La Morena en Salta

I arrived in Salta Argentina two days ago and it has been so much fun already. The bus ride from San Pedro de Atacama was so luxurious and a really nice change from the buses of Bolivia. Not only were there aisles free from the obstruction of excess passengers, there were actually EXTRA seats...who would have thunk it. There was a minor issue with the bus situation in that I almost missed it. I was checking out of my hostel, ten minutes before the bus was to leave, and the receptionist informed me that part of my fee had to be paid with cash (for the laundry services). This wouldn't have been a problem if I'd had cash or the one cash machine in the town was working, but neither of these things were true. So I was extremely close to missing my bus when a guy from the hostel that I'd been friendly with offered to lend me the cash I needed and told me I could re-pay him in the states (he's from California). I don't remember his name anymore but I was so thankful to him! It made me realize that although I am travelling alone and 'self-dependent' so to speak, I am not because I constantly find myself depending on the kindness, goodness, and friendliness of others during my time here. So I made my bus and arrived to Salta earlier than expected (I love it when that happens, and I was really glad this time because I was so hungry...a 14 hour bus ride with only cookies and a fruit cup for a meal). I hadn't decided on a hostel, but once I de-boarded at the bus terminal, there were loads of people promoting great hostel deals. I went with the one that offered free wi-fi, hot showers, and warm beds...the simple pleasures of life. Once I arrived to the hostel I settled in and got something to eat, then I called it a night.

The next day I had no plans, just to walk around the city and see the beautiful sights that Salta boasted. I went to the Plaza de Indepedencia and sat in the sun reading for a long time (I've just about finished The Fountainhead and have been frantically searching for bookstores that sell books in English that I actually want to read...no such luck yet). I also went to a big long road of shops that sold a large variety of things (clothes, electronics, foot long hot dogs with mayonese...anything you can think of). I ended up getting a small set of speakers and another sim card for my cell phone. It was during my exploration of the city that I noticed I was receiving more attention than usual, calls of Morena and uneccessary 'Hola's, but I didn't know what to think of it, so I forgot about it. That night I decided to attend the asado (bbq) that my hostel held. I thought it would be a good chance to know the people who were staying at my hostel and be social. The food was the bomb.com, I stuffed myself to capacity. I also realized that I was the only person staying at the hostel who didn't speak really good spanish. I tried my best to keep up, but spent most of the time just listening. It seemed to me that my spanish was improving at one point but I'm so unaccustomed to the Argentinian accent (mainly the double-LL pronounced like a -jio like in dijian mustard, or -sho depending on who you´re speaking with), it was like learning a new language. We ate and drank for about four or five hours, and then we decided to go out to a bar. At the dinner table, one Argentinian guy from Cordoba informed me that, 'Here in Argentina we love the Morena women...' he explained a little bit more, but I'll spare the details, it just put the days events into better perspective for me. The bar was really chill (there was a live band playing great reggae music) and I ran into two people that I'd met previously at other hostels throughout my travels: one girl from San Pedro de Atacama, and one guy from La Paz. It was good to see the girl because we had plans to meet up maybe in Salta, but definately in Buenos Aires...the guy not so much because he was a little weird acting; but it just goes to show how small the world is. After speaking with some of my hostel mates, we decided to take a day trip the next day to Cafayate.

Today was the day of the road trip. We got a late start because I slept until noon, but there was no time limit so it was all good. Marco, the guy that I went on the road trip with, bought a car in Salta a few days before (on a whim) and so we were on our way. It was so beautiful and I got to practice my spanish more because Marco, a native of Mar del Plata Argentina and a professional surfer, did not speak any English. It was really hard...really really hard, but we managed with the help of extensive hand gestures and a very simple vocabulary. It was a really laid back and chill day. I had a great time and took so many pictures of the mountains.



We made a lot of stops on the way and I got some souvenirs.



When we finally made it back to Salta, we ordered pizzas, drank wine, and hung out at the hostel with two girls from Spain and another Argentinian guy from Ushuaia. I plan to go to bed now and depart for Mendoza tomorrow. I will have a chance to do some wine tasting there (which I didn't have the time to do in Cafayate) and maybe some shopping for leather goods. I look forward to arriving there because I think the landscape will be a pleasant reminder of the wine country in Arezzo. More updates to come.