Vising the moon.

Trip Start Apr 02, 2008
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Trip End Jul 31, 2008


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Where I stayed
Hostel Podos Los Olivos
(San Juan hotels)

Flag of Argentina  ,
Thursday, May 15, 2008

From Mendoza we travelled north east to a little village called San Agustin Valle Fertil, we went here to access two national parks. We stayed at a little place called Hostel Podos Los Olivos which means ´Put the Olive Trees´, but for us, we simply called it The Pit´. Admittedly, it only cost us a fiver for a double bed with private bathroom, but we certainly got what we paid for!! The walls and ceiling were all cracked and damp so that bits of ceiling would periodically fall down, there was no hot water to speak of, and there was obviously a bugs nest in the drain system so that everytime we ran some water these bugs would swarm out all over the bathroom floor (a bit like the film Scanner Darkly for those of you who have seen it). Dave also suffered the first mosquito bites, 7 in all. Ouch, but luckily there is no Malaria in this area. (Dave: Stupid things!)

The first national park was called Talampaya which means "Dry Riverbed of the Tala" Whacky graff
Whacky graff
 . The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which occupies a site of an ancient lake where the sediment has been eroded by water and wind for some 200 million years, forming a dramatic landscape of spectacularly shaped rocks and huge red cliffs up to 143 m in height. Some of the cliffs have long caves carved all the way up them, so that if stand at the bottom and shout up you can hear your voice echoed back three of four times. Numerous fossils have also been found in this park, as have some 600 year old petroglyphs (some of the early graffiti artists! These ones did it while on cactus juice which is a Hallucinogenic drug a bit like mescaline).

We also visited Ischigualasto which means "Place where the Moon alights".  Ischigualasto is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is best known for its ´Lunar Valley´. This is a valley of sparse pale mounds which, you guessed it, look like the surface of the moon. There were also these amazing cathedral like red cliffs which looked more like the surface of Mars (or so Dave said?!) (Dave: Cooorse it does, just like it, I could hardly tell the difference). The park also known for its wierd-shaped landforms and for a collection of strange round rocks, it is also the place where the skeletons of the oldest known dinosaurs have been found (around 230 million years old).

So from the past to the present. We are now moving no further north to Salta, another 20 hour bus journey which starts at 3am!!!! These are the kinda times that travelling doesn´t seem so appealing!!!
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