Month: March 2019

Categories
Bolivia South America

Cochabamba

I decided to take a flight from Sucre, rather than the bus – 26 minutes vs 10-12 hours. The airport is a 45min drive from Sucre, but overall a much shorter trip.

My next stop was Cochabamba, a large city but not one that I took a liking too. The most famous sight here is the large statue of Christ (Christo de la Concordia; Christ of Peace) that looks over the city and valleys. This statue is larger than Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (30 m) but smaller than Christ the King in Poland (36m tall including crown). The statue is accessible by 1399 stairs or a telferico/ cable car.

Categories
Bolivia South America

Sucre

Sucre is known by several names, one of which is the White City. The buildings around the city center are UNESCO Heritage listed and protected. They are all white and well maintained. The city has a metropolitan feel and is the first time I have a cappuccino in Bolivia šŸ™‚

The city is Boliviaā€™s constitutional capital, while La Paz holds the other statuses, after a civil war was fought over the matter. The signed Bolivian Declaration of Independence is housed in Freedom House. One fact that stuck with me was that the current Bolivian Flag has 10 stars on it, but only has 9 departments/provinces. The 10th one is for the land they lost to Chile- now the land North of Antofagasta.

Many wars fought for Independence were around the Sucre area. An interesting independence war character was a lady who fought for years, alongside her husband and the men and at the cost of losing her four children. Her name is Juana Azurduy.

I visited the Museo de Arte IndĆ­genaĀ (ASUR) which shows off the amazing local textile creating talent and history! Ā Photos were not allowed in the museum but it was pretty beautiful and also showed some local costumes.

Categories
Bolivia South America

Potosi

The bus trip from Uyuni to Potosi is rather pleasant, passing through small villages and hills and mountains. One climbs approx. 700m on this trip.Ā  Potosi is the highest situated city in Bolivia just after La Paz.

Upon arrival in the city centre I took a liking to the old town. As there has been mining here for over 470 years you can see how much wealth was accumulated. Potosi was one of the places where silver coins were made for the whole Spanish Empire! Unfortunately, the buildings have not been maintained and the infrastructure thus looks unkept. The 10 de Noviembre Square, the main square is filled with flowers and surrounded by stately buildings and the cathedral.

I arrived on a Sunday and the city was celebrating a Saintā€™s day- and what a celebration it was! A huge parade consisting of hundreds of people that went on for hours! There were so many bright colours and finely adorned garments for girls, men and women. The men wore very heavy costumes, they even had big American football type shoulder pads to help spread the weight. The younger ladies wore tiny little layered minis and the older ladies wore Ā¾ length multilayered skirts. Nearly all wore knee length high heels. I cannot even imagine how much a full outfit would cost?

As the parade passed, each group had their own band- because I can see that Bolivians do not celebrate quietly! The drums were so loud that you could feel it in your chest!

At the end of the parade was the saint in question, priests and altar servers blessing temporary saint chapels that people in the city had decorated with fresh flowers and embellishments. And strangely, behind this was a long parade of cars that were covered in blankets and decorated with expensive silver plate ware, cutlery and art. I wonder if this attested to the silver mines all over Potosi but I am not sure how this ties to the Saint?

On my last day I pay a visit to the Mint (Casa Nacional de la Moneda). The building takes up a whole city block and was very important in the production of coins. All the machinery that is at the mint is original- which is impressive as it was used for over 100 years. The machines are nearly all made from wood. A few interesting facts, the dollar sign ($) originated from the stamp that coins made in Potosi were identified with. The original stamp included overlapping PTSI, later the P&T were dropped and S & I overlaid gave the dollar sign. It was also in Potosi that they put borders around coins. The reason for this is that people used to break off little pieces of silver off the borders and steal it that way, to the point that round coins became square. Ā 

I also paid a visit to the Santa Teresa Convent of Carmelite nuns. This was a fascinating visit. 

