Wander With Stella

There are two roads to Tilcara from Salta. One is pretty and one is shorter. Based on this tiny tidbit of information from Geraldo, our Mexican hotelier, we launched early in our rental car, excited to see what lay ahead. Many people had told us we had to go to Tilcara, a small mountain town in the state of Jujuy (pronounced whowhoeee).

The first 7 hours of the drive from Salta to Tilcara were incredible the road was decent but of course winding and prone to erosion but the views were gobsmacking so we loved it. Still relatively “intact” we stopped for lunch in San Antonio de los Cobres, the highest city in Argentina. They say you shouldn’t go there without a hat, water, sunscreen and cocoa leaves to chew on for altitude sickness, a possibility as the town is a whopping 13,770 ft above sea level. We had a delicious meal at a chalet type resort run by the local people. Tourism is clearly an economic driver here, not much else seemed to be happening, but there are mines inn the area, so that may mean work for some. 

After lunch it was Javiers turn to drive and off we went on our merry way soon to discover that the next rather long and desolate part of the road was unpaved, full of deep potholes and at one point I had to exit the car and walk ahead through a small river to ascertain the depth and likelihood that the rental car would make it through. That accomplished, we bumped and thumped our way along the road, Javier, hitting the brakes often, to get us though the larger holes that seemed to come out of nowhere. 

Hours passed and finally in the distance we could see one of the main attractions to this area, (also accessible from Tilcara on the faster road), the Gran Salinas. It is a huge expanse of salt and is quite stunning, so white against the blue sky. Of course as a local attraction there are things to see beyond the great expanse. They have built small houses and other structures from blocks of salt which having turned brown from wind blown dust were not as grand as they might sound.

Once back on a paved road headed on the last stretch to Tilcara and just as nightfall approached, we came upon a line of traffic stopped dead. At first we thought there had been an accident but came to learn that it was a protest against a mine that was being planned for the area. I imagine this is an especially sensitive issue as at the moment in Brazil several towns have been devastated by erosion from mining.

A few hours later, with dark creeping ever closer, we were allowed to procede through the blockade and make our precipitous decent into The Valley below where bed and sleep awaited our weary bones. 

Tilcara, together with Pumamarca and Humahuaca are the main destinations for this northern part of Jujuy. As small mountain towns, they are all three very different and are positioned along the Quebra de Humahuaca, a 10,000 year old trade route that links Boliva with Argentina. The Quebra, or gorge, is phenomenal and the roads is full of twists and turns and beautiful vistas. Tilcara itself is beautiful but really the town is a launch pad for mountaineering type activities. It is full of young people, climbers, adventurers and the odd sophisticated types from Buenos Aires. Dinner that first evening was in one of several Argentinian style cafes where live music is the rule. It was interesting as the trio that was on stage played traditional music and instruments from Jujuy but everyone seemed to know the songs and there was a great deal of singing along and clapping of complicated rhythms. It was all taken very seriously and when one song would stop and before another would begin, the “lead” in the band would orate at great length about the songs and the traditions they represented. The diners gave their rapt attention, nodding in agreement, clapping at certain times and generally giving accord to the seriousness of the emotions being expressed.

A late arrival led to a late breakfast and my Mexican friends decided they wanted a better look at the salt lake and I decided I would like to do some hiking in the local mountains. I shared a cab with them on their way back toward the Salt Flats, to the town of Pumamarca, where they would hire a guíde and I would spend the day solo, taking in the sites. I hiked up a hill in the middle of town to get a better view of the town and its beautiful mountain valley, from there I spotted another “easy” climb that was higher than the first.

It was great to have some solo time and to wander in the beautiful Andes in the incredible state of Jujuy. Even the name is inviting. Only two nights in Jujuy and it seemed like enough as we had spent so much of our time in the car seeing the sights as we approached Tilcara and the following day in Pumamarca. Sticking to our schedule of returning the car to Cordoba by the 21st of February, meant launching ourselves early from Tilcara and heading down the Queda de Humuhuaca and onto the flat plains of central Argentina.

