Friday night I got on my bus in Salta around 9pm, which was about an hour late. I was sitting on the bus platform waiting and this nice looking man was waiting next to me with his daughter. He asked me if I was going to Cordoba and then laughed at how late the bus was at this point. He then started talking to me and we must have spoken for about 25 minutes. In total, I probably understood about 10 minutes of our conversation, but I listened and he was very kind. I got that he was a doctor for 28 years and he worked in the emergency room of hospitals in Argentina and previously in Bolivia. He has a few daughters and two of them are doctors as well - very impressive. He's been married for over 40 years, which I thought was fantastic, and we talked about love and family a bit (which was my favorite part of the conversation). We also spoke about the government and how bad it is right now, which seems to be the most popular conversation on the streets. It's really not a good situation here with the inflation. So we spoke and spoke and sometimes I would just repeat the last few words of his sentences to let him know I was with him. He'd always reply with "claro" which basically means "true" or "yep". So the bus comes and I shake his hand and he wishes me good luck and then I get on the bus. I'm in a seat with no one next to me which was amazing, and the seats reclined into beds - even better. As we were pulling out it was sweet to see a bunch of parents waving goodbye to their kids, who were apparently heading to Cordoba for school. I was close to waving goodbye myself, but I held back ;) On the bus they played a movie called My Name is Khan, which is in English some of the time, but Hindi most of the time. So half the time I'm watching a movie that I can understand in English, but most of the time they are speaking Hindi and I'm trying to understand the movie through the Spanish subtitles. I laughed at how random it was, but it turned out to be a pretty sweet movie about a Muslim man with Aspergers syndrome and the prejudices that he overcomes in becoming a great man. I fell asleep pretty quickly after the movie, and woke up just as we were pulling into Cordoba.
We got into town around 8am and I decided to walk from the bus station to my hostel, which was about a half mile or so. I was willing and happy to stretch my legs, so I didn't mind the walk. Plus - it was Saturday morning so the city was mostly quiet. So I strolled and had to ask a few people along the way, but soon enough I got to the hostel and was greeted by a very friendly Argentinian girl who was managing the front door - Vicki. It's not a huge hostel but also not too small - it feels very comfy. They have musical instruments sitting around, a TV/lounge room, a nice eating area and kitchen, and a little outside area as well. I drop my bags in the garage, which is just through the kitchen, brush my teeth, put on my sunblock, and I'm back out the door to walk around the city.
I was hoping to go to a few museums which were right near the hostel, but both were closed. The modern museum was supposed to open at 10am, and I was there around 10:15am but no one was around. I asked a police woman about it and she said they should be open as well. South America - never a rush. I'm sitting on the bench trying to figure out my next move and I see this kid sitting a bench away who's watched the entire scene of me and the cop. He's apparently sitting here waiting to get in the museum as well, and he's real nice. I'm guessing he's around 19 and is from Rosario, which I'm finding out in my travels through Argentina that a lot of people are from. We talk for a bit and again I have a hard time understanding him, but I know he's in town for the big soccer match that night. I saw a poster for this when I was walking to my hostel, so I was thinking about going. I walk away from the random Rosario kid and head to city center, with a nice walkway and old churches and tons of people. Everyone likes to come out to shop on Saturdays - not unlike back home. I'm hungry at this point so I stop into a great smelling bakery and grab a few rolls and an orange juice and sit in their window and watch people for a while. My breakfast was $11 pesos but I only had a $10 and a $2, so the woman at the counter just gave me back the $2 - such a nice gesture. Oh, and $12 for breakfast is about $1.50 US. Not a bad deal. I'm finding out that the US dollar here is a huge benefit, so I'm pretty happy to be riding that out. It's not going to be as good in Buenos Aires, but I will still have the benefit.
So I walked from the breakfast around town and then headed back to the museums, which were now open. So I checked them out - hope you like the pictures. I'm always reminded of how much I love modern art. It's not that I don't like classic art, but modern art really speaks to my soul. I sat in front of some of the paintings for 20-30 minutes just relaxing and enjoying it. So peaceful for me. After the museum I came back to the hostel and got into my room and took a short nap - always a good thing in South America. As I was going into my room I met a nice girl from France who had been living away from home for over 7 years. She's a teacher and now living in Lima Peru for over 2 years. She reminded me of Stasha, my sister, which made me miss her. I'm excited to be seeing Stasha in Vienna when we are there in the beginning of April. Gonna be a blast.
After my nap I went back out for a walk. I heard about this handicraft market which was only a few blocks away from the hostel, so I headed that way and WOW it was amazing. I loved all the local artists, and so I'm definitely going to go back tonight to get some things. On the way back out I saw this old-school book store which had a wine store behind it, so I stopped in and checked out some of the books and then walked into the wine store. I spoke with the owner who offered me a cup of wine, and then of course I bought a bottle of it to go (along with some amazing stuffed olives). So I walked back to the hostel with my goods and couldn't have been happier.
I met a few nice people at the hostel that first night - a couple guys from the UK who were comedy. One guy is about 58 and the other was probably around 28 - one from the northern part of the country and the other from just south of London. We laugh and have some drinks and decide to hit a bar with a girl from Germany, because they wanted to watch the end of the soccer match. Obviously I decided not to go to the game, which was a tough decision. Part of me really felt like I SHOULD go, because it's soccer and it's in South America - pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event. But what can I say - I just wasn't feeling up for the crowds and the scene and getting a ticket last-minute. So we watched a little of the game and then headed back to the hostel, where we chatted for a bit and then I passed out around 2am.
Today I woke up around noon and decided to take another long walk. I headed out to where the handicraft market was, which was now completely desolate, and then followed this river for a few miles. I took some pictures of my walk, which I hope you enjoy. I then walked by the bus station and picked up a ticket for tomorrow at 2pm, which will get me into Buenos Aires around 1am on Tuesday. Already spoke with my hostel, and they are ready for me to arrive, so I'm now chillin in the hostel and a few girls here are watching The Hangover III - classic. I'm gonna chill this afternoon and then plan to hit a nice dinner tonight. Might go by myself or recruit some others, but I'm feeling the need for good food. If anything exciting happens I will write about it tomorrow before I leave :)
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