Nov 22 domingo (sunday)

we changed our tickets so we could take the bus that night so Uli could try to go parapente that morning.  we got on the bike and went to the drop-off spot.  we called ahead so we didn't have to wait this time and that the instructors were expecting us.  they greeted us like were were old friends which was weird considering the day before some of them were more annoyed than happy to have our business. but poor Uli...today there just wasn't enough wind to keep things going - nice and warm, but no wind.  well, at least now he has something to do if we go back to Cordoba..we jumped on the bike and drove around for a bit...it was pretty cloudy- and the clouds wee coming down the mountain...it was amazing.  we kept stopping on the bike so i could try and get photos of how eerily beautiful it was.  i have never seen clouds move so quickly and completely engulf mountains like that.  it was the same for Uli.  after we had done that for awhile, we went back to the hospidaje to pack our things before we got side-tracked....Roxana and fmily wanted us to come see Pablo's stoe.  it took us awhile to find it, but at least we got to use the motorbike again.  we had to find the Artesenales...but there were so many and Ale wasn't clear on the name or where exactly the place was.  we had to call him a few times to clarify...he thought we were at a different cemetery - so that it itself made the directions unclear.  finally we got there.  what a beautiful store!  Pablo makes all the jewelry and roxanna makes basket holders, headbands and things for hair.  i wanted to buy a necklace...but i didn't have change...Uli did, but he realized he didn't know where his wallet went...!Que boludo! (equivalent of swearing).  iw as pretty sure that the last time i saw it was on the windowsill outside at the hospidaje....it wasn't in view from the street, but the situation was alarming enough.  so we got back on the bike and drove back.  sure enough, ther eit was, rightwhere i remembered!  he was pretty relived that no one had touched it.   we wen back to the store and i bought my necklace and some headbands. such beautiful work!  we sat round for a bit and drank some fernet then headed back on the bike (Ale in tow) so we could catch the urban bus to Cordoba city.  we had tried calling the bus company all day to make a reservation but no one ever picked up.  so, of course, when the stupid bus came there was no room...we told the girl in the depot that we had to get to Cordoba and that she was the one who told us to call the company and we'd been trying all day.  i was a wee bit panicky.  a guy overheard our problem and he said for 20p in his taxi, he could drive us to La Falda where we could catch adifferent bus to Cordoba city.  Okay, we did that instead.  when we got to La falda, it was almost a 2 hour bus ride from there to Cordoba city.  ah, this pen is driving me crazy...it keeps cutting out.  and i'm watchig tree death behind me...i mean what the hell are they doing!  cant they feel its pain...i guess not.  i felt sick watching...anyway we got to Cordoba and chowed don quickly at one of the places in the bus terminal.  then we got on the bus for BA.  we were at the back upstairs (thank goodness) - the bus says "no solidos en el bano" for a good reason.  the bus was more comfortable than the one we came up on.  they played a movie "death sentence" with Kevin Bacon...it was pretty good.  i let Uli us the earphones though because his first language isn't English and his hearig sucked and he didn't have his glasses to read Spanish subtitles.  we stopped somewhere and sure enough i bolted for the bathroom...well wasn't there one of those women sitting in there with all the toilet paper and no seats on the toilets...i'm a pro at hovering...and naturally, there wasn't enough toilet paper...so without money, i had to beg her to give me some more because i had an emergency.  it flustered me so much...the whole experience.  going to the bathroom should be private and tranquil.  we got back on he bus, fell asleep and we arrved in BA just after 7am.  we drpped our stuff off at my place and had omlettes somewhere close by...then we went our separate ways because i had to teach at 1230 - well gve tests - the week of test-giving.

Nov 21 - Sabado

PARAPENTE.... weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (tandem parachuting).  For 300p (100bucks) i did that!!! Alejandro finally let us borrow his bike and we rode into the town of La Cumbre...the bike was great...gotta love holding on to a hot guy on a bike...and we realized we had to go early before everything closed for the siesta.  Riding ona  moto is so much more fun an exhilarating.  I even took a couple of videos of the bike ride and pictures of course.  it as a little precarious trying to hold a camera and not fall off the bike at the same time - actuall yi almost fell off when he decided to speed ovr a bump and one of my legs slipped down.  anyway, we went to the tourist office and asked where we go for the parapente.  she told us to call some guy and then drive on the other side of the highway to Cuchi Corral - a windy, bumpy, dirt road up through some hills.  as we were driving, it was't very high up; so we couldn't really see how we were going to parapente around here.  the road was super bumpy, but finally we arrived at this clearing where the ground dropped away to one of the most amazing views.  like being on the mountain.  we waited a couple of hours out in the hot son, for an instructor to take us out.  people kept showing up and we regretted not calling an instructor like the girl told us - we figured there were a shit ton of people in front of us...andthere were a bunch of guys that only flew solo - and tey jumped off and away they went.  we were watching 3 solos and one tandem.  i took some pretty amazing photos.  finally an instructor said he would take us.  uli had to take my backpack beccause all our valuables were in it so i went first.  they strapped me in and when they first got the parahute up, you can feel the wind catch it, so you have to start running against the wind quickly - one minute your feet are on he ground, the next, the ground drops away...and you're flying with nothing but the guy behind you and a parachute above you.  i actually took pictures too..rigt up unil we came down - in a cow/horse field.  it was great.  at times we'd catch a thermal and the g-force would pull you as you went around and aroun - like a rollercoaster- and i laughed and shrieked and felt great.  when we landed in the cow field, we had to pick up the equipment and got in a pickup truck heading back to the take-off point.  The instructors were  a bit nuts and i got them to take a picture of two.  then the truck had a flat tire- and we watched (myself and this couple from France) as it took 4 of them to change the tire really quickly.  the instructors threw all the parachutes and equipment in the back, and then they all hung on, as we drove back to the take off point.  unfortunately for Uli, by the time i got back, the wind had changed and it was no longer suitable for jumping.  we had been out in the sun for far too long without water.  we opped on the bike and went back into La Cumbre and had lunch at a place (salads, of course) wie we looked at the Cordoba map to figure out where we could go on the bike.  we rode around and found an almost empty street where Uli taught me how to drive the motorcycle.  i did fine and it got easier untili turned the bike around and it fell on me.  the bike and i were fine...and i rode it back up the street- he made a couple of videos of me driving it - so there's proof!  we got back to the Villa and were waiting around to hear about the asado we were supposed to be a part of later.  but we were confused as Roxanna was telling us to buy all the meat when we didn't know for how many people.  good thing Ale came by and went and bought the meat for us.  we went over to Roxanna's house and had an asado with her boyfriend Pablo,his daughter, Roxanna's daughter and Ale.  it was great but by about 1am-2am, i couldnt' understand Pablo's stories anymore and was getting really tired.  so, i said my goodnights and left.