A taste of Germany in Villa Belgrano, Cordoba (Day 50)

I finally managed to get a bus out of Salta. We hit a lot of the road blocks (of the short time I was awake we had to navigate through 5 different ones) although it really only amounted to having to navigate through the maze of farm vehicles strategically placed all over the roads. I arrived in Cordoba this morning and only about 1hr later than the scheduled arrival time. The bus I was on had the most awesome reclining seats- you could push the seat back to almost completely horizontal and I had both seats all to myself!

My first impressions of Cordoba were another big city. I didn't notice anything on my way in that really caught my attention. So, when I got into the bus terminal I was ecstatic to catch the next bus to Villa Belgrano, a town in the Valle de Chalamucita about 80km south of Cordoba. This was one of the town recommended to me by the refugio keeper I stayed with in Calon del Azul in El Bolson. I also had time to book my bus ticket back to Buenos Aires on Tuesday night, so I know when I need to make it back to Cordoba.

The ride to Villa Belgrano was hilarious. The weather had turned to rain between Salta and Cordoba and it carried on all throughout today, yielding only a misty fog-view from the bus. I dozed most of the way except for when I was enjoying the slip 'n slide our driver was naviagting. The roads in the Valle de Chalamucita are all dirt- well, they were dirt before the rain. Now they were slick with greasy mud and we slide around the twisty roads up and down the valley. The ditch came pretty close a few times, but the driver managed to pull us out before we got sucked in. Crazy.

Villa Belgrano is this quaint little Dutch/German-inspired town.

They live for their Oktoberfest festival each year which is obvious at every turn here.

They even have a little fair grounds with kiddie rides that they built specifically for Oktoberfest!

I made my way to Albergue El Rincon, a biodynamic farm/albergue/camping area.

I reminded me a lot of the farm in El Bolson. The main building is built from adobe and has a huge fireplace and big wooden tables. There's a fully-stocked outdoor kitchen and a big windmill for green energy.

Although it was still misty, I decided to wander back to town and visit all the little shops. It turned out to be perfect weather for this kind of day, since I probably wouldn't have spent the time in the town if the weather had been nice enough to hike. I popped into all kinds of little artensan shops. It's a good thing this isn't my last stop because I saw tonnes of stuff I would have loved to bring home with me!

I opted instead to treat myself to an afternoon snack. I had read about the Black Forest cake in Villa Belgrano so I figured I better check it out for myself. And to accompany my cake was a cup of homemade hot chocolate (notice the tulip cut-out on the wooden chairs!)

I've never had real Black Forest cake and I'm sure this will spoil every other so-called Black Forest cake from here on. Real cherries and cake drenched in some kind of delicious liquor with real cream icing. And the hot chocolate was soooo yummy. It smelled like butter (I sat there just inhaling the steam) and was so thick and sweet. Oh man it was good.

Tanked up on sugar, I wandered my way back to the camp grounds. I had also picked up a local beer to have with supper and spent the rest of the night chatting with some of the people who work on the farm and an American guy who had been travelling all around South America by motorcycle. He had some wild and crazy stories to tell about getting tear-gased while trying to get through the agriculture riots in Peru (I guess it's not just Argentina) and breaking down in the sketchiest places. He also talked up the town of La Cumbrecita, where I'm headed tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to seeing what all his hype is about.

Last Day in Salta??? (Day 49)

Seems like the agriculture protest isn't quite over yet and the road blocks are still up. I just haven't realized because I haven't been trying to travel south for a bit. Apparently, Argentina is on Day 15 of the agriculture exports protest against the government- all major highways in the north are being locked down with road blocks. So, when I went to the bus terminal last night to catch my bus, I found out I was out of luck- no buses moving south. From what I can understand, this protest seems like a valid cause so I can't really be too annoyed- and a part of adventure of travelling :) So, I had to get another ticket for tonight and hope my luck is better. And back to Camping Municiapal Carlos Xamena for me!

It's been wicked hot here in Salta. To say this is supposed to be well into fall and the thermometer is around 32 degrees, I'm glad I wasn't here in the summer. It was another hot night which continued into this morning. Since I had already exhausted the in-city pedestrian scene and I haven't done much in the way of exercise for a few days, I found a little hike up the nearby Cerro San Bernando.

