San Pedro to Salta

Oh hi! With a 10 hour bus journey ahead of us, we started the day early to get a good breakfast in. This meant that on our last day we saw a deserted San Pedro...aaah how lovely! I was really looking forward to the journey...gazing out the window really is my forte now! Lol. So that is basically what we did all day, apart from chatting to an ozzie couple and their Slovackian friend, who was very funny and conveniently sat near to us.

I decided to take some snaps out of the bus window throughout the journey across the border from Chile to Argentina.


The landscape was dramatic and everchanging.


Snow on the desert mountains.


Massive windblown exposed rock fromations...


Vast empty mountainous landscapes...


An enormous lake...


And another one!


(Don't leave me here!)


The border crossing was very uneventful in fact. We just got off the bus and had the passports checked and stamped and were straight back on the bus in all of 10 mins. Not a money tout in sight!

We passed through massive cactus forests...


A landcape perfect for Vicuna's. We saw some in the distance.


Salt flats, and for the first time in hours, people!




A small settlement that really was in the middle of nowhere.


The sun setting.


Descending some vast mountainous switchbacks into Argentinian villages in the distance.


Then it was dark...lol. End of picks and beginning of tiredness. Booo.

When we got to Salta we found that the Inn was full on several occasions. We started by going with the Ozzies to their hostal only to find that the British kids from San Pedro were there, who the staff wanted us to share a dorm with...yeah whatever! After a taxi tour of Salta we were installed in the a rather nice hotel off the main plaza. Where we had twin beds...again...god almighty! But the room did have a super cheap mini-bar, rude not to!

It was in Salta that we decided to Cafe it up and plan our Argentinia route. So we got some cafe con leches's, which here are nicely served with a small glass of sparkling water...and discussed our plans...this took some time!

It was just like being in Mexico, where whenever we arrived in a new place there was a festival...our cafe seats were right next to the action. Firstly there was a military band parading around the plaza.


Then there were the Gaucho Guards with trad massive hide chaps...quite amusing!




It was sooo noisy it took us until lunchtime to make a plan that Wiji then wrote out in 'best'...aaah love you!x

Across from the orange tree lined plaza, on the left is our cafe, that we really did seem to spend ages in...and topped up our tans too!


Looking towards the centre of the plaza.


A lovely weather vain.


More like Mexico than ever...carbon-monoxide toffee apples.


Not quite up to the National Geographic standards of Uri and Enait's photo's! This is the Islgesia San Francisco. I loved the Faux drapery around the doors. Really stunning!


Thinking of you at the time Capel...and look what we came across! We really miss you!xxx


We got a taxi to an alleged crafts market. That turned out to be a total mistake! It was sooo depressing we had to leave immediately. It was full-on tourist tat and totally not what we were after. Where's the atmosphere and locals? Otovalo is was not! Oh well...

After that disappointment we went for a nice meal at an Italian and rapidly cheered ourselves up with alcohol.


And Wiji needed an ice cream too!


Salta, a great place to enjoy plaza life and plan your travels.