Speeding around Salta

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Unfortunately I didn't have very long to explore Salta, but from what I did explore, I got a very good feeling about the city, and could have easily spent longer there. In my short visit, I took in the atmosphere in the central plaza over long and sunny lunch. Businessmen, school children, students and everyone else in the city wandered by, making it a great place for people watching. I love all the central plazas in Argentina, which every town we visited seemed to have; it makes for such a community feel and a buzz around the place.

We took a trip up the cable car for a view of this rather large city, considering our previous stops had been Bariloche and Cafayate. After a pleasant walk around the top and a ride back down in the cable car, we explored on foot as much as we could. It's a great way to see the details of a place, and take in whatever a city has to offer. We visited a couple of very ornate cathedrals. One of the most interesting things was the High Altitude Archaeology Museum in the main square. It displayed many artefacts that were discovered on the summits of the volcanoes in the nearby volcanic region. Their most famous exhibit is that of "Los niños" - the sacrificed Incan children known as the 'sleeping children from Llullaillaco', which displays the preserved bodies of three children (preserved due to the extreme temperatures at the summit of Llullaillaco). It was very interesting and educational to read about the Incan culture, and the culture of this sacrifice. Worth a visit, to appreciate the culture and try to understand it a little more.

It was just a shame we didn't have to time to see more of Salta...just a good excuse to return! I would have liked to have travelled further north to Juy Juy, as the landscape becomes different again in the drier, desert regions of Argentina. We heard good things about the far north and Juy Juy.

So until next time, I'll leave you with a small selection of Salta photos.

Next, and final stop, Buenos Aires after a very long bus....and then for some Buenos Aires fun!

JHG

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