Yesterday, after making a decision to get out of the big city for a few days, Dakin and I went down to the bus station and got on a bus to Mar Del Plata.  We also have a friend here, Emily, who was kind enough to invite us and offer a free place to stay.  The bus system here doesn’t require a whole lot of planning being as there are a number of different companies that provide transportation to all the desired destinations, many of which go to the same places, so it is easy to buy a ticket and be on a bus within the next few hours.  We only had to wait 45 minutes and pay $15 for a five hour bus ride.  Not the best price in the world, but supposedly you get more bang for your buck the further you travel.  A few weeks ago Dakin went to Bariloche, a twenty hour bus ride, for $40.  These are no regular busses either, the seats go back almost all the way and little board pulls down from the seat in front of you to rest your legs on.

Last night when we arrived we all went out to dinner and then Dakin and I went out.  After waiting in line for a bar for a while we struck up a conversation, in Spanish, with the people behind us in line.  After speaking with them for awhile, waiting in line, they invited us to go find a another bar with them.  They were about seven college kids, all 22 and 23, living in Mar Del Plata to attend the university here, howver most of them were from other, surrounding cities.  For the next few hours Dakin and I both spoke only Spanish, which was great practice and we made some great contacts in Mar Del Plata.  They also invited us to a party on Saturday.  It is interesting how accepting the culture is here.