Back in the civilized world ...

...but also under the clouds ! Salta is a cute, quiet and safe city in northern argentina....and when you come from the charming but messy Bolivia, is a breath of fresh air ! Cars driving more or less safely on the streets, wifi hotspots all over town, nice terraces in which to have a drink, paved roads, higher prices (oups...), fast food restaurants all around, somehow welcoming stations in which to wait long hours between buses..... and taxis with who you don't arrange the price beforehand but have an automatic counter !

Following different recommendations I'd had, I booked a tour following, by car, the Tren de las nubes (which was a bit above my bidget : 120USD) up to San Antonio de los Cobres, north to Salinas Grandes and back down through Purmamarca.

Having gone out with one of the guys who worked at the Hostel, Jack and Monique (a German girl despite her name !) the night before, I was exausted and waking up at 6:30am was tough.

In my group were 2 great 65-years old grandparents who decided to travel to Salta with their arranged minivan in which they slept, and an unbearable 39-year old argentinian man that wouldn't stop from yelling his questions back-to-front in the van to the guide. The kind of person that always has to have the last word, knows about everything and .. oh well, I'll stop my description here, you can have a picture of when he asked all the street-sellers-women in San Antonio de los Cobres to go around him.... no comment.

Needless to say that given that all the groups stopped at the same spots, I socialised with other people and had the chance to meet Vanessa (among others), a swiss girl with who we went down to southern Salta (more on that on the next episode).

Nothing much to say about this trip apart from its gorgeous landscapes

giant cactus

the great empanadas in San Antonio de los Cobres

and disappointing Salinas Grandes.

Just so you know : never go to Salinas Grandes after the Salar de Uyuni !!!!