Salta, Argentina

Apartment view!

Salta Views

2 blocks from our apartment, town square.

Written by Brent, as per popular request:

Well, we made another 23 hour bus trip across Argentina, and arrived in Salta yesterday morning. The city's name comes from the word "Sagta", which means "the very beautiful one." The region is filled with valleys, mountains, and the salt flats. The city has the best preserved Colonial Architecture in the county, and is located in North West Argentina, close to the Bolivian border.

We had booked a hostel room for the first night, which was a great idea, as we didn't want to spend the morning walking the streets with our luggage hunting for a room, and it was close to the bus depot. Later that day, we found a great one bedroom apartment for $40 per night, ninth floor of the building, with a great view of the town square.

We have booked a car for 3 days on Friday, as we need to get out of town due to a religious celebration and all of the rooms in the city are booked solid. We are looking forward to this trip, as all of the guide books recommend the driving route we have planned, with mountain vistas, canyon colors, and the salt flats all in one loop.

We plan to come back to Salta and spend another week in our bargin apartment, as there is lots more to see of this city of 500,000.

Boat Ride and Jungle Hike

Toucan in the wild!

A great place for sun!

Our hike into the falls.

Red Snake warning. ( Anne watch out!) We don't want to step on him!

I don't know what it's called, but they like to steal people's lunches.

Close enough for you?

Today, we went back to Iguazu Falls and hopped on one of the boats that goes right up to the falls. We dressed lightly, as we knew we were going to get wet, but didn't quite expect HOW wet we actually got! The boat went so close to the edge of the falls that we could see the rock underneath, and the spray was behind us! It was lots of fun, very refreshing and exhilarating!

After a rest in the sun to try to dry out, we went on a self guided jungle walk to see some more falls. This is by far the better way to experience the jungle, as the other option was to hop on a big 4 wheel drive buggy that carries 20 people, and the noise alone scares the animals away. So, we were lucky, and saw a Toucan, a rat-like animal, huge with no tail, two snakes and several large lizards. Only missing animal was a monkey!

We have enjoyed the town of Iguazu, as it is quite small, but has great restaurants, and shops to keep busy if you need a break from the falls. It is the first town we have experienced where they take their siestas seriously. Everything shuts down from about 1 pm until 4 ish. I can see in the hot weather how that makes sense, as they then stay open late until 9 or 10, when people feel like wandering the streets again.

Tomorrow, we take a long long bus trip 11 am until 12 pm the next day, to the North Western part of Argentina, to a town called Salta.

Bye BA Hello Countryside

So close! And me without my barrel! Brents favorite hang out, waiting for the wet tee shirt contest to begin!

Feel the spray, and cool down!

A great way to cool down!

No Zoom lens needed here! That will be us, manana!

Flocks (is that correct?) of Butterflies hang out around the misty falls. Brent makes a friend. They like the salt on our bodies and land and hang out for a while!

We left BA (sadly) at 7 pm by bus, first class, which gave us seats that fold into beds, dinner and breakfast for our 16 hour ride to Iguazu Falls. Very comfortable way to travel, and very reasonable. $200 for both of us. We both slept well and settled into our new accommodations upon arrival. We have downsized and down priced a bit $30 per night for both of us in a cozy hostel, that includes breakfast and a pool! It is a bit of a rabbit maze to get to our room, and I am glad that Brent has no issues with carrying my 50 lb suitcase down 12 steps, along a corridor, up 16 steps, along a corridor, down a ramp, along the hallway, then up another 26 steps to our room! Our room is cozy, and actually sleeps 4, if you include the bunk bed, but for our big dollars, we don't have to share, and even have our own shower and toilet! Nothing but the best!

It is much warmer here than it was in Buenos Aires, and I'm guessing in the low to mid 30's.

We were up and ready to head for the Falls by about 10 am. Taller than Niagara and wider than Victoria Falls, the falls actually consist of over 275 separate falls. What is really amazing and fantastic, is that the area is undeveloped and very well set up for a park. We took the local bus into the park, and walked on the trails which eventually turn into metal boardwalks that bring you extremely close to the falls, above, and below, and even across them! I could have taken hundreds of photos, but tried to get the best ones up on the blog for all to share! Too much to take in with the heat and humidity, we are going back tomorrow to do more hiking, a swim and to take the speed boats that go right under the falls!

We plan to stay here for a few days, and "chill" as well as soak in the sun, before moving westward to an area called Salta.

