Salta the Earth

Hooray a great bus journey from Mendoza to Salta....hot food, wine, DVD´s and even a game of bingo (I kid you not and Joanne had only one number to get that bottle of wine too!).

First impressions are that Salta is much busier and bigger than Mendoza. We managed to get a hostel with double room and TV, so we watched the Liverpool v Chelsea champions League game while we chilled out before heading round the town. We had arranged to maybe meet up for a drink with a couple we met at the bus station in Mendoza and who where also staying in our hostel. After following directions from the Lonely Planet book the bar was now a hairdressers, this has happened a few times on our trip but overall the book has been a great help so far. Finding the Hairdressers was maybe an omen as Joanne had been huffing and puffing over the last few weeks about getting her hair cut and coloured and she finally decided to go for it the next day.

The next day we headed to Cerro San Bernardo, a hill overlooking the city, this seems to be a common theme for us on our trip so far. There was a cable car up but after Joanne´s experience in Santiago we decide to walk up. There was 1070 steps to the top but it was a nice day and didn´t take too long, we met a girl from Switzerland and spoke to her on the way up. At the top there was a small cafe and some statues, so after a couple of empanadas (Cornish Pastie type things found all over South America with many varied fillings.... warning note in Santiago they have olives with the stone still inside)and a coke we headed back down into town. Joanne headed nervously to the Hairdressers while I went to watch the PSV vs Miland CL Semi Final back at the hostel where I gave her all my moral support.

Joanne came back with a smile, more of relief than total happiness. She was very happy with the colour but she said it only took about them 5 minutes to cut her hair. It looked fine to me, and I wasn´t going to say anything different anyway.

We met up with couple who we missed the night before (Matt and Emma) and went for dinner to the La Chueca restaurant and had a nice meal. Both Joanne and myself had stew (Beef & Lentil for Joanne and Goat for me) as we had been getting a bit fed up of Steak which had been the main choice apart from Pasta and Pizza for the last few stops on our trip. After a few bottles of Wine it was back to the hostel as Matt and Emma where leaving at 6 in the morning on their way to Igazu.

Next day we headed to San Lorenzo a small village 15km outside Salta, on arriving we found out quite quicky how small. After a quick scan round we decided to have lunch in the only place open, luckily the food was excellent. We wandered about for a bit without really seeing anything and got the bus back to Salta. Back in Salta I decided to go for a haircut in a small place near the hostel. My haircut took about 30 minutes, this wasn´t due to exceptional hair growth in the southern hemisphere but more to do with the barber´s age. Things where going alright if a bit slow until he pulled out the open razor and started waving it about the back of my kneck, after a quick change of underwear and some afershave it was all over.

Our last night in Salta (and in Argentina) was spent in Casa Du Guëmes restaurant recommended by Matt and Emma, not for it´s food but for it´s entertainment. Once seated and your order is taken then things start to liven up on stage, first up was a guy with an accoustic guitar who sang some melancholy songs which most people in the place ignored until politely clapping at the end. Next up was a large guy with an accoustic guitar and a low booming voice and a small round chap with an assortment of pan pipes and they serenaded the diners with an assortment of well known South American ditties. It started getting interesting when the owner took over the microphone, after joining in with the previous band he then gave us long rambling monologues and songs about the history of his family and the building. When he sang he got the waiter to flash the lights and put the spotlight on him to show who was boss, we managed to escape before signing up to his private army and his plans to reclaim the city for his family name. Back at the Hostel we watched the UK election (only problem was that the only English speaking news channel was CNN).

We had to be up at 5 the next morning so we could catch a bus to the Bolivian border. So we now sadly leave Argentina and hope one day to return. We have had so many highlights it feels a shame to highlight a few but here goes anyway. The Igazu Falls, Moreno Glacier and the streets of Buenos Aires should be on anybody´s to do list.

Next stop Bolivia......