salta

Choosing a destination outside of Buenos Aires was difficult once we decided that Patagonia probably wasn’t the best idea. Too little time and my limited budget makes for zero glacier hiking. However, if you ask anyone in country and they’ll tell you almost everything is AMAZING. Of course locals gushed about the expansive beauty of Iguazu’s waterfalls. As much as we believed them, Natalie and I were uninterested in waterfalls this time around. Then there was the option of cycling around the vineyards of Mendoza. This is Natalie’s type of thing and I can’t say that I would have enjoyed it much. I drink wine every now and then. It puts me to sleep.

Then came Salta, a region in the north west of the country and area with great mestizo societies with Andean backdrops. There are jungles, desert, dunes, wineries, arts, entertainment and more to be seen all in Salta and the surrounding towns. In the end, I think I picked Salta because of the diverse options to choose from and it didn’t hurt that the weather was possibly the warmest out of anywhere else in country during the winter season.

Getting to Salta was a trip. On the way it was only supposed to be an 18 hour bus ride, but our bus was experiencing some technical problems and we had to switch to another bus maybe two hours outside of the city. So our trip into Salta was roughly two hours longer than it should have been. Thankfully buses in Argentina are not like Greyhound. They were very cozy (seats reclined all the way back into a bed) and they feed you A LOT.

When we finally did arrive we checked into the Design Suites. I booked this hotel because it looked like a pretty hip boutique spot and it had a gym. (I needed to be sure I could get my runs in.) I really wanted to like the hotel 100%, but I can only give it 85%. The sinks splashed a wee too much water out onto the floor and the 4th floor spa could use a little upkeep. Otherwise the staff was very nice, the morning breakfast was awesome, the view from the gym was cool and the Osadia restaurant is excellent too. Beware: that the portion sizes are very hearty and very tasty! The art displayed around the hotel was interesting and they had a nice display of jewelry from local artisans. The Design Suites is a nice base camp for day trips outside of the city of Salta to explore Salta, the province.

I really enjoyed the city of Salta. It is small, but clean and very attractive. Most attractions can be easily found in Plaza 9 de Julio. The Iglesia Catedral is a must see by day and by night. MAAM is a small museum and for 30 pesos we got to see the one of the “Llullaillaco Children.” They are one of the most important archaeological finds in recent times and tells about ancient rituals of the Incas.

Aside from these two sites my top two favorite places in Salta have to deal with shopping and food. I’ll start with the food.

Jose Balcarce. Yum. Delicious. Fantastic. This is where I had my big opportunity to try llama (pronounced sha-ma in Arg Spanish) and the chef didn’t disappoint. From appetizer to desert I think I was hypnotized. I’ll describe each briefly. My appetizer consisted of salted shrimp, fennel acidity, raw ham with reduction of aceto. My entree was llama loin, quinoa llaswa and filled achoschas. My dessert: orange blossom custard. There were only two wishes I had while dining at Jose Balcarce. I wished Natalie had enjoyed her trout more and that my husband could have joined in this particular dining experience.

My second favorite stop in Salta was at Objetos de Agrado. I think I nearly went bananas at this small jewelry shop. The owner was a nice woman named Solana. She was very down-to-earth and humble. I could sense the pride she took in being able to create pieces that spoke to many different types of people within Salta and worlds beyond. Swing by her place if you are ever in Salta.