This is really just a hill (1454m) at the west end of the city, but it's lush green and in the shade! There's a little cabriolet that take tourists up top lookout over the city as well as the botanical garden. I was up for the sweaty walk up and it didn't disappoint. The whole path is beautifully laid out in stone steps so you don't even really notice the incline.

And at every switchback up the path is a religious shrine. Every single one :)

Despite being in the shade, it was still extremely hot and I was drenched by the time I got to the top. But, the path ends in a nice little park with a series of waterfalls and little walkways

various lookouts over the whole city of Salta (complete with cloud of humid haze).

At the top, wrapping around the cabriolet loading station is a botanical garden with lots of pretty flowers and native trees (although I had a hard time understanding what they were...)

and more of the pottery decorations that are all over the city.

I contemplated paying the $6 pesos to take the cabriolet back down but I had finally dried out a bit by this point and figured I might was well just walk back down. It was much faster and cooler on the walk down :)

A quick stop at the bus station to see what the status of bus departures today was didn't really get me any new info. The road blocks were still up and the company I had a ticket with wanted to wait until 4pm to make a decision on service cancellation. Nervous that I wouldn't get out again today, I trolled some of the other companies and found one that was commited to leaving tonight (although we may sit at the road block for a bit). Apparently, buses and cars are eventually being let through- transport trucks and export vehicles are being completely blocked. So, as insurance that I would (fingers crossed) be leaving Salta at some point tonight, I bought an additional ticket with another company. So, I'm fairly certain some bus will carry me away from Salta. At some point. Hopefully today.

The sky started looking a little ominous, so I went back to the campground to pack up my gear and clean myself up. A cool shower helped only for a short while- it's hard to tell if you actually get dry after the shower before you start sweating again. I opted to drop my backpack off at the baggage security at the bus terminal, in an attempt to stay a little less sweaty while I toured around for the rest of the day. Then I headed over to the Museo Provincial de Belles Artes, partially hoping for an air-conditioned reprieve but also to check out the Salta art scene.

I struck out on the air-conditioning. The museum is actually an open-air gallery with little, very poorly-light viewing rooms. But, there was a nice breeze blowing through and some really interesting works on display, so it was worth the trip (and support of the local arts).

Now I'm off to see which bus company wins the pleasure of my business! Don't get me wrong- I've really loved Salta. This is such a pedestrian-friendly city with so many parks, green spaces and pedestrian shopping malls. I'm really glad that I made the stop over and if I had to do it over again even with the unscheduled layovers, I'd gladly make the trip. But, I've got some Sierras in Cordoba that are calling me to climb before I head away from Argentina. So, with any luck tonight, my next post will come from Cordoba...at some point :)

My Journal's Journey (Day 48)

...has continued without me. Yes, I am devastated to say that my journal and I have separated. The worst part is, I don't even know what went wrong.

I had my journal was when I was updating my blog yesterday. I made my way to the campground, tore into the fresh bun and butter I was having a mad craving for (dunno...I think I consumer over 50g of butter!) and then emptied the rest of the contents in that bag only to discover that my journal wasn't there. I frantically raced back downtown to the internet cafe (thanks to a really nice couple from Buenos Aires who drove me back) but there was nothing left behind. I was devastated.

I specifically remember putting it back in my bag and then I can't remember any other time, before I got to the campground, that I even opened that bag, let alone took anything out. I can't imagine that I would walk away from the computer desk and leave it there- I usually check places before I leave and I would surely have seen it. But, after tearing everything I have apart and no trace of my beloved journal, I can only assume I left it somewhere. And worse still, someone picked it up and walked away with it. A journal written in English. Odd found treasure.

I've been super lucky this trip to have managed to hold on to everything (klarma has been kind that way). So, it comes as an especially sour pill to have parted with likely the only thing of value that I have that is irreplaceable. Not only did the journal have all of my thoughts and feelings that I've managed to work through during this trip (as well as lot of tidbits I can look back on in a year and reminisce about), but it was a very thoughful gift from a thoughtful special friend. Double-sword-through-heart. I went to bed really disappointed, and really sad.

