Because people like to say "Salta."

My entry into Salta involved a 24 hour airline adventure followed by an unexpected wait in an unexpectedly dull and empty airport.

{crickets}

{crickets}

I eventually happened upon a very kind taxi driver named Luis who reminded me that languages take practice, and patiently chatted with me as we drove downtown. So nice, these people.

Before Kim arrived I took a quick walk around the lovely Plaza 9 de Julio. The quick walk confirmed that I was in Argentina again - there is an unmistakable European air to this country, unlike Ecuador and Peru.

Oh, and also unlike Ecuador and Peru everyone smokes and blonde natives are everywhere.

Kim arrived via my old friend Luis (purely coincidental, I am pretty sure I did not convey for him to pick her up) and we ventured out to try the famous empanadas of Argentina. Smallish but muy rico oven-baked goodness at about $US 0.65 a piece, a few of those plus a few copas de cerveza or vino and you can call it a night... Well, at least that's what we did. Traveling is hard work, after all!

Friday we spent the morning figuring out plans for the next few days. In the afternoon we enjoyed lunch in the Plaza while a four man band played folk music nearby...

see? European, right?

... wandered looking for photo ops ...

another for the "pigeons on statue heads" gallery

phun with phocus in Parque San Martin

Catedral Basilica de Salta

... then checked out the views of the city from the teleferico.

(Very cool - I'd wanted to do that in Quito but never got around to it. In addition to great views this one had an awesome fountain and the best dulce de leche ice cream on a black cone. Chevere.)

awesome fountain

the best dulce de leche ice cream on a black cone

Meandered back downtown and later visited the MAAM - Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana - which houses a few mummified bodies of children offered to the gods by the Incas on Andean peaks. They were remarkably well preserved, so well so that it was difficult for me to believe that they were actually human remains - perhaps I have been to one too many wax museums in my life? We also saw lots of cool artifacts that were found during the same Llullaillaco archaeological expedition about 10 years ago.

I did find it amusing that like Ecuador and Peru, Argentina also boasts "THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT Incan contributions in history." No competition amongst countries there, haha.

Before going to the museum we observed an interesting combination in the main Plaza: a traffic safety street fair-slash-tango demonstration.

A strange pair, but not the strangest thing I have seen. (The traffic safety street fair was a multi-day affair, I had seen it the night before too. The way people drive here, I suppose the multi-day affair was a good idea.)

Dinner turned into its own adventura. After walking around for 30 minutes we ended up at the place near the hostel we'd been resisting every time we walked by. I had a great salad (always amazing to find that anywhere I've been) and Kim enjoyed some of Argentina's fine beef. For dessert we shared amazing dulce de leche crepes, which just confirmed that it was fated that we would eat at that restaurant that night no matter how long we had walked around. (It also confirmed that I am oddly now addicted to chocolate. I blame all the cold morning "mochas" on the Inca Trail.)

Downtown Salta is quite nice - safe, clean, easy enough to get around on foot and with several centrally-located parks and plazas. The larger city is near amazing scenery and of course, some wonderful wineries. Looking forward to seeing more of the area in the next few days...