So as I told in my previous post, I spent the last 5 days in and around the beautiful city of Salta in the north-east of Argentina. Without realizing it, you are already rather high in the Andes (about 1500m above the sea level), but Salta itself is just not looking like such a mountain city (although it is still very beautiful). Nevertheless it is pretty easy to get to smaller traditional villages and regions having an elevation between 3000m and 4000m, where luckily the Coca-leaves help a lot against the altitude sickness, as they improve the oxygen uptake.

Compared to Iguazú, the Salta province is really dry, hot and it almost never rains. And also the people and the feeling here are much more typed: you could easily think you were in Peru or Bolivia without seeing any changes, as they say “we look equally, have the same spirit, wear the same clothes and listen to the same music”.

I have done two excursions, one to Cafayate and another to Humahuaca. Both of them are two small villages having an amazing “quebrada” (ravine) as main attraction, where the shape and the colors of the rocks are incredible (see the photos). We also met some locals who spontaneously invited us to join them drinking some wine and eating empanadas (the area is well-known for having the best empanadas from all Argentina, and they indeed deserve this reputation). It was very nice to share such a moment with them, you wouldn’t be able to feel that kind of friendliness by doing only official tourist-tours.

I spent the rest of the time at Salta in the Sol Huasi Hostel, enjoying my time with many cool guys from all over the world, talking and laughing a lot. And we also had a great Christmas party, with a delicious dinner and (of course only a little bit of) alcohol, then music, dancing and partying all the night …. I really don’t know why the next day was rather relaxed and that quiet!

Right now I am waiting for my plane via Buenos Aires towards Lima where I’ll meet Steffen, who will join me to continue our world-trip together …. so the first part and my stay in Argentina definitely ends up today, but I am also looking forward to what is coming next.

I thank everyone of you for visiting my blog and leaving some comments (please apologize for my laziness and excuse that I don’t answer them, but the truth is really that I am still very happy reading them and hearing from you). Wish you a happy new year and see you in 2013 – cuidense, un beso y abrazo grande!