Unremarkable Mendoza, and Minimally Interesting Salta

The Bus from Bariloche:

I arrived in the bus station and once again ran into my talkative Korean friend Kim. Honestly, I really wasn't in the mood to humor him, and hoped that we weren't taking the same bus. Luckily, he headed west and I turned north to Mendoza. I met an amazing girl on the way there, an adventure tourism guide from Quebec who tipped me off about San Pedro de Atacama.

Mendoza, Not the Place for Me:

Although hanging out with her in Mendoza was fun, I was happy to leave after one night, and one disappointing wine and bike tour. I ended up hanging out with a Spaniard wine connoisseur that drove me nuts the whole wine tour. He was the wealthy elitist type and stuck to me like glue simply because he didn't want to go to the wineries alone. The wine country felt like the California central valley, which didn't interest me at all. The trip was moderately painful, but I won't dwell on it. I drank and enjoyed a couple vintage malbecs, and was happy with just that. I was very glad to get on the bus to Salta.

Salta, don't Be Fooled by the Name:

An incredible mountainous jungle surrounds Salta, a city that has become a popular hub for travelers heading into northern Chile and Bolivia. I had gone expecting desert scenery, and was pleasantly surprised by the beauty that surrounded the city.

Most of the activities here, like Mendoza cost an arm and a leg... so I just stuck to camping and trekking. It was a good place to collect myself and get a little rest and relaxation, although the city itself was rather busy. There was a nice park, and a beautiful trek up to the top of a mountain next to the city. There was a tram that takes lazy people to the top as well, but I couldn't imagine paying to miss out on a great walk up a winding 1,000 step stairway through in the middle of the jungle. When I approached the top, I was disappointed to see a touristy and unnatural lawn and resort. They had a fake waterfall with disgusting recycled water, and a fancy cafe for the wealthy tourists. I took a few pictures of the city from that trap, and went back down to the city VIA the staircase.

Unfortunately there was little else to do in Salta without forking over some serious cash, so I left it behind after 3 nights. It took about that long for my body to get used to the altitude anyway. From there I bussed to San Pedro de Atacama.

All the bus rides I've taken were beautiful and interesting, but this one in particular was truly incredible. After watching the jungles melt into desert, we drove across a small salt flat. It looks like water in the photograph, but you can tell from up close that it's just a giant field of glistening and dry salt. I have never seen anything else like it, and it's made me very excited about the trip I'm going to make into Uyuni, Bolivia.

The scenery was fantastic, and despite a slightly disappointing entry into San Pedro, I've found the Atacama incredibly diverse and fantastic.