SALTA!

Things are looking up again. Spent almost all of yesterday in a Salta hostel bed so sway-backed I started having delusions of being sucked into it a la Johnny Depp in Nightmare on Elmstreet. After almost a solid month of plowing relentlessly forward through an ever changing climate with probably less than ideal nutrition (Argentinians don't serve much at restaurants that isn't red and bloody or flat, round and covered with cheese), I was knocked out by some fast-acting super-fever. Young rustled me up various medicines from the late night pharmacy, including a "add hot water" fever reducer that tasted like the devil's armpit, but despite its evil taste, it did not have the dark magic to exorcise my temperature. Making the day of bed rest particularly uncool was that we were planning a hike through a very awesome sounding cloud forest, and it was a gorgeously warm day (or it appeared that way out the window...sniff).

The pics above are of some Salta sights that we visited before the plague felled me. The architecture here, particularly the churches, is remarkably beautiful and the buildings are painted in striking hues. The waterfall pics are from a park at the top of a scenic overlook which can be reached either by hoofing it up a looooong flight of stairs (there are Stations of the Cross posted along the way, to give you an idea of the suffering involved) or you can take a gondola (guess which we did? 10 pesos! Shazaam!).

We also hung out at the central plaza where we saw some teenage school girls attack a friend with eggs and flour, coating her, and then sing her happy birthday. Seems like a pretty shitty custom to me, but the birthday girl took it with good humor. I prefer to eat the cake, not become it, Thanks.

Anyhoo. Today when we awoke the weather was miserable. Cold and rainy. I scored a delicious and soothing Sopa de Gallina, and Young got some Mondongo, a zesty tripe stew. I've got a lingering nanny-goat cough (as does much of the population here), but everything is looking good for more adventures tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the bed doesn't eat me first.