The convent was opened in the 1600s and housed a maximum of 21 nuns. The Carmelite order is a silent order and traditionally the second daughter of wealthy families were sent to Convents. The first daughter and son was married off, the second were sent to clergy / convent and the 3rd son was sent to the military. 

Girls entered the convent at the age of 15. It was not a cheap practice; the family had to pay 2,000 gold coins for the privilege of sending their daughter to the convent. If you didnā€™t have that cash, then art or equivalent valuables could be used. 

Up until 1965 the families and nuns were not allowed to see or touch each other. They were only allowed one visit per month for one hour. The daughters were dressed up in glorious dresses on the day they entered the convent, signifying a marriage/commitment to their faith. The dresses were sometimes reused in making vestments for priests. Each nun had a small room, with a bed without a mattress- they slept on wood. The first of seven prayers during the day was at 4am. 

There are many altars that have been restored from several different convents that are now museum pieces. They are wooden and covered in 24ct gold leaf.

Categories
Bolivia South America

Cerro Rico Mine

I had read a fair bit of information about tours to see one of the oldest silver mines in the world, and none of them paint a pretty pictureā€¦so I am a bit apprehensive that I am going to fit where the considerably smaller Bolivian men work. I suspect that being a mining engineer may increase my fear upon entering the mine as lack of safety systems will be more obvious. My fears are not lessened once I sign my voluntary waiver and read the ā€œadvertā€ outside the offices of the company that I will be going with. See below photos.

Twelve of us take the morning tour, first stop is the warehouse as they call it- change house would be more correct. We get rubber boots, head lamp and hard hat as well as thin coveralls.

We get back on the bus and go to the minerā€™s market. The deal is pretty much as follows: the miners do not mind us visiting them underground as we, the tourists, bring them presents which help them reduce their running costs.

So what can you buy at the market?

  • Fizzy drinks
  • Coca leaves for chewing (the miners do not eat underground due to silica dust, and the leaves are appetite suppressants and help with altitude)
  • 96% alcohol ā€“ which I will explain in more detail
  • And explosives- yes, dynamite, detonators and ANFO packages. All three are called a ā€œcompletosā€. The completos are transported underground together, in little plastic shopping bags, not separated like every country requires! Any person can walk off the street and buy some??? A completo costs 20 BOBS or 4 AUD.
  • All other pieces of equipment and spares that miners require

So none of this is making any sense if you are used to working for a mining company, so I will provide some more background. The 15,000 miners that work the reefs of Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) belong to cooperatives. They pay for their claims and pay taxes off their earnings. There are approximately 400 tunnels through the mountain, of which 180 are being worked. The miners make their own working groups and can work as much or as little as they want. Most die due to silicosis after 15 years of underground work.

The mine has been operating since mid-1540s (over 470 years) and has over 8 million fatalities in that time!! Yes, 8 million, that is over 17,000 per annum!! Many of the deaths occurred in the earlier centuries when enslaved natives were forced to work for 20 hours per day and were not allowed to leave underground for months at a time!

Let me also explain the gift of alcohol to Tio (Uncle). Every Friday the miners gather by their sectionsā€™ statues of what they determine to be their protector. He has the look of the Devil. They offer him gifts of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol and get completely pissed! So let me just say that going to the mine on a Friday was out of the question for me! I do not know how these guys survive drinking the 96% alcohol?? The miners ask for more minerals and safe conditions in return for their sacrifice. You will see on the photo that Tio is decorated- this is after the recent Carnival festivities.

Women are generally not allowed to work underground as the miners believe that Pachamama (Mother Earth) will be jealous and cause minerals to disappear and safety to decline (well, I am not sure the stats support that view!)

The time has come that we got to the mine tunnel and we all wonder what the next two hours will hold! Before entering, our guide told us not to touch the electrical cable that entered the mine- the cable is thinner than those you would find wiring your house!

We walk in single file but fast as the next wagon filled with ore is being pushed out of the mine by 2 miners. Our guide shouts ā€œRun quickly, another wagon is coming! ā€œand we line up against the tunnel to get out of the way. The main tunnel is small and most of us have to be bent over already.  Itā€™s important to know that running quickly, bent over at 4,400m above sea level does take it out of you a bit!

