Chile

Got to Cordoba Wednesday am (the 11th) and thankfully my bed at the hostal was free so I could sleep a few hours! Big hostal...a little too travelers-factory for me...and plus I heard later on they had bed bugs problems (I escaped!)...so glad i only had 2 nights there.

Toured Cordoba in the afternoon...a lot of churches... this city was the home of Jesuits for many years...they build a lot of schools in the city and estancias (ie: farms) in the country side to provide for the schools. Still to this day, Cordoba is know for being the city of academia.

Such a contrast to Mendoza. Cordoba is afterall the 2nd biggest city of the country. Very commercial....stores everywhere...a good few blocks of pietonal streets in the center....but just too crowded for me... you don´t really enjoy sitting on the terraces there....although if you walk away a little bit, you can find some neat cafe overlooking little plazas...just have to look for them.

By chance, I ended up bumping into Lilian, a fellow french traveler that Charlotte and I had met in Pucon. How random!! It´s happened to me quite a few times now that I have to wonder how many other travelers I could´ve bumped into...all the missed connections. Anyways, how lucky to cross path with someone you know! We ended up checking out the bar scene with some other travelers, including a french guy who does magic shows in the street to earn enough money to keep traveling around. The poeple you meet...always interesting!

The next day, Lilian and I took a bus ride to Alta Gracia to check out the Che museum and a Jesuit estancia. Some cultural stuff...and a good meal.

Finally on Friday, I headed up to the Sierras (the mountains) of Cordoba. Per the hostal´s recommendation, I went to La Cumbre. And what a gem!!! See next entry!