Jujuy

Drive to Iruya, Salta

Jujuy /

The thermometer in the car read around 5 degrees Celsius as we set out a little after 10 am. It was a clear day, and the mountains to the north were luminous in the rising sun as we drove north about 45 kilometers past Humahuaca and turned onto a dirt road for the rest of the trip to Iruya, another 50k, which took another hour and 40 minutes. We had read about this fantastic route, despite the roads, but we were underwhelmed for a good while — just a simple, dirt road cutting through sheep pastures and every 10 kilometers or so, a tiny town would appear. The most interesting thing was that every pueblo had a beautiful cemetery with flowers and a well-kept stone fence, and each seemed to be much larger than we would expect for the size of the towns.

Finally, after about an hour we started climbing on switchbacks up to about 4000 meters (13,000+ft), passing through the Abra del Condor with spectacular views of pink, green, and purple mountains with clouds hanging in between them and the wide, rocky fields of yellow grass and paths below us. Harrowing would be my descriptor of the route, but then I’m a bit afraid of heights (?!). We passed a sign informing us we had crossed from Jujuy to Salta and then with dozens of acres of farmland in the distance below, we headed down more switchbacks to about 2500m (8000ft) — a drop of 1500m (5000ft) –and then back up more winding roads along the canyon and up to Iruya, a village of maybe a 1000 people built into the cliffs at 2800 meters altitude and above the river. Along the way we encountered several mules loose on the side of the road who stopped to say hello, and several interesting and amusing signs and sites, including the shrine of the “Immaculate Virgin de Buenos Caminos” (Immaculate Virgin of Good Roads) where all the road equipment for repairing the roads was parked. And we ran into an extreme cycling tour group, coasting down the switchbacks on what we presumed to be electric bikes.

Driving through the town of Iruya is impossible because of the narrow streets, so we were directed to park in the riverbed below the town and walk up. In 6-degree crisp, cold weather, we hiked up to the church and then another kilometer to the top of the town and had a small lunch at the Iruya Hotel.

The return trip was just as hairy, but much quicker by at least 45 minutes probably due to Knox’s familiarity with the roads; we had more fantastic views coming the other way with the setting sun lighting up the mountains to the east. Without question, this road trip was one of the longest, most challenging dirt roads we have encountered ever, and worth every second!

Link to Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/FbNdNTon2bUjWT8T6

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Drive to Las Salinas Grandes

Jujuy /

Purmamarca is known to most as being famous for the Mountain of Seven Colors. So far, we had certainly been enamored of the stunning colors and textures of the surrounding mountains everywhere we went, and the seven colors did not disappoint. On our way to the Salinas Grandes, we first stopped in Purmamarca for shopping at the artisanal market, where they had a lot of typical pottery and textiles from the region with dozens of vendors selling virtually the same products. However, we eventually found several very lovely higher-end textile stores. We bought a few items, stopped at the pharmacy for eye drops (really dry air in Jujuy) and had a coffee before heading out for the hour-long drive through the Lipan Gap to the enormous salt lake in the high plains called Salinas Grandes.

A truly unbelievable drive. We climbed from 24 degrees Celsius in Purmamarca past the famous Seven Colors Mountains and on up 50+ hairpin turns to the high plains (La Puna) and 11 degrees Celsius at the top. We reached 4170m (shy of 14,000ft!) and definitely felt the altitude! Then we headed down to the salt lake in wind and 13 degrees. An indescribable view that evoked the image of white, snow-covered ice on an enormous, frozen lake with bright sun and whipping winds. Salinas Grandes is at around 3400m and stretches for 320 kilometers east to west. We passed a salt mine and stopped at the tourist site in the middle of the “lake” to visit with the shop proprietors and buy a few trinkets. Most of those working the stalls are from the small indigenous community near the Flat called Tres Pozos, a community of three settlements, home to a total of a couple hundred people.