But, this morning I woke up with a slightly better outlook. I have made my peace with the fact that my journal is gone. Sucks, but truth. And, I've also decided that the act of writing everything down this last 2 months was probably more valuable an exercise than the actual written pages. I'm sure writing everything out also made it stick in my memory much more than it would have otherwise. I took some time this morning and wrote down a few of the "ah-ha" things I could remember (mostly health coaching ideas) and that made me feel a little vindicated. I'll keep wracking my brain for more recovered stuff on my bus rid to Cordoba tonight. And, to whoever is now the new owner of my journal, I assume that they are enjoying it as much as I would have. At least that's what I'm telling myself :)

The upside of today is that this municipal campground is probably one of the nicest campgrounds (front-country) that I've ever been in anywhere. I set my tent up pool-side: yup, there is indeed a gigantenormous pool (apparently it takes 3 weeks in the spring to fill).

The only problem being, as you can see from the photo, the pool a little low on water- as in no water. I guess it's been dried out in prep for the winter. In any case, this site is lovely. It's immaculately clean with nice bathrooms, 24hr hot water showers and....clothes washing sinks!!! So, while pouting about my journal, I managed to wash off most of the surface grime on my yucky clothes! What a sight- it was like the "pre" part of a Tide commercial. The amount of brown water than rinsed out of my shirt, pants and socks was appauling. But, Mom you will be happy to know I now look presentable and more socially acceptable :)

It's ridiculously hot in Salta today (by 11am the temperature must have been over 30 degrees in the sun), so I'm chilling at an air-conditioned internet cafe for a while. In fact, it's the same cafe I was in yesterday. But my journal's still not here....I already asked :)

I am the dirty kid

I was sitting in my tent a few nights ago and I suddenly realized how incredibly filthy I am. I mean, impressively grimy and dirty.




I do wash, really, I do. But every time I have a shower, some of my "tan" seems to wash off :)Hehe. I'm pretty sure I don't smell too bad (or at least not that stands out much from the people I surround myself with) but I'm approaching hobo status-appearance more than North American tourist.





When I first got to Argentina, I was prissy and trying to keep fairly clean. Then I spent the 9 days on the farm in El Bolson and clean took on a different meaning. From then on, I kinda forgot about clean clothes all together. I had a full wash in Chalten, only because I couldn't fathom exposing my fellow busmates to a bumpy 14hr ride with me and my rank clothes. But since then, the few sink washes I've been able to do don't even seem to make a dent in the grime on my clothes. And, to be perfectly honest, it doesn't bother me anymore. Is that bad? Have I lost all pride in my appearance or am I just so engrained in my travel/trekking groove where no one know me and no one cares? Either way, I love it. I will get clean at some point, this I know (I think American Airlines has a no-hobo policy) but for now, I have to admit that I'm perfectly happy being the dirty kid :)

Cachi Bus Ride (Day 47)

Although I may have stayed a little longer than I really needed too, Cachi has been fun. It has such a nice, laid-back pace, the people are really friendly and the town is clean, funky and quaint. Good for a little day outing :)

I caught the 9am bus (along with half of the town) and to my complete amazement, but bus actually left EARLY! They started packing people on around 8:40 and we pulled away before the strike of 9. Wonders never cease!

The ride starts out across the flat upper plateau of the mountain range. The hillsides are all different colours and dotted with the cardòn cacti everywhere. Then, about 1hr in, the show starts!

All of a sudden, the road circles around at the top of this huge, and I mean HUGE, valley with a series of streams all meeting into one river at the valley floor.


t's incredible to think that buses, packed with people and gear, along with cars, trucks, mules and cyclists make their way along this road every day. In most places the road is barely one-vehicle wide, so the smaller of the meeting vehicles has to retreat (in reverse!) to one of the passing areas and pull off while the bigger one goes by. Yikes!

The road crawls along the edge of the mountains, slowly switching by 150 degree hairpin turns back and forth down into the valley. Wild!

I'm struck by how incredibly green everything is! I know this is a valley and they are rivers running (sometimes torrentially) across the road in places, but there are also cacti everywhere. Kinda a wierd but wonderful combination.

