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Published: August 6th 2007
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On Saturday afternoon we did an excursion with the guys from the Hostal El Balcon. It left at 3pm and we didn't get back until 8pm when it was too dark to see anything, let alone enjoy the landscape.
On the way up from Salta we had a taste of what the Quebrada had to offer. Seeing it close up was amazing though, and I really don't have the words to do justice to the beauty of this natural wonder. I'm not even sure we have enough words in the English language (and we know for sure there aren't in Spanish!) to tell you about every shade of red, russet, pink and brown on display. That's why we have photos isn't it?!!
Anyway, we began with a wander around for an hour or so getting up close and personal with the rocks and rubble. It was a fabulous sunny afternoon which only increased the drama on the eyes. We were shown many different rock formations including a toad (sapo) which I believe must be man made, and a friar praying at the base of a cathedral.
Once we reached the formation known as the castillo (castle) we had
to cross the river. There is no bridge! So after traipsing across the salty brush and scrub, we all removed our shoes, rolled up our trousers (is that a very British thing?) and waded across the cold water. It was very slimy and muddy under foot, but I wonder if it is good for the skin like the minerals in the Dead Sea!! Everyone joined in though so there was no chance of staying behind and having dry feet!
At the obelisko we posed for photo opportunities where a window has been sculptured into a rock face by centuries of wind and rain. Then we walked for an hour or so, past trees glowing a luminous shade of green (photosynthesis according to our guide, but it looked like it came from outer space!), and on towards wonderful formations of layer upon layer of different colours. It was truly magnificent.
By the time we arrived at the amfiteatro (ampitheatre) the sun was low in the sky so the colours were not as bright. Sat by the immense rock face were a group of hippies with guitars and tambourines. Yes, we've all seen them all over the place, but their
sounds echoing arpund the cavern were haunting.
Then we headed to the Gargantua del Diablo (Devil's Throat) formation. We caught a glimpse of this on the way up and it seemed a bit disappointing. This time it was almost dark, but our guide still had us scrambling up the rock faces to get deeper into the canyon. By the time we returned to our transportation, it was very dark, and coming back down some of the rock faces was challenging!!
It made a great afternoon out though and we can thoroughly recommend it. We were also lucky to meet possibly every other English speaking person in Cafayate on the same trip! Everyone seemed to be a teacher or a teaching assistant on some program or another. It made for great camaraderie.
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abbey
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que hermosa! que colores!