Salta

I arrived in Salta excited to see northern Argentina and to show the world that Dengue fever is nothing to be afraid of! In all reality after doing some internet research and finding that 100 000 people in the Salta/Northern Argentina had been infected (and many passed away) due to the outbreak, I was a little worried! I was worried but not worried enough to skip this gorgeous part of Argentina as so many other tourist are at present. I didn't see a single mosquito during my stay and managed to stay infection free (next up staying Swine Flu free on the plane ride home!).

Salta is a gorgeous little city nestled in the foothills of the Andes. Salta is famous for its gorgeous 18th century cathedrals, amazing museums, delicious food (best empandas in South America hands down!!) and folk music. I stayed in a family run hostel which had a great communal area for BBQs and nightly music. The son blew us away each night with his local folk songs. What a voice!!

The Salta museum houses three child mummies killed 500 years ago and buried high in the mountains. Due to the lack of oxygen and low temperatures they were preserved perfectly. I have seen a few of these mummies in Peru but the 15 year old girl called "la Doncella" (spanish for "the maiden") was the most impressive I have ever seen. She was found high in the Andes near Salta in 1999. Her hair was done completely in tiny little braids, her skin was in perfect condition and her clothing immaculate. She sits in a display case with her head bent down and her legs crossed with creepy tribal music playing in the background. I was the only person in the museum and I got a shiver as she was so well preserved it seemed that she was ready to lift her head and stare right back at me. It was considered to be the greatest honor to be chosen to be a child sacrifice. They would fatten up these children up to a year in advance, dress them in the finest garments, hike them up high in the Andes (at an altitude of 22 ooo feet!), give them corn alcohol until they passed out and bury them. Its hard to imagine what their last moment were like or what they were feeling at the moment of their demise but to see them sitting in front of you in perfect form is simply amazing.

The rest of my days in Salta were filled with day hikes, walking around the city and taking a tour around the area to see some of the amazing archaeological sights in the area. Purmamarca is a beautiful seven colored mountain (pink, green, grey, purple, orange, brown, white) a few hours outside of Salta and it was breath taking. Huamahuaca is another town we went to with great markets and interesting history and it was neat to stand on the Tropic of Capricorn. I really enjoyed my time in Salta but am excited to head on to San Pedro, Chile and to see the dessert and meet back up with my friend Sebastiaan!