Salta is both a provence, and a city in Argentina. The city is a great central location for exploring the natural beauty of the region. I enjoyed the city very much. The main plaza reminded me a lot of being in Europe, with it’s ornate architecture and cobblestone streets. The churches are all painted beautiful colors adding to the picturesque atmosphere in Salta. I also loved that the city was small and walkable, with everything easily accessible.
In Salta, I knew I would be meeting up with Dominic, my Californian friend that I met in Buenos Aires. It was a pleasant surprise when I reached my hostel to find people from my former hostel in Mendoza. And sharing a dorm with me was Gal, from Israel. Gal and I became instant friends.
Together we explored the city center and visited El Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña (The Museam of High Altitude Archeology). This museum houses mummified native children who were part of a ceremonial ritual sacrifice around 500 years ago. Because of the temperate conditions the children were extremely well preserved, their skin and hair intact, and even blood still in their organs.
After, Gal and I had lunch and made friends with a cute dog that we called Ms. Doggy. She followed us all the way back to our hostel – but was not allowed inside. A half hour later when I looked outside, she was sitting across the street just staring at the door. It broke my heart! So I took my book and sat outside with her for a while. This made her very happy. And after that, I never saw her again. I have a bad habit of falling in love with a furry friend in every place I visit.
The following day, Dominic, Gal and I went white water rafting and canopying (zip-lining) together in the beautiful mountain region an hour outside of the city. It was absolutely beautiful, and a lot of fun. In our raft was also a dog (and at one point two). Am I a total freak for not being scared to go zip-lining? I thought the nerves would kick in at some point before I began… but oddly I was not scared at all.
I should also mention that there was a really great vegan restaurant in Salta, called Vaikuntha. It was so good that I went there for dinner two nights in a row. One night we had the pleasure of sitting outside while listening to 3 acoustic guitar players play and sing traditional Argentinian folk music.
Another day trip from Salta, I took with Gal to Cafayate. The main reason for this trip is the beautiful drive between the two cities. Along the highway there are places to stop and see the interesting rock formations – but I will share my Cafayate photos in my next post.
I spent one afternoon to myself in Salta exploring, and riding the cable car to the top of Cerro San Bernardo for an incredible view of the city. Most of my photos here are taken form that afternoon.
