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Published: August 22nd 2010
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Salta.
Salta nights. Arriving into Salta late after our epic journey from Mendoza we were left little time to decide what to do and see while there. Not having read much about Salta beforehand we quickly consulted our guidebooks and asked our hostel owner what to do. After quickly checking into our hotels we headed for the main street with all the tourist agencies. After visiting several we finally decided on two day trips to Cachi and to Humauacha. With little time left in the day we decided to grab some food and head up to the look out over the city. Unfortunately we had arrived on Argentina's childrens day. So the place was full of kids running about and rides etc. Due to the massive queue at the cable car to the lookout we were left unable to go up. So we were left to wander around the city looking at it's beautifully illuminated colonial buildings. That night we cooked up some pasta as we were in money saving mode. The first two countries on this trip happened to be the two most expensive. I guess it's good to know that costs will only go down after this.
The next morning we
were up early to go on the first tour to Cachi. The tour would take us all day would turn out to be the highlight of the Salta region. Mainly because of the fact that the other day we spent there was pretty rushed and not that exciting. The trip took us through varying landscapes from Jungas, to desert fields of Cacti and stunning mountain views. On the bus trip we were lucky enough to be squished into the back seat with Forster frequently complaining about room. On the backseat with us was a young German girl Manuela who is lucky enough to still be stuck with us on this journey through South America. Our tour guide was a slightly excentric lady who frequently asked us if we liked something. Almost every two minutes and about just about anything. Needless to say it has become a joke on the journey to ask the other if they like just about anything and everything. "You like?" is probably one of the most frequent things said on the journey now. I'm sure this is getting annoying but it's funny to us at least. This was also the first time we had a chance
to try the coca leaves. For those who don't know this is the plant that is the raw material for cocaine production. In it's natural form it has been used by South American natives for centuries and was revered by the Incas. I personally didn't use them too much in the altitude we have travelled through. But when you do they do help with the altitude quite a bit. For those wanting to know you can't get high off the small amounts of cocaine contained within the leaves. You need some stupid amount of leaves to make a gram of cocaine. The trip was a good day out and the town of Cachi itself is a nice little town with a quaint main square. While there's not much to do there we had fun sitting about having a few beers and some food wasting away the rest of the day before the long but scenic journey home. That afternoon after having mentioned several times that we were on our way to Bolivia Manuela plucked up the courage to ask if she could tag along as she wanted to go to Bolivia but didn't want to travel alone. So being nice
Poser.
Signature. guys and already having picked up Simon we quickly agreed to drag her along with us. Even going to far as to guarantee that we wouldn't ditch her in the middle of the desert.
The next day was trip number two. This time to Humahuaca heading north to Bolivia. The day turned out to be incredibly rushed and we didn't get much time on the main sites to fully let them sink in or to gain any real appreciation. We stoped at a seven coloured mountain and had a walk around the tiny town beneath it. Then headed north to an old pre-incan fort. It had undergone pretty intensive restoration and was good to have a walk around. But again the time there was all to brief and we were unable to explore every part. The day trip went on slowly with not that much to see or do until we arrived at a road block just outside Humahuaca. Luckily they let us in about ten minutes later. We were keen to make our way to the border town of La Quica as soon as possible. So we walked to the bus station to find out the next bus
was in 15 minutes or we had to wait three hours for the next. So we jumped on the bus straight away and skipped having out lunch. At least we were on the road travelling again and were on the way to a new and exciting place.
La Quiaca was a nice enough place to spend one night. While not an exciting place it seems a better option than staying at Villazon on the other side of the border. That night we headed to the bus station to pick up Manuela who we had prearranged to meet at our hostel. After waiting for three buses we decided that she was either running late or had decided against joining us through Bolivia. So we went and grabbed some dinner and headed back to our hostel. Just after sending her a message on facebook and jumping into bed she finally arrived. Turns out that they had got stuck at the road block outside Humahuaca for several hours that we had passed through quickly earlier in the day. This would be the first of several times that road blocks would impact our travel plans.
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