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Published: July 17th 2006
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We used our first day in Salta for some well deserved R´n´R. Jane and Jeremy ventured into Salta to book the bus tickets to Iguazu, a mere 28 hours bus ride away. You go to each company counter and ask what they can do. In the end we found 'cama' seats (like the old business class on transatlantic flights) for Monday (126 pesos) and could start planning our stay in Salta.
Jem and Jane also tried to understand the best way to visit the tourist sites. Not an easy task with time short and many, many people wanting to sell you their trip. You can rent a car (but will they charge you for every scatch on return), rent a guide with a car/4x4 or take one of the standard trips in tourist buses.
Ian and Daniel had stayed back at the excellent hostel Puerto Veija we had been offered on arrival at the bus station (70 pesos for a quadruple room) and wrote postcards and played cards. In the evening we enjoyed chicken and pasta and decided on guides plus car booked through the hostel agent. Much to Daniel´s displeasure we planned three excursions each one requiring us
to get up and be ready at 7:30am!!
The first was a day trip to Cachi. We met our guide at half seven and set off on the long yet picturesque drive in a Renault Kangoo!? Our guide was very informative and one the way there we were lucky to see amardillos, wild donkeys, llama and plenty of Cardone cactus (see moon photo). After 4 hrs of tight bends and dirt roads we ended up in charming and tranquil village of Cachi. We trawled round the village´s many artesan shops and ate our lunch in the village plaza. After lunch we visited the Museo Arqueologico de Cachi a well presented trip through the history of the local inhabitants. After coffee and Smoothies we began our long trip home punctuated by some impressive multicoloured rock formations. We stopped at at one artisan shop in the valley run by a war veteran (he likes the quiet apparently) with the 11 children he helped to deliver himself. High recommendable.
Yesterday was a trip to the famous salt flats, Salinas Grandes, in the Pune (alto plana) in the Andean foothills. This was to be our longest trip with a total of 8
hours in a truck and climbing to the staggering height of almost 14000ft (higher than both Ian and Dan had ever been and this was only the foothills!) with no ill affects luckily. The chew of coca leaves or drinking coca tea, was not required.
The high altitudes caused waterfalls to freeze and temperatures to fluctuate between 25 in the day and -20 degrees at night. The route first took us along the route of the 'train in the clouds' a now defunct enterprise. The train route was built at the beginning of the last century and is one of the highest in the world. You can see that the bridges were built by 'Eiffel´of tower fame and the railway is unique involving switch backs to get it up the hill. We also visited another set of ruins. The local museum had a dried body - skin, clothes and teeth still intacted - foundburied in the salt flat. Nothing rots in the dry air. In the ruins you could pick up bit of pottery which could anything from 500 to 2000 years old.
When we finally got to the salt flats the radiation was so great that the
locals had to wear homemade balclavas. It was like seeing a group of invisible men (see photo). The place was completely unique and is very unbelieveable. The boys, Jem included, enjoyed riding around the flats in the back of the truck.
The trip had been mostly in Jujuy province the most Northern in Argentina. Prices were getting cheaper as we came north so at the last stop at the town, Pumamarca, there was a buying frenzy at the local market. Daniel was happy to show off his new llama wool poncho when we went out for another stellar steak dinner for 67 pesos wine and coke included.
Today's trip by comparison was a disappointment. I had thought I oragnised for a 'guide' to a local rainforest park and soon discovered we had a 'driver'. He got lost going to the park and almost drove past the entrance! He didn´t even know what petrol to put in the truck and drove in most of the was a fourth with the rev counter close to red line.
He had not been to the park since he was a boy! We could work out the paths as well as he
could and had an enjoyable walk. The plants in the rain forest are totally alien to a European and the wildlife difficult to spot. The most interesting was a spider which built a web in the shape of a funnel. When you looked down the spout you could see the spider sitting in wait. We did not touch. Jane did not look!
This evening Jane and Jem have continued the buying spree in the Salta Sunday artisan market - excellent.
Next stop Iguazu.
Jem, Ian and Dan
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