Made it to Cordoba!

Time is flying. 82 days after stepping into Ecuador, we were back at the airport to head out. We had a quick hour flight to Guayaquil, and then slept all morning on the next plane down to Chile. Having booked the cheapest flight we could find, our journey included a 23 hour layover in Santiago. We planned to go kill time exploring the city, but found out when we landed that it would cost us $160 a piece to officially enter the country. SO, we were trapped in the airport, all... night... long. The good news is that it was a nice airport, with lounging areas and good restaurants and souvenir shops. The bad news is that we could not afford any of it. Apparently the US dollar gets a “really bad rate” in Chile, and we had to pay DOUBLE for everything. We spent $60 to barely stay alive! We got Dunk'n Donuts coffee twice (we had to...), SPLIT a burger and fries, and racked up about 6 rolls of semi-affordable cookies to make it through the night. Yea, we were robbed. We managed to pass out on the airport benches for most of the night, found Bruce Almighty on Youtube, and soon thankfully it was time to board. The quarantine was over. And so was our time in Chile (for now). We flew over the white caps of the Andes on our way, and landed in Cordoba at around 5pm. We glided through customs and were soon unleashed, on our own, without half a plan, into Argentina.

Let me tell you a couple things. First of all, Cordoba, Argentina is an amazing city, but could not be more different from the scrubby towns of Ecuador we are used to. There is a huge park, a hoppin downtown area, ritzy little cafes, bakeries and patio dining, and historical and cultural sites and museums all over town. No ladies selling chicken on a stick on the side of the road, no more $1 fried platanos, no shirtless, shoeless men walking the sidewalks drinking beer. Not a chance. Second, there are people everywhere, and EVERYONE is dressed up in the fanciest clothes all the time, like, to walk their dogs and go to McDonald's. I have never seen so many beautiful people in 4 days. We do NOT fit in. Our nicest get-ups cannot even compete, so we MIGHT go shopping, or we might just stay homeless-looking as we eat the dinner we can afford, bread dipped in packet marinara sauce, on the curb. And third, Jenna and I are becoming the best go-with-the-flow travelers ever. When you arrive in a country without having previously researched ANYTHING (just like we did for Ecuador), and have no one to pick you up from the airport or help you exchange dollars to pesos or tell you where to go for a hostel, you just have to figure it out. We could have made it easier on ourselves and looked into some of it before landing, but anyone who knows us knows that's just not how we operate. Instead, we kind of just clumsily tromp through, learning everything as it comes. And when you're that kind of person, especially when you're traveling, you have to at least be good at rolling with it, and we've definitely mastered that.

As of Day 5 in Argentina, we're sleeping at a scrappy hostel sharing a room with 2 girls from Buenos Aires while we search for a more permanent place. We are getting the pesos thing down, exploring the city, and eating ice cream every day. And also, contrary to what some of you may have guessed, we  are making friends. ;) For New Years, we had dinner at our hostel with people from Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. We had a traditional “asado”, grill-out, with the most delish meats I've ever tasted, no exaggeration, this country is known for its beef. Then at midnight we all cheers-ed, kissed everyone on the cheek, and then went out to celebrate the beginning of 2014 until 5am, right along with the Cordobeses.

Tomorrow I get to step back into the biology world, or rather DIVE back in. I found out yesterday that I will be picked up at 6:30am to head out to the field house for 2 weeks! I didn't really know that was the plan (speaking of going with the flow...), but what can you do? Needless to say, Jen and I feel a little weirded out to be apart for 14 days, since, you know, we haven't spent even one apart for over 3 months, but I know we'll both do great! I am dying for the ecology experience, and she is going to master finding volunteering opportunities in the city. After that, we'll have a whole new appreciation for each others same jokes and stories. ;) And don't worry, we went over the all-by-yourself security guidelines.
Already, I know Argentina is going to be an adventure and a half. I hope God can continue to guide and watch over us in this new place, and direct us to where He needs us to be. So far, He has done a pretty good job. New country, new year, and a WHOLE new experience...

The scrubbiest person in Argentina,
Renae