After about 800m we gather as a group and get some information from our guide. He tells us that the mine we are in has 5 levels, approx. 60m apart. Ore from above is fed into ore passes /chutes and then into the wagons. Ore from below is loaded into rubber bags and hauled by a pulley system from below.

Once the wagons are loaded they weigh 2tonnes and are only pushed by 2-3 men. They have no brakes and with the very dodgy rails can derail at any time too.

We walk further into the depths of the earth and come across two very large holes that have 2 x planks going across them. I thought that they were continuations of ore passes, until our guide tells us that the first working place we are going to is 60m vertically down from us! We all nearly chokeā€¦you mean we are going down there?? HOW? Again the guide says not to touch the wire that is going down. It is some 2in away from us as we crawl through tiny spaces. There are some cut in steps, but they are at an angle and sandy /slippery.  I am one of the last to go down as I decide whether this is smart- def NOT! But I have come to see work areas. Descending the 60m is tough- slippery and at the bottom there are two further shafts that are not in any way covered by a grid or anything! If you slip- which is highly likely- you end up carrying on going uncontrollably down!  The second hole, about 3m wide needs to be crossed on a 2-3in plank. The only thing you can hold on to is the rock on either side while you contort yourself due to the hanging wall being low! The miners are drilling 5m below us. Everyone starts going down again and one of the girls inadvertently touches the wire and gets an electric shock- she screams from fright but seams OK. Her skin is still warm a few hours later where contact was made. I decide not to go down further, as I consider how the hell Iā€™m going to make it back up to the top?!

The orebody is very steeply dipping and only about 1 m width gets taken out. The way back up is challenging- trying to avoid falling into the never-ending shafts without too much to hold onto. I get a hand up and then hang onto some metal jutting out the floor. I keep thinking that the miners carry 40-50kg bags of ore up here too as there is no other way out! I must confess that my muscles hurt today!

We move along to a different section to see the pulley system for drawing up ore. Here we split into two groups- one that goes down to another level- def not me this time! And we go up a 5m ladder to a work area. Here the men are literally using hammers and chisels to break the waste from the ore to carry less. The blasts break the rocks up into too bigger pieces to carry in the sacks. As we continue talking it turns out that we are sitting in an ore pass! Oh dear me!

On our way out we hear multiple explosions, though most miners blast in the afternoon. There are no methods of communication between the different levels or working parties- so I am unsure as to how they clear for blasting considering that the whole hill is like a termite mound? The only ventilation is via compressed air, and that doesnā€™t really make it to the working areas.  

Considering how there is absolutely no control over what happens on this mine, how the environmental and other regulations have purposefully been relaxed, I wonder how this effects that quality of the water that the town has- and how polluted with heavy metals it is?

As we talk more on the way to town in the bus it turns out that the guys were much more fearful than they made out to be. Especially in the first 15-20 minutes. They were all quietly panicking! We were all glad to have made it back and decided it was among the scariest things we have done, if not top of the list!

In conclusion, like the advert said, it is def not for woosies!

Categories
Bolivia South America

Salar de Uyuni Trip – 4

Our final day starts out early, with us being on the flats just after 5am to position ourselves for the sunrise. We park the vehicle on the flats, facing east and wait in the cold. The salt pan is partially covered with rain water at the moment after rainy season and thus we have an opportunity to get many reflections shots. Once getting out of the vehicle and stepping into the icy water we nearly all have cold and wet feet pretty quickly but hold out until the sunrise. As it most often is, the west is a prettier sight than the east, with baby blue pinks and blues and the full moon!

We drive across the Uyuni salt pan to Hotel de Sol (Salt Hotel) which was the first hotel on the salt flat but was closed in 2000. Now it serves as a stop for travellers like us and is the start of the Dakar race across this Bolivian natural wonder.

