Tucuman was somewhere that Lorne had wanted to go to.  Me, I didn't really mind here nor there, but it was on the way to Salta, so I was happy to stop for a night and see what the fuss was all about.  

We got an overnight bus from Mendoza to Tucuman which we were looking forward to because our last overnight bus had been fun, relaxing, good food and a good nights sleep.  This time was a wee bit different. 

We'd already had a small snack at Mendoza bus station, pizza and empanadas to share.  Dinner arrived on our bus about an hour into the journey.  First course was a tray with bread, cheese, some sort of dip, crackers and a custard pudding type thing.  So I picked away at that and also at Axel's, who was to be my seating partner for the trip. 

Then another hot dish arrived.  I wasn't too hungry, so I opened it up and peered inside.  I don't know what it was, a type of potato lasagne or something along those lines.  I searched for my cutlery to give it a taste, but couldn't find any.  I could've asked for a set, but one, I didn't know how to and two, I couldn't really be bothered, so that was dinner over.  

Axel and I settled down to watch Ironman 2, and as it neared the end, he fell asleep.  I read for about an hour, then I too decided to bunk down for the night.  The seats, I think we've mentioned before, slide right back into a horizontal position, and the seat is wide enough to fit two of my bottoms in (well almost!).  A blanket and pillow are also provided, it is the epitome of luxury.  

The rains had started and were lashing down on the roof of the bus, and as I began to nod off, the bus suddenly lurched to one side and skidded, then continued on at high speed.  This is a double decker bus, I should add, and we were sitting on the top deck. 

So that was me awake.  The bus nearly crashed and instead of slowing down, he sped up.  Now I noticed every swerve and shake and rattle of every step this bus took.  It happened twice.  Twice.  

So we arrived in Tucuman, everyone else feeling fresh except me.  Luckily, we had done a bit of research and found a Hilton hotel at an incredibly discounted rate (£15 for four of us), so I knew we'd get a good sleep there.  The hotel let us check in early, and after we dumped our bags, showered and changed clothes, we decided to head out to see Tucuman.

There wasn't really much to the place, another plaza in the middle of the city, which we headed to, expecting to see the same old

Fountain, the same old statues.  The plaza did have both, however, it also had the most amazing colonial buildings surrounding the plaza that other towns failed in.  

There was also the casa historica.  This was the same building that the Declaration of Independence was signed all those years ago.  The Argentines are a very nationalistic people, but they also acknowledge the need for immigrants to come into their country to help build the economy.  It reminds me of a little country I call home and one that I believe one day will also have a little room or house where our Declaration of Independence is also signed.  

So all in all, Tucuman didn't really disappoint, although I'm not sure I would spend much longer here.  We ate dinner in the hotel that night.  Lorne went to the toilet mid meal and came back giddy and smiling.  Here we go, I thought, some toilet joke he's going to come out with.

He sat down and exclaimed how he'd met some new best friends.  That's nice dear.  Then he regaled his story of how he had met a football team also staying at the hotel.  They were from Buenos Aires, CAT, and had presumably come to Tucuman to play a match.  He'd managed to get a selfie together with some of them, but his arms weren't long enough, so one of the players had offered.

He handed his phone around, proud of his moment, and even googled the players to get their names.  The following morning, sitting in reception, checking out, his new favourite Argentine player passed by and they dispensed pleasantries again, much to Lorne's delight.