Hotel Ke Kuul Salta

... green. Canyons and strange rock formations that look like they should be the setting for an episode from Star Trek. We hopped in and out of the car to take in the scenery, visit the local handicrafts being sold on the side of the road and take pictures. We also stopped at a 'devils throat', a large cave in the side of a mountain which has great echoing ability. (Mike interjects - in case you're wondering about the title to this entry - we also visited a ...

... the cash point at the bus terminal. This, rather stupidly, only accepts domestic bank cards, surely rather an oversight for a transport hub. Anyway, I asked a taxi driver how much to my hostel and he said maybe about six or seven pesos. I got in. On arrival the meter said AR$5.58, and brilliantly in my wallet I had exactly AR$5.60... bonus! I arrived a few minutes before 6pm, meaning that my journey from Sucre to Salta was the longest so far, at a massive 24 hours ...

... approach, chilling at cafes during the day, catching up on emails and indulging in a siesta. We have found it a bit of a culture shock blending into the way the Argentinians do things (and no doubt we will find this throughout South America). Everything seems to close down at 1pm for the all important siesta and shops and some cafes don´t reopen until about 5pm. Due to the big siesta people don´t eat until about 10pm which seems late for ...

... in a long time) were anything to go by I would be inclined to partially agree. Salta certainly seems to offer a more wholesome taste of Argentinian life, and it´s a taste which, like my Sangira, is going down rather well. That night we had our first group dinner, and I had my second Argentinian steak. This time I opted for a Bife de Chorizo (rump) which, despite the restaurants´s reputation, turned out not to be so great after all. It came out ...

... des photos de nous que j'ai toute suite mis sur mon ordi pour éviter d'avoir un CD à graver. On a donc gagné du temps et repris toute suite la route pour Jujuy. Superbe journée !Nous sommmes arrivés à Jujuy vers 17 heures et nous avons rendu la voiture puis mangé un peu et au dodo. Pas le temps de voir la ville ni d'écrire pour le blog ! On est toujours en train de faire des choses et je n'ai plus le PC pour moi seule maintenant on partage pour consulter les mails....

... and beliefs of the old indigenous ways continue to persist and have been hybridized with Catholic beliefs. One of these rituals is the apachata. Originally, apachatas were food and other supplies buried under the earth along caravan routes. Pachamama, or Mother Earth, is the most sacred spirit in the beliefs of the Andean peoples since they were agrarian-based cultures heavily reliant on water and the earth. Eventually, items were ...

... and cover 2400km (1500mi). This was easily the longest bus journey I had taken anywhere in the world, but thankfully I was booked on an oustanding FlechaBus coach. Settled in for an epic ride with my books, journal and pen, I had the motivation and wandering mind necessary for some serious reflection. Most of my thoughts centered around my travels, my relationship and future with Mary, my thoughts on ...

... the final one, just before the mountain pass. Here we were pulled over, Pete was asked to get out of the car and they inspected his paper UK driving licence. A broken Spanglish conversation occurred whereby the copper informed us that it was illegal for Pete to drive the car with his licence and that he actually required an International licence. Now, if this is true, why did Hertz let us hire the car? We were then asked for our passports. I ...

... schnell etwas Brot auf unserem Campingkocher und duesen los in Richtung Sueden. Es ist noch dunkel und wir fragen ein paar Leute nach dem Weg, denn Wegweiser sind hier Mangelware und die Strassen sind weiterhin schlecht. Die Temperatur fiel nachts so tief, das sogar Teile des Flusses, an dem wir vorbei fahren, gefroren sind und wir sind froh ueber unsere Entscheidung, nicht gezeltet zu haben. So langsam geht die Sonne hinter uns auf und beleuchtet das Gebirge vor uns in ...

... All the horses were very gentle and our guides knew what they were doing. We went up in the mountains and it was an all around good time. Friday April 18th- Wednesday April 25th- Jujuy trip with Pro Yungas Ah what an amazing adventure! Of course our professor Maria didn't tell us what we were going to be doing (she really doesn't have much together, but we've all gotten used to it) so it was all sort of a surprise. Friday 18th- we had an early 4:00am bus ...