Candid Country

Trip Start Sep 01, 2005
1
57
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Trip End Dec 04, 2006


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Flag of Argentina  ,
Tuesday, March 21, 2006

So we left wine country and headed to a small town called Barreal which was nestled in between the Cordillera and Andes ranges in a picturesque valley where they take the afternoon siesta very seriously. We entered town late in the afternoon and after checking into our Cabana, we ventured off to the town centre hoping to get some food but of course everything was closed, and I meanm everything. Forced to go back to the Cabana and sleep off our hunger we soaked in the lazy tranquil feel of the town. Horse riding through the surrounding ranges was on the list of activities as well as visiting the observatory and carrelismo (land-surfing). The observatory was a welcome change and got an insight, all in Spanish, on how the concave/convex lenses help with the telescope by our lovely guide who was more then happy to go into the technical aspects of the 20 ton piece of glass. Also learnt that Australia was the only one contributing to the joint project with Argentina as China and South Africa are unreliable and politically unstable
01 On the way to Barreal
01 On the way to Barreal
. Land surfing had to be given a miss as the operator never answered his phone but we visited the dry lake bed that it normally took place, some 14 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide.

Leaving Barreal we made some last minute decision making and headed to Salta after 22 hours of traveling. A big town which is famous for its nightlife but we never got a chance to as I have been sick with a cold for the past week. Ventured up to the mirador where they had a 2 ton statue of Saint Bernado and of course some massive artificial cascading waterfalls?!

Next was Huhu!!-Haha!! Or otherwise known as Humahuaca. Also nestled in between some beautiful canyons this town is "a photographers dream" unquote the Lonely Planet. Small, slow, cobbled streets and breathtaking scenery......need I say more. Stayed at a cosy place run by Felipe who was bursting with information about everything and anything in the surrounding area. From there we visited Iruya for a day trip to take in some more beautiful scenery and village life. Tonight I hope to taste the local delicacy, llama, before we head out early tomorrow morning for Bolivia. The handicrafts are starting to look the same wherever I go and on closer inspection we hypothesised that all indigenous people throughout Central America, South America and most of Asia all know how to weave extremely similar handicrafts and all look the same. With small squinty eyes, dark skin and stocky it would be hard to distinguish the Indigenous from all these separate continents. A point which I will prove when we get to China.

Away from the mosquitos, into the cold and up to the mountains we go......... Hasta Luego Chicos!
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