Mini Paradise

I was told Salta had a steady flow of tourism, even though now is not tourist season. I had yet to encounter many tourists or go to any of the popular sites. I decided to explore the gondola that takes you up to the top of one of the mountains surrounding Salta. From it, I could see that Salta is directly in the center of a circle of mountains. On top of the mountain I encountered a mini paradise. Despite the cold weather, there were beautiful trees and flowers, and stretches of grass and gardens. As you walked around, you were enveloped in waterfalls. The aroma was a mix of fresh water mist and freshly cut grass.

Now there is a staircase that runs completely up the mountain. It starts at the monument of Guemes (Salta’s hero) and ends at the gondola and statue of St. Bernardo. I felt walking down the stairs might be a better challenge than attempting to go up especially since I’m not yet accustomed to the high altitude, and was tired and out of breath from just riding the gondola. On the trek down, I passed many brave individuals who were walking up the hill, as well as a different icon every 50 steps or so. These little houses had an image illustrating part of Jesus’ crucifixion. When put together, the pictures told the entire story. Unfortunately, they had been wrecked by political graffiti and “Leo te amo, --Raquel.” But it still sufficiently demonstrates the existence and importance of Christianity since over 90% of Argentinians are Catholic.