Ghala Hotel Salta

... walking around. First strolled through an artesian market, but didn't buy anything. I always look at stuff and then think 'Hmmm... I really kinda like that, BUUUUUUT if I buy it, I have to drag it around with me.'

Found the main plaza and enjoyed a late lunch of ham & cheese sandwich (very popular in SA), a Salta cerveza, ice cream sundae and water. It was a very leisurely lunch! Much hotter here in Salta so I was happy to sit ...

Although sweaty and dishevelled, Tiago and I were incredibly relieved to have made the bus and were happy to be on our way to Salta. Salta is a large town in the northwest of Argentina, some 12 hours away, and so we had another overnight bus journey ahead. Unlike previous journeys, this one was quite irritating as there were a few stops in the wee hours and we were woken up lots. We also had to change buses at seven in the morning. As ...

... helling op. Het fort hebben we uiteindelijk vanaf een kilometer hoogte gezien, blijkbaar ergens een verkeerde afslag genomen, maar het was wel kei-gezellig gek. En als het gezellig is, gaat de tijd snel, dus ineens moesten we opschieten, nog even 50 kilometer om gereden om het dorpje prachtige Humahuaca te bekijken (dat bleek niet veel meer dan twee redelijk mooie kerken) en toen in drie uur terug naar Salta racen om twee minuten voor sluitingstijd de auto weer in te leveren.

... and contains trees that are typically 20-30m high, is verdant and green, and contains lots of jungle animals (such as pumas/jaguars, birds, and reptiles) and very little flowers (because little light reaches through the canopy to the floor). The second level, which we spent a large amount of time traversing through, is the Montana Yunga at 1,000-2,300m, and contains tons of grass and small bushy trees, weeds, flowers and cactus. The ...

... or is this some form of deep-seated narcissisum? At the outset of my journey in September, I would have emphatically said that the passage was both true and false. True in that travel writing and an extended journey would reveal a lot about myself and what I desired in life and what direction I needed to take to get there. False in that I was on a journey around-the-world that would lead me to a small ...

... Amaicha del Valle, beweert 360 dagen per jaar zon te hebben, en het was inderdaad heet! Met de locale gids Sebastian gingen we in een verpauperde Landrover door een vallei met reuzecactussen (cardones) naar de overblijfselen van het pre-Inca dorp Quilmes. De indigenas (inheemse bevolking) vertellen graag over een ´heilige´ stad en geven een beeld van de toenmalige cultuur. Het is wel jammer dat de Argentijnse overheid dit anders ziet en de archeologische site heeft laten ...

... though we began to see the wonder of the Andes, tall, grand and beautifully coloured making up in some measure for the lack of colour elsewhere. Tupiza is also dusty, despite the torrential rain which paradoxically makes it a mass of slippery puddles; the roads become individual riverlets. We are in a hotel which makes a change, also have a nice room and the chance to use a swimming pool .. if the rain holds off long enough ...

... were stamped out of Bolivia and into Argentina. The difference at the border between the Bolivian and the Argentine side, was as always incredible. All of a sudden the peope looked Italian and their Spanish accent was so different from those we have heard elsewhere. We took a cab to the bus terminal only to find that buses to San Salvador De Jujuy were not leaving from there and that we had to make our way to Corta Ruta. Armed with no map and no Argentine Peso´s we had ...

... tropical forests, lakes, and rolling grasslands. It is perhaps most famous as the site where the Argentine Declaration of Independence was signed 190 years ago, and the modest colonial house where General Belgrano, San Martin, and the other liberation fighters grouped to proclaim independence stands as a museum. After finding a good hostel to stay the night, I ventured off to the main square and to have a look around this compact city ...

well its been a while since the last entry. truth is i haven´t been up to much mountaneering or expeditioning and tales of adventures while hanging out in towns aren´t really for the public domain or would need to much censorship and spin to make them suitable. after the mendoza adventures headed up to salta . hired a car with some peops and went on 6 day tour of the cactus studed deserty north. Much entertainment was had exploring wind and water eroded canyon scenery ...