Salta, Argentina

Leaving the Salar de Uyuni in the grips of morning frost and a bus with no heat we headed south for Argentina after an amazing day spent exploring the salt flats. They say in Bolivia that the roads are either bad, really bad or impossible. In our first 3-days traveling through the country we experienced the first two types; leaving the country on the fourth day we encountered the last. Heading through extremely mountainous terrain on gravel roads in a 30 foot bus is something neither one of us hopes to ever experience again. To sum up the experience: we couldn’t feel our toes from the cold; the bus had to be put into reverse on a switch-back because it was too long to make the turn and it’s front wheel was inches from the edge; there were no guardrails; and we repeatedly had to pass other buses on these same narrow dirt roads. It was not fun.

Fortunately the road eventually levelled and switching to a smaller mini-bus we made our way safely to the Argentina border and the town of La Quiaca. Walking over a small bridge we immediately headed to the bus station to book tickets to our next destination city of Salta for the next morning. What should’ve been a simple transaction became a scavenger-type hunt across the small town as we tried to find the only bank that accepted our bank cards. After conversing with locals who only spoke Spanish we then waited over 30 minutes in a line that snaked around the street corner to withdrawal money from the ATM. Finally with cash in hand we trudged back to the bus station to pay for our tickets and then back across town once again to a local hostel to pay for a room that night. It was exhausting with the heavy packs. Our lodgings throughout the trip have ranged from private rooms with a bathroom to rooms with two twin beds and a shared bathroom. They have all been basic in amenities but have usually come with breakfast and internet which has been nice. If we have to check out early in the morning they will also store our backpacks, which has been great for exploring the cities without carrying all that additional weight.

Leaving La Quiaca the next morning we boarded a luxury bus and immediately noticed the difference between the Bolivian and Argentinean road systems. Gravel has been replaced by smooth asphalt with posted speed limits, guardrails, and even on-board safety videos. We both felt much more comfortable as we made the 8-hour trip south to Salta. We passed though multi-coloured mountains of reds, greens and browns, and tried to decipher the two on-board movies that were played in Spanish. Arriving in Salta we grabbed a cab to the main plaza and then hiked around town for a good hour trying to find lodging for the night. What we didn’t realize until later is that schools in Argentina are on a 2-week winter break and a lot of families are on vacation, meaning a lot less hotel availability. Thanks to our handy Lonely Planet guidebook we finally found a bed for the night at a quaint little hostel in the city. Unfortunately it was 2 beds in a 6-bed dorm room but at $15 a night per person it did have its advantages. The currency in Argentina is the Peso and with it trading at $4.5 pesos to the US dollar our money goes a lot farther while traveling just like in Bolivia.

Touring around Salta we were very impressed with the city. It is very clean and beautiful with an old-world European charm and South American zest for life. The central plaza was gorgeous with restaurant patios, museums and a large Catholic Church bordering a inner park with towering palm trees and curios monkey-puzzle trees (not sure why they are called this but they are definitely interesting to look at). There were also a series of extremely busy pedestrian streets leading out from the central plaza where everyone having woken up from their 2-hour afternoon siesta was out for a stroll or shopping for shoes (there were literally over 20 shoe stores in two blocks). Having tired from exploring we enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking another plaza and just as we finished eating the power went out for the entire city. It was very charming sitting in the restaurant in the dark as we watched the frenzied activity outside. We were also the only diners as most people in Argentina eat well after 8:00 and our stomachs are still on the North American dinner schedule of 6:00. This was especially evident and humorous when exactly at 8:30 and still with the power out over 50 people walked into the restaurant single file and filled up every remaining seat. We had never seen anything like it before and after being asked if the table we were sitting at was free requested our bill and left laughing at the craziness.

The rest of our time in Salta was very enjoyable as we had a late breakfast of coffee, toast and cake, strolled through leafy parks, and checked out a local art gallery and church. Our first introduction to Argentina was great and we are definitely looking forward to our week ahead in the country as we continue to head south from Salta. Our travels will first bring us to Cordoba and then onto Mendoza and Bariloche before crossing into southern Chile. Buenos Aires (the capital city of Argentina) and some tango dancing will follow afterwards.