Getting shots...of the non-alcohol variety :(

I arrived in Cordoba late morning, having spoken to my CS friend and arranged everything. So it was sorted. I was in Cordoba, not in Buenos Aires (already my day was getting better), I had had SOME sleep in the bus but also managed to see some of the beautiful countryside out my window... and I had a bed to sleep on that night. A free bed. I always like the sound of that.

I got to E`s house and he was instantly welcoming... the oldest CSing host I have had but kinda refreshing that he has his shit sorted. Taking in 20-something backpackers from around the world, though, an interesting choice of company for a 40-year-old... Anyway, who am I to judge, you are what you feel. Regardless, he is a very inviting host and had lunch ready for me when I got there. Lucky, I was starving and those overpriced sandwiches had barely touched the sides. Nothing like the full-surface get-up I got from Iguazu to Bs As. Ho hum.

His house was nice, except a bit odd as the kitchen/eating area was connected to the bedroom/loft area with a bathroom. First time I have seen a bathroom with 3 doors. Well, I guess it`s good his bathroom isn`t in his room or something!!

I felt a little tired but staved off the exhaustion in order to get some shit done. First on my list: Yellow Fever Vaccination. Well, wasn`t that a mission. Had to go from one unknown hospital to another, using my basic Spanish skills to get myself there in a taxi and then home on a bus. But I did it, and got the vac for free - apparently it`s a campaign they have in Argentina to prevent the spread of the illness. I am usually a little more flippant with these kinds of life-threatening situations, but having just experienced 1 night of food poisoning and being told YF is like a 2-3 week version of that, I am getting the shot.

So now I have the certificate and even my entry form for coming back to Argentina from Uruguay - I am so organised!! Usually I just play dumb when I go into countries, I have no idea what forms they need... so far I have not been charged any extra fees. For this, I consider myself a darn sight blessed.

That night, we had a nice dinner at the local Mexican restaurant - as you do in Argentina - and waddled into town (actually, drove, which was a nice change) to find a park and have a drink in amongst the students. I wasn`t really feeling it, to be honest, and was soooo tired so after just one cocktail I called it a night. Felt bad but E said he was also tired. Bless him for wanting to show me the town anyway.

I wasn`t super looking forward to another night amongst almost pre-pubescent youngsters but I put it down to just being tired. Which makes me cranky at the best of times. And where the hell were all the big-boobed chicks I was told about in Cordobabababababa???? And damn my super hot friend from here for being so useless and no replying to my message. I want to see your beautiful face... just one last time. Damn you and your perfection.

My melodramatic exit from Bs As

So I've always liked to be one to go out in style, and my exit from dirty Buenos Aires certainly carried on with that tradition. I did the pizza party one last time for the hostels, needing to do SOMETHING for the free accomm I had just taken from them the last few nights. Thankfully, it did NOT include the fucking pub quiz this time, and the manager from the other hostel was gone by the time I came with my group, so it was pretty smooth sailing.

I sat with my new English friends for a while, after dancing around and flirting with the barman I last saw for his birthday drinks, and was feeling pretty confident that tonight was going to be a fitting farewell for me and this town. Sadly, I was mistaken.

One French guy who wanted to party stuck around with me until the bar closed, the English people having gone back to the hostel, and when I was in the toilet the barman LEFT without saying goodbye. I thought he was just out the back so I waited for him, since he said he wanted to party, but then found out he was gone. The French guy went back to the hostel when I said I would wait, and so I was sat with the boring Brazilian and Columbian guys who worked at the hostel.

On top of this, the cute receptionist from the other hostel - little R - didn`t show, nor did my Brazilian friend OR Fantasma from Iguazu. All of which promised to come out with me. And the cute tattoo artist didn`t call, which I expected. So you can imagine, after a few freebie beers at the pizza party, how pissed off I was when I stormed home at about 12:30am. Well, you don`t storm unless you`re angry, really, do you.

First stop, Facebook. I was in a mood and had to tell the world, as you do. Found the tattooist online, who tried to get me to go to his house. Yes, thanks for that, I don`t really feel like a booty call at all. How about no, you fuckstick, I am not getting public transport ALONE at this time of night on a Saturday to your dodgy neighbourhood without even the guarantee that you will meet me at the station, be awake or even be at your house. Or that your fucking girlfriend doesn`t come home. Oh, sorry, not your gf, just the girl who thought she was pregnant with your baby yesterday. Next!

My cute Argo friend who I had drinks with the night before was online, but she had said she wasn`t going out cos of work, so I crossed her off the list. To be honest, by that stage there wasn`t really a list anymore and I just wanted OUT! Bs As had shown its true colours tonight and I was sick of using that palette.

So I spoke to the receptionist, she looked up times for buses to Cordoba and I packed my shit, and left. Well, momentarily, until I realised my wallet and new camera were still under my pillow for safe-guarding. Jeez, if I lost my camera AGAIN I would literally walk in front of my bus instead of onto it. Got on the 24hr bus to the bus terminal at about 2am, a highly productive thing to do on a Saturday night with a ridiculously heavy backpack and all my worldly possessions in my flimsy canvas handbag. Found the ticket venders easily enuf, and got to the gate with 10 mins to spare, no stress.

