mejores aires

cordoba, argentina

nearly two hundred years ago, a man named manuel belgrano designed a flag to inspire his troops before battle. his presence is still felt, through his appearance on the 10 peso bill and the three day weekend that we are now enjoying. along with mark, i boarded an overnight, 10-hour bus ride (bus company: quebus!!) that brought us to cordoba, a charming little town in the middle of the country. not only is the destination delightful, but the bus ride shattered south american transportation stereotypes through its comfortable seats and lack of a jean van damme movie blaring at full volume.

as exciting as bus rides can be, it is back to this charming city that my attention turns. i can´t help but feel as if this were the argentinian version of denver. it is located in the middle of the country, there is a small stream that bisects the main thoroughfare (like speere), and there is a sizable population living in a city that feels so small and easily navigable. if that weren´t enough, there are a fair share of stores selling gaucho gear, though it is as fair to say that there are as many people who ride their horse to work here as their are in denver. the same distrust of the big city and pride in the western way seem to exist, making this a comfortable place to be.

yet alas, our stay here will be but one night. tomorrow we will move on to a small town in the nearby sierras to get a little mountain air and perhaps a hike. buenos aires is such an amazing city, but i´ve found myself clearing my throat a little too much from diesel exhaust and needing a reprieve from hourlong commutes to fadu. so far, so good, and hopefully my panting up the slope of a mountain can do a bit to recharge the batteries. and to think, all it took was a 20-hour round trip west.