Of course my camera would choose now to get low on batteries, so I had to sit back, enjoy the view and select shots carefully (and quickly). Once we got down into the valley, the road runs along the floor where the river leads out of the valley.

With the valley now behind us, the bus pulled into a pit stop- probably to let the brake pads cool off as much as anything else! Then it was a relatively easy, uneventful ride the rest of the way back to Salta. What a trip!

I tried to get a ticket for a bus from Salta to Cordoba, leaving tonight, but with the end of the holiday week and most people taking an extra day, the buses are jammed full. So, I have another unplanned day in Salta. A blessing probably, because it gave me a chance to clean up a bit (and man, my clothes are due!), get some groceries from one of the most comprehensive markets I've been to here (I even treated myself to Fruit Loops Kel!!!) and have time to cook and relax by the pool at Salta's municipal campground. How sweet is that?!

I don't leave for Cordoba until 9:30pm (that's 21:30 Tera, right?!) tomorrow night, so I will have the day tomorrow to finish up exploring Salta. Then I'm off to Cordoba, back into the mountains!

A Day in Cachi (Day 46)

Today I spent the day discovering the small (pop. 1800) mountain town of Cachi. I actually arrived here last night. When I went to the bus terminal to pick up my ticket, I found out there was an evening bus that I could take instead. Getting to the bus was a bit of a gong show- the bus was supposed to leave at 20:00 and I was waiting faithfully at the platform. Then the ticket agent came out and told the 4 of us girls waiting that we'd have to meet the bus at the gas station across the street. Wierd. Only problem being there were three gas stations across the street with buses at all of them. We finally found the bus (of course the last set that we checked) and got on. Seeing as it was Easter Sunday, I treated myself to a little festive treat. I can't say my supper was quite the turkey feast I was missing out on at home, but with the crooning Argentine tunes blasting from the bus radio as we bumped along the road past churches bursting with holiday worshipers, I feel like my Easter supper definitely had a solidly memorable Argentine flair!

(Note: This is a Milenasia sandwich- fried egg, ham, cheese, breaded beef cutlet, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard and dash of salt....bring on the heart attack!)

Unfortunately, I wouldn't get to see much of the scenery on the ride up- the main reason I was making this trip. I had it on good authority that the drive up to Cachi was worth the bumpy 4.5hr ride. But, the sky was clear and the moon still bright, so I managed to make out quite a bit just by the light of the moon (which is a great way to see anything). From what I could see, we were travelling through this immense valley, switching back along the ridges and climbing, climbing, climbing up to the top where it suddenly levels out. If the shadows gave any indication of how deep this valley was, I would be in for a treat when I could see it in daylight.

I was lucky to get a bed in a private house, arranged for me by one of the men on the bus. The older Senora who runs the house is a very sweet lady. The bed was comfy, warm (now colder that I'm at 2200m) and I slept like a log. I woke up this morning and went over to the little park to make my breakfast. I definitely got some odd looks for the people walking around the plaza- me with my camp stove blazing, mate and my oatmeal :) This park is really cute: it's got more lush green grass than I've seen anywhere else in Argentina, it's spotlessly clean and manicured and decorated with all these great pottery ornaments.

And despite being a small town, there are some very impressive estates and building here too that mirror the architectural flair in Salta.

Since the plaza is the hub of the town and today was Holiday Monday (for Argentina's Memoria (Remembrance) Day), there were also a handful of artesenal tables, with many wares similar in style to what I'd seen in Salta yesterday. Lots of silver, wood carvings, leatherworks and yummy alfajores (traditional sweet cookies).

After a quick stop into the tourist office to find out where to hike for the day, I headed off to the west lookout in the mountains. The surrounding peaks aren't that big out here (relatively speaking), but they are a continuous chain of rugged peaks and the greenest valleys below where the town lies, nestled between two rivers.

There is a really big peak off in the distance- which one I'm not sure but it's gorgeous.

As I was making my way up the ridge, I spotted some sheep (Dan would love this) grazing their way up in my direction. I don't know what they can eat out here, but they seemed pretty happy.

