Unlimited Meat and Red Wine

When our bus arrived in Salta, we obediently tipped the bag handler and reclaimed our bags, but I watched some people just after us refusing to tip him; I think they were saying that they had no money. He simply shrugged his shoulders, put the bags to one side, and continued with the next bag to come out of the boot. I assume they did get their bags after everyone else and he wasn't actually keeping them hostage, but what a horrible person! I wasn't very pleased to be back in Argentina.

Salta

The information online for our hostel,

Salta

rather than giving directions from the bus station like most of them do, simply said that you should jump in a taxi and they'll pay for it. So we got a taxi in front of the bus station and told the driver we were going to Hostal del Centro. When he heard that, he stopped the car, turned around and asked who would be paying, me or the hostel, so I told him the hostel would be paying. At that, he shook his head, got out of the car, and opened the boot to take our bags out. I shouted to him that it was OK, I would pay. On the way, still hoping to get the hostel to pay, I asked him if he would give me a receipt. No he replied. Horrible grumpy man!

At the hostel, I was struggling a little with the Spanish when checking in, but the owner realised I was an English speaker and switched from perfect Spanish to English with and English accent. I told him what had happened with the taxi driver and he said that it was no problem to take it off the bill, though he was rather surprised by the story. On Easter Island, Colette had recommended this hostel, telling us that they did the best barbecues if you are there on the correct day. A sign above the desk confirmed we had got it right: Eat and drink all you can BBQ! Wednesdays and Saturdays. We didn't have much time in Salta but Joanne wanted to go horse riding while we were there, so we signed up for the barbecue and, bearing that well in mind, signed up for the afternoon horse riding the next day.

Salta

Salta is meant to be a pretty town, so we had a bit of a wander about, but we were quite tired after the bus journey, and we were still a bit sick of Argentinian towns. It was also very windy and dusty when we first set foot outside, but we did see some of city.

Salta

It's windy when we arrive

Salta

Quilmes negro

Back at the hostel, the barbecue was starting and we discovered that Lucy and Zdenek, the couple from Iguazu Falls who had begun their trip with a two-week stomach flu delay, were at the same hostel. Needless to say, we both overdid the unlimited meat and wine, but I like to think that I easily outshone Joanne, by putting that extra special effort in. Just before falling into bed, I remembered about my recent purchase of two pairs of shorts, which surely meant I could finally throw out the pair of trousers whose fly was now held together only by safety pins; I bought them the first time I visited Thailand, five years previously, so they had done their duty. In the bin they went.