularly know as La Festival de la Cerveza! It was full of people, all having a great time. Most of them were fully dressed but I will leave the rest to the imagination. It was raining but we made the best of the day. We bought "chopps" (steins) and ate the best german apple tart in the world! When we were eating we ran into Julie, my neighbor. She's another student from my program and is from the U.S. It's nice to have a friend in my neighborhood in BA...Belgrano is the farthest from everything! We headed back to Córdoba, exhausted and wet. Upon arrival, I headed straight to my bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Day Three I woke up, very well rested. I had gotten 10 hours of sleep for the first time in who knows how long. It was great! We went out for lunch and gathered the necessities before jumping on the bus to Rosario. By necessities I mean alfajores from Córdoba. They are, by far, my favorite alfajor ever. They have this incredible sugar glaze on them that is unique to Cordoba. I bought a whole box!

After the 5 hour bus ride, we arrived in Rosario. Here's problem number 2. We had no place to stay. Thankfully Alejandro knew of a couple hostels in the area. They were practically all full but one of the owners was super nice and accommodated us anyway but putting a mattress on the floor of one room. By the time we got all settled in and ate dinner it was time to go to the boliche! Reggaetón and latina music filled the night.

Here's where I hit another bump in the road. I was dancing, having fun...nothing too over-exciting when I take a step backwards. The problem was that the floor ended and I stepped over the edge! Thank goodness there was a huge crowd to catch me! I was almost immediately carried back onto the platform. However, when I looked down at my foot it did not look normal. I grabbed Susan and headed off to the bathroom. There I discovered a grand cut on the side of my foot from a broken glass on the floor of the boliche. What did I learn? NEVER wear sandals to the club. A big, bulky security guard came into the bathroom soon after me with a first aid kit in hand. I was glad they were being attentive and doing their job! He cleaned me up and I was good as new.

Woke up early Monday to start the day. We explored Rosario, which was a very colorful and relaxing city. We visited Miami Beach and ate fresh, grilled fish. We were so full after lunch that we just laid down on the beach and relaxed. It was so peaceful and the people there are soo incredibly nice. We walked down the beach and watched the people windsurfing and sailing. Susan and Alejandro joined in on a random game of beach volleyball while Martin, Patricia and I had coffee. After our beach walk we visited El Monumento de la Bandera (The Flag Monument) and checked out the local craft fair.

On our way home we stopped at the grocery store and bought ingredients for dinner. Susan and I volunteered to cook for everyone, we made pasta arrabiata and a fresh green salad...two things that I have never had in Argentina. It was a really fun meal. We set the table and had a family-style meal plus great conversation. These people are such great friends-I am SO happy to have met them.

That night we encountered our final chaotic moment. It was really just stupid and funny. Our bus left Rosario at 3:30 am. Sounds a little crazy, but it was our only option. So at about 3 am we left the hostel to get a taxi to the bus terminal. What we didn't figure into our plan, was the lack of taxis at this hour. We were stranded in the vacant streets of Rosario without a clue. We came upon two young men (who happen to go to the same college as I do in Buenos Aires, UCA- so random) who called us a taxi and saved the day. We were cutting it really close so when we got to the terminal we RAN. We caught the bus JUST before it began to pull out. After all the excitement, we all slept the whole way back to Buenos Aires.

The week that followed was uneventful. My classes are going really well. My Marketing class is now proving to be one of my easiest classes, but my politics classes are testing my language skills. I'm in the middle of midterms so it's a bit stressful but I only have about a month left of classes! Then it's more travel! Julie and I have begun planning our December trip. We're trying to work out Bolivia, Chile AND Peru but I'm not quite sure if it is feasible yet. We shall see... :)

This coming weekend I'm going to Bariloche with my program, COPA. I'm looking forward to it because we are staying in a real HOTEL...not a hostel, a hotel. We are also flying there! I really do love the buses here but it will be nice to cut the trip short for once. Only 2 hours travel time versus 20 in bus! I'll be posting soon!

Much love! BESOS

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