Still in Salta . . . In One Piece . . .

Still in Salta . . . I´m having a really good time. I am really loving the city. It´s surprisingly large and vibrant. But, very very pretty, with loads of georgous old buildings and monuments. The weather is beautiful and sunny during the day, with a bit of a chill, but it is freezing once the sun goes down. Of course, I left my jacket in Buenos Aires!

Last night when I got back to the hostel, I chatted with the reception guy (an Aussie) and two guys from Isreal. They were really nice. My German buddy from the bus sent me an email and asked if I wanted to go to an Asado. I was starving and had no plans, so I was happy with that. So, he came by and got me and we went to the asado which was at a hostel run by the same company as the one that he was staying in. It was so much fun. There were alot of people there. We ended up sitting with two couples from Bs As and a Brit. Lots more practice with my Spanish . . . It was the Brit´s birthday, so we stayed til the end and partied with him with drinks and cake (almost entirely Dulce Deleche). The asado was really nice. There were lots of salad, meat, and wine. After dinner there was some really nice live music. It was alot of fun. It all died down around 3. And, my German friend was kind enough to escort me back to my hostel.

THE HOSTEL (Ok, read this while humming the theme song to the Twilight Zone or some similarly creepy song) . . . So, I get back to my hostel . . . It´s set up so that you walk into the door and are in a courtyard, where the reception area is as well as a chill out area. The rooms are arranged on the sides, like a motel. You walk from your room to the courtyard. This would be a fab set up in the summer, but in the freezing night, with no heat in the rooms . . . (you get the point). Ok, so, I go into my eight person room to see that there´s still no one else there. However, there is a ton of random stuff in one corner (it was there when I arrived). It looks like someone lives there. That´s how much stuff is there. But, there´s no one there. There´s barely anyone in the whole place! It´s dead silent and creepy. There is no lock on the door and no one else in this big, gross, creepy room. However, I have tons of someone elses clothes in a corner. On top of that, it´s absolutly freezing.

Well, at first, I fell asleep ok. But, at about 5 a.m. I woke up and the creepiness of the situation totally hits me. THANK YOU SO MUCH NATHANIEL AND BEN for giving me vivid reinactions of the movie Hostel. My imagination totally ran away with me, and I got really really creeped out. It was then that I decided to move out in the morning, before they had a chance to chop me into little pieces. Anyways, I did fall back asleep, but I was up in time to check myself out of the hostel - luckily all in one piece. CREEPY!!!

I decided to just get in a cab and tell them that I wanted to go to the Backpacker´s Hostel. There were two different ones - the one my German friend was staying in and the one from the asado. I knew they were both nice enough and there were lots of people there. So, I didn´t really care which I went to. It turns out the driver took me to the smaller one where my friend is staying. He went rafting today, so I didn´t see him yet. I hope he doesn´t think I´m stalking him, haha. Anyways, as luck has it, the first person that I see at the new hostel is a girl named Claire that I know vagely from the residencia in Buenos Aires.

So, I checked in. I decided to pay the wopping $15 a night and stay in a private room with a big bed and a private bathroom. I am so looking forward to going to sleep tonight. I haven´t had my own room and a big bed in ages! I´m really excited!

In the afternoon, Claire and I went up this mountain on a cable car to get a view of the city. The weather was wonderful. It was warm and sunny. I could have laid out in my bathing suit if I´d brought it. It was beautiful and peaceful there and we stayed up and chatted for hours. After a while, Claire went down. But, I stayed up and watched the sun set. It was really wonderful. And, all the couples making out at the top didn´t even make me sad. It was beautiful, and I felt really happy being there. I talked to so many little girls. I was like a little girl magnent. They kept coming up to talk to me. More practice with my Spanish . . . And, they were so sweet. The children here are beautiful and very friendly.

Anyways, back to the hostel now. I´m not sure what´s on the agenda for tonight. Honestly, I´d be happy to spend the night in my private room!!! Tomorrow, I am doing an all day tour through my hostel that starts at 7 a.m. It´s supposed to be great. I´m really excited!!!

That´s it for now. Chau.