I like rocks.
The city of Salta is great, but what I really wanted to see was some of the surrounding area. The river valleys are rocky and colorful.
I had a couple of relaxing days in Salta. Had coffee by the plaza, walked around the town and the parks. I discovered a new brand of beer, Salta, which is cheap and quite good. I climbed Cerro San Bernardo – the little mountain in the city. But to see some of the landscape around Salta, I signed up for a couple of tours. The tours were pretty cheap, just $15 for the day. The tours themselves weren’t great – we stopped at wineries and tourist shops and restaurants that probably offer some kickbacks, but I didn’t mind too much because the busses took us through the mountains, and I got to see what I wanted to see. I would have liked if the tours had included more stops on the highway and less time in town. Both tours made for very long day, having to be up at 6 AM and getting back to town in the late evening, not leaving much time to eat, shower and sleep.
I had a couple of relaxing days in Salta. Had coffee by the plaza, walked around the town and the parks. I discovered a new brand of beer, Salta, which is cheap and quite good. I climbed Cerro San Bernardo – the little mountain in the city. But to see some of the landscape around Salta, I signed up for a couple of tours. The tours were pretty cheap, just $15 for the day. The tours themselves weren’t great – we stopped at wineries and tourist shops and restaurants that probably offer some kickbacks, but I didn’t mind too much because the busses took us through the mountains, and I got to see what I wanted to see. I would have liked if the tours had included more stops on the highway and less time in town. Both tours made for very long day, having to be up at 6 AM and getting back to town in the late evening, not leaving much time to eat, shower and sleep.
The first tour took me to Cafayate. The town itself was somewhat irrelevant, but the highway to it winds through an amazing river valley full of colorful rock formations that I really enjoyed. I very much like the rocks. Of course… the bus was FULL and I’m an idiot so I gave up my window seat so that a couple could sit together. I figure that half of the people have to sit in an aisle seat, right? But it absolutely kills me when people in window seats pull the curtains closed and fall asleep. I mean, really? Are they actually on the tour to buy a llama keychain? So, there was a lot that I didn’t see as well as I would have liked, and I don’t have many pictures from the bus. I probably looked like a crazy person, craning my neck all over to look out the windows. I don’t think anybody else was as interested in the rocks.
Lunch wasn’t very good and wasn’t all that cheap. I think we stopped at 4 wineries and some of the samples were appallingly bad. They had a wine that the priests offer for communion or something. It tasted how I imagine toilet wine made in a prison might taste. But some wines were good. I bought a bottle of Cabernet for $5 at one place and it was quite enjoyable. One of the better parts of the tour was that I made some friends. They’re from Buenos Aires and I’ve actually met up with them where I am now – but more about that later.
Lunch wasn’t very good and wasn’t all that cheap. I think we stopped at 4 wineries and some of the samples were appallingly bad. They had a wine that the priests offer for communion or something. It tasted how I imagine toilet wine made in a prison might taste. But some wines were good. I bought a bottle of Cabernet for $5 at one place and it was quite enjoyable. One of the better parts of the tour was that I made some friends. They’re from Buenos Aires and I’ve actually met up with them where I am now – but more about that later.
The second tour was to Cachi. The town is kind of interesting. It’s Spanish colonial and had a lot of nice buildings and streets. It also has a museum of anthropology where I was able to kill an hour instead of buying flutes and ceramic bowls. But… I didn’t take the tour for the town. It was all about the highway, and this time I got to sit at the front of the bus and had a great view. The road took us way up to an altitude of 3457 meters where we could look back at the highway and the surrounding mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. I saw a lot of condors, but most were so high up that they just look like black specks in the photos. Our guide kept telling everyone to drink lots of water and move slowly. But… getting in and out of the bus isn’t exactly strenuous activity. I didn’t really notice the altitude, except that I had to pop my ears on the descent. We also saw some wild vicunas (basically llamas).
We also stopped at the los Cardones National Park to see a lot of cacti. Some of the cacti are thought to be about 750 years old. We saw one “baby” cactus that was about 40-years-old, and it was only a foot high. Apparently, it takes something like 80,000 seeds for one cactus to successfully grow – and that cactus needs to be sheltered and protected from the elements. The 40-year-old cactus was growing inside a bush that it will eventually kill when it gets larger.
We also stopped at the los Cardones National Park to see a lot of cacti. Some of the cacti are thought to be about 750 years old. We saw one “baby” cactus that was about 40-years-old, and it was only a foot high. Apparently, it takes something like 80,000 seeds for one cactus to successfully grow – and that cactus needs to be sheltered and protected from the elements. The 40-year-old cactus was growing inside a bush that it will eventually kill when it gets larger.
Back in Salta I climbed Cerro San Bernardo a second time, but this time at night. I brought my flashlight. Even with the full moon, the stairs were very dark – the trees block a lot of the light. But the stairs were full of people going up and down, some with flashlights, some with their mobile phones lighting the way, and some that just had great night vision or a lack of concern about falling. And at the top of the mountain, there were a lot of people sitting around, sipping their mate and enjoying the view. The trip back down was exciting – still dark, but there were some HUGE moths flying around the pathway. I couldn’t get a very good look at them in the dark, but they looked like pale ghosts fluttering around in the moonlight. Their shadows were terrifying.
From Salta I took a bus north to the small town of Tilcara. I’ll have another post up shortly. …or not. The internet at this hotel seemed good, until I tried to upload…