Salta: A Warm Hug

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One of my EFL students in Buenos Aires was orginally from Salta, and I always admired his enthusiasm for life, his easily understood Spanish, and the pride he showed in his province. One day I read a feature article in the weekend paper about cock fighting's success and challenges in Salta, and prior to that, I had tried the wholesome humita en chala and empanadas that are typical of the region. That's all for my prior experience with Salta. And, even though friends returned from vacations raving about the beauty here, I still felt like I had to discover this place for myself. There was some attractive mystery to it, something that drew me in. It was the main reason for my chosen trip route. All the Paraguay, all the Bolivia, all the bus time, was tacked onto my desire to see Salta, despite warnings of the terrible heat in summer.

Well, let me tell you, I have not been suffering from heat. Rain has graced us every day here in the northwest of Argentina and I am sick of it! But Salta still lives up to its nickname, La Linda (the pretty, the fair, the nice). The capital city of the province with the same name, it is definitely something special. I feel so welcome here. Argentina in general is an open and embracing country but Salta has a little extra. For example, in the bus station you can first get this feeling. The bathrooms are free to use, with signs reassuring you, even though anyone who's been traversing South America knows to always have t.p. on hand and be prepared to dump 50 cents into the basket. Tables in the food court are also free to use, even if you don't purchase anything. Just to rest your weary bones, you should feel comfortable, and another sign is proof of this. These are such minor things but somehow, to a traveler coming in, they are indications that in this city, you are a guest, you are valued, and you should feel at home.

The rest of the city, with its easy grid and inviting green spaces, even has street signs on most of its corners!! That doesn't sound like much but, trust me, it's a rarity. The streets are cleaner than I'm used to after La Paz, Asuncion, Buenos Aires, and even smaller ones like Jujuy and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The city has everything to offer you but without the intimidation of a big city (except for a couple of hours in the afternoon, when half the shops go into siesta mode). A gorgeous central plaza, a bustling marketplace, and properly tranquil outskirts add to the mix. But, really, the people and the charming colonial buildings and the valley setting with jungle-covered mountains around just feels good. Being in Salta feels like getting a warm hug, and it gets even better when you see what's around the city. Another amazing province with colorful quebradas, Salta is a place to get to know. I could stay here for months and not get sick of it.

Unfortunately, I only had a couple of days. I spent some time getting to know the city itself, then set off for a day trip to Cachi, a gem of the province. Cachi is cute and quiet, a little prize for climbing and descending, taking the curves and enduring the long drive from Salta.

I also spent a day along the Quebrada del Toro....that's for another blog entry, though!

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Photos

The Cathedral at Night
This eye-catching cathedral is just one of the buildings around Plaza 9 de Julio that makes you feel like you're in Europe.

How About this One?
Iglesia San Francisco. Some bold colors, huh? All the churches I saw in Salta are extremely well-cared for.

City View
From atop Cerro San Bernardo. I took an 8-minute cable car ride to the top, wandered around a bit, and walked down the side to end up in a ritzy neighborhood.

I'm a Gaucho
A gentle ride through the green tangle just outside of Salta capital. The horse's name is Arlequin.

Chocolate Milk River
All the rivers in the Salta region remind me of chocolate milk. Far below us, they made their way slowly along the gorges as we twisted around the curves of the road.

Pretty High!
The road to Cachi goes through some phenomenal scenery and takes some crazy forms. Here, it reaches a high point.

Recto Tin-Tin
Then there's this strictly straight part. Some trivia about this part of the route is that the Spanish actually found this ruler-straight segment when they arrived. Indigenous groups had used it not only for walking but also to see each other's smoke signals without obstruction (if my Spanish interpretation was good here...)

I Can't Get Enough of These Colors
Copper - Blue, Magnesium - Yellow, Iron - Red, 'Carbonato' - Green, Borax - White!

Some Parts Are Paved
Twisty asphalt, twisty dirt, straight asphalt, straight dirt. We had it all, with amazing backdrops everywhere!

Unbelievable
Sorry, I couldn't stop taking pictures of the gorge...

Cachi
The city welcomes you with a poem, then its few streets stretch out to meet the mountains on the horizon.

Hilltop View
From the entrance to the cemetery.

Hauntingly Beautiful
A nice place to R.I.P., in my opinion. On my way down the hill, I was thinking about the funeral processions that have to slowly make their way up a rocky trail on this hill. And, on the way back...how sad everyone must feel, as they deliberately choose thier steps, looking down at the town where they now have to live without their loved one...Very sad.

Feria de la Empanada
Nuns hard at work for the empanada fair in Cachi's plaza.

Dancing the Chacarera
For the empanada fair, a series of local musicians and bands played music for the crowd to dance to.

The Valley We Drove Along
In the morning, we could not see a single thing because of the low fog. The afternoon opened the valley up a little bit.

Comments

[grandma]

Natulya, the views are spectacular. It was very nice to learn about the hospitality of Salta. And you are so close to your "home" in BA now and your real home in CH. We love you.

[Elvira]

Free advertisement for Salta
Without realizing it, you just wrote an attractive piece for a newspaper published by the Salta’s tourist office. If I, as a potential visitor, was reading it somewhere I would start making plans to go visit Salta and its surroundings immediately. I would still do (maybe not today) – especially after hearing about it from you and seeing the pictures. Thank you for posting many pictures – you know that I can never get enough of them…

[dad]

Sounds like Salta is a great place to visit - we'll definitely add it to our itinerary if we ever go back to Argentina. And having free t.p. makes it even more appealing!

[Mark]

you should send this to the Argentinetimes!