It was quite and warm up at the top, so I sat for a while and just watched the town below. All of the houses are adobe (clay), similar to the ones I worked on in El Bolson. The landscape is also scattered with these huge cordòn cacti that look like a forest of fence posts.

I made my way back down and followed the river back to town. It was pretty warm, but the mountain breeze made the temperature just about perfect. I stopped at a nice rock, pulled my sweaty feet out of my boots and saoked them in the cool water. It felt awesome, but I'm sure the horse that I had disturbed to get to this spot was not impressed with my smelly feet!

By now, I had seen most of what there was to see in this town, as cute as it is. I went to the bus ticket office to see if I could catch the 13:00 bus back to Salta, but it was full. So, I got my ticket for tomorrow and then just wandered around. And wandered, and wandered. I wandered through the little flea market, I had a nap under a tree in the camping area and then I went back to the plaza and wandered a little more. Did I mention this is only an 1800-person town?

Motivated by boredom, I went into the local internet cafe (they're actually two of them) and caught up on a few things. By the time I got finished there, it was a reasonable hour to start supper. After a nice hot shower, I trudged my stove and pots down to a little nook beside a bank and made supper. I couldn't get my can of lentils open, despite having a few people try for me )note: need to get new can opener in city) so they'll wait for another night. My my pasta delight was still pretty yummy without them.

I went to the other internet cafe to see if I could upload some photos, but no luck. So, I made my way back to the rooming house and was treated to an early night curled up in a warm bed. I have a ticket for the 9am bus back to Salta tomorrow, so I hope the weather is as clear as it was today so I can see into that huge valley!

Venture to Salta (Day 45)

Today is a travel day. I'm leaving Iguazu (seems like a short stay compared to how long it took me to get here) and heading to Salta, in the northwest of the country. Salta had not been on my original trip plan, but I've only heard great things about it and every time I tell someone that I didn't think I would make it to Salta this trip, I got a incredulous look that made me rethink my plans. Besides, it's only a 23hr bus ride - piece of cake, right?!

As I leave Iguazu, I've listened to countless people tell me that Niagara Falls has nothing on Iguazu and I have to admit, Iguazu probably has the upper hand. But, both are so different that I think they can't really be compared. Niagara Falls in one huge wall of rushing water and the shear magnitude of this continuous torrent is mind-boggling. Iguazu on the other hand, although much bigger a gorge, is a series of different falls all ending into the same gorge. Each quadrant in Iguazu has a slightly different look and a slightly different feel. And the sub-tropical climate also lends a magical taste to it.

But Niagara Falls is still pretty phenomenal- don't let them tell you different!

My bus ride to Salta took me through the night (of great bus sleep!) and I arrived just before lunch. After getting the lowdown from the tourist booth, I made my way around the nearby plazas and through the streets of Salta.

I have the luxury of being in this city on Easter Sunday. It's a luxury because it's a pretty big city and I think it would have a much different taste to me in a bustle of people. But, today it's quiet and only the artesan fairs are open. I made my way to the biggest one near the train station. I love artesan fairs! Here in Salta, it seems that silverwork in the popular art- jewellery, silverware, beautiful boxes, picture frames- all in crafted silver. There's also lots of the knitted ponchos and shawls, leather items and more mate gourds than you can shake a finger at. And, since it's Easter, LOTS of yummy treats!

With most Argentines enjoying family time and feasting, the fair was quite quiet and really pleasant to walk through. And with a slightly overcast sky, it's warm but not nearly as hot as it was in Mendoza or Iguazu. I wandered back along some of the sidestreets and came upon the crowds letting out from a futbol game. Everyone had on a Salta jersey of some sort, and people had flags, drums and were chanting away. It was all pretty harmless (thankfully), but pretty cool to see how many people were out- futbol is serious business here!

As I kept wandering, I also had a chance to see some of the awesome architecture and funky store fronts that Salta is known for.


I have also read that there are a lot of complex adobe houses, which I'm curious to see after working on the adobe houses at the farm. But, I haven't really seen any yet, other than the ultra-modern neighbourhoods on the fringe of the city from the bus ride. I've got a ticket to go to the nearby mountain town of Cachi tomorrow, where there is supposed to be a lot of adobe infrastructure and some fantastic mountain hikes. Should be great!