Argentina: Salta

 Flew to Salta from Bariloche. Did several bus tours while I was here. This was a much larger city, with more conveniences. In some other spots I couldn't pay my credit card, and had trouble finding ATMs to get more cash, or places to change dollars. The official exchange rate was terrible, so you need to find places that can give the unofficial rate, or pay by credit card (the government recently announced a policy where major credit cards can reimburse tourists for most of the difference between the official and unofficial rates). Here in Salta, it was easy to find money changers, unlike some other places I'd been. (They need VERY clean bills, though - any wrinkles were unacceptable).

First day trip: to Huamahuaca, Purmamarca, and Tilcara.

Second day, to Las Salinas Grandes.

Next day, to Cafayate. All of these were long days, in tourist buses. One of the bus drivers was pretty annoying (I got the same driver on a second day, and went to the very back so I wouldn't have to listen). The buses were comfortable, though.

The tour included a winery (with dogs). There was also a place to get wine ice cream nearby.

We had a couple hours free, and I decided to ditch the tour and get a cab to a nearby hiking area that we'd passed on the way, then have the bus pick me up when I'd finished. 

I thought I'd made my plan clear, but apparently not - my tour guide was panicking that she'd lost the American, and was hugely relieved when she got me again. She was very stressed about this - oops. The hike was great, though (Sendero los Estratos/Yesera). I met and chatted with various French people while I was hiking.

My last trip was La Tren a Los Nubes, which was very disappointing. This was one of the highest trains in the world, and sounded spectacular, but most of the train route was closed, so we just took a bus from the train station to where the train picked us up, had a short train ride to a bridge, then turned back. It was a very long day for a very short train ride, and they didn't communicate any of this very well. Multiple tourists thought they'd signed up for an all-day train ride, and were very disappointed.

There were lots of coca candies here, for the elevation.

All week, we'd stopped at various tourist markets selling various kinds of knickknacks, alpaca sweaters, etc. Back in Salta, I wanted to pick up various sweaters, socks, souvenirs, etc., and suddenly found I couldn't find any places, or none that were open in the morning. Finally I found a place to buy a few things, then headed out. I stopped in at a historic church too.