Monday, August 15, Salta
By Hilary Wicks and Miriam Westin

Ola from Salta!

This morning we all met up at the Hotel Presidente at 9:00am (okay, so maybe it was a little bit after nine) where we got onto our buses for our 200km drive to Cafeyate. Most of us slept on the bus since we’d been up pretty late last night. (Has anyone mentioned that we eat supper at 11:00pm here? Well, we do.) Anyway, we made a few stops on the way to Cafeyate. First we stopped at a small café which sells excellent cakes and breads, and then we stopped twice more for Kodak moments. One stop was for the scenery, which the second stop was supposedly for. But I am pretty sure that most people got out of the bus at the second stop to get a picture with the llama! As we continued our journey to Cafeyate we saw stunning views of the Andes Mountains. At times we could see six layers of mountains, and we enjoyed seeing all the cactus (cacti, cactuses?? - this was a major discussion on the bus).

The Andes Llama on the way to Cafeyate,
by Miriam Westin




Then we reached our destination - the town of Cafeyate - where we had lunch. At lunch we were serenaded by some Argentinean musicians - one of our many cultural experiences. Actually, it reminded me a bit of Newfoundland when the locals started to clap with the music. Some of us joined in, only to realize that we didn’t know when to stop and some of us were left clapping after the locals had all stopped. After lunch we did some shopping around Cafayate. There were a lot of traditional stores selling everything from panchos to drums to necklaces to little fake llamas. Back in the bus.

We were headed for a place called Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat. I am pretty sure none of us knew what to expect of this “natural amphitheatre”. It was amazing! It wasn’t a cave really, because the top was open to the sky. The only way I can explain it is as a cul-de-sac carved into the mountain, but naturally. The walls of the amphitheatre made for great acoustics and there were a couple of musicians playing the accordion and a type of flute. You could hear the music throughout the theatre, even though it was huge and there were so many people there. Our choir sang O Canada, Can You Hear Me, Hoj Hura Hoj (this was a per.fect place to sing this song because of the echoes), She Moves Through…, Arbol del Ovido, and the Ode. There were some booths set up by the theatre where we made a few purchases on our way back to the bus. About two hours later we were back in Salta. At 9:00pm everyone was wishing each other “good suppers” as well as “good nights”.

From Salta, Argentina, this is Miriam and Hilary signing off. Stay updated on our great tour. Tune in next time for blogging from…whoever blogs next.

Buen Dia