On the road to Iguazu Falls and Iguazu Falls, (April 23 to April 25, 2011)

Our first day on the road from Humahuaca was brutal. 710 kms from a desert to hilly and green. 500 kilometers were driven on a straight road, not very entertaining, but we still believe that driving our own car is the best option to discover a country such as Argentina. We try to find a hotel in a small village and the best hotel recommended to us by some locals scares us away... We end up 140 kilometers further in a very decent hotel in Pampa de Los Guanacos. The following day, another 670 kms . Another tiring day. The scenery has changed when we reached Resistencia, hotter and much more humid. We will end up this day in Posadas, a city without much charm on the riverside of the Parana. On the other side of the river, it is Paraguay.

Above Paraguay by night !
We finally arrive in Puerto Iguazu, and book a room in Hostel Peter Pan. I wonder, later on, if this hostel is not a community to give a second career to prostitutes. You should have seen the ladies helping the clients out here : breasts ahead and passing over the bras, with a hip swing! Alain does not mind...

Iguazu Falls under a bright blue sky and a very nice temperature of around 30 degrees without too many tourists. Did you know that  the name "Iguazu" comes from the Guarani word  meaning "water", and ûasú, meaing "big". Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage the god sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. Numerous islands along the 2.7-kilometre  long edge divide the falls into about 275 separate waterfalls and cataracts, varying between 60 metres and 82 metres high.

It's just magic ! The park is splendid, and although it is very well maintained, Nature is king ! We will see coatis,

multicolored butterflies by hundreds !

We have different views of the falls from the lower trail, to the upper trail and in the end, Garganta del Diablo Falls ! About half of the river's flow falls into a long and narrow chasm : Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo). The Devil's Throat is U-shaped, 82-meter-high, 150-meter-wide, and 700-meter-long.  Wow ! wow !

People around us stare at the falls in awe ! when they see the power of the water and the size of the falls crashing down, they just stand there and don't talk any more. Nature with its overwhelming power at work !

We are thrilled by our day, not any disappointment. For both of us, a dream came true !

This is where we are at the end of the day.

Tomorrow, we will be on the Road Again To...

Humahuaca, Iruya, Purmamarca and Salinas Grandes (April 19,20, 21/2011)

Humahuaca, 265 kilometers from Cachi through a very small road, weirdly enough with a semi-equatorial climate. We left Cachi under a cloudy sky and 80 kilometers later, we find again a bright blue sky. Camping is out of question as the altitude is 2980 meters in Humahuaca and we find a hostal at locals for 100 pesos a night, a bargain here. It's clean and it's a very nice family, Moise, Margaret and their four children, that welcome us. Humahuaca is a tranquil village with the main plaza and the monument to its heroes.

In the morning, we would like to go to Iruya located 80 kilometers away from here. However, as it is a gravel road again, which we have been told is very narrow and goes through a pass at 4000 meters high, we decide to experience the local transportation means of a ''collectivo'', a local bus. The road is in the end not that difficult, just spectacular going down to Irayu for the last 20 kilometers or so. The views are again stunning, and the road ends up in this tiny village. It takes us 3 hours to drive 80 kilometers with the bus, and 3 hours to come back.

At the end of the day, we are exhausted from the sun, the heat and the dust. Although we are very high in altitude again, in the 3000 meters all the time, the temperature is around the 30's during the day. However, as soon as the sun goes down, the temperature drops. To fight the altitude sickness, which supposedly can give you headaches and difficulty of breathing, Alain and I have bought coca leaves in Salta... We are like teenagers making their first experience at braving the authorities and this makes us chuckle. We ask the locals how much we should be taking and for how long, and this made them laugh.

They eagerly tell us to take 4-5 leaves and chew for half an hour. We don't really like the taste. Alain does not chew but cut the leaves in fine pieces. He ends up eating herb... By now though, he has got the hang of it and put religiously the 4-5 leaves in the side of his mouth. Not sure if we would have been sick or not without them, but we were not sick yesterday nor today, by the way.

We end up the day at a local restaurant, Casa Viaje. Not very fancy but we try ... llama in a creamy white sauce. Okay, we won't have it again. It's tasteless and tough. We are happy nonetheless, as it was the first time we ate Llama.

Today, we have decided to stay in Humahuaca for another night, but will explore the neighborhood villages and see the scenery. We drive to Salinas Grandes and again, the scenery is spectacular. All colours are present, from ocres, to oranges, green, violet, mauve, yellow, gray, white. Each layer of rock has its own shade and at each curve, we would like to stop to take another picture.

To go to Salinas Grandes, we drive through a pass at 4170 meters high. We chewed on our coca leaves again ...

The curves follow each other and we wonder when we will stop climbing. We then start going down slowly and reach the Salines. It's amazing, it's white like snow. The temperature is about 35 degrees and we feel that our sun glasses are not strong enough because of the reverberation.

We are surprised to see one gentleman work in the heat in the Salines to get the salt out of the ''pools''. He is covered completely as to protect himself. The working conditions look absolutely dreadful and he told us that he puts a 10 hour day on, but always with his music on...