Part of a “wandering” style of travel is a rejigging of plans as you go. A major rejigging occurred for us in Cordoba and we were lucky to be granted a refund for one night of Air BnB accommodation, allowing us to leave sooner than planned with no penalty. We decided to commit to a road trip and take in as much of northern Argentina as possible.

We are headed north to Salta in our rental car as I write this. Our present route includes one long day on the road north (about 9 hours but both Javier and I are driving) to Salta where we plan to stay two nights and them on to Jujuy for a couple of more nights and then a marathon drive across much of the north of Argentina to Iguazú falls, dropping south and finally returning the car to the airport in Cordoba by the 21st of February, in time to catch our first class “cama” (bed) bus for an overnight trip to Buenos Aires. Stay with me and we’ll see if we can make good enough time both see what we want to see and still enjoy ourselves. 

Aha!!!! We made it to Salta from Cordoba in one day. A long day of driving but we kept our bilingual car hopping the Spanglish lessons and singing and games. There were some interesting events along the way. On occasion it poured rain and made driving difficult and both Javier and I had to drive their some pretty challenging conditions. At one point, about half way to Salta there was a really bad localized windstorm that tore the serrated tin roofs off the houses in a little pueblo. We could see the people of the pueblo in the aftermath as they stood outside their homes, looking around, a little stunned and they looked to be searching the streets for family members. Emergency crews were already on hand and judging by the ambulances there were some injuries. Not long afterward, the sun came out, the air temperature rose and we were in a swarm of pale yellow butterflies for some time. Sadly we took out a few with the windshield but there were thick clouds of them and likely there were enough survivors. 

Reaching Salta late in the evening we booked ourselves into the lovely Hotel Salta, right on the main square where everything is easy to get too. I loved the hotel, it was old, colonial, clean and I had a great view of the square. We stayed three nights in Salta, one more than planned because we liked it so much, even with the cloudy weather we could understand why Argentinians call it “Salta La Linda”. The hotel manager, Geraldo is from Mexico City, a very nice man and seemingly very happy to chat with his compadres from Ciudad. He has lived in Argentina for many years and rarely gets back to Mexico. 

The first morning in Salta was spent wandering to get the lay of the land, and then in the afternoon, visiting first a museum of archeology and then a museum of the history dedicated to  one of the War of Independence heroes that hailed from Salta. In the archeological museum there were three perfectly preserved mummies of children who had been selected to meet their ancestors “early”. Not necessarily a sacrifice as the Incas believed that their early exit would assure prosperity for the living and happiness for the dead. There were loads of photos of the poor little things but only one was on actual display. In another part of the museum was a mummy who had made the circuit of private salons where in modern times, collectors were prone to displaying strange objects. Eventually she was repatriated to Salta from whence she came. In the big scheme of things the Incas were only in this part of the Andes a brief century a half before the Spaniards turned up. The second museum was about Guermes, the beloved son and hero of Salta who led the “Gauchos” in the war of Independence but was himself killed. A hero of the war of independence he has numerous parks, squares, roads, restaurants etc named after him. The multi-media exhibit in the museum is very entertaining and well done. Javier liked it because you only had to listen, not read. I have a tip though…..if an Argentine  woman asks you what the word equivalent of “gaucho” is in Canada, take some time to consider before you answer with “cowboy.”

It was easy to pass three days in Salta, it is safe, clean, beautiful and has many attractions including a touribus and a gondola. On the touribus you are driven past the highlights and for my benefit the guide threw in some English an Ali filled in the rest for me. We hit all the usual types of historical, political an social reminders of Salta’s past and near the end we were driven into the hills to look back on the city and enjoy it’s beauty. The cost of these excursions is very cheap and as I said before most things we want to do are very affordable, and of course walking is free and we did plenty of that. Salta is where we really started to enjoy Bife Chorizo, which oddly enough is a steak, not a sausage. My Mexican friends are having their fill because of course in Mexico beef is expensive and the cuts are limited. Many a Malbec was sacrificed along with the vacas which added to our culinary experiences.

