Huaira Huasi Purmamarca

... til Quica, hvor jeg lige nu sidder paa et lille hostel som eneste gaest, og derfor har haft computeren for mig selv hele aftenen til endelig at update min blog :) Har haft fint selskab af familiens smaa piger, der har haft meget morskab af kameraet paa min mobil..

I morgen krydser jeg graensen til Bolivia, og tager et tog fra Villazon til Uyuni, hvor jeg haaber at melde mig til en 3-4 dages tour i omraadet til og ...

... could have walked for miles but Edie was adamant that the Gorge was not going to be conquered and became as stubborn as a mule. 

After only 100 feet our darling daughter was asking how far to go. 

However the route chosen by Santos was leisurely and scenic so everyone was happy.  We ambled and chatted until we found a small lake and sheltered area to set up for our picnic. 

For those who want something more challenging (and do not have Edie with them) Santos offers a ...

... century battle clothing i.e. long coats, stockings, shoes with pink bows on them, and hats with feathers. They have muskets too - one of the angels is in the process of loading his. A very strange concept!

We returned to Tilcara to visit the museum. It had lots of exhibits from archaelogical explorations in the area, including of the Pucara.

Then we headed to Purmamarca, a little town 3km from the main road and famous for its 'hill of seven colours ...

... some nice and sometimes funny pictures. Km 15175 (& Km 15310) - Purmamarca (2200m) After the Salinas we headed east towards another high pass - Abra Potrerillos at 4170m before driving steeply down the Cuesta de Lipan (lots of hairpin curves .... we loved it) towards the little Andean village of Purmamarca where we spend the night. The town (1000 habitants) is well known for on of its surrounding mountain: Cerro de ...

12.01.2009 Um 8.00 Uhr wird unser gebracht. Ein Fiat aehnlich dem Punto. Ilona und wir packen unsere Taschen ins Auto und holen dann Jessica und Sandra ab. Es passt gerade so alles in das Auto. Cozy ;) Wir fahren los in Richtung San Antonio de los Cobres. Da nur ein Teild er Strassen asphaltiert und der Rest Schotterstrassen sind, geht es zum Teil nur langsam voran, aber die Landschaft ist wirklich toll.Gegen 14.00 Uhr kommen wir in ...

... small village nestled at the foot of the "Cerro de los Siete Colores" (Hill of the 7 colours). Another village geared for visitors with the usual places to eat and sleep and the obligatory, overpriced craft market in the village square. Strangely, a lot of the restaurants and hostals were closed maybe it was too early in the season. Accommodation here seemed in the main to be quite ...

... countryside. Apparently it took 20years to complete the railway line through difficult terrain. That night, we aimed to reach the little town of Purmamarca. The town sounded nice and was big enough to have a hostel. Along our way, we saw caballeros (men on horseback) riding along the train tracks and the flat pebbled river bank (barely trickling with water). Eventually the mountain peaks softened into something more reminiscent of sand ...

... of unidentifiable variety, and organs too...like liver, ovaries...I don't know what else. I ask them to leave off the organ meat. I mean who wants to eat ovaries? When I've dissected them, they don't look particularly suited to the grill. But then it's all what you're accustomed to. And I'm not accustomed to eating ovaries. But the parilla is great if a table full of red meat only is your thing... .you don't ...

... second day in Salta the temperature drops some 20C to a chilly 15C. As we drive through temperate forests and into the valley, it begins to get even colder and we are totally shrouded in gray clouds. There arenīt too many tourists around in spring and we begin to wonder whether it was such a good idea hiring a car after all. Tilcara is a small town with around 3000 people which sits in an oasis in an otherwise dry and infertile region. The dusty mud streets ...

... displaying some of the mummies (naturally preserved in the cool dry mountain desert air) from burials, as well as child sacrifices. We walked into the mountains yesterday with a spanish speaking guide (good practice for us) to visit some remote caves where we had to do an offering of coca leaves to the local spirits before passing inside. One of the caves went right through to the other side revealing a great view of multi-coloured mountains.