Salta la Linda

In Salta, the only way to cross the street is by running frantically, your things bobbing up and down, or else risk an untimely demise. No, it isn´t just foreigners that do it...it´s a way of life here, seeing as there are no stop signs, street lights (except in the busiest and scariest of four way intersections). We learned to run like the locals, but I swear...walking the streets of Salta is a guantlet experience.
We arrived in Salta on Tuesday night after a 12 hour bus ride through the incredible Andes mountain range. Since then, we have eaten not one but TWO huge steak dinners complete with free champagne, salad, desert, and a bottle of wine - each of these running us about $15 USD a person...unreal). We try to look classy when we are in these places (everyone else does, and the waiters wear tuxedos and carry serviettes on their arms), however our efforts are in vain and we just end up giggling like we are getting away with something by eating a $7.00 filet. At least they seem to be pretty amused by us for the most part.
Otherwise, we have seen two movies in English (yes, I know, but we are exhausted at this point...). Lia has climbed the 1,070 stairs twice and Lorna once to get to the top of the magnificent Cerro San Bernardo, a gorgeous view the reward. And let me tell you, this is no easy climb...and even though it is blessed by the Virgin Mary herself (there are kiosks on the way up that you and pray at, and yes, people do pray), it´s still tiring. At the top you can bask in the sun next to an artificial waterfall or eat ice cream (so good!) and play with perros. Then you can take a terrifying and somewhat rickety gondola down to the bottom.
With 1070 waiting stairs to climb in Salta, you wonder why we would leave at all, right? Well, there are lots of beautiful sights around the city that warrant visiting.
Yesterday we took what will most certainly be our last organized tour. After being kept up literally all night by a group of circus performers (no seriously, they really do work for the circus) we were a bit crabby when we embarked on our 7 am tour. But we did get to see some of the freakiest and most hallucinogenic scenery we´ve ever seen...the Salt Desert (salinas grandes). A crusty, perfectly flat expanse of the starkest white that seemed to stretch forever (or would have if it hadn´t been for the mountains in the background). The three of us spent an hour taking ridiculous pictures where it looks like we are standing on each others´heads and the like. We will post them at a later time, but you have to see it to believe it. And yes, we did lick the ground (Lorna and Lia) and yes, it was very very salty. We also witnessed the beautiful seven colored mountains that literally appear to be painted stripes of green, pink, red, yelllow and purple, along with many quebradas (gorges) that run through the area. This whole trip seems to have been a smorgasbord of incredible sights.
The city is an interesting mix of old and new - glass covered buildings stand next to bubblegum colored colonial cathedrals. The main square is peppered with teenage students (of whom the girls wear ridiculously short uniform skirts...ALL of them). We are ready tomorrow to take on Buenos Aires..we fly there tomorrow afternoon! We are certain it will be all it´s cracked up to be and we will eat many more steaks in style :)

Love to all,

La Tres Profesoras