After Christmas we took another overnight bus further North to Salta. Salta is located at the boarder of the Andes and surrounded by mountains. The city itself has a nice center and a variety of attractive looking restaurants. In Buenos Aires we discovered a drink called licuado, which is nothing more than a milk/ water shake but it tastes great and helps to get enough vitamin C. Since our discovery we look for bars having it on the menu.
In Salta we wanted to go on an trip along the known “Tren de las Nubes” track. The train is out of order until March, so you have to go by bus. We compared several offerings and were surprised of the price differences, from 320 to 800 pesos (65-160CHF) for a one-day trip. According to the operators the main differences are the cars, the service and the included food. We decided to go for the cheapest, since buying our own food is not an issue and would not cover the gap. The next morning our tour bus arrived more or less in time and we started to climb up the Andes. At the first stop our guide Sergio bought coca leaves and thought us how to use them. In his opinion, not trying them would be missing a cultural experience. We tried it but it felt more like a teabag in the cheek than an ignition. We crossed the Andes for the first time and had a good lama lunch in a little village at 3700m. After lunch Sergio informed us that the car has a flat tire and that we have to wait a while. After the while passed he announced that the driver ultimately found a garage and in about 10 minutes we would be back on the road… Well maybe he had another watch or is not good with numbers. We waited about 75 minutes in the sun because the locals had already taken the shadowy places. The combination of sun, altitude and lack of drinks was maybe not the best and when we could continue with the trip some people’s mood was down. Everybody cheered up when we arrived at the Salinas, a huge salt sea. Stunning view, fascinating nature and a cruel sun; some passengers including Michi brought home more souvenirs than just photos.
The last part of our round-trip was another summit and a descent on a devil road, real steep and curvy. At the beginning of the descent the driver stopped the bus and started to check the breaks… Since the strange noise did not stop he started to drive slowly downhill. In one way it was his own fault, as he drove on the unpaved road like he would participating in the Paris-Dakar ralley, which will take place here in January. In another way we might get punished for not chosen a more expensive tour. I had the feeling that the big cactus on the way down where showing us the finger for trying to save some money.
Inspired by other stories we wanted to visit the Thermes del Rey, hot springs next to San Salvador de Juyuj.
In the evening we were looking again for a possibility to dance tango and went to the city center. The tango place was closed but in the lovely city center there was a Christmas children spectacle. Youth groups from all over the region come and perform some dances and songs for Jesus in the front of the church. It was very funny to look at, especially the young children who were doing anything but not they right steps. Some of them got tired in the middle of their performance and just sat down. Apparantly we still look like tourists and in between a performance the priest pointed at us and asked us to get on stage to talk to the audience. With our limited Spanish we could not really express ourselves but they seemed happy and we had our 5minutes of fame.
The next morning we took the bus to the thermes. 45 minutes later we arrived in the middle of the mountains and followed the people from the bus. Unfortunately they did not head to a single place so we had to ask for directions. The not very helpful first answer: “There are therms everywhere!” The second group showed us the way to some hot pools. We followed the road and found the pools. A family built two pools and for 10pesos you could use them and their facilities. Not quite what we imagined but we went for the local version. After entering the pool I took a closer look at the water, which I definitely should not have. It was grey, somehow filthy and full of mosquitos. After a few moments I was convinced that I would get several diseases if I stayed any longer in the water and did some sunbathing instead. Whilst sitting at the pools we saw a nice building we expected to be the described facility. Before taking the bus back we went up there; it looked really nice, certainly more expensive and closed for renovation. After walking back and looking around the first direction statement started to make sense. Every family owning some land and a few liter concrete built a pool and is offering a public recreation place.
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