Salta - Nice But Not More

Leaving the colourful mountains behind, we were heading to Salta, Argentina's northernmost city. The drive to Salta turned out to be more adventurous as we anticipated. By trying to avoid some of the highway charges, we took the road through the hinterland, which meant narrow roads through thick forest with limited visibility. We didn’t know about it, as it looked like a normal road in the map. Since I couldn't really look into some of the corners, I was basically driving with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the honk to warn any car that was coming our way.

Anyway, we arrived in Salta in the evening all safe and sound and were ready to explore the city the following day. We started by strolling towards the Teleferico (or cable car) to get up to the San Bernading lookout that provided us with beautiful views over the city. Up there, we observed that at least half of the Argentineans were carrying a thermo bottle with them filled with Mate (a kind of green tea). I wouldn't have expected that many people to carry tea to a viewpoint, but drinking Mate in Argentina is apparently deeply embedded in the culture. A bit strange, but well, each to their own.

After some time on the hill and enjoying the atmosphere, we walked down the hill before visiting a little local food market to grab a bite to eat and stroll through the market, chatting to people, etc. To be fair, there wasn't a huge amount to do in Salta, except exploring the old down, the central square (which is beautiful to be fair and we lingered there for a bit) and some of the churches (they have quite a few). Unfortunately, all the churches were closed that day, which was a bit of a pity.

Essentially, that was already it for Salta. For the evening, though, we decided to have some traditional Argentinian steak. Our AirBnB owner had recommended a place the day before and so we went. And oh boy was that steak delicious - might be the best steak that I have ever eaten. The portion was huge and the meat so soft and delicious, it was brilliant. The accompanying red wine rounded up a perfect meal. In addition, the waiter was really funny, cracking jokes, taking pictures and really just enjoying being a waiter.

It was a brilliant end to our time in rural Argentina. While Salta was probably my least favorite place as there was not much to do, dad and I reviewed our time together in Patagonia and Jujuy. From the very south to the very north of Argentina we went and saw the stark contrast in the Argentinian landscape. We enjoyed both those regions for various reasons. I think Patagonia was incredible in terms of the beauty of the mountains, trekking at the end of the world and fulfilling a long-term dream of my dad. Jujuy on the other side was unexpectedly stunning. We didn't plan to come here in the first place, but were glad we did as the colours of the mountains were just ridiculous. Still cannot get over the fact how nature can create something like that to be fair. Truly mind-blowing!

The only destination now left for our time together was Buenos Aires. Vamos!Read more