Finally we arrived in Salta :-)

We were soooo happy to see this sign!! Let me see if I can paint a good enough picture of the journey!

We had a phone call the night before our bus was to leave, San Pedro, Chile to Salta, Argentina, a 12hr bus ride, saying the border was closed again due to the snow but please go to the office tomorrow to check of they have information that the border will be open and the bus can run on Thursday! I had to be in Salta by Thursday night otherwise I would miss all my other buses and trips right up until my flight out of South America... I had no day to spare!!

Tourist information stated the border might be open Thursday but they're not sure and the weather is supposed to be worsening towards the end of the week!! It is hard to believe, seeing as we were walking around in shorts and best top but the border is on the Andes mountains and it was snowing for only the second time this year... Typical for when I need to pass!!

So the day began!! We were running around trying to find a way out, we decided the only option was to go back up to Bolivia, where we had crossed the day before and all the way down to Argentina. After searching around everywhere trying to find a 4x4 to take us the Wednesday, we resorted to buses! To be able to fit it all in we had to quickly run back to the hostel, grab our drying laundry and catch the next bus to Calama, Chile where we would have to buy the bus tickets for the next day... The bus was at 5.45am which took us to the Chile/Bolivia border and then a Bolivian bus picked us up and took us to Uyuni, Bolivia. We then bought tickets for a night bus to the Bolivia/Argentina border, which would be leaving in 4hrs, all was going so well and to plan!!

The night bus.... There were soo many locals on this bus, now this was really the meaning of what they call a chicken bus!! It was full, every seat taken. We set off in the pitch black on this noisy bus, stinking of coca leaves, as all the locals had them stuffed into their cheeks. Over the next 2 hours it felt like the driver went through every back road possible picking up absolutely everyone, the aisles were fall of locals standing and all their baggage!! The. We heard a Massive bang! The bus stopped, reversed and then carried on going, but every time he turned a corner there was a clonking sound! Then he got out and turned the engine off and all we could hear was him wacking the bus with a hammer, he came back on and we carried on. About 12am we picked up so many more people, drove around the corner to a parking lot and turned off the engine. We could feel the bus moving and then some noises and sparks flying! They had jacked up the front of the bus with everyone inside and was sawing and welding something to do with the steering!!!! 2 hours later, he came back on and tried to kick off some of the locals but they weren't having any of it and a fight nearly broke out, I thought the little conductor was going to get lynched, with us three Greengos in the middle!!!

Eventually we drove on and unloaded most of the locals at tupisa, where the bus became comfortable. He stopped to fill up petrol, so I hopped off to try use the nature bathroom, and before I even got off the forecourt he was back in the drivers seat with the engine on! I ran and jump back in the moving bus, he knew too well that I was there, and we drive the next 2hrs to the border with the door wide open!! Freezing!!

At the Bolivian border we bought our next ticket and he got us a taxi to migration and then a ten min walk to the bus terminal in Argentina, all was going well again!

But... What he failed to mention was, as we crossed the border we went forward an hour and by the time we got to the bus terminal the bus had left 20mins ago! The guy tried to get us to wait till 4pm for the next one, it was 10am at this point, so we said know, so he said he could get us on another but we'd have to pay an extra $50 each... We went ape!! Needless to say we didn't have to pay after that, but the other bus was a mini bus, again full to the brim! But it was going the right direction, we got stopped 3 times by the authorities and the last time we had to get all luggage off and searched, I suppose they don't like the Bolivians coming over! We made it in plenty of time for our connection which was a nice comfy bus with a film :) for the last leg to Salta!

30 mins into the journey, we were pulled over by an unmarked police car!! It was scary, because it felt like two random guys were coming to hijack the bus and rob us all!! We were trying to hide as much as possible on us! First they asked for passports, luckily giving them back to us straight away! Then they were sniffing the locals bags, for drugs I suppose. Then they wanted our luggage tickets so they emptied the bus and searched through them! They were not happy with one local but nothing came out of it!

Again, 2hrs later we started off again! The film had finished and we were stuck with Skyfall with really poor Spanish dubbing :(

When we finally arrived in Salta we walked to the hostel, through the main parks, which was so beautiful, I immediately loved the city and was gutted I only now had one night there :(

48 hours, 6 buses, a missed horse riding and BBQ day, but I was back on schedule :) somehow, we'd managed to pull it off!!