No more camping!

Trip Start Feb 10, 2006
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Trip End Feb 01, 2007


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Flag of Argentina  ,
Friday, June 16, 2006

Found ourselves in a tiny little town called Tilcara and a room at last!!! It costs the same as putting our tent up in a dusty, windswept backyard so what would you do? The owner is a beautiful young woman who is very careful to use only the simplest Spanish on us - guess she´s used to hopeless gringos. It was so relaxing we stayed five days and made bus journeys out to nearby villages. Here we found some amazing places. Little Maimara which welcomes you with the words ¨Visite Maimara¨ spelt out in huge letters on the hillside - very nice but the arrow points down into the huge graveyard which spills over the hill and is the first thing you see when you turn down the road.

Then on to Pumamraca and the ¨Hill of Seven Colours¨ which is just as it says, the most colourful setting you could imagine. And down in the middle of the village a riot of multicoloured blankets are laid out on the market stalls awaiting the coaches to disgorge the daily quota of tourists with bulging wallets.

Humahuaca (still trying to pronounce that one properly) has a lovely little square surrounded by gorgeous old buildings but not much more. At twelve each day a life-size figure of Saint Francisco Solano appears to deliver a benediction. The square quickly fills up with chattering tourists and locals alike who go silent (other than the furious clicking of camera lenses) when he makes his brief (and early) appearance. An arm is raised clasping a cross then lowered slowly and the other is raised, pointing out across the masses (did he spot this sinner in the midst?) I kept on clicking and tried to take it seriously.

Up the steps and we come across a rather frightening sculpture ¨to honour the heroes of the war of independence¨ - it showed a group of native South Americans looking ferocious. I have to ask though, didn´t the real locals get used as cannon fodder, have their cultures and languages destroyed and were treated pretty much like slaves throughout those times??? All a bit patronising I think. Found a cheap cafe and watched Brasil try to live up to their claims of glory.
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