Chaos and confusion in Córdoba: a bumpy ride from start to finish

We had high hopes for our week-long break in Córdoba. Romantic, cool, charming and historic was how we had imagined Argentina’s second largest city and the surrounding Sierras. To some extent it was all these things; what we had not envisioned was the ensuing chaos that lay ahead.

Don’t get me wrong; it was a week full of hilarity, fun, and culture. I love being in Argentina, and I write this post slightly tongue in cheek; however, it’s a reminder of some of the frustrations we have grown accustomed to in the three months of our life here so far – unreliability, deliberate misunderstandings and a genuine lack of responsibility. Si, bienvenidos.

The road to nowhere

Day 1: Our woes begin as soon as we arrive at Córdoba bus terminal at 7.30am two Sundays ago, dishevelled and groggy eyed after having taken the overnight bus from Buenos Aires. We were due to meet our car hire guy from Alquiler de Autos Córdoba at 8am (we had done in-depth research into local hire car firms). An hour later we are still waiting. Of course, he just happens to be in the neighbouring town of Carlos Paz, about 40km/50 minutes from the city of Córdoba. This is despite an entire email conversation dating back to March saying we would meet in Córdoba city.

After a few conversations in my trying-but-failing-to-be-aggressive Spanish we resignedly set off for Carlos Paz. It is a pretty lakeside town in the province of Cordoba where we could have easily whittled away a few hours in the baking sun, but the principle got the better of us.

We head off in our Renault Clio to La Cumbre, a lovely town in the Punilla Valley in Córdoba province, to Castillo de Mandl, a beautiful hotel set on a little hilltop. What a saving grace! (It deserves a separate post).

Day 2: Eager to explore more of La Cumbre, we decide to hire some bikes. We stumble upon what can best be described as a shack with a Rent Bikes sign. 10.30am and surprise, surprise the door is shut. We call the owner who informs us he is not in the vicinity but would call his “manager” to let us in. A sleepy Juan opens the door and we eventually manage to rent two kids’ mountain bikes, helmets and a map from him.

“Take your time, come back whenever you want. Just call me and I’ll come back to the shop.”

We make it back in town around 4.30pm and call Juan. No answer. I try the owner. Ok, he’ll be there in 10 minutes, he reckons. More than half an hour later, we’re still waiting, and increasingly tempted to leave the bikes outside exposed to the elements (he didn’t give us any padlocks).

Day 3: Time to take the Renault for a spin and test its mettle as we venture to the fascinating Unesco world heritage Jesuit estancias, representing one of the earliest settlements in Argentina. First on our circuit is the Unesco-listed Museo Jesuitico Nacional de Jesús Maria, conveniently located in the town of Jesús Maria.

It is one of the most intact estancias, with a splendid collection of pre-Hispanic archaeological and ethnographical artefacts, religious art and other relics. All very well but getting there is the tricky part. It is a world heritage site, yet half the major roads leading to it are blocked off and once we finally arrive in Jesús Maria, there are no signs to the site itself. What a mission.

Day 5: Back in Córdoba and it’s Labour day so of course everything is shut, including the cathedral.

Córdoba, you’ve done me in. Surely it's time for a holiday now.