Time to go back to our local family who will prepare supper for us tonight : some ''pollo'' (chicken) with rice and salad. Healthy and a good way to end the day.

It's time tomorrow to be On the Road Again to....

Cachi and Salta, Argentina (April 15/18, 2011)

Cachi, very small village, very friendly and pretty. We have found another hostal there and for our first evening, we try a Locro and a Cazuelo of cabrito (goat) accompanied by a local wine. Really not bad !

 

It's another day for resting and we visit the surroundings of Cachi on Ruta 40 again. Gravel again on a loop to end up in Cachi. We will see wild donkeys, we will talk with some local people to talk about cultivating mild red peppers. Nothing really exciting, just a nice day with a bright blue sky with a great temperature of 30 degrees. The setting of Cachi is very special, at an altitude of 2100 meters, with in the background the Cerro de la Virgen and the Nevado of Cachi, both over 6000 meters.

On our way to Salta, we cross the Parque Nacional de Los Cardones, with a forest of cacti.

Very unique ! and the road goes up to 3457 meters high ! We saw one condor, goats, guanacos, cows, Argentinians, French tourists, everything, everybody or almost ! The scenery is quite different on this side of the mountains. Cachi is more like an oasis and on Salta's side, it's much greener.

Salta la Linda, this is how it is called here. The main plaza is really pretty, with colonial buildings. We are amazed at the number of people in the streets. In Argentina, we often wonder when people work ! It is always crowded. After discussing with some locals, we learn that people do not trust the banks (no wonder after the 2001 crisis where many people who had accounts in US dollars were told that they would get their money back in pesos) ! No wonder now when we see line ups of people in the streets to go to the banks to get money, not to deposit it.

Many people do not have bank accounts. Many people spend as to hold on to something rather than saving. We go through the typical touristy places of Salta, the main plaza, the cathedral

, the market...

We visit the ''Museo de la alta montana'', a special museum where they have exposed a mummy of a child. In fact, three children (6, 7 and 15 years old) were found at the summit of the Llulumaico in 1999. The kids were sacrificed to please mother earth to ensure abundance and prosperity. The conservation state of the children is very good, as they were frozen. They are now maintained at the museum in the same state by using technology with a constant temperature of minus 20 degrees celsius and control of the air purity. Each mummy is exposed every 6 months. We can feel that the decision to expose the mummy has been controversial for a long time with the local populations. Visiting the museum though gives you a unique perspective on the Inca culture.

Tomorrow we are On the Road Again to ....

Cordoba, Cafayate and the Quebrada de las Flechas - April9/14, 2011

We have left San Luis and we head out to Cordoba. The road is splendid. We drive through La Toma, the world capital of Onyx. Move on, nothing to see ! This time, at night, we stop in a camping where we are alone and it's great ! Does not Alain look happy ?

The night was cold, but the owner had lended us a couple of blankets . We drive on and the road is still very pretty. However, Cordoba, the second largest city of Argentina is neither very pretty nor clean. Its central public park is full of empty bottles, broken glass, plastic bags. In fact, it looks like there is no money to maintain the city. The museum of the Memory is closed. In short, we are disappointed and leave Cordoba very quickly. We have now decided that instead of heading straight to Iguazu Falls, we have enough time to go to Salta, in the North West of Argentina.

Between Cordoba and Belen, a lot of driving, another 660 kms. We are again in a scenery of mountains full of cacti. We also discover olive plantations. As we are over 1000 meters, it's chilly at night and we opt for hotels again instead of camping.

From Belen to Tafi del Valle, the road is surprising as we are crossing some streams and climbing up to 2100 meters. Tafi del Valle will probably become more touristic in the future. We then discover Cafayate, a small town with the highest vineyard in the world. We visit the Wine Museum, very modern, with a lot of reading, but very interesting. We spend another evening in a restaurant and we are happy with the food, this time.




 

The Quebrada de Cafayate (de las Conchas) is spectacular. We have seen many canyons in the past, but the colours here are stunning !

The sun is shining, like yesterday and it's hot again. We finish our day by another wine tasting, at Las Nubes, where we taste 3 wines, a white Torrontes (this is what makes Cafayate famous), a rose and a red Cabernet (20%) Malbec (80%). The visit of the vineyard is quick, not much to say, 22 hectares of vineyard, 6 employees year round, and the harvest organized in one day where visitors are invited to participate.

We end up spending the night with Julien and Dagmar and the owners of the Hospedaje where we are staying, Jean-Paul and his wife, Gloria.

We start again the Ruta 40 towards Cachi. The first 40 kms were okay, but the remaining 150 kilometers to Cachi are done on a gravel road. However, it is worth it as we cross the Quebrada de Las Flechas and this is one of the place where the Paris Dakar was for its 2011 edition. Absolutely stunning views, we stopped for a few minutes to soak the scenery into our brains !

Unfortunately, time moves on and it's time to be On the Road Again to our next destination, Cachi.

Malargue to the Aconcagua to Vallee de Uco and Maipu (April3-Apr8/2011)

We have left Chos Malal to head out to Malargue. On the way, again on the 40, we have another 100 kms of gravel/stone road. We will drive by "Rio Grande', a small river who dug a canyon in the volcanic rock.

