In Cordoba

Distance Mendoza - Cordoba: 675 km, 11 hours on the bus, cost: 30 pounds. The bus was nice and clean but not comfortable, the seats didn't fold down much. However, I slept all the night and I woke up in Cordoba. I took taxi to my host's flat, he was at work so his lovely sister Mercedes opened the door for me. She looks very Argentinian. Her boyfriend twisted ankle while playing tennis, had an operation and has his leg in a cast so he can't work at the moment. He is a carpenter and has his own business. My host Cristian sleeps in his girlfriend's house so I can sleep in his room.
When I arrived in the flat at 9 am Mercedes had to come back to work. She works in a hospital as a chemist and she came home just to open the door for me. I lied down just for "20 minutes" to have a rest... and I woke up at 4 pm... I quickly went to the town centre to see where I was. I met Lionel from Couch Surfing (in the picture) who took me on a very cultural ride, starting from the preparation of "mate". Lionel works for Fiat in administration.
When he invited me to drink mate (which we simply call tea in Europe) I was sure we would go to a bar. I was wrong. We sat on a bench and he took out from his rucksack the mate leaves, thermos with hot water, surgar, silver straw and a small wooden gourd. He quickly prepared mate on the bench. We had three mates each and I have to say it was something I wouldn't drink regularly, it's too strong and bitter. However, this is what Argentinians are famous for, as well as people in Urugway and Paragway. I remember my host Carlos from Santiago de Chile asking me what's the difference between a Chilean and Argentinian on the beach in Viña del Mar. The answer (which I didn't know) was that all the Argentinians have thermoses with them and drink hot mate on the beach :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)