Salta: Beauty in a City with Great Nightlife!

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We arrived back to Argentina after getting a bus from Asuncion to a place called Resistencia in Argentina before transferring to a bus for Salta. Salta is bar far the prettiest place we have visited in the country and really is a good final destination here. We stepped off the bus and we both knew that it was a nice place. From watching the taxi drivers pushing their cars to save money on petrol, to the friendliness of locals. Ok, we did notice that it was touristy and there were backpackers criss crossing here and there but there are some places that make it a must stop on the backpacker trail and Salta was going to show us why!

The city itself is sprawled out but the centre is compact making it easy to negotiate. Similar to other cities in South America there are little plaza’s here and there but the area around the main plaza, the heart of the city, is enticing. Surrounding it are beautifully finished buildings including museums, a large cathedral and lots and lots of little cafes. The parasols keep you shaded from the sun while you rest your weary legs on the pavement or cobblestone below. The many churches in the city are a fine sight. The main cathedral is one of the most extroverted I’ve seen bar in the Vatican City. There are gold plated this and that, little altars all along the sides to meet the most elaborate main altar. But just sitting in there was peaceful and the constant stream of locals praying at altars or touching religious monuments was an experience in itself. The Catholic faith still appears VERY strong here.

We took a trip on a cable car up a mountain overlooking the city to admire the views. Thankfully I was totally cool with it this time in comparison with the cable car in Malaysia, it was a breeze. Atop the mountain are recreational areas similar to what we found in Asia and of course we had a go again. I just wonder why Ireland can’t have areas like this to encourage people to keep fit without having to pay a fortune for gyms…… There were also artificial waterfalls, lovely gardens, holy statues and altars and artisan areas. There is definitely a theme in the cities here – if there’s a hill, put a statue of Jesus, Mary or a cross or something to look over the city.

You can’t come to Salta without a night out!!! Our hostel was a sociable place and we met a lovely group of people over an Asado (BBQ or Grill). The food was delicious, the drinks were tasty and we had good fun. Similar to Santiago, we were off out to the local nightlife area. Here it is called Balcarce. When we arrived, it was clear that it was a bustling place for those who wanted to dance and meet up with friends at the weekend. Even though it was 1am the bars and clubs were only beginning to fill. We went to a rock bar first and listened to live music before heading to a night club that the lot of us were dying to go to! Queue the dancing, well for me anyway for the first ages. John headed to the bar and got caught up in the strange system of ordering drinks here in SA. You have to pay first at a till, take a receipt, give it to someone behind the bar and eventually that or another person will give you the drink. It takes AGES!!! Not fun for poor John. By the time he came back I was dancing goodo to the reggaeton and popular songs. It wasn’t long before it was 5am………. Yes the next day was pretty much a write off – I’m getting so old, can’t do it anymore! Two of the girls with us got up at 9am to go for 6hours horse-riding…… Yeah, that’s gonna wait til our next stop, Bolivia!!!

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