Day trip to Tigre Delta

Best deal in town. McCafes. They are a separate part of McDonalds. Fancy. Coffee served with a cookie, and either sparkling or plain water. $1.75. Most coffee is served this way, usually espresso, but we order Cafe Americano Negro, so they add extra hot water to the espresso. The water is a great addition, as you clens the pallet after drinking it.

Motorcycle impound lot. Brent's is the red one in the middle.....

Our next ride for holidays! $100,000 camper.

Train Station. Just like Europe

Water Taxi

Canal Our rooftop pool

Pumped up with anticipation and feeling like we had to see more of the area before we leave Buenos Aires, we decided to take a commuter train to the holiday destination of Tigre. It is an area developed in the late 1800 heyday of the rich Buenos Aries elite. There is a large market there, an amusement park, and restaurants. The area is surrounded by canals where the elite built summer homes and a boat ride through the canals should prove interesting.

For $1.30 each, we hopped the train and took the hour ride out to the area. We were excited to hop on the water taxis to tour the canals, but were disappointed to hear that the water levels were too low, and the taxis were not running. I guess the lack of rain has effected the public transport system up there. So, we decided to go to the market. Brent bought a new muggers wallet for $3.00, genuine leather! He plans to reload it with his extra "your name here" credit cards and a little cash.

We are getting ready to leave our fancy pancy apartment tomorrow and catch the overnight bus north to a place called Iguazu Falls. It is on the border of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina and it takes about 17 hours on the bus. We have booked first class on a double decker bus, and has hot meal service and private seats that fold out flat to a bed. Seems like the way to travel in the country, if one has time.

Colors of Buenos Aries

Yummy treats available daily!

Every day, I pick up fresh bread and food for dinner at the local market. There is a small market like this every second block. Fresh vegetables come from another market, usually one every second block.

A favorite stop for Brent. Fresh ice cream, and a big tub of it for $3.00. One on every 3rd block!

Fresh flowers. One on every second block. Roses? 25 roses for $5.00

Butcher shop. One on every 3rd corner.

And then, if you don't want to cook, a cafe on every corner!

First Full Day of Rain

Inside the Pink Palace. This is where the House of Government sits.

This is the room that only yesterday, the President's husband lay in his coffin, and the whole family was comforted by the general public, as well as Presidents of other countries.

This is the Women's room in the Pink palace, with photos of famous Argentinan Women. This is Eva Perron.

The next day, we toured the "Pink Palace", the House of Government. This is the balcony from where Evita gave her famous speach. Yesterday, and the day before, this square was filled with people.

The President and her Husband.

Memorial with the Pink Palace behind it.

Today, we had our first full day of rain. I think the rain reflected the citizens of Argentina's feelings, as it was a very sad day for the country. With the husband of the President passing away so quickly, the whole country was in shock and mourning. The plaza in front of the House of Government building filled with people, and the casket was in the "Pink Palace" for two days, while the public lined up to go by and pay their respect to him and his family. All of the Presidents from South America flew in to see the family and to stand by his coffin. The people were so close to the President, she would, from time to time, go towards the viewers and hug or thank one, or accept flowers, flags, or items and place them on his coffin. I was so touched by the passion the people showed and the pure support they had for her and her family, as well, how orderly and non-threatening the people were.

As his coffin left the Palace, the streets were lined with adoring people, waving flags, banners, and running alongside the hearse to place items on the roof of the hearse. Flowers, flags, hard hats, jerseys were all some of the items. The family then boarded a plane with the coffin and flew to his hometown for burial.

Wierd Day Today

Today was a Census day in Argentina. They do a manual census every 10 years, so it is the law that all businesses have to close, and no one can work. They only have essential services running. I had to go downtown for my Spanish lesson, so I took the subway downtown. There was only me and three other people on the train. Usually, we are squished in together like my toes in pointy shoes. When I got off at my station, the busiest part of the downtown in BA, there were no cars, no people and all the businesses were closed. It was so quiet, and very eerie. As I walked down to my teacher's place, I saw very few people on the street, and I felt like I was in a TV show where something dreadful had happened. Good thing we have some food at home, as you couldn't even buy a stick of gum anywhere in the city today. The stores can re-open at 8 pm tonight.
On top of that, the husband of the President of Argentina died of a heart attack this morning, suddenly. He was the past President of Argentina, and quite beloved, so people were also in shock and there will be a lot coming up with regards to his passing. Interesting times. I feel bad for the citizens, as now there will be unrest in the government, as he was expected to win the election next year.