Phew! It´s been a fun few weeks! So I left cold Bariloche on a 17 hour bus to Mendoza and was very happy to find the sun again! I met a cool girl immediately after arriving at the hostel and we ended up spending most of our time there together. We wandered around cute Mendoza, and did a bike tour around the wineries where we ran into a South African guy who joined us for most of it. We also got to sample some tasty beer at the beer garden. Red wines are key in Mendoza, whites in Salta...but I´ll get to Salta later. We chilled in a really big park and walked around the various plazas...was lovely.
So after lulling my days away and sampling wines in Mendoza I pryed myself over to the bus station to book a ticket to Cordoba, where family friends reside when away from the States. They were really nice to invite me to stay with them over the holidays and I was so greatful as I would have been terribly homesick. They showed me around Cordoba city and took me to the country where they had asado (BBQ) and I got to see lots of horses. On Christmas they all gathered together for dinner and present exchanges (and there were a lot of them!) and then I had the most fun night of my trip up until that point. We drank loads of champaigne, went out to a party and then a club and danced the night away! We went for breakfast on our way home and got back around 7:30am! Argentinians know how to party! The craziest Christmas I´ve had by far!
So after all the kindness, I said my goodbyes and set out for my next adventure...Salta. Mmmm Northern Argentina! I really am having a kind of love affair with this part of the country. The vibe is great, the weather is nice, and there´s plenty to see and do. I booked 4 nights but stayed 6, becuase it´s just great. I found a great hostel with really friendly people who I rang in the new year with. I did two tours around to other little nearby towns. The first one was to Cafayate. We saw llamas and a winery and then had a relaxing lunch before returning. On the way home our enthusiastic guide cracked open a bottle of wine and passed it around the bus! There were no cups, she informed us, so we shared because "that´s the way"! The next day I went to Purmamarca to see the seven colored hill and some markets, Tilcara for Incan ruins, Humahuaca, where we had lunch and wondered around the streets of the cute cobble stoned city. On the way back we stopped in Maimara and saw a 21 colored hill and then San Salvidor de Jujuy, the capital city of Jujuy province, to see the plaza and government building. It was a long day! It was supposed to be 12.5 hours but it ended up being 15 because of traffic! But again, on the way back Gangnam Style was blasted and everyone danced and sang along! People are really fun up in the north. So it´s been a great week up here, and I´m finally feeling adjusted and getting into the travel groove. Just in time to be completely spontaneous and go to Bolivia with a guy I met here in Salta! Woohoo! More adventures, here I come!
