Crowne Plaza Cordoba

We arrived this morning knowing we did not want to spend long in another city and knowing we wanted to head to Mendoza as soon as we could. Rob decided we would leave our baggage at the bus terminal and get the bus this evening so I write this now having spent yesterday wondering around Rosario, the night on the bus and now another day walking around a city. We smell and are tired but have ...

... the people are farmers and ranchers, and we have industries associated with those. We also have some auto manufacturing plants in Cordoba. Travelers visit Cordoba because there are many lakes and waterways, so water sports are popular, as is horseback riding. The climate is sunny and mild.

... inhabitants instead of the endless carpets of identical houses you see in Sweden or Finland. I envy the creativeness of the Argentinian architects and artists, it's revitalising. I know Finland wants to be seen as the country of design and modern architecture, but to be honest I would give that title away to Argentina any day. I've seen the most amazing buildings (I'm sorry that I can't put any photos here) Because it feels like the creativeness is built into the culture here ...

... t the bo*rder. More of th*t to follow... After my encounter with Fillipos sm*ll conce*led d*ngerous we*pon on my first night I r*ther sensibly decided to c*ll it * night shortly *fterw*rds, th*nking them for their comp*ny *nd w*rm welcome *nd he*ded to my first dorm room in months (*lthough I would be soon to re*lize th*t * jet l*g h*d gr*bbed hold of me which would not let me go for * long frustr*ting time to come). Next d*y I got ch*tting to * guy *t bre*kf ...

... van Carlos is een fantastisch museum met hele oude typemachines, radio´s en zelfs ponsmachines (voor diegene die weten wat dat is), maar bovenal en overal rommel. Een fantastische rommelmarkt, waar mijn moeder gerust de hele dag met plezier zou kunnen rondneuzen. Onze kamer is wel vier meter hoog en dus heerlijk cool, alhoewel het buiten ook maar 25 graden is (sorry hoor, kan het af en toe niet laten). Het toilet is wat eigenaardig, want ...

... which was recommended to us, really good, and so nice to have fish for a change! Called Virginia, who took a half day from work. She brought us out to the University where she and Nicholas studied. Cordoba is viewed as the centre of education in Argentina, it all goes back to the Jesuits who set up one of the first Universities in the country in the city centre. She brought us to a leafy area outside of the city ...

... crucial items as really big plastic bags (for putting backpacks in). It has been surprisingly hard to find such items, except in bags of ten which is really more than we need (we have lots of luggage but not that much). We only spent one full day here, and didn't get out for any excursions, but it would be easy to stay much longer. The excursions lay ahead, as we moved on the Argentina's tourist capital - Bariloche.

... terrifying enough as it is without watching bloody scarey movies too! Arrived in Cordoba at 8.30am and got found by the manager of a new hostel and he even gave a lift back to it. It is the second largest city in Argentina, not the prettiest of cities, but we are hopeing to visit the nearby town of Carlos Paz, that is supposed to be pretty.

... It is a drain. CAN YOU HEAR ME LONELY PLANET - A BIG DRAIN. NOT A RIVER. - They do in their defence have the country's largest all you can eat restaurant. Do you think I'd pass a cultural landmark such as that by? Not on your nelly. 6 yoyos for all the steak and seafood you can manage...let's just say I needed a LOT of fibre in my diet for a few days afterwards. It took us two days to get out of this hell hole and scramble into the ...

... and we did all the tourist stuff that we had previously skipped, seeing the historic town centre, the church tower, and...ya that was it. Carolina also introduced us to maté, an type of Argentinian tea that you drink out of a special cup and a special metal straw. It´s bitter, but if you add a little bit of sugar and eat some doughnuts it´s quite good. It´s also quite a ritual to prepare, with lots of cup banging and sifting ...