Blogs from Córdoba, Argentina, South America - page 25

A 12-hour bus journey took me from Mendoza to Cordoba, which lies pretty much in the centre of Argentina. It was a long journey with just one 10-minute stop along the way and only Argentinian country music for entertainment. There was some strange stuff indeed; such as a song all about cows with a video showing milking, cheese-making etc. The farming theme continued outside the windows too as we passed hour after hour of sunflower fields and farms before finally reaching urban Cordoba in time for some heavy evening rain. My hostel this time was an Israeli-run, 2nd floor flat in the city centre that had a bar on the roof. It was a decent place in a good location and the roof was good for events like the asado (bbq) on the Saturday night. It ... read more

We are now in Carlos Paz, a small town near Cordoba, which is like a little Las Vegas - one casino, lots of shows, and a whole lot of atmosphere. We got to Cordoba this morning, after which we left for Jesus Maria, another small town near Cordoba, and you´ll soon understand why it´s called that. Jesus Maria has a Jesuit mission, which the Lonely Planet says that if you´re only planning to visit one Jesuit mission, this is it. So that´s what we did (which means no more Jesuit missions - yes). It was quite nice actually, but photos were not allowed inside, so you can´t see. We are spending the night in Carlos Paz, and tomorrow we´ll head back to Cordoba. From there, I continue to Mendoaz tomorrow night, while the New Zealanders head ... read more

Cordoba. Argentina. Eerily, a little like Brissie... In a quasi-hallucinatory, calorie-induced fever worthy of Bram Stoker and a decent piece of nightmare-fed prose, I pondered last evening this incisive (and quite a bit sanctimonious - I´ll grant you) question... Why do I hate backpackers so much? A simple matter on the face of it - returning pissed to the dorm at 4am and discovering that they´re so paralytic that they´ll be incapable of removing their pants with the lights off (even if they´ve somewhat clumsily proven that to be untrue in some poor uni student´s bedroom not 2 hrs previous, or possibly on the sidewalk of a major roadway in town) - yep that´s one reason. Telling my girlfriend I´d called her a bitch in hopes of a world-record rebound shag, when I´m only 4 seats ... read more

The last week was spent travelling west towards the border of Argentina and Chile. We stayed in two places, Cordoba and Mendoza. Cordoba was the site of possibly the dodgest hostel we stayed in. Damn you Baluch!!! For all its pitfalls, it had free b´fast and the internet was free and fastest there. Cordoba is meant to be the cultural capital of Argentina, I think. Its home to 7 universities and had heaps of awesome street performances. We went on a day trip from Cordoba to Alta Gracia, Che´s home town (where he grew up as a kid). This turned out to be a side adventure as the main purpose of the trip was to go mountain biking. When we got off the bus, we didn´t really know where to go, but managed to pick up ... read more

One day when the weather wasn´t so conducive to flying, Jamie and I took a trip to Cordoba, a 2 hour bus ride from La Cumbre. Cordoba is considered to be the educational centre of Argentina, with 7 univerisities in town. It´s busy and vibrant, and after almost 2 weeks in La Cumbre, a little overwhelming! Cars honking, people crowding on the street...we felt like folks from the country, taking our big trip into the city. But the feeling quickly wore off, and was replaced with excitement...SHOPS!! We were able to buy our Trekking in Patagonia lonely planet, and I also got to try Havanna alfajores for the first time...and a second time... There are lots of nice cafes and restaurants, and Jamie and I spent the day just walking around the town and taking in ... read more