Back To The Center Of Salta

Sunday, we started our stay of three nights in the most wonderful B & B in South America, Casa Hernandez! A couple from The Netherlands opened it three years ago after completing a year of travels. The home they bought and restored is beautiful and very comfortable. They are outgoing and helpful. The setting is quiet, located in small village of San Lorenzo, about five kilometers from Salta. It is perfect respite from the constant traffic noise of the city, which we have experienced for over two months now.



It was very rainy on Sunday and by the time we had moved into our room and relaxed a bit everything in the small town was closed. We luckily stopped by a pizzeria just down the lane as they were closing and were served some empanadas, which were very tasty. The rest of the day was spent reading, talking to family on Skype and listening to KRCL where our old friend Mike Evans did a musical tribute to “The Old Man” who passed away a couple days before Thanksgiving. Tony was a great person who shared his love of music with us for years; he will be missed in the bluegrass community nationwide, he was a legend.
Monday hung out around the house waiting for our new credit cards to arrive via FedEx. What a nice place to be stuck in, though I found out about 2:30 that the cards are not expected to arrive until FRIDAY, 9 pm! Oh my, what a worry! I hope we are able to connect with them before our afternoon flight on Saturday.

We hopped on a Salta-bound bus when we found out we were waiting in vain and walked around the city looking for somewhere to stop for lunch. Everything stops for siesta, even many cafes close. After walking Keith into the ground we decided to head to the supermarket, stop up on supplies for the next few days and head back to the Casa Hernandez, We enjoyed huge fresh salads when we returned, what a healthy treat!


Tuesday we took the San Lorenzo bus to the end of the route where we trekked up and down hills for about 4 km. The lush green was so relaxing and we took many breaks along the way practicing reading spanish aloud using the little informational map of the trail as we reached the various markers. It was the sunniest day yet in Salta, perfect for hiking!


San Lorenzo is a small village filled with impressive homes, even a small castle. We walked part of the way back to the Casa just to look at the estates.
Rhinoceros Beetle at bus stop


Today, Wednesday, is a holiday throughout Argentina and I dare guess most of latin america, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We saw one small procession as we took the bus back to the Las Rejas B & B near the center of Salta where we will stay for 3 more nights. Here are some pictures of the beautiful cathedral of Salta.






Hopefully our credit cards are making their way from Buenos Aires to Salta in spite of the Virgin Mary's big celebration!