Day 25: September 8, 2007 Saturday in Salta

  Salta, Argentina
Saturday, September 8, 2007

Day 25: September 8, 2007 In Salta

I slept in until 9:00 before going through my routine. I called Liz and talked with her for a few minutes. It was great to hear her voice. She was very surprised to hear from me. I then called my parents but my phone ran out of minutes just after they answered so we had to cut it short. I really didn't know when Elena would return from her overnight so I went down to the office at 10:30 but no one was there except Nico. I did a couple of internet chores and then took the bus downtown to try to get my prescriptions filled and more minutes on my phone.

This is the start of a holiday week in Salta. El Día del Milagro (September 15th) is a very salteño celebration. According to tradition, it all started in 1590. Salta used to have a lot of earthquakes. A ship carrying a wooden religious statue of the Virgin Mary to Peru sank off of the coast of Chile. The statue floated to shore in its box and was rescued. Because the BBishop of Tucumán had promised a statue to Salta, it was strapped onto the backs of mules and carried across the Andes and Puna to Salta and was installed in one of the churches. The strong earthquakes of September 13, 1692 tumbled the statue but it did not sustain significant damage. The Jesuit priests decided to move it to another the church in the city center because its original home was in danger of collapse. On September 15th, it was carried through the streets and the earthquakes stopped. The statue has been paraded around the streets each year on that "Day of the Miracle" and Salta hasn't had a major earthquake since. This explains why the city center still retains some of its colonial buildings and charm. Hey, whatever works! Of course, as a geologist, I interpret this to mean that the major faults around Salta are locked. This means that the stress in the rocks is continually increasing. Eventually, the rocks will rupture, probably catastrophically, and the city will be destroyed. It's sad but it's the fate of all Andean cities.

I went to a farmácia on Belgrano and was able to get my prescriptions filled without a problem. In the U.S., I pay $50/month for these two drugs, synthroid and diovan. I obtained 3 months of synthroid and 1 month of Diovan for 100 pesos, or about $31. They are the exact same drugs! I'll leave it to the reader to interpret how I feel about American pharmaceutical companies.

Next, I went to the MovieStar telephone locutorio at Mitre and Belgrano to learn how to get more minutes on my phone. It was easy but the maximum amount for the cards they sell is only 20 pesos. I walked a block and a half down to the archaeological museum, MAAM, and went in to see the child mummy, La Doncella. There were a lot of people waiting to see her and only a few were allowed in at a time. Fortunately, the building is air-conditioned and there are many artifacts on display that were found with the three children. She was about 15 when she died, Elena's age. Her state of preservation is amazing. The skin on her arms and face is as smooth as mine. I lingered for about 10 minutes. Fotos are not allowed for public viewers but a good foto of the mummy can be seen at La Nación.com.

I ate lunch in a restaurant at the entrance to a galería just south of the museum. It was warm and clear and I had a good view of the colonial cabildo that faces the square from the south. I hopped a cab back to Grand Bourg and went to the office to read email, blog, and maybe even do some real work. Elena returned about an hour later. She had a great time and was up late so she was tired. I put her on a computer and the two of us did our own cyberthings for a couple of hours before returning to the apartment.

El Cabildo de Salta

I chatted with Jorge while Elena showered. He and Bernardo were going out. Elena and I decided to eat next door since neither of us felt like going into town. As usual, we had an excellent meal and Ramón was most attentive. He likes Elena.

We were both beat when we got back to the apartment so we just went to bed. I was out in no time.