On the road

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We left the campsite very early so we had to pack up the tent before it got light which is never fun and we set off on the road.

After an hour's drive, we visited some ruins (Quilmes). We had a guide who explained that this was a large community whose elders and shaman lived on a hillside along with guards who could see who was coming and that community survived three wars with the Spanish and was the last stronghold of Incan people to successfully resist the Spanish for any length of time. When the elders were captured, they were hung drawn and quartered and the people were forced to walk several hundred miles in captivity, many of whom died and many of whom decided to jump off the hillside and kill themselves rather than be captured or tortured or whatever.

We then carried on driving through wild rain over a high pass which, had the weather been good the scenery would have been wonderful. We stopped at the top of the pass at a craft and deli-type shop selling good cheeses and strange biscuits, dried fruit, etc. The mist was so low, however, one couldn't see over the edge of the mountainside.

We carried on driving as today was simply a driving day to get to the next place and stopped at around 7.00 pm at another very basic campsite. Unfortunately, it was impossible to upgrade to anything better as there was nothing else around. In theory, new facilities had just been built but they looked ancient and the toilets were seatless and the showers were cold and there were no benches to put anything on at all!

Dinner was prepared by the cook group in a covered area due to the appalling weather.. Turned into our tent and to sleep.

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Photos

Cactus
a prickly situation

Quilmes ruins
towards the hill where the higher echelons of society lived