The first part of the trek followed the Tren a las Nubles, a scenic tourist train through the clouds that only runs twice a week. This was not one of those days. Following the train tracks in the 4WD was just as fun, if not more so.
our tour bus for the day
breakfast! I think I ate 19 of those little croissants... so yummy
It was bloody cold and the clouds didn't lift until about 10am, but the views were still amazing. We passed Abra del Acay, a gorgeous ~5,000m black mountain with white peaks, and San Antonio de los Cobres at 3,800m.
Amazing scenery. We also passed through small towns where locals were selling handicrafts - beautiful alpaca scarves and sweaters mostly.
sooooo cold... Kim had to buy a sweater
town church
mmmmm - mate!
For lunch we stopped at a farm off the main road. A family of about 30 lives there and has built the living structures out of local material including the cactus we had been seeing and slabs of compressed salt.
the restaurant - 100% natural, except for the Coca-Cola
almost made me wish I had a job... almost
Really beautiful buildings and furniture. They also had a small museum about the puna area. Lunch was empenadas (always yum!) and a stew of pasta and meat.
I forgot to ask what kind but it would not surprise me if it was llama. Add that to the carne list...
The winds and dust from the day before were present here too, and exploring around the farm was interesting but not at all pleasant weather-wise.
the family church
heating water the natural way
no town in South America -and I mean NO town - is complete without a soccer field
one of these things just doesn't belong
Next was Salinas Grandes, 300 square kilometers of salt flats 30-50cm thick, formed from volcanic eruptions eons ago. There were lines cleared for trucks that looked like pavement and it was only after close investigation that we realized we were standing on salt, not asphalt.
no, really, it's salt
Amazing. It was indeed otherworldly and created a complete loss of perspective.
really, it is
We took some photos on salt dunes and started to walk out to a small building only to realize it was a bazillion miles away in actuality...
... but not really, because I was able to zoom really close with my camera. Very confusing! A beautiful and quite surreal place though. This was the main draw of this particular 4WD tour (in lieu of the Bolivian salt flats) and it was completely worth it. Photos don't do it justice.
After that we went through more cloud forests and beautiful scenery...
the highest point we would cross that day
... to our overnight stop, Purmamarca, home of the Cerro de Siete Colores (a mountain with striations of colors that really glow in the evening and morning). Our hotel room overlooked the mountain and featured a bathtub, an amazing shower and electrical outlets that actually held plugs. Spoiled once again...
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