On Saturday, the 21st, we departed Buenos Aires for new sites and hopefully less heat. Our little rented Volkswagen Gol kindly supported our three bicyclettas, our gear, and even all of us!
Here are a couple of notes from our drive northwest to Córdoba, the second largest Argentine city and home to like a billion (okay, maybe only 11 or so) universities!
- There are lots of birds on the pampas; big doves, small hawks, long necked birds, vulture like birds, birds beside your car, birds above your car, birds IN FRONT of your car at night!!! ... Luckily they are all still out there being birdy and not dead in our grill.
- It is difficult to go over the speed limit when you're a foreigner in a rental, even when almost everyone is passing you...
- San Antonio de Arecco is a noted "authentic" gaucho town a short drive out of BA, and while it's very quaint and old fashioned, it was also very empty. A perfect snack break pit-stop, though!
- Sunsets and squalls are like those on the ocean but above a flat sea of grass
- Jay fits in a two-door economy, but not well or comfortably
- Wide open plains make for gorgeous clouds / sunsets / thunderstorms / rainbows
- Theme Song of the trip (perhaps even the whole 3 months?):
"When I came to Spain and I saw people partying I thought to myself What the f***?! All day, all night; viva la fiesta! Viva la noche! Viva los DJs! So I called my friend Johnny and I said: Johnny, La genta esta muy loca!"
- You can see Orion in the southern hemisphere, but the poor guy's upside-down!
- The Argentines in Córdoba Province are SERIOUS about their seatbelt control / DUI / headlight check points! We passed through 4 over Saturday night and one more Sunday morning!
- Sleeping in the car behind a petrol station is fine, but check to make sure you're not parked next to a chicken coop/farmyard first and thank me later.
