Random notes

Hola!

Today we get ready for our camping trip tomorrow which means we have to shop for a headlamp and long underwear. Then hopefully a trip to a museum.

A few random notes:

• They don´t use street garbage cans here. Rather, along the sidewalk are iron cages (I call them crow´s nests) about four feet off the ground that rest on a pole. People throw their garbage bags in the cages for the garbage truck to pick up. Some have described the act of the garbage men grabbing the bags and tossing them to another worker on the truck as the truck moves as a sort of ballet (author Gerald Durrell approx 1960).
• There are more Ford Falcons, circa I would guess 1965, than I have ever seen in one place. Oddly, their back end looks a bit differently from what I´m used to, but the front end is identical. I´m not quite sure why they are here (although they are described in one book as the car that was used to take the "disappeared" in the 70´s), but it´s odd and impressive that they´ve kept them running all this time.
• In the market where we had lunch the other day we observed what looks like three variations of lava for sale. When we asked about them via sign language and minimal spanish, the vendor showed us a ziplock bag of leaves. Turns out the leaves are coca leaves and the lava is Bica. The three colors are three flavors: licorice and two others I forget. You chew a leaf or two with the bica, and the bica breaks the leaf down which releases a stimulant. You´re probably aware that coca leaves are used to make cocaine. These leaves are technically illegal, but tolerated in small amounts. Word has it that tourists ought not buy any because tour buses are searched for them on a regular basis, and trying to get them out of the country can land you in very cheap housing (aka jail).
• We found a restaurant in Salta we really like called Don Jose. Don Jose is the owner and a stocky, 60-something artist with gray hair and a pony tail, and he made sure to greet us at our table on our first visit. It´s is a very neighborhood joint and both times we´ve been there we were the only tourists. Last night I had baby goat stew, which was the most expensive item on the menu at 20 pesos. Right now there are about 3 pesos to the dollar, which makes it a steal at less than $7. After each meal the waiter offered us lollipops. During both visits a man came in off the street trying to sell bags of coca to the customers. The Don Jose didn´t seem to mind a drug dealer (sort of, given the tolerance here) wandering in. Great place.
• Last night Allison heard a bag fall in our hotel room. At the same time I woke and swear I felt the room moving. We think we experienced an earthquake, but I need to confirm.

That´s it for now. Thanks for reading. Ciao ciao...

Mark