Bus: Iguacu to Salta

It was time to say ciao to Brazil :(

We left the hostel at 8am, which we thought would give us ample time to get to the bus station in Argentina for our 9:45 bus. Only just!

We hopped on what we thought was a public bus (albeit smarter looking and without the entry turnstile). We got off at the Brazilian side, got our exit stamp, then waited for the next bus. A public bus turned up, but apparently the ticket we had from the first bus wasn't valid on this bus. They said the next bus of our type was 40 mins so we had no choice but to pay again. The bus then stopped at Argentina for everyone to get stamped, which took ages but luckily we made our connection.

The whole journey cost 1,300R which is pricey! There were only 3 options all with the same company so we chose the mid-priced one with the comfiest seats and reasonable times. Petrol was £1 a litre in Argentina so I guess this is why it's much more.

First, a 5 hour trip on Horianski bus to Posadas where we had 2 movies, sweets plus a coffee and a huge cup of cafe liquor for Anna.

We had an hour and a half wait so went into a cafe in the terminal which had no menu / prices displayed. Anna was after a cheeseburger and ended up with a huge chicken sandwich. This plus chips and 2 drinks was about 100P! So far Argentina is pricey, or they ripped off the gringos.

Also, when our luggage was loaded onto the bus, the guy then asked us something in Spanish. Looking blankly, he then said money! The backpackers behind us explained he wanted a tip and it's standard here. For 10 seconds work! Charming. So far, Argentina sucks in comparison to Brazil!

Then onto the major leg at 4:15pm - the expensive bit - run by Pluma. We had cama executive seats, the poshest class, which consists of big comfy armchairs which recline a long way (3 per aisle), blankets and airline-type service.

The landscape was fairly boring and barren, mostly scrubland with cows (or "walking steaks" as Anna calls them) standing in swampy grass.

Now and again the police would come aboard. They only seemed to question people who looked Argentinian to us, but no idea what they wanted.

They gave us some lovely sweet cakes (alfajores), more movies, but no dinner until 11pm! Dinner was huge - most of it was snacky and edible. The hot meal was sort of mashed potato and chicken?! Even Anna turned her nose up at it which says it all!!

We slept fairly well despite the bumpy road and awoke to a late breakfast at 9am.

The only bad part of the trip was the vile toilet. There were no rest stops as on our last trip so we had to use the onboard loo. Gross doesn't quite cut it. We promptly showered as soon as we got to our hostel!!

Bus arrived at Salta at 10:30am and it was less than a mile walk to our hostel.Read more