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Total Miles Traveled:<\/strong> 13,106<\/p>\n We weren’t originally going to go to Salta. \u00a0 Located in Argentina’s Northwest corner and nestled in the foothills of the Andes and near the Bolivia and Paraguay borders, Salta is a 19 hour bus ride from Mendoza (or a pretty pricey 5 hour flight that required us to fly first to Buenos Aires).<\/p>\n However, after we decided to leave Chile early, we had time on our hands.\u00a0 We opted for the bus ride.\u00a0 Friends have asked what taking a 19 hour bus ride is like.\u00a0 Luckily, it wasn’t that bad.\u00a0 We bought 1st class “primera clase”\u00a0 with 180 degree reclining seats. If you saw our previous post<\/a>, you get the idea.\u00a0\u00a0 But luckily this time we came prepared with food and snacks…\u00a0 With a little preventative Imodium \ud83d\ude42 and taking advantage of the stops along the way, it’s not so bad.\u00a0\u00a0 Alas, we didn’t win at bus bingo this time either!<\/p>\n Salta La Linda<\/strong><\/p>\n We didn’t expect to like Salta.\u00a0 In fact, we were thinking that we may only stay a couple of days before moving to one of the smaller villages located 1-2 hours north of Salta and in the beautiful cerro de los siete colores<\/em> (7 colored mountains) area.\u00a0\u00a0 But Salta surprised and entranced us – we ended up staying for a week.\u00a0 Nicknamed Salta la Linda<\/em> (translated Salta the Beautiful), Salta is one of the most Spanish-like cities in Argentina. \u00a0The local culture, however, is a blend of Spanish and “gaucho” and “criolla” (a mix of ‘cowboy’ and indigenous Indian) traditions.\u00a0 Because of its Spanish heritage, Salta boasts beautiful churches… the church in the picture below is located on one of the main plazas and is beautiful both during they day and at night.\u00a0 Note the dramatic clouds that formed around sunset.\u00a0 Locals kept telling us that it never rains in Salta – even if it looks like it will rain. \u00a0It rained that night – ALL NIGHT.<\/p>\n Salta’s Culture We were surprised how ‘artsy’ Salta is.\u00a0 It has lots of museums – there is even a shopping mall that serves as museum, featuring murals and modern sculptures interspersed between stores and on ceilings. \u00a0One museum (MAAM<\/a>) showcases 3 perfectly-preserved children from the 1500s, who were believed to be of Incan nobility and offered up to deities as sacrificial offerings. \u00a0 \u00a0The children were found by hikers on the Llullaillaco Volcano in the Andes in 1999. \u00a0 Here’s how scarily well-preserved the 500 year mummy children are:<\/p>\n Pe\u00f1as<\/strong><\/p>\n Salta is home to a style of folk music called ‘pe\u00f1as’.\u00a0\u00a0 It dates back to the gaucho culture of last century.\u00a0 We describe it as an interesting blend of music that is part US country, part Mexican “ranchero” and part Spanish Flamenco.\u00a0 But it works and we enjoyed it.\u00a0 Pe\u00f1as are so pervasive that local restaurants provide a place to have ‘pick up pe\u00f1as where restaurant patrons – after (or even during dinner) will pick up their guitar, drum or pan flute and start jamming.<\/p>\n \n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lisaandtony.com\/travelblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/map_salta.jpg\" "\\"map_salta\\"")
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