Having reached Salta from La Rioja we were pleasantly surprised to find Salta a fabulous city with a beautiful Main square surrounded by beautiful colonial buildings with Orange trees growing in the middle. The digs were nice and not too expensive so it looked as if we were going to have a great time in Salta. First thing on the agenda though was to find the Irish Pub that was going to show the cup final, you have to get your priorities right you know. Having found it everyone was happy, especially Donna being a lifelong West Ham fan, it was only right to spur them on, even if you`re in a beautiful city in Argentina. Saturday morning was upon us and the tension could be cut with a knife. Donna and Lee were the West Ham contingent and there was a guy from South London supporting Liverpool, don`t really understand that one but obviously had his reasons. The rest was made up of Delia (Lees girlfriend), myself, the south London guys Irish dad, Joachim our German friend (obviously came for the penalties) and an Australian, who was obviously there for the beer. Needless to say it was a tearful ending for West Ham and Donna but everyone else seemed happy, the dodgy liverpool fan (they won), Joachim (it ended in penalities) and the Aussie (he got plenty of beer). Even though Salta was a beautiful setting the surrounding countryside was supposed to be great as well so we decided to hire a car with Delia and Lee and explore the southern circuit below Salta for a couple of days. We also said farewell to Joachim and Petra at this stage, they were off to the northern parts of Salta for about a week or two, needless to say we would miss them. We decided to hire from Avis as they seemed to be the most proffesional out of the lot and all seemed to be the same price. So on the Monday morning we were off. The first part of the drive was pleasant as we were on tarmac`d road which continued all the way from Salta to Cafayate. Following this route we passed through the dramatic gorge of `Quebrada de Cafayate`, stopping off at different rock fromations that had been named by the locals for their resemblance to different objects and buildings (see photo`s). After a few hours we reached Cafayate, a pleasant little town, which is the base for seeing the vineyards in the area but seeing as we had been to Mendoza and seen vineyards there we decided on just a spot of lunch and we were off. The next stretch of the cct was from Cafayate to Cachi and was mostly along really rough dirt tracks. This slowed us down considerably, especially when I got the car stuck in a foot of mud. Look, how was I to know that it was mud, it hadn`t rained for weeks and the landscape was dusty and dry so when I saw a dark patch in the middle of the road I thought it might have been solid rock so slowed down to save the car but then the car sank, it was actually mud, ooooops!!! We all got out and panic set in as we were in the middle of nowhere stuck on this road that didn`t have too much traffic going down it. Then out of the middle of nowhere came a guy with his 2 sons and a shovel. He then started to just dig us out and after about 5 mins we were free. We felt obliged to tip him, especially as he was the only one muddy after I wheel span out. Then as he walked off we saw his house just across the road. It seemed weird that the only wet patch of road for 500km`s was outside his house and he was pretty sharpish on the scene with his shovel when we got stuck. Could this have been one of the more elaborate Argentinian scams to befall tourists. Anyway, we were off and on our way and just glad to be moving. After hours of more spectactular scenery we came to the small town of Molinos, as it was getting dark we decided to make this our night stop. All 4 of us stayed in a cosy dorm, not because we really liked each other but because they were the only digs left in town. Apparently, there was a resturant in town so we decided to go for something to eat. When we got there it looked more like Joes Cafe with a group of youths sitting outside, but we were hungry so who cared. It was also shut but when we asked what time it opened, one of the youths jumped up, opened the door and switched on the light. He should have left it off, I`d seen better soup kitchens (only joking, it wasn`t that bad). Needless to say we ate and had a few beers and everyone was happy. After our night in Molinos we were up early and off to Cachi. Cachi was a beautiful small town, we had breakfast and spent a few hours here before starting the 3rd leg of the cct from Cachi back to Salta. Again, the scenery was both spectacular and beautiful with the landscape changing every 30 mins or so. We arrived back in Salta in plenty of time and all agreed what a brilliant 2 days its was. We spent another night in Salta before heading off to San Pedro in Chile. This was our last night in Argentina and we were sad to be leaving. Both of us have got to admit Argentina has been the most diverse country we have ever been to.