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Published: December 30th 2008
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Church On Route 9
One of the many small churches in the area ready for the festivities. Hola from Mar Del Plata
3 weeks into this epic adventure and it has been amazing. Hard to believe that we will be doing this for another 3 months,tough job but somebody has to do it !!
Hope you have all had a great Xmas and have managed to avoid the nasty flu bug that seems to have hit the UK.Sunstroke and dehydration are the main concerns here.
North West Argentina
Circuito De La Quebrada
We were fortunate to be able to sort out an English speaking guide in Jujuy for a day trip along some of Route 9 which runs north to the Bolivian border and connects with routes west to Chile. Gabriel picked us up on the morning of 19th Dec and we had a fascinating day learning about the region which has history going back over 10,000 years as well as amazing scenery.The minerals in the region mean that amazing colours are formed in the rocks with vivid green,yellow and browns.
I think this region gives an insight into the 'real' Argentina as Indigineous traditions are still practised and there has been restoration of old settlements in the area allowing a glimpse into the past.The local
Purmamarca
Incredible colours , all formed by Mother Nature people worship the elements rather than a God as their lives are intertwined with nature. People are buried in cemeteries on hills so that they are close to the sun. Many of the houses are Adobe (built with mud) and these mud bricks are still used today. Cactus wood is also used.
There were many battles fought along the route with the Inca's, Aztec's and Spanish involved over many years. Posta's were built at 20km intervals along the route from Buenos Aires to Lima by the Spanish and only two of these remain.These are the historical equivalent of service stations as they allowed soldiers and civilians to eat,drink and rest during their journey in safety.They were fortified and in this area had the advantage of water from the mountainside as well.We were lucky to be able to visit one that has been restored.
We also visited the pre-Hispanic ruins in Tilcara and the town of Humahuaca which is a Cultural World Heritage Site and rightly so.I hope the pictures give you a flavour of the region.
Salta
We caught a bus to Salta which is only 2 hours away from Jujuy.This is a huge sprawling city nestled in the Lerma
valley with a lovely main plaza and colonial buildings.The cathedral is painted pink and cream and the San Fransisco church is also impressive.The city is overlooked by the Cerro San Bernardo.We went up here on Sunday by cable car and fortified by helados we walked down the 1070 steps.The weather in this region is very changeable and our plans to visit part of the route of the Tren A Las Nubes ( train to the clouds ) on Monday was aborted after a mudslide had wiped out a van and it's driver in the Quelbrada del Toro. (Unfortunately our original booking to travel on the train itself had been cancelled in November). Last Tuesday however,we did make it to Catchi although the rain made the journey up the Cuesta del Obispo quite slippy.We did drive along La Recta del Tin-Tin,a dead straight road built by the Inca's which is part of the Los Cardones National Park and huge cacti up to 6m in height.We had a nice lunch in a small restaurant and I tried baked goats cheese which was delicious.Catchi itself is a quiet,unassuming town.Our journey back was interrupted by a burst tyre although fortunately this happened on the
Church at the postas
One of only 2 remaining postas along the route from Buenos Aires straight road so nothing too horrendous.The mist had enveloped the mountain so our drive back down was slow and steady.
Igauzu (which means great waters)
Christmas Eve saw us fly back to Buenos Aires where we had a quick sortie into the city to see Alex at Don Telmo and buy more bus tickets.We then flew to Iguazu where it was very hot. We walked into Puerto Iguazu on Xmas Day and enjoyed the Argentine equivalent of a roast dinner.On Boxing Day we caught a local bus to the Argentine side of the falls and spent the day there,it really is that impressive.We caught the Tren de la Selva from the entrance to the Garanta del Diablo ( Devil's Throat ) which is largest and biggest of the 275 waterfalls.Water from 30 rivers converge into the Rio Iguazu Superior which opens out to a width of 4km and then navigates through rapids before it plunges over the many falls.There were lots of beautiful butterflies,coatis ,lizards and late afternoon we saw brown capuchin monkeys stealing eggs from a magpies nest which was amazing.We caught the boat taxi to San Martin Island to visit 2 of the 13 designated viewpoints.The noise
generated by the water was incredible and the spray provided some welcome relief from the heat at certain points.We went back to the hotel for a much needed dip in the pool.
Last Saturday we booked a taxi to take us across the border into Brazil as the views are better from this side.We also drove into Paraguay where the temperature peaked at 42degrees so we didn't stay long.We went back to Argentina but our driver forgot to stop at the Brazillian border to enable us to hand in our immigration cards.He had to leave us in no mans land while he got more petrol to take us back across the bridge.The border is in the middle of the river,marked on the bridge by the change of national flags painted on the edge.
Mar Del Plata
We flew to Buenos Aires on Sunday and caught the bus to Mar Del Plata,the busy seaside getaway.I can only liken it to a quieter version of Torremolinos.It has a huge casino and lots of highrise apartment blocks on the waterfront.The south of the city is more residential as many residents of Buenos Aires have holiday homes here.There are arcades with video games
Pucara
The restored Hispanic hilltop village and the hat !! and plenty of places to eat and drink.There are areas where you can rent large tented beach huts with chairs which gives you access to your own stretch of the sandy beach.It has been an interesting place to see but 2 days here is long enough for both of us and we will be glad to move on.
Accomodation
Bloomers in Salta - A really nice place to stay albeit with a 'far out' manager,Andy who seemed away with the fairies most of the time.Lovely tiled floor throughout with a riad feel and great breakfasts including crepes with dulche de leche ( a sort of soft fudge ).Very good location again,only 5mins from the main plaza and the steps from the hill.Air con and tv plus use of pc.
Aldea de la Selva in Iguazu - A fairly new resort set in a wooded area, about 10 mins from the Iguazu Falls Park.Big room and en-suite bath and a balcony complete with hammock.Surrounded by nature with plenty of birds,spiders and ants. Good choice again for breakfast and nice pool.20 minute walk into town and bus stop 100m away.Unreliable WIFI.
Casa Santiago Hostel - Mar Del Plata - Very basic
hostel but only 2 blocks from the sea and 5 mins from the centre of town with lovely staff.Very quiet so choice of 2 bathrooms as well as our own shower.WIFI and good size living room. Resident guard dog Rachel (who is lovely-S)
Off to Puerto Madryn for some wildlife spotting - hopefully - later today,a 16 hour bus journey lies ahead but we have 5 nights there so plenty of time to recover.
Hope you all celebrate the beginning of 2009 safely and in style.Take care and keep in touch
Love Coral and Steph x
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will
non-member comment
great photos
wow you guys must be having a great time... love the photos keep them coming will