I'd really like to think that I've been exercising and haven't lost my bootcamp fitness. In reality, I can probably count the times I've exercised properly on one hand (although, I'm not going to try cause I don't want to know the real number). Let's just say that I tried to run today because I was going to miss the bus after dordling in the supermarket and I made it about 10m. In my defence, I was carrying a lot of shopping cause I don't fancy being trapped on another bus with no food supply. (However, I am writing this on the bus and have managed to consume the majority of what I bought and I'm 4 hours into the trip...) Anyhoo, I have done the odd strenuous walk and coupled with everyday meandering around the city that we're in I don't feel so guilty.
We did a really good walk in Salta. We trekked to the top of Parque San Martin on a stinking hot day. It took a good couple of hours up and back - 1000 stairs up. We were going to be lazy and catch the cable car back down, however, in line with the luck we've been having with transport, it had broken by the time we wanted to go back down. I rewarded myself for all my hard work with an ice block at the top. This has started a very bad habit. Ice creams are my new snack - they are on every street corner and I cannot resist. We found a really good pineapple mixed with something flavour (how good is my Spanish) so off course I had to sample all the other flavours. My daily record currently stands at 3. Found a really nice caramel flavoured one with nut and choc bits too - think Corneto. But not as good.
In Cordoba we thought we'd check out how South America does zoos. Either they really like their birds here, or that is all Argentina has to offer animal wise. Every second enclosure seemed to be filled with another variety of bird: lovebirds, peacocks. In fact, every where in South America seems to love birds - not my favourite animal, but hey, whatever floats your boat. If you're so inclined in Brazil you can even do a side trip to a bird park with over 800 species of birds on your way to Iguazu. I skipped this trip. Cordoba zoo did have some big cats - jaguars, lions and tigers, and two MASSIVE hippopotami that had squished themselves into a tiny pond. Annnnnnd, they even had my favourite - meercats (one of the only animals where there was more than one). It was hard to look at any animal there for too long. Their enclosures were so depressing. Totally barren, little water or shade and there was only one of every animal as well which was sad, talk about lonely. One porcupine, one orangutan. Taronga definitely trumps.
We had heard that the Fiesta Nacional de Doma y Folklore was on in the town of Jesus Maria, just outside Cordoba. Live music and gaucho horsemanship competitions like barrel racing kicked off at 11pm so a quick meal at an Arabic joint and several beers later we took a local (not so stinky) bus to check it out. Food stalls and markets, complete with the smallest horses I have ever seen dressed up in costumes, stretched out for blocks and blocks. Having no idea where we were going we wandered around blind and finally (and probably miraculously given my track record with picking the opposite direction to walk when leaving a bus station) the stadium appeared. With our giant beer cups we sat in the stands and watched the festivities - dog riding horses included. The poor dog looked absolutely petrified.
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