Cordoba

By the time my two week lease at my Palermo apartment was up, I was quite ready to see some different parts of the area. I had a few options, and had a tough time making a decision where to go even up to the last day.

I could have gone to Iguazu Falls which I hear is quite a sight to see, but it is a 20 hour bus ride. Even if I take the overnight bus and sleep for eight hours, I would still have twelve more to sit through.... for a waterfall. I would also love to see the glaciers in Patagonia, but it is winter and that is some pretty serious territory. That was tempting still, but also quite an expensive flight or a long bus ride. Both places were sort of like saying "Well as long as I am in San Diego, I may as well visit Seattle since I am right there". Too far. I just want a leisurely road trip out of town. Someplace friendly, with some nice nature and some history to explore.

I chose Cordoba, a college town about a ten hour drive from Buenos Aires. It is such a little blip on the map between other points of interest that for some reason I pictured a little village like Truckee or Flagstaff. Not so much. Cordoba is about 30% larger in population than San Francisco... over a million residents. A real city to be sure.

But a more intimate city than Buenos Aires. The city moves at a friendlier pace and is far easier to walk around without taking Advil for my aching ankles like in BA.

I arrived after an overnight 10 hour journey from the BA bus station. Bus stations in Argentina are nothing like I have ever seen. They are approaching airports in their size and level of organization. The buses are generally quite luxurious. I bought a "Cama" seat which looks something like a super first class airline seat... leather, big and puffy, and they recline into an almost horizontal position... perfect for snoozing for a few hours of my ten hour journey.

Unfortunately, because of my apartment check out time and the bus schedule, I arrived to Cordoba at 5:50 in the morning to a completely dark and foreign city.

I had the address of the Tango Hostel and took a taxi... but felt like a creep ringing the bell that early in the morning. I shoudn`t have. The hostel is a friendly, youthful, communal living type place where people cook and eat meals together, explore the area together, and go out at night together. It is not uncommon for people to buzz into the place at that time of the morning after a night out. Exactly the type of situation I needed in Buenos Aires. But I am happy to have it now... and suspected towns outside of BA would be more like this.

Cordoba also happens to be the town where Che Guevara went to high school. He grew up as a boy about an hour southwest in Alta Gracia and his home is now a museum. Some folks from the hostel and I took a quick $1 bus ride up there and checked out his house, took pictures with his famous motorcycle, and tooled around the cute little town.

I hadn`t had much in the way of recommendations from friends about Cordoba, but I am glad I made the trip up. It gives one a far different impression of Argentina and it`s folk than just getting to see the big city. I may see one or two more towns before heading back up to Mexico.