Cordoba... nice hostel, nice people, nice place

We have had 5 days in Cordoba. It's a pretty nice place, we haven't seen as much of it as I thought we would but that has mainly been because we have been hibernating a bit. We have hidden in our hostel (which is really lovely, friendly and has even got a kitchen with pans, knives and chopping boards!) and recharged our batteries for the most part. Of course, we have been out exploring a bit and discovered a massive park, some strange circle arty things, endless mazes of shopping streets and some really friendly people. It is not the most exciting of places but is a nice change from the sometimes overwhelming bustle of Buenos Aires.







We did meet some travellers from Chile in our hostel who were hitch hiking across Argentina, or travelling by 'dedo' as they called it. They encouraged us to give it a go and told us that a lot of the time you end up staying at the house of the person who picks you up and you never end up without a ride or without a place to sleep. It all seems a bit to scary for novice travellers like ourselves but give it a couple of months and maybe we will give it a go!
It was actually one of the first long conversations I have had in Spanish since we have been here and although I felt I was talking rubbish half the time they seemed to understand me... Jim struggled a little to keep up with what was going on but did manage to join in and answer a question. Scary thing to do for the first time so I'm feeling particularly proud of him!

As I am writing we are waiting for another over night bus. This time we know what to expect, which I'm not entirely sure is a good thing... we are heading to a little town, just south of Salta, called Cafayate which is known for it's beautiful landscapes and it's tasty wine. We only have a bus booked to Tucuman and tomorrow morning we will hopefully find a way of travelling from there to our destination.
Wish us luck... it is the first journey where we really don't know if we will actually get there or not!

Thoughts of home.

We have made it to Cordoba. The bus journey was a little strange and went surprisingly well considering how travel sick I usually get. Ten hours did not actually feel that bad. We opted for an over night journey to save ourselves the cost of a night's accommodation and a 'cama ejecutivo' which meant our seats were massive and reclined right down. I slept on and off for about 4 hours of the journey and Jim only managed a couple so by the time we arrived we were ready to spend the day relaxing at our hostel. We did venture into the city centre for a quick look and the impression we got was that Cordoba has a lot of shops and a lot of people! So, we hid from the world for the rest of the day and caught up on some sleep.
This morning I woke up to an email from home and it is the first time I have really wished I was there instead of the other side of the world. My two beautiful dogs are having to be re-homed and although I already knew this and I had said goodbye to them when I left England I had not really prepared myself for how I would feel when they were really going. It has upset me a huge amount and I guess that is one of the draw backs to travelling. We haven't even been gone that long and I already want to be back home. I know the feeling will not last but I am sure there will be a fair amount of times ahead when I will feel this way. Hopefully I will get better at dealing with the idea that I will miss things, good things and bad things.
So much love being sent over the internet to Molly and Dylan. And a huge hug for my mum.
xxxxxxx