Traveling to the foot of the Andes

This morning started with the usual ‘get ready to leave’ routine. It’s already time to travel to Cordoba. Time flies! Because of the left-overs I made some sandwiches for the road. Seemed to be no luxury! The busses in Argentina don’t stop for lunchbreaks or so like they dit in Brazil. Learning point.

Had a warm far well from the hostes (she speaks a bit Dutch because she lived in Maastricht for a while:) She loves NL! Got a hug when I left. 

Catched a cap at the corner of the street. Had a small conversation with the driver in Spanish. Starts to work 🙂 At the bus terminal I even coud understand the announcements (it’s hard enough at stations in Europe…)

This bus was a bit older, comfortable, but not any more in its early days. Certainly, the toilet showed its age. Older, but clean. Never ever saw any dirty WC in South America, whereever I went. 

Stops along the route were short and efficient. Not the social talks and interactions, every Brazilian busstop added to the tour. Even with a 10 hour ride, we arrived just on time in Cordoba. By the way, this was my first bustour, where I didn’t stay until the final stop. This insight reached me in Buenos Aires, when I asked somebody at the terminal about the platform my bus would leave. He showed me on the ticket, that I had to wait for the announcements for La Falda – the final destination. Right! Muchas Gracias!

In the bus, I did my very best to follow my schedule: learned Spanish, wrote some proposals, answered some mails… Until I got distracted, again.
And I got a bit confronted with my landscape references. Until now, I thought the Netherlands are flat. Have to reset my opinion! During 10 hours on the bus from Buenos Aires to Cordoba, I didn’t see one hill, almost no treelines, or other details in de landscape. Just fields, pastures, wetlands… flat, nothing between here and the horizon. The Pampa defenitly beats the ‘lowlands’.

Clarified an appointment with somebody from de doughnut economics community. Funny, while I was traveling to Cordoba, he had a conference in Buenos Aires. At the time he is back in Cordoba, I’ll be in Salta… Thus, ZOOM it will be.

I have two desicions to make this week: When do I go back to Europe (will I take the time to visite Ecuador and Colombia or not)? And: when I go back: whereto do I want to go?