Back in Argy

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Salta is a great place to finish the Argentina leg on and also to prepare for Bolivia. Whereas with the rest of Argentina you can blend in as a local (well unless you are wearing your backpack, havaina flip flops from Brazil and before you open your mouth), here in Salta you can see you are not far from Bolivia. The locals have more Indian blood, the towns are poorer and the Andes are everywhere! Salta is no exception except it does have a lovely main square with colonial buildings and orange trees.

The hostel we were staying at happened to have a bbq that night which was great - some of the best beef I have had so far plus the chance to meet other travellers and check that you are not the only one who is planning on crossing into Bolivia at the nearest border crossing.

Booked ourselves for a 12 hr stint the next days to Cachi - going through the enchanted valley, national park of cacti and finally the town of Cachi itself. This is a little town high up in the mountains where the dust sweeps through .... It was an excellent day with the most amazing scenery - one thing for sure you can never get bored of the Andes. Also got my first eyeful of Cacti that I totally love….. There is also a lot of Cacti wood around though for conservation purposes you are not supposed to buy any. The Cacti here grow between 1 and 5cm a year so you can imagine how long some of the cacti in the pictures took to grow.

The following day was spent pottering about Salta checking out the rest of the town, getting another beef session in before Bolivia and last minute shopping for essentials that may or may not exist in Bolivia! Then it was a 4.30 am start to the border…..

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Photos

Salta Main Square
Colonial buildings and orange trees

Confessing my sins!
Cactus Confession box in Cachi