Cordoba

I am currently in Cordoba and have been since last Wendnesday. I spend a little longer here because I didn´t want to celebrate my birthday on a bus, and because Cordoba has a great nightlife on the weekends because it is a student town.

Wendnesday I took a quick walk around on a free tour put on by the hostel. Thursday better aquainted myself with Cordoba and visited a few museums. Friday I decided to go on a hike into the Andes which was great. It was a two hour drive from Cordoba, one hour of which was on a dirt road. When we finally arrived and stepped out of the comfortable and warm van, we were hit by a fierce wind and it was much colder than I expected. Although it was only 1800 meters I definitely notice the lack of oxygen, considering most of the places in Bolivia and Peru are above 3000 meters, this is something I will have to get used to. We hiked for about a hour and a half then did some rock climbing. The wall was only 25 meters, but was a nice little climb. One of my favorite parts was when a Dutch girl fell (don´t worry, we were all properly harnessed and belayed), and she screamed some sort of curse in 3 different languages, Dutch, English and Spanish, in that order. On the way down the guide made sure we didn´t wake the sleeping cow around the next corner, which turned out to be a half decomposed cow so, a little Argentinian humor.

Friday night I went out with some people from the hostel. We played 21, a fun drinking game which was new to me. Of course we didn´t both to go until about 1:30 which turned out to be a little early. We didn´t find the bar that was recommended to us, but found one that was suitable, the criteria being the fact they served liquor. The drink of the evening for most of us was Vodka y Speed (similar to redbull). These were served in a 1 liter plastic cup with ice, a can of speed and the rest of vodka I think I only made it through one that night. The next night I started my birthday celebration and I found one of my roommates, a girl from texas, and I shared the same birthday. We hit a club, with a live band and the rest of the night was a blur. Sunday night I went to see Batman (again) with my fellow birthday friend and two girl from London doing a med school practicum in Cordoba. After the movie we went to a restaurant and everyone looked at us like we were the first tourists to step into the joint. I had a giant Argentnian steak which was extra delicious as always. Then a live band started and somehow they found out it was our birthdays, I think one of the British girls was guilty of passing along this intel. Everyone in the restaurant then sung happy birthday and we all sort of just sat there. A man sitting in at the table next to me held my arm up and people suggested that I stand on a chair, I politely declinded with my superb spanish by saying 'no gracias' and shaking my head. At the end of the meal they delived some birthday flan which was quite good.

Tonight I am hopping on a 12 hour bus to Salta, which won´t be that bad because bus travel in Argentina is quite comfortable. I have am booked on a 'Cama', which means the seats recline all the way for optimal sleeping. I am assured this is not the case in Bolivia and Peru.