After breakfast we head off to some drier parts of the salt flat as an opportunity for the group to take some perspective shots. We all decided that it is harder than the photos make it look! Fun was had with several traditional and less traditional props.  We also had a proposal ā€¦our English / Canadian couple got engaged! Blake asked after 7 years of dating and Grace said ā€œYesā€!

Our final / final stop of the trip was the Train Cemetery near Uyuni. These are abandoned trains from the 1920s-1930s when English technology took over and they were no longer used. This together with a loss of access to Iquique port, in Chile and a drop in mineral prices. Considering it is also Bolivia, you can climb all over, into and under them- do whatever you please really. 

We all hugged and said goodbye before leaving our separate ways. I stay in Uyuni for one night, a town which is surprisingly dirty and very non-inviting, despite the hordes of tourists that come through its ā€œdoorsā€. I but a ticket to get out on the first bus out the next day.

Detailed map of Salar de Uyuni Trip with Tupiza Tours. Marked in red
Categories
Bolivia South America

Salar de Uyuni Trip – 3

Our day starts earlier so that we can make it on time to Uyuni Salt Flats before sunset. We commence by travelling through Siloli Desert and stop by rock formations that include The Stone Tree. We still travel north alongside the Chilean border, passing a chain of beautiful lagoons, that are still with little wind and thus reflect the mountains and surrounds stunningly! They are in order of appearance; Ramaditas, Honda, Chiarkota, Hedionda and CaƱapa. We do some short walks around these lagoons and head off down a rocky pass called Pasito Tun Tun.

When the pass is conquered we drive towards a main road to get a view of the always active Volcano Ollague. It is split 50/50 between Chile and Bolivia and has a steaming fumarole on the Chilean side. After this quick stop we have a long drive east to Uyuni and then Colchani where we will spend the night. We pass many small villages and larger towns as well as Boliviaā€™s largest mine: San Cristobal; which is an open-pit silver, lead and zincĀ mine.

We arrive at our ā€œHotelā€ for the night: called Palacio del Sal. It is self-rated at 7 stars; which is nowhere close to reality. There are 2 toilets to share for 30 people and no running water at all, not even to wash your hands or brush your teeth. It is however a novelty to sleep in a building made entirely of salt bricks. This hotel also has a view across the Uyuni Salt Flats. We have about an hour to spare before heading off to join the hundreds of people for sunset. There are no rules as to where one can and cannot drive on the salt pan; so it is a free for all!! Which also means that you have people parked in front of you, in the way of your photosā€¦

The sunset was a great golden colour, without any clouds in the western sky. We head off to dinner after the sun says goodbye for the day.

Categories
Bolivia South America

Salar de Uyuni Trip – 2

We awake before 06h00, get packed and eat breakfast. We are on the road at approx. 07h15.

Our first stop is to check out a kraal of llamas, and we get treated to some llama porn too šŸ™‚ .

The second stop is Laguna Hedionda (which means stinking); and it does; though the wind is strong here and this dilutes the smell. There is also a thin layer of ice around some parts of the lake- a tribute to the cold night.

The next stop is Kollpa Laguna and then Salar de Chalviri.

We travel past the thermal baths to go to the base lakes of Volcano Licancabur (you may remember I named this my favourite volcano when I was in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile and saw it from the other side of the border). The base lakes are Laguna Blanca (White Lake) and Laguna Verde (Green Lake) .

There is a huge amount of pillow lava in the area, attesting to the large explosions of the past and the distance that these volcanic activities covered. The flat valley around the volcanos is also covered in volcanic rocks that were spat out of the volcanos in previous explosions.

Before lunch we get to the Thermal baths at Laguna Polques and take a 15min dip in the 33Ā°C fresh water springs while having a view of the expansive lake and snowcapped mountains in the background.

Once we eat lunch we head off towards the Chilean border to see the Desierto de Dali, named after the artist Salvador Dali and his art style, which can be imagined in the rock forms. There are also volcanoes that have multicoloured layers after many explosions. I canā€™t help but think that they remind me of sand bottle art. We are now in the south west corner of Bolivia. The next day we will travel parallel to the Chile/Bolivia border along the Andes.

