Blogs from San Luis, Argentina, South America

Distance driven last two days: 426 miles / 686 km Cumulative distance driven: 13,933 miles / 22,423 km Last two days’ trip: Cordoba (via San Luis) to Mendoza, Argentina We have decided to slow down the pace a bit, until we get to Mendoza. Both Zoe and I still feel a bit mentally and physically tired after too many early mornings, late afternoon and evening rides, and several time zone shift recently. We are therefore covering the distance between Cordoba and Mendoza, which is 680km / 422 miles, in two days. That way we can sleep in, make longer rest and lunch stops, and arrive at our next destination for the day while there is still daylight. Though there are several smaller and rural roads we could take to get from Cordoba to Mendoza, we chose ... read more

While most travelers went from wine-soaked, mellow Mendoza to colonial Cordoba on an overnight bus, it took me a month. But why rush when there were such sweet tidbits along the way--ancient, end-of-the-road mountain towns, rivers to rock-hop, and gorges to explore? Slow travel, indeed. I'd spent long lazy months in the tourist mecca of Mendoza, , trading English lessons for my dorm bed. However, the day my once tranquil, 8-person dorm was full of loud, drunk, late-night Argentines and noisy, early-leaving Norwegians, I decided to leave. San Luis For the first time ever, I caught a taxi to the bus station. Somehow I'd accumulated too much stuff to walk--danger. I boarded the daily bus for the 4.5 hour ride through boring, flat desert and then promising mountains to the provincial capital, San Luis, where I'd ... read more

"God is energy" says the woman opposite me. Her eyes widen. I don´t know whether she´s being comically dramatic or whether, if I let out a little puff of chuckle, she´ll break my skull on the fish paste bowl in front of me. Either way, I smile and nod. I am sitting in the dining room of Marcello´s mother´s house. Next to me is Marcello´s brother, who speaks near perfect English. I kind of want to ask him what´s going on, and whether I´m about to be killed and eaten. But he´s listening, straight-faced, to his mother. I slowly and discreetly move my hand towards my fork in case she strikes. Eating with us, we have Luisina (the femaley-half of the dynamic duo who have taken me into their abode), Marcello´s grandmother; a 95-year old wit ... read more

"ARGGGHHHH!" I´m running barefooted, as quickly as I can, down a largely deserted street in the provincial border town of La Punta. The sand, grit and little pieces of glass cut into my soles. " OW, GOD!" An obese man observes me whizzing past from his rusty chair outside one of the houses with a huge grin on his face- like Jabba the Hut he wobbles, laughing at the sight of me. I hear little pockets of chuckling residents as I speed back down the road towards Marissio´s English Institute. Twenty seconds ago I was stroking a friendly-looking dog -it looked as though it would be the last one to have any mental illness... What happened? I hear it snarling and nipping at my feet. I lost my sandals about thirty metres back. My feet hurt ... read more

Just a quick and very random story. In the last two nights, we have gotten away from our habit of parking near a police station for security, opting for 24 hour gas stations because in Argentina the police stations are not as often located conveniently near the freeway. The gas station owner assured us that this was a very quiet zone and we soon drifted off to sleep. At some point we were very alarmingly awakened by the sound of many people yelling and cursing all around our vehicle as the vehicle rocked from being shoved. A very disorienting way to be awakened indeed! Turns out that two guys were giving a third an old fashioned style beat-down against our van which concluded by them kicking and stomping him. Apparently it turns out that the third ... read more