Salta

We've been out in the sticks for a few days so its nice to get back to civilization...

Since the last update we have visited the north west of Argentina.

Salta was a small city in the middle of nowhere. When you were in it it felt really lively and there was lots to do and see but you only had to look down the street to see clear blue sky and mountains. The buildings were apparently neo-colonial, not sure what that is exactly but the main cathedral looked straight out of a barbie box and was baby pink with a purple glittery dome with cherubs on top.

We used the city as a base to explore some of the mountains and saw remains of pre-inca settlements and the multi coloured rock of the mountains created by the various minerals that are mined there.

http://picasaweb.google.com/trevallion74/Salta

From here we moved top Cafayate which produces a small but increasing amount of Argentina´s wine. We spent the morning in the bodegas for tours and tastings and had to go to bed in the afternoon. The wines smell really fragrant, something to do with the fact the vines are grown at high altitude, but they taste pretty rough which is probably why you dont see them on the supermarket shelves in the uk. Still, after several tastings it started not to taste so bad..

From here we stopped off at Catamarca where we visited a huge catholic church which had built a shrine to their virgin of the valley whose statue apperared to three lost men in a cave and guided them back to their town. Once there, they put it in the church but she vanished and went back to the cave. They took it back to the church and in order to keep her happy built her her own shrine complete with a marble stircase, two angels to guard her and a big glass dome which she sits in with gold stars on the ceiling. People constantly file in and out to pray to her and she has a whole room dedicated to gifts, flowers, poem and prayers that people leave her on a daily basis. Talk about diva status.

After having in been in well known and lively spots and often bumping into people we had met at other hostels, we decided to get away for a few days and visit the thermal springs in Fiambala. Its a ten hour round bus trip and a taxi ride to reach it and there are no phones or internet access just several pools of varying temperatures which you can camp beside. As its cooler in the mountains it was lovely to get into the really hot pools at night for a swim, lay on your back and look up at the stars.

http://picasaweb.google.com/trevallion74/Fiambala

We have just arrived in Mendoza, a major argentine wine producing area so looking forward to more sampling of the local produce!

Speak Soon,

Sophie and Billyxxx

written by  billyandsophie on April 27, 2008 from Salta, Argentina
from the travel blog: South America
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