Our next activity is a walk around Geisers Sol de Manana, 5,000m, which in any other country would be on a boardwalk or across a mark path, but not in Bolivia. Here you can just walk around wherever you please, without knowledge of depth of ground below you! Two weeks before a Japanese lady fell into an acidic, high temperature pool and died.

We spend the night in Huayllajara at 4,000m. We donā€™t settle in for very long before going for a sunset trip to Laguna Colorado (Coloured Lagoon). This lagoon is very intriguing as it contains algae that changes colour depending on the time of day and amount of photosynthesis. Thus the lagoon is normal water colour at night and in the mornings, changing to orange and then a dark red. The lagoon is also home to hundreds of flamingos and other birdlife.

Categories
Bolivia South America

Salar de Uyuni Trip – 1

After a few relaxing days in Tupiza at 2,900m, we start off our 4-day South- West Bolivia adventure. I get picked up from my ā€œhotelā€ and taken to another hotel in town to meet my other 3 partners in crime for the trip. The group includes a young German Student and an English/Canadian couple. We have a Spanish speaking driver and English speaking guide.

The first stop was literally just outside of Tupiza and was a testament to the power of water erosion in the area, creating steep, thin rock pillars called Quebrada de Palala. We climb quickly up very windy dirt roads, the corners are taken fairly sharply and drop offs are pretty steep. This is a two-way road but without much passing space. There are of course no guardrails. The views are amazing from the increased elevation and include further examples of water erosion of sandstone. This area is called El Sillar.

During the day we drive through small mining villages. Mines are worked by private miners, generally menā€™s work and women look after the llama herd. In the photos of the llamas you will note that they have colourful decorations and what look like earrings. As the llamas are a very important part of Altiplano (highland) life in the Andes, they are decorated for carnivals and festivities. The colours also serve as a way to differentiate between the herds of different families.

Lunch was in a small village, with homes open as dining rooms. Here we met up with the other 4 tours that left Tupiza that day. Two others from the same company I used and another two from different companies. We in essence travelled in caravan together for the trip. This was a good plan as we had several breakdowns and it was good to get the assistance and brains of the other drivers to help problem solve and fix. While being in the middle of the desert it is amazing to see the few tools that the driver/ mechanics need to solve the variety of problems. Ā Everyone helps, irrelevant of company.

In the afternoon we get to Ruinas de San Antonio. This is a large (2,000 person capacity) town that was set up by the Spanish to mine and process copper, gold and silver. The town also has the ruins of a huge church, which was also ransacked by thieves and had all the art, gold and silver artefacts stolen from it. This was taken as a bad sign and the village was moved a few kilometers away.

It was at this site that we also spotted our first chinchillas. They are very well camouflaged and can only be seen when they move.Ā 

The sun is setting when we leave, the sunset is colourful and we have a spectacular full moon rise too!

We arrive at our accommodation fairly late and eat dinner at about 21h15. Accommodation is shared, 2 toilets for 12 people and no hot water. Our first stop is at about 4,200m and one can feel the cold and altitude. This village is called Quetana.

Categories
Argentina South America

Cachi

This tiny little village is South West of Salta on Route 33. The drive there is also spectacular, with winding roads that are first covered in thick jungle vegetation, that then changes again as we again gain elevation; however, it is different to the drive to Cafayate. Here there is greenery but not thick jungle type trees. We are lucky to see a few condors throughout the day, being so huge they are easy to spot. As we wind up the dirt road mountain pass the scenery gets pretty breathtaking, and not only because itā€™s so high! We stop at the highest point in the pass- where the Millerā€™s Stone is, left hundreds of years ago when it could not be loaded back onto a cart. This is at 3,348m and surprisingly there is cattle grazing here. From here we can see the whole Enchanted Valley as it is named, well at least in theory as the low clouds are coming in fast and furious and cover and uncover the view all the time.

