Post by Ella
We did a zig (Buenos Aires to El Calafate) then a zag (El Calafate to Còrdoba). Now we do another zig from Cordoba to Bariloche, which is back to Patagonia. See? That magical Calafate berry worked!
This morning we had a fun ride to the airport with Pedro, our Uber driver. Again the dance of conversation with our poor Spanish and his limited English, filling in the gaps with Google translate. He asked one of us to sit in front because Uber is not legal here and the Córdoban police take that seriously. He offered us a choice of candy bars in case we hadn’t had breakfast. When he asked where we were from, he wanted to know which state.
“Nuevo Mexico”, I said.
“In Texas?” He asked.
Everyone knows Texas. No one knows New Mexico.
Then he tried to explain the road around Córdoba. I finally looked on my google map and got the idea.
We passed a car that had smashed into a concrete barrier on the side of the road. First accident we’ve seen here. Too much cerveza we all agreed. At the airport, we each got a hug and one-cheeked kiss, I guess just in case any policia were watching.
Grubb’s breakfast at the airport. They look like croissants but they are medialunas.. Softer, more substantial, less flakey than croissants. Very good.
I used to say between California and Texas, states known around the world. People in Spain seem to know New Mexico. And in the US when told you are from NM people tend to say “Oh, I love Santa Fe”
Sometimes I will say “Breaking Bad” and the lights go on. “Ohhhh!”
Happens all the time. Last month we were at a remote temple in Egypt and there was a school trip of college age girls (women, only they seem like girls to the elderly). They asked the usual “where are you from?” They got all excited when I said Albuquerque. Yup, “Breaking Bad.” “Bugs Bunny” used to work occasionally with a certain age group, but “Breaking Bad” is much more effective.