After my rocky rural weekend down in San Juan Valle de Fertil I headed back to a city-Cordoba.
Cordoba is Argentina’s second biggest city, but compared to BA felt very manageable. I stayed in hostel just two blocks from the main plaza and for the three days did not need to take a bus or taxi anywhere as everything was so central. Cordoba is the Cultural capital of the Americas, its steeped in history and has eight university’s. If I’m honest I wasn’t expecting too much in advance of my trip there but I really enjoyed my time there. The people were incredibly friendly, there was a lot to do in the very centre and I actually went to a few museums! One of the museums i went to was “the museum of memory”, set in a former detention/torture facility it’s a documentation and memorial to the dirty war and it’s victims. Whilst obviously not a cheery experience, it was very informative and touching.
I also took a tour of the National University of Cordoba, which was much more interesting then it sounds! It’s the oldest university in Argentina, founded by the Jesuits. The original exam taken by its students after nine years of studying was in very grand chamber, the exam was eight hours three days consecutively. The student sat in a pulpit the rest of the room was filled with professors. The student was grilled in Latin on philosophical debate. If after the three days the student passed he would leave by the front entrance and the whole town would celebrate for days. Only a few students passed every year. If they failed they left by the back entrance and were mobbed with rotten food and flour thrown at them. Nowadays this tradition is for those students that graduate, and on one night out we passed a few students who were receiving such attention! On my first afternoon there I bumped into three Brits I’d met in a hostel briefly in Salta, and spent the next few days and my time in Mendoza travelling with one of them. We had a couple of late nights at a small authentic Irish bar. I say authentic as the owner was Irish! I wouldn’t normally go to an Irish bar abroad as it feels very touristy, but as we were the only tourists in there it was ok. We hung out with some agricultural students and other locals, after a couple of weeks travelling it was good to have a few heavy nights again.
On Friday we left for Mendoza, but we had the whole day untill our night bus, so we headed out to Alta Gracia a small town thirty km south. It’s famous primarily for two things. A UNESCO heritage site of a Jesuit estancia of Parroquial Nuestra señora built from 1643-1762. And it also has one of the houses (now a museum to him) that Ernest”Che” Guevara had lived in as young boy into his adolescent years. Both were interesting and it was beautiful day. We left on the night bus to Mendoza. Full cama suite seats. Seats that recline 180 degrees with your own tv screen, wine with dinner. So far I’m loving these long distance bus journeys, but I know that Argentina is going to be the best of it!
In Mendoza I’d booked into a hostel on the recommendation of a girl I’d met, it was great! Highly recommend to anyone heading to Mendoza, Hostel Lao. Helpful and attentive staff, fast wifi, lovely garden, hammocks and small pool, great showers, very clean, and best breakfast I’ve had so far. It’s also the first hostel I’ve stayed in a six bed mixed dorm and it was fine. I’ve been easing my way in gradually to hostel life, and while I’ve definitely been lucky with some great places feel pretty accustomed life now. I know they’ll be some stinkers down the line……
Mendoza is a beautiful city, in part this is due to an earthquake in 1861 which levelled the city. In the rebuilding of the city the streets were built very wide to allow for falling debris and many plazas for evacuation points. It’s a city which you can enjoy just wondering around the streets without actually doing too much. On my first day there after a lunch and a walk I treated myself to a pedicure. I know it seems a bit extravagant on a travellers budget, but wearing flip flops every day is hardwork on the feet!
Saturday night we met up with the other British couple, and we headed up to the “strip”, had an okay dinner and a really fun night walking back at 6am with the birds twittering at as. Sunday most things were shut so we had an Asado with a couple of others from the hostel and just hangout in the garden. It’s so nice every now and again to have a day were you don’t really do anything! A proper lazy Sunday afternoon.
Monday was wine tour day! Mendoza region produces 70% of the countries wine. We went in a group of five and hired push bikes. We went to three Bodegas and a artisan Chocolate, Jam, condiment, Liquor family run shop. We had some ok, some not ok and some great wines. Again it was a really beautiful day, and cycling round was brilliant fun. In one place were their most expensive wine would retail at around £600 a bottle in a UK restaurant a few of us paid to have a glass of this for the equivalent of £7. It was very good indeed, and as I’ll never be able to afford that in the real world seemed well worth it!
Yesterday my last day was super hot at 33 degrees. I headed up to the San Martin park for a long walk around. It’s quite a view in the park of a lake with the Andes in the background! I really loved both cities, and in Mendoza I could have done more things like hiking and horseriding but it was great to have a few days just mooching and relaxing.
I’m writing this on a day bus crossing over from Mendoza through the Andes to Valparaiso in Chile before I start to head south for the next four weeks into Patagonia.
BexBAtoRio 