As soon as we cross the pass the scenery and vegetation is entirely different on this side of the mountain. It is what is all over Argentina- and called Pampa. Very low dry shrubs. Soon starts the Parque Nacional de Los Cordones, which protects the giant cacti along this stretch. These cacti only grow about 1cm per annum when they are young, and a maximum of 4-5cm when they are significantly older. Judging by the height of most of them we are talking several hundred years old on average.

Passing the Tin-Tin road which is part of the straightest 12km of the Royal Inca Road across South America (and the old Incan Empire) we reach a lookout of the Cachi peaks- 9 peaks over 5,500m but they are covered by clouds. Just before Cachi we pass Payogasta, which is famous as growing the worldā€™s highest vines at 3,400mā€¦ however recently Tibet has planted vines at an altitude of 3,563m and thus take the record.

The village of Cachi is very small and quaint, 30 minutes is enough to walk around ā€¦slowly.

Categories
Argentina South America

Cafayate

Cafayate is located south of Salta on route 68. The drive there is also through scenic and fertile farmlands and villages of Valle Lerma as well as mountains covered in jungle. This however changes as we gain elevation and vegetation is sparser and thorny. What is becoming a more desert landscape is eroded by thermal changes and water. Our first stop is by Devilā€™s Throat, which is steep rocky tube, eroded by water. Ā We also stop by Tre Cruces (Three Crosses) look out which is spectacular with all the deep maroon and red mountains as well as greenery by the small river flowing through the valley. There are many other named and non-named rocky outcrops, one even known as the Titanic- near where our bus driver played the theme song for us so that we can get a hint as to what the name was J. Ā 

Just before lunch we stop by a vineyard named Vasija Secreta (Secret Vase) for a tour and wine tasting. The vineyards there are located at 1,600m and are known for their Cab Sav and Torrontes varieties.

We have 2 hours in Cafayate for lunch and a look around, which spend at the wine museum. It is a pretty interactive museum with the first part describing the climatic and soil requirements for good wines, written in poetry and the second part of the museum covering the history of the area.

On our return we stop by the rock formation known as The Amphitheatre, where we have a local musician playing and singing so that we can appreciate the sounds within.

Categories
Argentina South America

Humahuaca

Humahuaca is also located north of Salta, and also includes a trip to Pumarmarca. I didnā€™t mind visiting it twice though. Over and above this we visit a view other places of interest. One of these is Pucara de Tilcara, which is next to the town of Tilcara. These are rebuilt Incan ruins, though not correct historically. They are rebuilt to give visitors an idea of the buildings of the time.Ā  The site is an archaeological site and excavation took place over many years in the early to later 1900s. The monument is there for the archaeologists who worked on the site- something that was somewhat strange to me.Ā 

We have a very brief stop in UquĆ­a. There is a church here that has a rather unique set of paintings. When the Spanish arrived they asked the Incans to paint angels for the church, however the Incans had never heard of angels and thus asked what they looked like. The Spanish replied that: ā€œThey look like usā€. Thus, the paintings of the angels are those of Spanish military personnel, with rifles and wings! No photos are allowed inside though.

In the afternoon we stop by MaimarĆ” ā€“which is a stop to view ā€œLa Paleta del Pintorā€ (Palette of the Painter). The coloured mountains look better in the late afternoon sun. On the way here we also glimpse the Mountain of 14 Colours, which looks fabulous and was featured on National Geographicā€™s cover recently.

Categories
Argentina South America

Salinas Grandes

The amount of vegetation and farming north of Salta is a surprise- such fertile lands here and even jungles are present. This is in complete contrast to the other side of the Andes, where the Atacama Desert is in Chile.

We head north from Salta, towards our first stop of Pumarmarca, a lovely quaint village that is located next to the mountain of 7 colours. Since this site has been named a national treasure the village has been transformed into a tourist hub. The colours are really quiet brilliant leading up to and past the village as well.

