And then there was Argentina

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With yet another long, late, stunning and very bumpy bus ride, we left Bolivia. Jonny, the Swiss couple and I walked across the border into La Quiaca Argentina, ready to start the next phase of our adventures! It was windy and cold but the border official had a nice smile.
Maria, the Swiss women spoke perfect Spanish, so was able to wrangle us the cheapest bus fare when we were too exhausted to do it ourselves.
We ate steaks and mashed potato and real bread served by a lovely bow-tied local and got onto yet another bus. But this one was comfortable, we were provided food and it left exactly when it was meant to, to the minute. We all gave a little cheer as it started off. I had absolutely loved Bolivia, but it was unpredictable and sometimes hard work. It was nice to have a little luxury.


First observations about Argentina:
• Their Spanish is very very fast and very very difficult to understand
• The people are extremely helpful, if not a little patronising
• They have bread just like home!
• The buses leave on time!

After 26 hours of bus rides from Uyuni, we arrived in Salta very early in the morning. We stumbled into a hostel and slept. Clean sheets and sweet dreams.
Salta was warm and relaxing. Again I didn’t do an awful lot, just recovered from the food poisoning, exhausting tour and lengthy bus ride. The plaza in the centre of the city was huge and surrounded by lots of lovely cafes and restaurants with delicious food. The only down point was the masses of pigeons sitting, eating and pooing all over the tables at all the restaurants, totally unheeded by the locals. The prices were a little shock after ridiculously cheap Bolivia, but still cheap compared to home. Salta has a long park stretching through it which we strolled in, and a cable car to the top of a mountain decorated with beautiful water features and with a gorgeous view over the city.
In our hostel in Salta, I randomly ran into Monica the lovely South African I had bonded with in La Paz. We instantly hit it off again over a few beers and she and her New Zealand friend John quickly joined Jonny, Maria, Vincent and I on our way to Iguazu.
The bus there was 22 hours and heavenly. To our surprise the bus attendant brought around hot meals, red wine and whisky. The chairs were so comfortable, like big squashy armchairs on a bus.
The town of Iguazu is tiny, but hot and cute and our hotel had a swimming pool and cheap buffet dinners (and inexplicably a lot of elderly dinner patrons). I really liked the relaxed (albeit touristy) vibe of the town and Monica and I wandered around, talking so incessantly that we walked straight past our hostel.
We spent one whole, mindblowing, scintillating day at Iguazu Falls. We went on a speed boat that literally took us under the waterfalls and soaked us completely, it was exhilarating and very wet. There were splendid waterfalls on every surface and just the spray from them was enough to drench you. It was surrounded by rainforest and hundreds of bright butterflies flitted around our heads. El Garganta del Diablo (the devils throat) was the most powerful natural sight I have ever seen. The sheer power and strength behind the falls took my breath away. We all actually stopped talking for once. I could just feel the strongest energy in the air. The noise, the spray, the force of the water was totally mindblowing. I didn’t want to leave. The fact that I had considered not going seemed laughable in the face of such beauty.
After a full day of constantly being struck dumb in awe we were exhausted, and spent the evening in the pool. The next day Jonny, Maria and Vincent went north to Brazil and Monica, John and I went south. The bus ride to Buenos Aires was 20 hours and just as luxurious. The bus attendant brought around champagne. Partly because no-one else was drinking it and partly because she was so sick of Monica and I asking for more, the attendant gave us the whole bottle. And then we arrived in Buenos Aires, my last stop in South America.

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