A One Dog Town (Salta)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	Salta
Date:	18/01/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great trips from Salta, nice dogs, some wonderful views

Disadvantages: People were a tad unfriendly, the hostel was basic and food choices limited

Salta is in the North Western region of Argentina, not far from the Andes and the border with Chile. I took a coach from Buenos Aires taking 18 hours, the coach journey cost £30 and was incredibly comfortable, food was served as part of the trip as well as copious amounts of Malbec, soft drinks etc. The staff were like airline staff, coming through the cabin proffering drinks and food at regular intervals. If i'm honest my Spanish held me back when bingo was played but it was a great way to practice my numbers, as was the film later on, watching Adam Sandler and David Hasselhoff translated into gutteral Spanish was worth the trip in itself.

So Salta, I got there and stayed in a local hostel, if i'm honest this was a pretty awful place, music blaring all night, my shower/toilet room was so small I had to shower standing on the toilet to get any water, but hey, that was fine.

Heading into Salta Town Centre, you have the impression it is a one horse town, it had a few bars and restaurants around the main square, a lovely church and museum, after that it did feel slightly listless with a cheap supermarket and people sat drinking beer.

I stopped for dinner and had Llama fried with peppers, onions and french fries, this was fine tasting tough and slightly underseasoned but like very tough rabbit really, whilst eating I was hassled by a local kid who was extremely threatening when I refused to give him money, he remained nearby while I ate outside making gestures, until I offered him some of my food, after this he moved on and did the same elsewhere.

I made some great friends of an Israeli and two Chileans in Salta as we all felt like Outsiders in a small town, as well as a lovely dog which I named Boca, he sat by my side during my meal and later followed me probably enticed by my ridiculous t-shirt or the promise of more food.

The weather was arid and warm at all times, people generally kept themselves to themselves. Food choices weren't great, wine as always was exceptional, as was the local beer.

I didn't have time but was told this was a great base for white water rafting and other adrenaline sports, which would have been cool.

The following day I went to a barbeque organised by the hostel which was fun and then set off into the Andes on an organised tour to cross the border into Chile, as well as seeing the legendary salt plains and the multi coloured hill's made famous in the recent Guinness domino advert, this was an amazing experience and one i'd recommend to anyone, but for me, Salta was one of the least interesting towns I visited in South America, its worth going to though as a base for the amazing things nearby.

Summary: A One Dog Town