Yastaah

La Caldera is the first town I've visited around Salta. Just about 15km far.  La Caldera is a "blast from the past", as it keeps the original structure, and the church in particular, of the XVII century. You can pickup a bike for free and go to the near hill where about 50yrs ago a giant sculpture of Jesus Christ (Cristo Penitente) has been built. It's 26meter for 10 tons of weight. Just few km from La Caldera, a great location for a light trekking session is the Dique Campo Alegre. Once there just enjoy the view from the top, the dam and the near river. Another dam is the Dique Cabra Corral. Here the options to spend the day are many: bungee jumping, rafting, fishing or just go for a trip on a boat.  Last town visited is Villa San Lorenzo. It's a very small town and it's the favourite holiday location for many Salteños. It's possible to hike, having a large variety of paths, suitable for everyone. And the river gives its best for hottest da

Salta "the pretty" is in the north west of Argentina, very close to the Andes and 20hours by bus from Mendoza. Here it's very different from what I've seen so far. Altrough the colonial architecture clearly shows the Spanish influence, the "gaucho" (indigenous people) tradicion is well visible too. The weather is super dry (at least in winter, while it's quite rainy in summer), which makes this province a good location to produce wine. The local food is also great. I'd suggest to try the locro (kind of a soup with meat and beans), the humita, based on corn, and even some dessert like the "turrón salteño", a very sweet nougat. I've tried all of them obviously :) The curches and the main buildings are well preserved. Right in the middle of the city, there is San Bernardo hill. A half-hour trekking should be enough to reach the top and have a great view of the city. Alternatively you can go by car or by cable-car. Three full days sho

As said Mendoza is a hub for tourists. I've been at Termas de Cacheuta, natural hot springs, located just in front of the Andes. Reachable by bus in just 1 hour from Mendoza, it's perfect for a day trip. You can spend the morning at the termas and the afternoon walking around the little town. Just make sure to take some cshc with you as they don't  accept any card. The bus cost just 84pesos (return) and 200 pesos to get into the termas. Very cheap. I've been enjoying the hot water outside for a looooog time. Amazing view. For another day trip I've been in San Rafael (3hours by bus from Mendoza) and from there I visited the oldest (1805) wine cantine of the city.  Then went to the old ruins of the town and to the Diamante river. This excursion is called Circuito del Diamnte. But there are plenty of choices ( I'd suggest Circuito del Atuel) or just go to visit Malargüe, where you can even ski. This province requires an intense week to be fully explored.

10 hours by bus from Cordoba and I finally arrived in Mendoza. The city appears like a hub for tourists. Mendoza is just the centre of a region in South America known fot its tasty wine. But not just that: the region offers also loads of options for trekking, climbing, skiing or hot springs  where to relax. The city itself has a super big park right into the city center, called park San Martin (the national "libertador"), where people met to drink some mate, go for a run by the lake or canoeing. Alternatively you can have a 10km walk to Cerro de la Gloria which is a good spot to have panoramic pictures of the city. If you are more about shopping or bars then plaza Independencia is your place. There are also free live shows for children in case you need. Free wifi is almost everywhere. Note for the Italians: last but not least, it is pretty easy to find fresh pancetta!

The last town visited before leaving Cordoba is Alta Gracia. As the Villa Carlos Pay and Villa General Belgrano, Alta Gracia is reachable in just about 1hour by bus. The city centre has a small lake and lovely plaza with the church. It has a long history, having been a Jesuit settlement. It has many museums and the house where Che Guevara grown up. The house was even visited by Fidel Castro. Around the city, lots of green where to do some trekking or just relax. Definitely a must visit!

In the last 2 days I've been in two little towns, completely different from each other. While Villa General Belgrano is surrounded by mountains, Villa Carlos Paz has overlooks a big lake, Lago San Roque. Carlos Paz has about 70,000 residents, while Belgrano only about 7,000. But the big difference is that Villa General Belgrano looks like a little Bavarian village, with all the typical staff you can find there (obviously beer too :)). On the other hand Carlos Paz is a classic Argentinian town where it's possible to do some trekking, canoeing or just go to the local casino. Both are very lovely and very close from Cordoba.

Finally in Córdoba after 18hours and 2 busses taken from Asunción. The city is just beautiful. While the river divides the city in 2 parts, the old town hides squares, churches and monuments just everywhere. The European influence is crystal clear specially watching the insides of the cathedral and the other churches. It's the very first time I'm amazed here in South America at how well the churches are built and maintained. The unexpected hot weather helps a lot too. Being able to walking around let me discovered some little gems that are hidden to the classic touristic route.

Didn't start really well the journey to Paraguay. Just when I got asleep on the bus, we stopped in the middle of nowhere. A big white cloud of smoke was coming out from the engine. Nothing to be worried but still we had to find another way to reach Asunción. Ciudad del Este - Asunción usually takes 6 hours by bus, it took me 9 (added to the 2hrs it took me to reach Ciudad del Este from Puerto Iguazù). Need to be careful with the immigration in Paraguay. When you cross the border, you need to ask the bus driver to stop you at the immigration office. It looks like it's not mandatory to have a stamp when you get in the Country. But you definitely will have problems when crossing the border to get into another Country. Paraguay is very different from the countries I've seen here in South America. Most of the people speak a mix of Spanish and Guaraní. Food and beverage are also very traditional: "chipa" (bread), "sopa paraguaya" (a semisolid Paraguayan s