Today's Lesson (2/25): For important events, the ancient Incans would sacrifice children by first ceremonially marrying them, getting them drunk, and burying them alive. Some such children were preserved as mummies in the Andes near Salta and are on display in a museum.
Aside from the horrifying fact above, Salta deserves its nickname Salta la Linda (Salta the Cute). We arrived early on a not so great night bus from La Rioja (no blankets, pillows, or snacks in Cama Ejecutivo!) watching the terrain change from dry desert to lush mountains. We were DELIGHTED that our hostel room was ready at 8am and they even gave us breakfast (with eggs!). Afterwards, we immediately headed out to climb Cerro Bernardo's 1000 steps (accompanied by a street dog...of course...this IS South America). At the top, we had coffee then took the cable car down and proceeded to the main Plaza for museum and cathedral visiting....and all that before 1pm. Next, we found a delightful restaurant, open since 1857, were seated on the balcony overlooking the plaza, listened to the sounds of jazz saxophone wafting through the air, and dined on fish, veggies, and a local Torrentes wine.
#argentina #backpacking #SouthAmerica @ Salta, Argentina