In Malargue, we end up in the municipal camping, yes, we are trying again at the cost of 30 pesos ($7.50 a night). We meet there a couple, Brigit and Dieter with their camper, that we had seen about a month ago in Punta Pyramides. It's a small world! We are happy to share a bottle of wine and our experiences in Argentina...

The night was chilly... We decide to fold the tent for the following night. We meet an Argentinian guide, Isoaias to go see the inside of a volcano, the Volcano Mallalarca. We saw the 2 chimneys of the volcano. Pretty impressive !

We then head out to Los Molles and Las Lenas, a ski resort, famous for its dry powder due to the climate around here. As usual, the road is stunning. It's a shame that it is very difficult to show on the pictures the reach tones of colours as well as the perspective we experiment every time. On our way back, we stop to check out a geological curiosity, Pozo Los Animas. A must see !

After a long day, it's restaurant time and we decide to give the Parilla another try at El Quincho de Mario, recommended by Lonely Planet ! Although it looks good,

Big mistake : the meat is hard and one more time we are disappointed. One interesting thing about restaurants in Argentina, first of all, is that most people do arrive after 10 pm and most of the time, with the kids, no matter the age... It certainly would not be acceptable in restaurants in France, but here, it is absolulely part of the culture. We have seen it all around Argentina, sofar and no clients complain, the waiters are also eager to take care of the little fellows and provide high chairs, when required. That evening, I decided that I needed to eat some green and opted for a vegetarian dish. In my mind, vegetarian goes with healthy. Another mistake, I saw a zucchini dish arrive, but ... fried... Just thinking that Alain wanted to add some French fries, we would have had another balanced meal!

We leave the following day towards Mendoza. We have now driven 3000 kms on Ruta 40.

We visit on the way the Canyon del Atuel, compared by the locals in Argentina to Gran Canyon in Arizona. 67 kms long, on another gravel road, of course, we discover incredible scenery with multicolored layers of rocks as well as weird shapes.

The day comes to an end, the local campground in San Carlos is closed and we don't know where to stop. Once again, we decide to ask the locals. I see a nice little house on the side of the gravel road, an elderly man watering his plants and I ask Alain to stop. With my best ''Castillano", I give a twik to my usual story by stating that the camping is closed (which is true) : ''El camping es cerrado, somos Turistas de Canada y buscamos un sitio por acampar''. He does not seem to understand and soon comes back with a lady. I explain again my sales pitch and after convincing her in Spanish that we are good guys, they accept to host us on their property for one night. Afterwards, I learnt that the gentleman, Jose, is a little deaf (my Spanish has improved indeed). It has been more difficult than in Chile to be accepted on their property and we learnt afterwards, that it was for security reasons. However, we have the feeling that these folks are warry of anyone coming from big cities. They will warn us later against Buenos Aires, Mendoza... However, now that they have accepted us and opened they door, they open their heart ! They all want to make sure that we are okay, introduce us to all of their family members. They allow us to put our table under their patio, use the table, we have access to our own washrooms and welcome to take a shower the following morning.

Thank you Maria and Jose ! We are so lucky to meet people like them ! it's part of the experience !

We are On the Road Again to the valley of Uco, a few kilometers before Mendoza. We will stop at a Bodega : Francois Lurton, who owns different wineries throughout the world ! We will then decide to visit the Bodega Salentein owned by some Hollanders. They started their winery in 1973 and built the main building in 2000. The size of the wineyard is 2000 hectares, spread on three different altitudes (1300, 1500 and 1700 m) a little mind buggling for any French person...They have now 3000 barrils (90% French oak) that they store around the auditorium. The humidity is controlled within the buildings and the temperature is stable at 12 degrees. They mainly grow Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. They have planted roses at the start of each row of grapes, and the colour of the roses help determine the degree of maturity of the wines.

And of course, it is time for another tasting experience : Cheers everybody !

In Maipu, we are camping again and the following day we decide to go see the ''roof of the Americas'', the Aconcagua at 6962 meters. Again, we have a blue sky, an ideal temperature and we start driving along this windy road, very scenic again... The colours are wonderful, reddish, yellowish, brownish, with the green and yellow of the vegetation along the way. We stop at the Puente del Inca

and a few kilometers further, we are stunned by the beauty of the Aconcagua. We hike only for about 2 1/2 hours from 2800 meters to 3200 meters, but it's already late and we turn around.

We stop at the Cemetary of the Andinists. There lay all the alpinists that died while living their passion and we must admit that we are completely moved... time to go !

We visit the following day a plant of olive oil, LAUR. It was started in 1906 by a French guy Francisco Laur. Short visit but interesting nonetheless. They have over 1500 olive trees over 100 years old. Each tree produce about 100 kgs of olives every year. And yes, we get to taste the olive oil this time !

We then visit another Winery, Carinae owned by a French couple who decided to change their lives about 8 years ago. Their winery is much different than Salentein as their winery spreads on only 12 hectares. We get to select our ''tasting'' menu this time !

Cheers again !

We decide not to stop in Mendoza itself in the end and will be On the Road Again.... tomorrow