Salinas Grandes is the largest salt pan in Argentina. It is located north of Salta. There is active salt and lithium mining taking place at the moment. The salt flats are at an altitude of 3,450m and we travel through a pass of elevation 4,170m in order to arrive at the pan. It has a surface area of 212km2

The road to and past the Salt pan has been paved due to the large amount of trucks that pass here from Iquique port, Chile to Paraguay filled with second hand cars from Asia. It makes this road very busy and somewhat dangerous with the trucks taking all the windy corners pretty sharply.

Categories
Argentina South America

Salta

I spent nearly a week in Salta, I made it my base to explore the northern parts of Argentina. I was pleasantly surprised as to the diversity that this part of the country has to offer.  Salta is also a nice city, spread out and no towering apartment buildings. It is over 400 years old and is one of the first towns founded by the Spanish.

On my first full day I set off to join the free walking tour and bumped into another girl that I had met in Cordoba on the walking tour there. She was with a friend from her hostel, and we spent much of the rest of the day together. 

After the walking tour we visited the MAAM (high mountain archaeological museum) that houses four children that were sacrificed by the Incas and buried at over 6,700m amsl on the volcano Llulliallaco. The children were all under 15 and were of privileged descent. The children were given a brew (chicha) and were buried after they fell asleep. They thus each died from suffocation. It was considered a privilege for ones child to be sacrificed as their souls would live with the ancestors. The bodies are extremely well preserved due to the environment in which they were buried-little oxygen and bitterly cold. Only one of the children are exhibited at any time.

The museum also brings up the ethical problem of retrieving bodies of ancient cultures for the purpose of scientific studies.

In the afternoon the three of us walked up to Cerro San Bernando to get a great view of the city from above. There is also a cable car available to get up.

I had four full day tours coming up to explore the region.

Categories
Argentina South America

Tucuman

I flew into Tucuman from Buenos Aires after my Uruguay trip. Ā The weather was rainy and cool- a change from Uruguay for sure. The taxi driver talked me through some of Tucuman as we drove from the airport. When he found out I was Polish he told some four times that Pope John Paul II had flown into Tucuman airport for a few hours in 1987.

I stayed overnight in an Airbnb with a lovely lady who spoiled me a lot. She introduced me to homemade humitas. This is a corn and goat cheese mixture boiled in maize leaves, and she had many desserts. We sat and had a chat- I should say that she chatted and I tried to keep up with the Spanish! She showed me her art studio in a separate portion of the house and some of her artwork- it was beautiful.

Being a Sunday I didnā€™t see much of Tucuman, and the rainy weather continued into Monday. I did visit the sugar museum ā€“ Tucuman is the center of sugar cane industry for many decades.Ā  It is also the largest exporter of lemons.

I caught a bus to Salta that morning.

Categories
South America Uruguay

Punta del Diablo

Punta del Diablo was starting to quieten a lot after Carnival; as a matter of fact, the town and businesses shut down when I arrived and will only start up for a few days over Easter and then again only in December.

It is a larger version of La Pedrera, with dirt roads and lots of holiday homes. There are a few large beaches and restaurants are huddled around the Playa Pescadora (Fishermanā€™s Beach) area.

On the first day I walked to the lighthouse along Playa de la Viuda (Widowā€™s Beach).  It was a pretty hot day, so I found some shade to hide in afterwards.

The next day was just super stinking hotā€¦so I did absolutely nothing šŸ™‚ Which was nice ,as I had a cabin all to myself anyway- my first entirely solo accommodation since I started the trip.

On my final day, though it started with some rain, I headed out to Santa Teresa National Park. Ā The park is large and contains a rather large mish-mash of experiences: it is run by the military and contains military barracks, which are hidden from the public behind the forests. The park also contains a large conservatory with tropical plants and ponds outside with waterlilies. On the other side of the park, literally- and I would know ā€˜cause I walked the 6kms to get there ā€“ added a couple as the signs were crap- there is a well preserved fort- Fortaleza de Santa Teresa.