That night after a welcome nap, we went for dinner at one of the best-reviewed restaurants in Tilcara, Nuevo Progreso, owned and operated by the chef Maria Florencia Rodriguez, also chef at the winery we had visited for lunch a few days before. An excellent meal, stunning presentation, service, and atmosphere.

Link to Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/As6Nht5pX9fpeuRs9

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Cooking Class with Anita / Pucará

Jujuy /

We had pre-arranged a cooking class to learn about the regional cuisine. We arrived at Anita’s restaurant, El Patio, in Tilcara at 9:30am. After several minutes of introductions and conversation about her background, she took us to the central Tilcara market to buy various veggies, fruits and other goods. The market is quite large and held every day including holidays and weekends and is full of every type of meat, fruit, and vegetable you can imagine, as well as a large portion devoted to the sale of clothes and other products. The variety of fresh fruit and veggies at this time of year surprised me, because in Mendoza we find that many common items are unavailable for several months in the winter. Turns out that because Jujuy is a province with four completely different growing climates/ zones, just about all types of produce are plentiful most of the year. We would never have found the market on our own. And, of course, we learned about the endless types of corn, potatoes, other tubers, and quinoa native to northern Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru! Beautiful! We headed back to her restaurant and began preparing the ingredients to make two types of empanadas –one with quinoa and pepper and onion, the other with pepper onion and llama meat (they raise and eat llamas commonly in northern Argentina). Of course, as all Argentines know, you shape empanadas differently according to their contents. Meat empanadas are shaped one way and vegetables another, etc. I found the shaping of the dough extremely difficult, but Knox took to it immediately!

During the morning, we had a lovely conversation about life in Tilcara and the Humahuaca region of Jujuy. Two girls from a national nonprofit based in Buenos Aires, Pequeños Pasos, whom Anita had known before and were in town came for lunch. We dined and chatted with them about the country, BA, and even politics. Anita brought out tamales also, made with a dried beef called charquie (pronounced Sharky). Very salty, but excellent. 

After lunch, we went to the archeological site in Tilcara called Pucará (or fortress), a 70-meter-high hill on the outskirts of Tilcara. It is a fortress built as a replica of the ruins of an ancient pre-Hispanic, Inca town in the Quebrada de Humahuaca, and honestly, it is not very interesting. However, we followed the Spanish guide and learned about its disputed nature. At the top of Pucará there is a monument in honor of the first archaeologists to uncover the site in 1908, Juan Bautista Ambrosetti and Salvador Debenedetti from the University of Buenos Aires. It is a controversial construction because in carrying it out, they destroyed valuable original artifacts and built the monument in a contradictory architectural style that failed to conserve the Incan historical heritage.

After siesta, we went to another ceramics and art shop on the way to Humahuaca, a tiny, dusty town about 25 minutes north of our hotel where we had dinner and saw a live folk music show by two well-known guitarists from Jujuy. One of the musicians played a twelve-string instrument with a round back, a charango. We were pleased to be able to understand 95% of the folklore stories that were part of the performance. I had a quinoa risotto, which was a satisfying stew-like dish on a cold night!

Link to Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/X6fwzJHJ2XxRq4aj7

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Taller de Nadalino y Milagros / Viñedos Yacoraite

Jujuy /

We decided to try to find the ceramics studio of an Argentine ceramicist who had been recommended to me by my ceramics teacher. She said he was well known in the country for the ceramic musical instruments he creates. I found him on Instagram, and we had an address outside the small town of Miamara, one of the villages we saw from horseback the day before.

We drove into the very dusty town straight up a very steep hill about a half mile and parked near the address. No one was around except some kids and dogs playing.  We saw no sign nor any house or street numbers (thank you Google maps!) and so right when I was about to knock on the door of the house I believed to be the address, a grey-bearded, thin man in maybe his early to mid-seventies opened the gate adjacent to the house. I introduced myself and he, Nadalino, and his wife, Milagros, invited us into their small, modest home. The front room displayed many beautiful ceramic pieces of all sorts—sculptures, bowls and cups– and in the corner was her wheel and a shelf with several items drying. The kitchen area contained several more. He showed us his studio in a room behind the house, the gas kiln they use, and the garden. Turns out that he works by hand and she on the wheel, and he was adamant about disabusing us of the notion that he is a well-known artist (hence the picture of the sign next to the door of his studio that features a question mark added by a friend of his).

