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Days 70-72 our San Pedro hostel had one of the best breakfasts this trip so we loaded up for another long 12 hr travel day to Salta in Argentina for 2.5 days. While waiting at the bus station an independent Australian couple had a small backpack stolen from under their eyes & lost passports & whatever else. A heartbreaking scene to see their distress when told they weren't allowed to get on the bus as they did not have a passport to enter Argentina.
Leaving San Pedro we retraced the road back to the turnoff to the Bolivian border but this time we had a very slow climb back up 2000 mtrs in in altitude. If a 12 hr bus ride can be considered pleasant this trip qualifies at least for 2/3 rds of the way when we had to change from an intercity bus to a local bus. Too start with we were in a very comfortable double decker bus with the best seats in the house ie the front seats of the upstairs section with a full 180 deg view ahead & allowed better opportunities to photo the passing scenery.
The scenery was constantly changing desert depending
on altitude or whether sheltered or exposed & could be either bare rock & sand or tufty green & yellow grasses.
After 3 hrs drive we reached the border which appeared very quite but still took us nearly 2 hrs before our bus was allowed to move. Late afternoon we reached the high point of the drive at 4170 mtrs and immediately looked down this incredible valley of numerous hairpins & switchbacks with clouds swirling below. The decent was nearly 2000 mtrs over a short distance to a picturesque village of Purmamarca.
Salta has a reputation for a rich history, colonial architecture & surrounding natural attractions & supposedly makes the town one of Argentina's main attractions however we did not find it so. We were somewhat disappointed that it was another busy town although the central square, Plaza 9 de Julio, was pretty impressive , with lush gardens, fountains, statues and beautiful white buildings including the Cabildo (History Museum), Cathedral and Casa del Gobierno (Government House).
Instead we enjoyed the culinary delights of the city visiting an empanada emporium for lunch where every type of filling was available. As our hostel was putting on a BBQ for
dinner we needed to select red wine supplies to match. Such fantastic & cheap wines from Chile & Argentina. The meat & salad was excellent & we had enough leftovers for a late lunch before our dreaded 18 hr afternoon trip to Mendoza.
Next day we took the hard way of hiking to the top of Cerro San Bernardo instead of by gondola. The Cerro is a massive green mountain that looms over Salta with 1070 steps to the top (but who's counting anyway!). A monument to Don Martin de Guemes (a local military/politico leader who fought the Spanish) guards the start of the walk and then passes the Stations of the Cross along the way. The hike was a good workout but worth it for the view from the top.
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