As some of you may have read on Monika’s Facebook, we had a pretty serious glitch in the travel plans in the last week and quite a hectic week; hence why updating the blog wasn’t the top priority. After Tafí del Valle, we made our way down to Cordoba with the intention of enjoying what the culture capital has to offer. After a short time in the city, Monika got robbed of her passport and all her money, and I mean aaaall the money she had planned for the trip. Needless to say we were manic. We headed back to the police station (all the police of Argentina will know who I am at this rate- never a good thing) and hectically tried to think of as many ways to contact people and try to get at least the passport back. We even went to the radio to make the announcement in case anyone had found the passport but imagine our luck when the unfortunate event just so happened to coincide with the first police strike in Cordoba in over 30 years.
This basically meant that for the next two days all the police in Cordoba decided to take a day off and all the delinquents of Cordoba, both long established, newly formed and those just coming along for the ride, took to the streets. It was crazy: hooligans breaking shop windows, setting motorbikes on fire, throwing things at anyone and everyone. This was followed by similar scenes to the London riots, as people were running out of vandalised shops and supermarkets with their hands full of as much as they could carry (or even shopping carts full of stuff in some cases). Some women were even carrying babies in one hand and bottles of wine in the other.
This for us meant that we had to stay locked in our lovely but absolutely boiling hot hostel for 2 days straight. The wonderful Argentinian boys working at the hostel even took to the streets at one point with bats to protect us just in case. It was an adventure but at this point it was the last thing we needed.
So the mob culture we experienced in Cordoba wasn’t quite the culture we had in mind but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Having spoken to the Polish embassy from Cordoba, Monika was told several times she would have to wait at least two months for a passport during which time she wouldn’t be able to leave the country. This meant our plans to continue travelling together would have been shattered (we’re supposed to be in Chile by Christmas). However on our arrival at the embassy in Buenos Aires we received a Hanukkah miracle and her new temporary passport was ready within a couple of hours. Of course this doesn’t solve all Monika’s problems, but it’s a good start, and it means we’re going to enjoy Buenos Aires for a couple of days and then continue with our journey towards Chile. And I promise interesting and happy posts are on their way!
Stolen from the news
What a plonker
Are you ready for a miracle?!