Another noteworthy event in Salta, was that Ale made her debut on stage in one of the “penas”, basically a friendly type of bar where you are invited to the stage to sing and dance. With very little encouragement she took up the challenge, singing a Mexican folk song, exhorting her audience to “Come on Salta”, “I love you Salta” “thank you Salta” etc. Until finally a large table of fans yelled back, “we are not from Salta”. (Video not included)

All good things must come to an end and with some luck and a little planning we decided to fly to our next destination, Córdoba, which as we flew over the vast patch of brown pampas, we celebrated our serendipitous decision. Córdoba itself lacked the appeal of Mendoza for us and we spent one very hot Sunday wandering the streets only to discover that many of the things we wanted to see were closed and the streets were eerily empty of traffic and walkers. A university town, we explained the absence of activity on “sleeping late” since it was Sunday morning.

We were impressed by the number of colonial buildings and churches and the history behind these impressive reminders of the colonial era.

Like so much of Latin America, street art dominates the inner city and Cordoba had it’s fair share. I love the vibrant colours, the social messages and the sheer courage of public display.

By early afternoon, we found a museum that was open in the former “palace” of the Ferreya family. The art pieces on display seemed lost and minor in the splendour of the palace but I enjoyed an exhibit of the works of local woman who were expressing their thoughts and ideas about the inequalities between the sexes. The works spoke to the violence and oppression experiences of women in Argentina, Because this was a government sponsored project it could be a hopeful sign that the consciousness around women’s rights is growing as it is in North America with the “Me Too” movement. 

Argentina still has a discernible siesta time lasting from anywhere between 2 and 5 pm, making it difficult to find open restaurants, shops and attractions. By late afternoon we had had enough of the heat and downtown and the call of our swimming pool was strengthened by the hour and so home we went for pool time, beer and a special visit from the usually reclusive house turtle.

Mendoza has so far been the agreed upon favourite place on our trip. Whether it was the wine, the beef steaks, the helado or the super friendly people we weren’t sure but our four days there could easily have been stretched into many more if we had the time to linger.

Highlights in Mendoza included our flat, well located near the main Parque San Martin where we were able to take a tour of the city, wine bodegas and scope out where we wanted to spend more time. The center of Mendoza is busy and vibrant and we felt safe and comfortable getting around. We definitely did not need a car in Mendoza as the city is easy for walking and taxis and buses are cheap. We stayed in an Air BnB apartment in a great location close to all the action. 

We had enough time to explore the areaaround Mendoza and to see the vineyards that make this area of Argentina world famous. We took a local bus to Cacheuta, about a forty minute ride from Mendoza, where they have hot springs or as they say “termas”. Parque de Aqua Termas is great, although crowed it has so many different pools in various terraces cut into the hillside above a river, that you can easily find a “private” spot for your weary bones. In addition their are slides and a “river” of colder water, if you enjoy being flushed around in a long circle of bobbing kids. The pools are surrounded by beautiful scenery, below a river, and above the Andes. Plenty of food is on hand at the restaurants bordering the parque and souvenir shops abound.

Inside the Parque there are ticket booths for other activities and Javier and I went river rafting and there was just enough white water, making it worth our $25 CAD. The whole area around Mendoza is set up for adventure tourism including climbing, rappelling, and serious white water rafting. Given the prices it would make a vacation very inexpensive if you are coming from places like Canada. Sadly for the Argentines, their peso is very depressed at the moment which means a good rate for foreign tourists coming from a stronger economy. If fact we are finding Argentina to be considerably cheaper than Chile.

There are so many things to do in and around Mendoza and tour companies abound to make sure everyone’s interests are met. Our four days in Mendoza came to an end and we packed our bags and headed to the airport, bound for Cordoba.