Salta...no hay sal
Back in Argentina meant recovery time from the wild, untamed Bolivia.
SLEEP. SHOWER. WARM BED.
That may seem basic, but those were not existent during our trip.
The first day, after SSWb, we headed to the infamous museum with momias.
Inca mummies.
The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology has an entire exhibit dedicated to three frozen Incas, perfectly preserved due to the extreme cold and high altitude at Mt. Llullaillaco (22,000 feet). They were discovered in the late 1990s.
It surprised us that the "Inca Trail" extends through northern Chile and Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. Only one of the three frozen children is displayed at a time due to the religious context, respect, and controversy. It was amazingly intact- hair, teeth, and skin.
Saturday was outdoor day. Salta is surrounded by beautiful mountains, so we headed for the nearby Quebrada de San Lorenzo. We decided to fill up on some delicious regional goat cheese, bread, and salami before he went. Full and energized, we walked about 500 meters in the beautiful trees only to discover a large prohibida sign. Closed? We had talked to many people and had read many reviews of the trail, and (of course) nothing mentioned it. Upon asking, a french tourist was killed there last year and they still have reopened the trail.
Disappointed but still determined to enjoy the jungle, we walked around the surrounding rich neighborhoods and selva humeda humid jungle. It was completely gorgeous, refreshing, and offered vistas fantasticas fantastic views.
Sunday morning we said goodbye to Lukas as he boarded his bus back and the girls went rafting on el Rio Juramento. We drove about two hours from Salta to a giant beautiful lake, and then a bit farther to the rio. It was a picture perfect day as we rafted down the rapids, surrounded by the jungle, mountains, and insane rock formations.
When Monday morning rolled around, we were ready to get back to our home in Recoleta. As much fun as the trip had been, we were exhausted. I hadn't slept that good the entire trip. We were scheduled to leave around 3:00 pm, so we did a quick trip to the top of the mountain in Salta via la Teleforica cable car. It was beautiful to look around Salta one last time and enjoy the outdoors before returning to city life.
Or so we thought...upon arrival at the airport, we were told our flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Buenos Aires. We were annoyed and angry- all we wanted was our Recoleta apartment! The next flight was at 9:00 am the next day, meaning one more night away from home.
This could be a whining testament to the perils of travel, but airline hospitality still exists in South America. We were put up in a five star hotel with a pool with free dinner and breakfast. We watched Home Alone in Spanish, swam, and enjoyed the nice life. It was the vacation we never really had. I slept better than I had the entire trip on the softest sheets imaginable (my sheets in Recoleta are literally the scratchiest sheets every made).
We finally arrived in Buenos Aires after an hour and a half delay, ecstatic to be back and ready to enjoy our final seven weeks.
Highlights
-Eating more empanadas than imaginable
-Eating local Salta fare (much different than Buenos Aires)
-Trying a llama empanada (tastes like ground beef)
-Egyptian cotton sheets
SLEEP. SHOWER. WARM BED.
That may seem basic, but those were not existent during our trip.
The first day, after SSWb, we headed to the infamous museum with momias.
Inca mummies.
The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology has an entire exhibit dedicated to three frozen Incas, perfectly preserved due to the extreme cold and high altitude at Mt. Llullaillaco (22,000 feet). They were discovered in the late 1990s.
It surprised us that the "Inca Trail" extends through northern Chile and Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. Only one of the three frozen children is displayed at a time due to the religious context, respect, and controversy. It was amazingly intact- hair, teeth, and skin.
Saturday was outdoor day. Salta is surrounded by beautiful mountains, so we headed for the nearby Quebrada de San Lorenzo. We decided to fill up on some delicious regional goat cheese, bread, and salami before he went. Full and energized, we walked about 500 meters in the beautiful trees only to discover a large prohibida sign. Closed? We had talked to many people and had read many reviews of the trail, and (of course) nothing mentioned it. Upon asking, a french tourist was killed there last year and they still have reopened the trail.
 |
| Right before we turned around |
 |
| Pretty town of San Lorenzo |
 |
| Pale little Ashley |
Sunday morning we said goodbye to Lukas as he boarded his bus back and the girls went rafting on el Rio Juramento. We drove about two hours from Salta to a giant beautiful lake, and then a bit farther to the rio. It was a picture perfect day as we rafted down the rapids, surrounded by the jungle, mountains, and insane rock formations.
When Monday morning rolled around, we were ready to get back to our home in Recoleta. As much fun as the trip had been, we were exhausted. I hadn't slept that good the entire trip. We were scheduled to leave around 3:00 pm, so we did a quick trip to the top of the mountain in Salta via la Teleforica cable car. It was beautiful to look around Salta one last time and enjoy the outdoors before returning to city life.
Or so we thought...upon arrival at the airport, we were told our flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Buenos Aires. We were annoyed and angry- all we wanted was our Recoleta apartment! The next flight was at 9:00 am the next day, meaning one more night away from home.
This could be a whining testament to the perils of travel, but airline hospitality still exists in South America. We were put up in a five star hotel with a pool with free dinner and breakfast. We watched Home Alone in Spanish, swam, and enjoyed the nice life. It was the vacation we never really had. I slept better than I had the entire trip on the softest sheets imaginable (my sheets in Recoleta are literally the scratchiest sheets every made).
We finally arrived in Buenos Aires after an hour and a half delay, ecstatic to be back and ready to enjoy our final seven weeks.
Highlights
-Eating more empanadas than imaginable
-Eating local Salta fare (much different than Buenos Aires)
-Trying a llama empanada (tastes like ground beef)
-Egyptian cotton sheets
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