With a promising nickname “Salta La Linda,” this province didn’t have much for me within the capital itself. No sun, lots of cold, but an essential stop to plan and connect to all the magic nearby.

 

 

Getting There

Bussing is a stab in the wallet. I took one from Mendoza, $86, 18 hours. And I had gotten the last discounted seat. The three girls I was travelling with wanted to sit together and each dished out $115. Other cities to bus to and from include Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Puerto Iguazu.

 

Accomodation

I went with the Swiss girls to Ferienhaus, $9.30. I wasn’t a fan of the cold tiles and elongated structure of the building. There was no atmosphere and they could do much better with staff and breakfast. Kitchen, good showers. I didn’t hear of any amazing hostel in Salta. Had I been alone I probably would’ve picked 7 Duendes.

 

See and Do

I didn’t check it out, but a common activity was taking the cable cars or hiking to the summit of Cerro San Bernardo.

Hostels organize day trips to the surrounding villages and natural wonders, all overpriced in my opinion, having done it without booking tours. If travelling in a group, renting a car is popular as well.

Day 33

The bus got hot at night. My sweating completed my transformation into a gross, reeking mess of a human. I shouldn’t have eaten the cold and questionable tray items served for dinner the previous night.

The only interesting event was a round of bus bingo for a bottle  of Chardonnay that went to the lady sitting to my right.

For dinner we made tons  of guacamole and an amazing purple cabbage salad.

 

Day 34

Gray weather meant a slow start. Way too may bowls of stale, knock-off Frosted Flakes later, and the four of us stepped out the door to silence. Sunday noon and everything was dead. No cars for blocks.

Somehow Dune was hungry again so we tried some local foods at Patio de Emmpanadas. Sharing the food made it less than $2 for me.

We sat for the next couple of hours in a travel agency devising the ultimate road trip itinerary, before I realized I didn’t have enough days to be a part of it. It worked out for the better this way.

One of the main attractions in the city are the child mummies of the Museo de Arquelogía de Alta Montaña. More or less $2 for students, it takes longer to try and say the full name of the MAAM than to visit it. I was impresed with bilingual info boards which taught me about the region and it’s ties to Peru. No photos allowed, only one child mummy is shown on any given day.

That day the six-year-old boy was on display. The suspenseful ancient music in the isolated room had me feeling some kind of way..

Chosen to be one of the most physically beautiful of the elite, the child was given chicha at a sacrifical ceremony held in Cusco. The boy fell asleep according to plan, and was subsequently buried alive. Similarly, a young girl and a teenage girl were given the same ceremonies, and these bodies were excavated in the Andes, at an astounding elevation of 6,000 meters. Kinda glad I was not born a flawless Incan baby.

Accessories, such as alpaca trinkets made from gold and silver, were also exhibited. On the lower floor, the La Reina del Cerro is another mummy. Having been passed between nonprofessional parties, she was poorly preserved.

Outside, also located in Plaza 9 de Julio, was a pretty pink cathedral with a dome and an extravagant interior.

I ran a loop through Parque de San Martin, a very family-friendly public space with vibes of a carnival or county fair. Cotton candy, popcorn, cakes, pizzas, hot dogs, and swan-shaped paddle boats. But popcorn and panchos (hotdogs) are also found on every corner at night in Salta.

Because a significant portion of my budget goes to ice cream, I ended my run at McDonald’s, forever supplying affordalbe soft serve. I was disappointed that instead of chocolate, the brown part of my swirl was dulce de leche. Oh Argentina.