Avenida Hotel San Salvador de Jujuy

... placards. Before we knew it, the road in front of us was being quickly sanctioned off by men rolling huge tyres into the centre of the road. Unable to turn out of the lane - because of Tiago's hated sign system and awful drivers - we were funnelled into a path narrowly missing the wall of tyres, which we now realised were quickly being set on fire. Although obviously quite panicked, Tiago really held it together and we creeped slowly towards the burning wall. As the protesters stopped ...

... turning the car around and heading back. We were trying to reach the Thermal baths before it went dark, and that meant a 2 hour drive to Jujuy. We only had time to make a stop at a ceramics factory on the route back (more Daniellas sake than mine), we did pick up a couple of bits and bobs, a piggy bank and an armadillo wine jug, both made of ceramics. Hope they dont get broken on the flight home!! Reaching the thermal baths, it was a bit of a surprise that there was no ...

... small oblong pools the workers cut into the floor. They do this to harvest the salt, and it releases the water under the surface to create (salt) crystal clear water, which they then scrape into small bundles and turn into pure salt. I can testify, so you dont have to try it, that the water tastes like shi... We visited a tiny little community nearby for lunch, a real how the hell do you survive place. A delicious lunch of soup, lamb empanadas and ...

... bus!" he turned out to be the host, spokesman, salesman and drunk of the bus. I was sitting beside a tiny old man who wore a big round hat that kept falling off on the bends. I kept giving it back to him but I didn´t understand a word he said. He was about ninety and had a mouth full of coca leaves (although that goes for everyone on the bus) he did offer me some sweet smelling booze in a little tin cup that he was surreptitiously pouring ...

... left hand drive car before. Thankfully we made it. Sadly the bridge was a huge disappointment and we soon hurtled back down to continue our journey. I drove for the next 4 hours or so, along the worst terrain known to man, which left me in a pretty foul mood by the time we reached our lunchtime destination, Salidas Grandes, the salt flats that stretch for miles along the mountain roads. It was impossible to stay miserable for long, surrounded by such incredibly beautiful and pristine scenery ...

... en restaurantjes. Rick was vervolgens 2 dagen onaanspreekbaar vanwege post-stap misselijkheid. Ik lag de hele zondag bij het zwembad en socialisede wat met hostelhippies. De dag erna kwam de gids ons ´s ochtends vroeg ophalen met zijn Kangoo. Gelukkig kwamen we er snel achter dat het een vermomde Belg was, voordat we lullige opmerkingen maakten. Twee zwaar gestoorde wijven gingen ook mee en maakte de dag heel entertaining. We reden naar de Salinas Grandes, grote zoutvlakten ...

... with shared bathroom) and it came with breakfast this morning. And with breakfast at this fairly cheap hotel, I had a nice cup of coffee. In Chile (at least in the North), even in restaurants they give you Nescafe instant coffee. I didn't drink much coffee at all in Bolivia or Peru (stuck to mate de coca), but I remember once ordering coffee and getting a cup nearly filled with hot milk into which I could pour a little bit of coffee. So let me fill ...

... he said was a huge steak again! Hopefully I will feel better and will have more to report in the next few days. A few observations on Argentina so far - Everything closes around 1 - 3pm and may not open again until 8 -9pm! Siesta time! At night you need to eat late - 10pm or so...! Streets are pretty much deserted during the day - the street life starts at night here, you wander a street at 11pm and it is packed! The people really are nice. They look Italian and their ...

... 1 hs y media, por lo que nos fuimos a mirar una pelicula para hacer tiempo.... Al pasar la hora y media, nos miramos y dijimos, llamemos a ver que onda... El taxista nos dijo "si si se me salió un resorte de la rueda pero esta todo bien, en 30 minutos estoy ahi". Fue entonces, que nos miramos y dijimos, y bue... comamos algo! Al pasar 1 horita y media nos miramos y dijimos, llamemos a ver QUE ONDAAAAA!!! A las ...

... planned on stopping at least once more before crossing into Bolivia but I've been bored over the last several days now and have decided to move on to the border mañana. The more I consider it the more I lean towards a fairly quick path through Bolivia, Peru, Equador and Colombia..maybe even taking to the air a few times. So, maybe I'll be home in a few months? Who knows...don't count on it as I seem to change my mind constantly.