Corrientes, Monday

Mon 0954 Breakfast. Not as amazing as I'd hoped. Got a coffee and sitting rather awkwardly at the table in kitchen, few croissants and bits of bread 

1553 OK. So as I was writing previous bit got drawn into initially slightly awkward conversation with woman who works at/owns? hostel and other woman (guest) at table. But ended up having decent chat with other guest (Amy) who turns out to be from Cleethorpes, just finished MSc and come out to travel a bit with a friend  (Adam) who has been out here a year filming a documentary about indigenous cultures. Adam came along a bit later and we had a decent chat, he was robbed "at sauce point" as he put it in BA with the old squirt-clean-and-pickpocket scam and lost about $1200 US and worse than that a load of his video footage (including the backup hard drive).

As a result of that conversation also ended up speaking with French guy (Auguste) from Lille who like me is a computer programmer who has quit his job to travel.

Nice to finally get a bit of the stereotypical hostel meeting stuff going. I'm not saying the conversation was Oscar Wilde-level but does seem to confirm my primary problem being *starting* conversations; once I'm in them with a reasonably willing co-interlocutor or two it's fine.

So Auguste mentioned the Costanera here and I came out for a walk; this had been rough plan anyway but since he mentioned it I bent my steps westward to the river. And then I saw a big suspension bridge over it, and thought I'd like to walk across it if I could. And I saw some joggers on it so I headed over to the entrance and got on it and walked across. It's hot but there was a really nice breeze over the river. Took loads of photos and admired the view a bit and it was generally really cool (literally and figuratively) and a bit meditative. The river is almost comically huge, somehow.

Got to far side and crossed the road to walk back across bridge on other side. More of the same. Early in the walk a passing cyclist called out "no te tira" and I waved at him on general principles without fully understanding. I felt a bit threatened by this but eventually (I didn't like to get my phone out to consult dictionary on bridge due to paranoia about dropping it) I realise he was telling me not to jump. Probably joking but who knows? He didn't say it nastily but didn't stop and I don't seriously think I looked like I was going to jump but I guess it's hard to judge as you pass.

About halfway across on the return leg my mullings about the possibility of a nice photo of one of the suspension towers with the blue sky and the city in the background and an interesting and colourful truck coming towards me over the bridge crystallised and I spent maybe an hour taking possibly hundreds of photos as vehicles came over. (Annoyingly a really striking bright yellow monster of an Amarilla Gas truck carrying bright yellow domestic gas cylinders crossed but going the wrong way, and hope as I might I never got one of those going the way I was photographing. Did get some other yellowish AG trucks but nothing like that one.)

I had been on the verge of stopping *anyway* when about three police converged on me. I am a little bit unsure but there initially seemed to be two and then a woman turned up. On the one hand, kudos to myself for not completely flipping out and for managing the Spanish language aspect of the thing pretty well. On the other hand, a bit disturbing. Turned out you're not supposed to/they didn't like me being stood on the bridge, there was a risk off falling (it didn't feel like it, but to be fair as they pointed this out I noticed a rare spot where there was a foot-wide gap in the railings and if you had stumbled/leaned at the right/wrong point you'd just have gone over) and they were (I gather) suicide prevention watch or similar. I apologised profusely, explained I had no intention of jumping and offered to walk back immediately but they insisted on driving me back. I resisted a temptation to ask if I was under arrest and did my best to make polite conversation, telling them about the cyclist telling me not to jump. I wondered if they were going to take me to my hostel to check up on my story or to a police station but they let me out on the Costanera not far from the end of the bridge.

Couldn't stop semi-nervously chuckling to myself about it just after. But all worked out OK and I guess it's a nice story to tell and if I *did* get a decent photo (my feeling that there was potentially a good photo to be had there may or may not be correct, and even if it was I may not have really gone one I like anyway) and get it made into a photo I can hang on my wall it will have some extra memories attached to it.

A lot of food trucks with tables along Costanera though most shut; I have come to one which wasn't and which had an acceptable looking menu on wall; after dithering a while owner offered me a menu and I got a pizza especial and a sugar-free pizza and I plan to have a litre of beer now I've finished the food. I asked and there's no toilet but apparently I can use the one in the casino over the road free no problem; I don't really need to go now and I hope not to be desperate after a litre but we'll see. Hostel is not close but not a million miles away if push comes to shove.

Weather is pleasantly warm sitting here in shade by river (can see the bridge in the distance :-) ) with a bit of a breeze. Pizza wasn't amazing but not bad. Had a bit of a chat with owner in Spanish when he brought my drink over before the food.

Had quick poke on web this morning and it's about 12-13h by direct bus from here to Cordoba. So while I don't really plan to do it, I could probably go straight from here to there in one convenient overnight. What I will probably do instead is stop off at one intermediate place, probably Parana or Santa Fe (they are virtually neighbours), but we'll see what happens.

Didn't actually sleep super well as do remember waking up during night, but in some sense did sleep well, mild aircon helped give pleasantish temperature and bunk not wobbly and generally felt OK albeit slightly worried about phone falling down crack at edge of bed (I got a corner bunk for moderately improved privacy). Managed to leave phone propped up in a charge-capable position most of the night and think I started the day on 90-odd%.

Tue 1214 Just a quick note before I head out re last night. Lost a 32GB SD card by putting it on bed as I was scrabbling around to get into a better position; had a damn good look on floor but can't find it and it's probably fallen among possesions of guy on lower bunk which I obviously can't go rooting around in. It was "only" a backup of photos but still damned annoying. Adam and some new arrival were chatting in Spanish in dorm and engaging in a minor bit of indigenous-flute playing around 2230 which didn't keep me awake but felt a bit out of order.

Was lying on bunk from about 9 (not moving as tried to copy 14GB on data onto a new backup SD card), had very brief "hello" kind of chat with Auguste in kitchen when got back yday and had slash and then a coffee sitting in "hall" before going into dorm to upload/back up yday's precious photos. Was in bunk "intending" to sleep from 2230ish but didn't get off til gone 1 I thinj. Slept a bit badly but sort of OK.