When I was finished at the fort I walked along the highway back to the entrance to catch the bus back to Punta del Diablo.

Iā€™m glad that I travelled around Uruguay- well the southern coast anyway. It was a good, relaxing time spent taking long walks on the beaches! So I felt like I had a holidayā€¦ you know time off from the travelling šŸ™‚

The next morning was up bright an early -04:30 to catch a bus to Montevideo, then another to Colonia, then a ferry to Buenos Aires in order to catch an early morning flight to North Argentina: San Miguel de Tucuman. So it has been a busy last two days of travelling; but not very exciting.

Categories
South America Uruguay

Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio is a rather unique place. It is located in Cabo Polonio National Park and is a small hippy village. The only electricity is run to the lighthouse, there is no piped running water and people flock here by the hundreds. The hostel I stayed at had solar power for heating water and electricity. Our tiny room had a 3 LED light strip which did a fantastic job of lighting the room.

The rocky outcrops that the lighthouse is built on is also home to a sea lion colony. There are also sea lions that live a little offshore on another small island.

The village is built pretty rough, with houses dotted anywhere really. Only a limited amount of cars are allowed and only for permanent residents. All day visitors must leave their cars in the large car park at the bus terminal and take a 4×4 truck to cover the 7km or so dune track to the village. The 4×4 trucks are all different and characterful, and the adults enjoy the trip as much as the kids! On both trips I saw small owls in the dunes- and odd sighting in the middle of the day. I have not found out what species it was yet though.Ā 

I have taken many photos of the village and various houses to help show the feel of the place. I arrived on a Sunday and was actually shocked by the amount of day visitors- both beaches were packedā€¦so much for my remote village retreat!! Luckily by nightfall ,most have left and all is good in the word again šŸ™‚ Perfect night for star gazing too! No clouds, no moon, very few lights and a glorious sky filled with all the stars and the Milky Way. It was superb!!

On my second night the star gazing was replaced by a magnificent lightning storm. Just sat on the back porch, on a day bed, facing the sea and watching a different sort of show- that was limited to a 42 inch screen.

Ā 

Categories
South America Uruguay

La Pedrera

La Pedrera is the polar opposite of Punta del Este. It is a small community on the sea side, where the only street that has bitumen on it is the main road, and the others are all dirt roads. The houses are a mixture of shacks, old style houses that would go back many years and more modern dwellings. Some are even architecturally designed.

During the time I was there it was Carnival. I was warned by several people that thousands of people would descend upon the quiet village. There were some crowds, however more weekend numbers I guess. A few years ago upwards of 20,000 came to this town- however the locals were not pleased with this and asked that measures were put in place to limit those numbers! Iā€™m glad that it was on the quieter side! The beaches, yet again (picking up a trend here???) go on for miles, so you donā€™t have to walk for too long before you are nearly alone.

Categories
South America Uruguay

Punta del Este

The playground of the richā€¦and apparently famous. Punta del Este is one of the most expensive places that you can stay in Uruguay, and that says a lot considering Uruguay is probably the most expensive country in Latin America. Yes, I thought this was Chile, but I was wrong! You have your choice of beaches, one that has waves as it faces the predominant wind direction, and the other is in a more protected bay and is thus calmer. The skyline is filled with high rise apartments, which doesnā€™t give it much character- I suppose it can be compared to a smaller version of the Gold Coast in Australia. I however stayed in a lovely, old established neighbourhood that has big houses and large open gardens. It was nice to stay away from the hustle and bustle and be in the quiet suburbs.

So the city is very commercial, however the beaches are great and go on for miles and miles! The water, being on the Atlantic Ocean is a little cool, but not too bad. Not as cold as the Atlantic in Cape Town as an example.

The Marina attests to the wealthā€¦ with some yachts as big as housesā€¦ others a bit more ā€œnormalā€.

For the first time I also had a really tasty combination sushiā€¦ if you have a chance or make your own: salmon, Philly cheese and MANGOā€¦.yummy! Wouldnā€™t have thought to do that but it was great!