Astoria Cordoba

... Dan Brown´s Angels and Demons and Fidel Castro´s autobiography!

Yesterday evening we said goodbye to Evan, who returns home to continue his work to educate the yoof of today. It was sad to see him go!

Some other things we have noticed about Argentina -

Most rooms have one electrical switch that doesn´t do anything.

Road signs
- warning you not to drink and drive, with a picture of a car with skid marks behind it ...

... was much better.
Spent just a couple of days here as it was really quiet, owing to the fact we were there Sunday & Monday, and there wasn`t much to do except eat and drink. That said we had some nice set meals, managed to watch Arsenal beat Celtic, Practically get a subscription at the ice cream parlour, and play stray dog hurdling along most of the roads. Took a day trip to a place called Alta Gracia which was very picturesque, about 1hr away from Cordoba and ...

... the next day because we were wreaked from all the drama of the previous day. We caught up with the families at home and strolled around the city. After coming from El Calefate the pace of the city was way too fast. People were stressed out in traffic and honking horms etc and it really makes you think that life should be as stressfree as possible. I think people who have simpler lives have actually hit the nail on the head with living - they are ...

... zouden willen kopen (omdat de donaties die zij normaal gesproken krijgen vaak oude en gebruikte kleren/schoenen zijn). Suzanne haar hartslag moet als een dolle te keer zijn gegaan en uit de Spaanse woordenwaterval die volgde, konden we in ieder geval opmaken dat wij en masse voor gek verklaard zijn, op een positieve manier natuurlijk! In Nederland is 600 euro al een hoop geld, maar hier in Argentinie kun je er iemands langgekoesterde dromen mee realisen ...

... in the same van because they were leaving on the same flight. We sat around upstairs and spent our last Reai's, bemoaning the fact that the weather was fantastic and we were at the airport. After checking in we found a stall giving away free mate (Argentinian kind-of tea) and gave some a try. It didn't taste too bad once you poured in a whole lot of sugar, and its supposed to be quite good for you. After a short flight to Argentina I checked in again for my flight to ...

... stalls. Other than culture, food continues to be a theme; the food here is fantastic. Yesterday we went to the biggest Tenedor Libre (all you can eat) in Argentina for just 24 pesos (4 pounds?) It reminded me of the buffets you get in Las Vegas, it even had an over-the-top waterfall running through the middle. We were the last to leave. Despite the fantastic food, Christie told me that anorexia is a big ...

... about 113 U$D Which is great for my budget. Now Away I go. Getting ready to Leave this Beautiful Place. NOOOO! Flags cost: 5 U$D in total of 3= 15 U$D 7 Chocolate boxes: 7 U$D each = 49 U$D 3 postcards : 3 U$D each = 9 U$D 4 Shirts: 10 U4D- 40 U$D = 113 U$D Budget Amount left after trip: 2,852

Cordoba is Argentina's second biggest city and as a result has always been a bit rebellious, particularly to anything coming out of Buenos Aires. They have signs up on lampposts "Islas Malvinas - Argentinas" Again, like the other places here, the people are very friendly and things are very people friendly. We just took things easy here, recharged our duracells and got ...

... out about local buses to the Jesuit Estancias in the sierras north of Cordoba the next day. Already feeling better - managing to make yourself understood in the local language is always a kick - we had a great evening attending a Tango concert in the Teatro Libertad. Amazingly accomplished music and sensuous dancing in a really stylish old venue all compered by the smoothest talking Argentine we´ve yet come across (no idea what he was saying, of course ...

... early. We arrived at Cordoba this morning at 7 from an overnight bus. We really thought we'd be roughing it this trip, but damn everything is so luxurious! The busses were like first class airplane seats and they served snacks and had a movie! I could get used to roughing it if its anything like this. Anyhow, I really like Cordoba. Its so college town-like. Lots of adventure stuff around here too.. I'll tell you if there is anything cool that we end up checking out. Madhavi