I arrived in Salta, Argentina late yesterday (Sunday, Dec 4) as my friend Leslie headed back to her home and work in Uruguay.  I have heard many wonderful things about Salta and the Argentine’s have nick-named it “La Linda”, The Beautiful.

My take so far is that it is a nice enough little town but I am not totally buying into the  “La Linda” part yet.  To be fair, it is relatively clean compared to many South American towns and seems safe and the people are friendly, etc., I’m just not getting “The Beautiful” so much, although my hotel is awesome and my room is massive!

I spent late Sunday wondering around a little market that is held every Sunday on Calle Balcarce which is just around the corner.  This also looks like one of the main nightlife streets.

This morning I headed into the center of town and the activity on Monday is a world away from the sleepy Sunday evening I experienced yesterday!

Attached are some photos of the various churches, including a very strange wax replica of San Severo that is in the Basilica de San Francisco.

Naturally, there is an Italian Society.  The Italian presence in Argentina is still a bit odd for me to absorb although I am getting a much better appreciation for how the languages differ and I can get the gist of most Spanish conversations now (speaking it is a whole different matter, though!).

I am also throwing in a few photos of the more typical vendors around town; there are also some very nicely presented shops for tourists here, too.  Oh, and a token “drunk” dog photo!

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