My resolve to leave this town was firm, so I was actually in a happy mood. Didn`t even mind paying exorberant prices for a shitty little sandwich that would serve me well later in the 11-hour bus ride. And also asked a hot guy waiting near me if he was heading to Cordoba. Hey, ever the opportunist. Sadly, he wasn`t. "Que pena" I said (that`s a shame)... he agreed. Boom.

Then I settled into my 2:30am bus and slept. Oh, how I slept. Nothing like a tantrum to drain your energy.

Come on Cordoba!!

Definitely wearing thin of this city. Itching to get out, and today, knowing that I am leaving tomorrow, I feel ready to go. One final night out, hopefully with my amigos de Buenos Aires, and it should be a fitting farewell. I will miss them, but such is the nature of the gypsy.

Yesterday I got an email from a freelance contact in the UK, asking if I wanted to cover the Ibiza Dance Music Summit - free flights, accomm, food, everything, of COURSE when I don't live in London anymore. Ho hum. But I am advancing my talks with the other job offer in the Caribbean, which is sounding more promising by the day and which I believe I have a good chance of getting... now just to figure out how to break the news to my family that I would only be home for 2 months...

The guy from work who was stand-in manager while the other manager was away is being a bit of an ass to me, making sure I speak to the proper manager now she's back and saying I need to work out with her whether I need to pay some money for my room etc. I told him I still didn't know my plans and that I would speak with her... fuck getting spoken to like that by someone who ain't even in charge anymore. I will deal with the manager, as I have been doing already all on my ownsie - she is much nicer than him, anyway!

Yesterday, I was feeling fine - although had a little trouble bending down quickly without a light head - and went to see the manager at the Ritz, the lady I worked with in Iguazu. Also had to say goodbye to my friends at their hostel, they had woken up after the previous night's efforts in a frenzy wanting to organise a quick trip to Igauzu. $1000 later (seriously, that is my budget for almost 2 months!!) and they had flights, accomm, falls activities etc etc... and were in a mad rush. Chao chao, amigos, hasta luego :)

The manager at the Ritz, just a few weeks into her new gig, was already looking frazzled and stressed. Reports passing my way were saying no one liked her there and while I do feel a bit sorry for her because of that, I also remember my one night working side by side with her for the pizza party. Man, that was intense.

Anyway, she said the pizza party was still running on Thursdays and now Tuesdays but only on Tuesdays did they do the Pub Quiz as well. Thank god, NO MAS PUB QUIZ PARA MI!!! I hated that! But at least I am doing something for the hostel, and people can't think I am just bludging around. There still is definitely an element of bludging being done on my behalf but at least now I feel I am earning my keep.

Started my research for Bolivia... I think I will try to get into Tupiza somehow to see the red canyons there. Really, I have NO idea about anything with Bolivia, all I know is that it is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP and that, to me, sounds mighty good. My budget is going well, though, considering I am still within it, even after factoring in a tattoo, new camera and all my travel. And also that I was in Brazil for a couple of weeks, and possibly the other most expensive parts of Argentina. Now just to take care of Chile...

Tossing up whether I want to do Cordoba by train or bus tomorrow. With the train, it is MUCH cheaper but I hear bad things about kids vomiting and people throwing stuf at the train through the journey in cattle class, and also it leaves at night, virtually robbing me of a night out in Cordoba (the whole reason I wanted to go on a weekend). And it takes 5 hours longer than the bus.

On the other hand, the buses leave regularly - god knows how they have the foot traffic for that many services - and are complete with meals and drinks, which I for one am all in for. The bus ride from Iguazu here was pretty lush so I might just opt for that in the end. To my Argentinian friend I had drinks with last night, 50-odd American dollars was super expensive but to me, not so much.

Speaking of last night, it was a bit of a stunted mission. I went with Y, a former guest at Iguazu that I still speak to, to the tattoo artist's hood who did my tattoo in Iguazu. She was poised to get a new tat, but when we got to his dodgy little part of town, he was nowhere to be seen and wasn't answering his phone. We found an internet cafe and saw on FB that he messaged her today saying the girl he was seeing may be pregnant and he needed to go to the hospital with her. Dramas dramas dramas. Anyway, he failed to see the point of messaging her phone as well, so we had made the journey for nothing. Good call, mate.

We went back into town and had some beers at a really cute little bar that she has been going to for years, with an old, black-haired lady roaming around that had themed the place "dark" with vampiric, magic-themed pictures adorning the walls and a fat, black cat sitting in the corner. It was rather cool, I say, rather cool.

Afterwards, I just went back to the hostel, not wanting any more beer because my stomach was already straining from the weight of too much pasta for dinner and wheaty drink, and I was knackered from the night before... and just starting to feel it. Tonight is the night for bang bang baaaaang party time. Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooot. One last time in this wretched city - let's see what you got for me.