Shaggy horse dog
Trip Start
Jun 16, 2008
1
57
93
Trip End
Sep 18, 2008
Salta,
Northern Argentina,
Argentina
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Our bus left 10.30 giving us enough time to have breakfast and get some snacks for the journey. English Matt and Nick were on our bus too, as well as some people from the salt flat tour in Uyuni.
Despite sitting next to the baņo on the bus, the 12 hour journey was comfortable. The bus was modern and we even had a civilised lunch stop on route!
Soon after leaving San Pedro, we were processed through the Chilean immigration. Being at the same place where we entered Chile, we knew the drill
Desert, Argentina
. At least this time we didnīt need to get our bags searched. The conductor gave us a small snack and drink.We drove for a few hours past desert and other salt flats and arrived in Argentina where we went through another painless border crossing which appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.
After Taj being mistaken for Brazilian (he was wearing a Brazil Adidas jumper), he was even allowed into Argentina!
After the border crossing, the bus stopped at a restaurant where we were surprised to get a sandwich and a cup of tea. Outside the restaurant, we encountered a crazy sight: one very friendly, shaggy, horse-like dog. Although the photo doesnīt do it justice, this dog was huge! No one wanted to touch it except Taj!
We were crossing the Andes on this journey and the descent from the mountains was spectacular. After driving through the clouds, we noticed the change of scenery: what started as red, clay cliffs would change to gray to green.
Salar
After driving through this amazing valley, we arrived in Salta ahead of schedule. Salta is in the northwest of Argentina and is itīs 8th largest city. Itīs located in the foothills of the Andes and is approx 1100m above sea level. Yay we are leaving the high altitude behind!
We checked in to our hostel which was a short drive from the bus station. In Argentina we have found that the guys who take your bags off-on the bus do not work for the bus company. They are just entreprenaurial and do the job for the tip you will give them.
Hostel staff were very friendly and we were happy to see we had cable tv in our room!!
The hostel was a block from the plaza (9 de julio) so we went for a stroll and had a nice little panchito (small american hotdog).
After buying a few cheeky snacks, we headed back to the hostel for tv and sleep.
