Day of rest

Sunday I set aside to sleep in, rest up after all these excursions into the mountains, and do laundry and other errands. After breakfast on a cafe terrasse on the Plaza de 9 Julio, I made my way to the currency exchange place. Closed. Then I went in search of the laundromat. Closed. Come to think of it, there were very few people in the streets and most businesses were closed. Now, I know that Argentinians are night owls, but it was 2pm - I thought people would be up and about.

It turns out Sunday really is a day of rest in Salta. And as I took a shortcut through the Parque San Martin on my way to the bus station, I realized that no one was downtown because everyone was at the park! It was packed with families, vendors selling crafts, food and even pirated DVD's, kids running around and couples making out on benches.

In the park's amphitheatre there was a concert of local folkloric dance and music going on. It was my first introduction to these styles and I have to say I thought it was awesome! The music is something similar to Chile's cueca, given it's shared historical and colonial roots, but with different instrumentation. And the dancers, in full costume, did a range of dances, from partner dances to something resembling step dances to something like square dances. The men were dressed in the Argentinian version of a cowboy - a cowboy-style hat, gaucho pants, and these tall leather boots. The women wore big skirts and simple tops. I stood in the crowd for a couple of hours ( I finally found the advantage of being a head taller than everyone else...).