The Little Town of La Cocha, Welcomed by a Real Argentinian Family

And I still have more stories to tell!! Just a few days after I returned from the coast of Argentina I left to La Cocha, a small town in the province of Tucuman where my friend's grandma and family lives.  Although it was a long 16 hour bus ride it was well worth it.  I was greeted by my friend Abi's mom and grandma at the bus stop and treated to hot mate (Argentinian tea) and crackers with dulce de leche at her grandma's house.  I got to meet Abi's uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends who were all so sweet.  It's a small town so all of the people are a lot more friendly and I came back with so many new friends!  Abi's grandma was a wonderful cook and there was a strict meal schedule so there was never any time to be hungry.  The town and houses are exactly what you would expect when you think of a South American country, as opposed to Buenos Aires which is a big city.  We didn't have hot water, we had to heat it to take a shower and there was definitely not as much technology as there is in Buenos Aires.  

While I was in Tucuman I went to a place called Cerro San Javier, which is basically a gorgeous mountain area overlooking the capital, San Miguel de Tucuman.  I went with Abi's sister Vanesa and we took a tour through the forest/mountain area.  

After Cerro San Javier we went to San Miguel de Tucuman to stay the night because the next day we were going to Tafi del Valle, a cute little town in another mountain/forest area.  We had to take a bus which took a few hours but the ride up the mountains was gorgeous!  Green lush trees and waterfalls surrounded us on the road to the valley. When we got there we looked through an open market and ate lunch. It was a small town, not much to do but the scenery was amazing.

We also went to the museum where they signed the declaration of independence of Argentina.  It was nice to learn a little bit about the country that I've been living in for so long, and also interesting because it wasn't in the capital of Buenos Aires.  

Every day we were visited by a few people who came to join us for lunch, it was so nice to have so many people to visit with. This trip was amazing, I got to meet so many wonderful people and visit a different part of Argentina.  I also loved it because I spoke so much Spanish, hardly anyone there spoke English!  It was great practice and it was nice to know that I could do it.  

Ahh Summer at the Beaches of Argentina

Hello friends and family in California!  It's been a while since my last post and I'm sure you've all been wondering what exciting new adventures I've had since my last post!haha...After Leanne and Liz left the Porteno city, my roommate Jessica and I set out on our own exploring of the coast of Argentina.  First we went to a little town named Villa Gesell which was really fun, it was filled with tons of young people and everyone vacationing.  We relaxed on the beach and walked around town at night.




























After Villa Gesell we went to Mar del Plata, a very popular summer getaway for Argentinians.  We went to visit with the two boys in the picture because one of them is from Mar del Plata and he showed us around the city.  The beach was a lot bigger in this city and prettier as well, although the water on the coast of Argentina isn't the most gorgeous you've ever seen.  The trip was so fun altogether, mainly because of all the beach/tanning time.  We also got to meet Matias'(the boy on the right) family and we tried a home cooked asado dinner!  Asado is the Argentinian version of barbeque which includes different cuts of meat cooked in a special oven.  We went out one night to a street lined with clubs, called boliches, and bars.  The street was packed as well as most of the bars and clubs and even as we left at about 5 am (early for the end of an Argentinian night out) people filled the sidewalks like a never ending party.  It was a great way to spend our free time in another country and I'm so glad I stayed through the summer here to experience a different way of living.  The people are so much more relaxed here and always take a summer vacation, sometimes for a whole month!  It's a great way to live, if only Americans knew how to take more vacations, slow down and enjoy life more.