I'm in Bariloche

Hello everyone who reads my blog,

I'm in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina (you should google it).

I have been so busy the past few weeks and haven't had time to blog. I have all kinds of fun things to write about but will do so later. I spent last week frantically finishing up my research in the lab and writing my paper... I think it turned out okay.

We took a 22 hour bus ride from Córdoba to Bariloche and got here yesterday. After Bariloche we are heading further south to El Calafate to see some cool glaciers. We decided to travel around Patagonia instead of Machu Picchu; it would have taken three days (by bus) to get to Peru and we just didn't have time to do it. I guess I'll have to come back to South America, oh darn.

I went horseback riding today... not sure how the cowboys were able to do it all day because my tookas is SORE after only three hours (maybe because I don't know what I'm doing?).

more adventures to come later.

Quebrada de Humahuaca

I'm too lazy to re-order my photos. When you upload them onto blogger it puts the new ones at the top; basically the photos from the beginning of the day are going to be at the end of this post.

We ended the day (day after Purmamarca) in San Salvador de Jujuy inside the justice building in the flag room learning about the flag of Argentina, and some other really old flag that General Belgrano (important in the Argentine war of Independence) made and gave to the province (I think? It was in Spanish and I wasn't listening that closely).

I do remember that the face of the sun is Incan-inspired; the straight lines of the sun rays represent European influence and the wavy lines are indigenous influence (if you are Argentine and reading this, correct me if I'm wrong).

View from the Plaza of San Salvador de Jujuy- looking at justice building.




Some nice scenery (on the way to Jujuy)- our tour guide Juan and Marie (Marie and her husband traveled with us the second day).

Along the highways they have tolls and different check-points; sometimes you get pulled-over and sometimes you don't. This time we did; I'm pretty sure Juan is passing 10 pesos to the guy under his license (to avoid some kind of ticket). I had to do the touristy thing and snap a photo.



This is Humahuaca. It was a very important stopping point when travelers went from Buenos Aires to the Spanish Viceroy in Peru. The tour guide explained that there were other routes they could have taken but this was the easiest because it wasn't as high in altitude as the other route (the animals carting everyone around could find stuff to eat). There was a third route they could have taken (can't remember where) but it was more jungle and was dangerous because of pumas and venomous bugs and mosquito's and so on.


This is a monument to Argentina's independence.



View of the city:


Pucará de Tilcara (fortress of Tilcara)

We stopped along the Quebrada de Humahuaca (gorge of Humahuaca) at the Pucará de Tilcara (I think Pucará is a Quechua word signifying fortress).


These buildings/ruins were re-built in the 1950's (I think with the materials from the original ruins that date back to the 15th century). Before the Spanish brought adobe bricks to South America, they used stone- like with these buildings. The roofs were made out of mud and madera de cardón (wood from them big cactuses you see in the background).



Along with homes, there were corrals (for llamas) and agricultural fields and so forth.




I wish I had written this a week ago when I remembered more.

EL ROBO

As I was walking back from the travel agency in Alta Córdoba (our barrio) and texting the agent a message to confirm that Amanda would leave the money (for the trip to Salta and Jujuy) with her sister (who is our Spanish teacher) some SOB, B@$#@&d came up behind me and stole my phone.  Can you tell I'm still bitter, not quite over it yet? 

He drove up behind me on the sidewalk, plucked it out of my hand and drove off. I know I should have been paying attention and not texting while walking but still, I'm pissed. It seems the exact same thing has happened to everyone I talk to.  People snatch their phones while they are talking or messaging. The phone was old (I bought it in Malaysia 5 years ago) but it was MINE and I knew how it worked. 

Don't laugh-  I filed a police report. (and took a photo of it so I could post it on the blog... yes I'm lame)

  

I was more interested in seeing how the process worked than in getting actual justice- I didn't actually think anything would come of it.  There was a police station literally TWO blocks from where the guy stole my phone.  I told the cops what happened in my broken, gringo *gringa cause I'm a girl* Spanish and they let me drive around with them in the back of their truck (in case the guy was still in the area).

More than anything they were probably trying to calm the freaked out foreigner- they knew and I knew, that the guy and phone were long gone.  I'll be more careful from now on.

In the words of my Grandpa Martin,

"Shit happens"