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Published: January 28th 2007
Cueva de las Manos
Path along the canyon leading to the paintings...PART VI: Cueva de las Manos: January 7-8
January 7
The next morning, we woke up early in order to drive all day on the eternal dirt road of Route 40. Despite the desertic region and flat landscape, animals were constantly animating the scenery. "Quoiques" (wild austriches), "guanacos" (deer/lama), "pinches" (armadillos) and birds of prey were always present along the road. After several hours of bumps, dirt, and pampas, we arrived at sunset at the estancia "El Telken" which was literally an oasis in the middle of the route 40 desert. Entering the property, we saw hundreds of sheeps grazing in the field. Petti, a woman with descent from New Zealand, warmly welcomed us and indicated us where to camp on their immense yard. After setting up our tent, she invited us to join her husband, Coco, a Dutch settler, and their two grandchildren visiting from New Zealand to a homemade meal. This couple has owned this estancia, built in 1915, for several years and at almost 80 years old, they were now ready to sell. They had amazingly interesting stories that they shared with us around a bottle of red wine and homemade desserts. Having lively discussions about
Canyon en la Cueva de las Manos
The view of the impressive canyon... their experience in this intimate atmosphere was definitely a highlight of this trip.
January 8
According to the owners, many caves surrounding the estancia also had hand paintings, even if not as numerous as the main cave in the Cueva de las Manos. These hundreds of left hands were painted in the Cueva de las Manos located along the Rio de las Pinturas. These paintings were drawn thousands of years ago; it has been said that the inhabitants of this region wanted to make their mark on Mother Earth and therefore be closer to Her. Despite the touristic infrastructure, it was still impressive to observe closely these ancient drawings.
Next stop: El Chalten
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