10 Days in Salta

Time flies and I’m now back in Buenos Aires, ready to head home.
I was absolutely stunned by the landscapes, the different colors of rocks, and particularly the people of Salta and its surroundings.
I took too many photos, I have climbed a little, I cycled against the wind in amazing landscapes, I have been cold, I saw a sprinkle of snow, I have been hot, I have absorbed dust, I have been over 4’000 meter-passes, I had slight headaches, I did not chew coca leaves, I forgot my magic lip care in Buenos Aires and kind of survived with anti-wrinkle Vitamin A cream until today,
I am totally fed-up of unpaved roads, I have been to a wonderful remote village so so far away, I have been I don’t know how many times to a stream at 3’500 meters high stranded in the middle of nowhere at 5 p.m. with a plastic bottle to re-fill and cool down a hot and leaking car,
a school class asked me in a Park for my opinion (in Spanish of course) about the arrival of the Argentine Spring I will unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately not see, one kid managed to give me the name of the fifth and smallest country bordering Switzerland (we visibly had something in common…),
I have eaten excellent empanadas, I have had to eat mixed cheese and jam, I have taken care not to break my bones on mountain village pavements washed by ladies in the morning when the temperature is still below freezing point, I have seen huge cemeteries for tiny mountain villages, and definitely understood that space was not an issue here,
I met an extraordinarily nice Argentine family (and all the relatives), I was invited at their small apartment for my first night, I was guided around for the best places to go out, I was invited again, I watched Argentina draw against Chile on a terribly fuzzy screen, I was invited to the Shopping Mall, and was invited again last night for an Asado, I had great discussions, I discovered local dance styles such as Chacarera or Quartet, I did not dance any Salsa can you imagine, I got up very early quite a few mornings, and went to bed late a few mornings too.
I shed a tear when getting back to bed early this morning, thinking of all these great moments, and didn’t sleep much.
Going back home now, I hope I’ll manage to import and distribute home a sprinkle of this wonderful Argentine attitude, welcome and warmth I have witnessed. Less preparation, less planning, more invitations and more spontaneity.