Salta

I blissed out! After a 22 hour overnight bus from Mendoza, I arrived to Salta. I immediately hiked up to El Mirador to watch the sunset. I liked the hike so much I did it three times during my stay in Salta. Hike is life!

When I came back after the sunset, I chatted with Diego the hostel owner. We shared a bottle of wine made from the torrontes grape while watching the Argentinian soccer game. The northern region of Argentina is known for its white wine. It was dulce and delicious! I also met an Argentinian actor who travels to schools and does educational performances about domestic violence. Art and education at its finest.

I then had the task of trying to get my visa for Bolivia. It was a disaster! Not a monsterous disaster, but it was a headache. I went to the embassy, then had to go to the bank, waited for an hour and half in line but couldn't get the amount out, and of course couldn't get the passport photos in time. While I was scrambling about, I ran into Scotty and Matt from Mendoza! It was such a treat. They invited me to go on another road trip with them, and I happily accepted.

The next day Leonie arrived. She is my first friend that I met post-Noor in Rio. We decided to meet up again and travel to Bolivia together. After we caught up, we met a Spanish psychologist named Marta who was volunteering in Peru. The three of us went to the San Martin market so I could try Argentinian tamales. Verdict? Yum.

Leonie and I were missing veggies so we bought curry powder at the market and made eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, and onion. There was pasta in the free pile, so we threw it in for good measure. I want to start cooking with eggplant when I return home. I was in charge of the guacamole, which I have never actually made. I had the fab idea to put it in a lettuce wrap. Combined with the lemon water, I was one happy little veggie eater.

Another hour at the bank and one hundred and sixty dollars later, I got my visa for Boliva. Just in time for our road trip with Scotty and Matt!

Scotty suggested that we go to the Salinas Grandes salt flats and Tilcara to see some ancient ruins. He also suggested that we have a picnic. Cute! They brought leftover asado, bread, cheese, red bell pepper, and tomatoes, and we brought apples, lettuce, avocado, peanuts, and salami. We goofed off at the salt flats and took loads of photos, most of mine yogi inspired. The salt flats were cold on our feeties so we rushed off to have our special picnic with the flats as our backdrop. 

Tilcara was a quaint place. It was hot, so we got ice cream before hiking the ruins. There were a bunch of giant cacti, which reminded me of Katelyn, so I sent her a video.

On my last night, Diego invited me to the rooftop to celebrate his 41st bday with his friends and family. I learned how to make empanadas, and then I ate as many as I could until my belly hurt. Abuela made them three times as fast as I did. The first one I attempted came out mangled. A guy held it up for all to see and said "Mira, a California empanada!" Everyone laughed.

To make up for eating an entire plate of delicious meaty goodness the night before, I had vegan lasagna the next day for lunch. It's a good thing the vegan place isn't in SF - I would have to direct deposit my entire paycheck to the restaurant because I would eat there for every meal!