We spent an enchanting 90 minutes chatting about pottery, poetry, music, various techniques they each employ, creativity, the essence of art and life in general, etc. Nadalino explained that his inspiration for pieces come from moments in time, fixed moments in time that he “saves” and then expresses in the pieces he creates. Also, every morning, he rises before the sun and takes a photo of the sun rising over the mountains from his patio.

We bought one of his unconventional drums that he makes in all sizes, a sculpture and several small, thrown items by Milagros. He offered us a glass of wine while he packed our pieces, we chatted some more and we exchanged contact information. Knox asked how people can possibly find their studio. Nadalino’s response was very emphatic: they only want to meet people who have a genuine interest in what they do. “If people want to find me,” he said, “they will find me.” And it was clear they cherish meeting people who are interested in art and creativity and discussing matters of poetry and music, etc. We took our leave, headed to the car and my phone rang. It was Nadalino! We had forgotten to pay, to arrange the transfer from our bank to theirs. And, we had forgotten a poem by Watanabe, written on a large piece of butcher paper that he had gifted Knox! So, we headed back up the hill and finalized payment, once more thanking them for such an amazing visit. Nadalino remarked that leaving with someone’s pieces without paying is sign of how good friends exchange art and ideas.

We had planned a lunch at a winery, called Viñedos Yacoraite, a half hour further north, not far from our hotel, recommended by the hikers from Rosario we had met several days earlier. They had raved about how amazing the whole experience was, and so we arrived, expecting a cool place and a good lunch, but we did not expect the spectacular setting, beneath the sacred mountain called La Pollera Coya o Meson de Yacoraite (literally, the skirt or table of Yacoraite) at 9500ft. The altitude was apparent as we parked and gazed up at the spectacular restaurant and cava built into the hill with views of the majestic mountain and surrounding vineyards. The land is sacred dating back to the Incas; the descendants believe, as their ancestors did, that the mountain protects them and their small community. Given the indigenous community’s ongoing conflict with the influence of outsiders and folks not associated with their larger families, it was interesting to see such a large, modern winery in the middle of their land. We wondered about the politics of someone with so much money buying the land, building and essentially inviting foreigners and tourism into a sacred place.

The lunch was four courses, paired with wine from the vineyards (made in the capital town of San Salvador). We learned it is one of the highest vineyards in the world! And, it was for sure one of the best lunches we have enjoyed during our time in Argentina. The chef, Maria Florencia Rodriguez, is well-known in Jujuy and it turned out she is also the head chef at another restaurant in Tilcara we were to eat at a few nights later.

A day unlike any other: amazing, magical and unexpected!

Link to Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ruVdjv4MArgQwMjt7

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Horseback Riding in the Mountains of Tilcara

Jujuy /

We left the hotel early on a very cold morning at and drove15 minutes south from our hotel to a small, dusty and rustic horse encampment (really couldn’t call it a ranch) outside of Tilcara and situated next to railroad tracks (a rare site in Argentina). Gonzalo has around 25 very well-fed, well-cared for, typical Argentina working horses. After mounting the already saddled animals, we crossed the highway and began heading up; the temperature climbed quickly to about 25 degrees Celsius as we shed layer after layer. The three of us spent the morning climbing up a large wash along the rainbow-colored mountainsides with jagged peaks that look like castles formed by the rain and wind over millennia (called Castillos de Huichaira). With spectacular views, and silent except for a few birds here and there, we enjoyed every second! A pleasant surprise was the number of cardones (Argentina saguaro cacti; similar, but not the same) lining the path, and huge ones all over the mountain sides along with various other green desert scrub. 

After the ride, we went into town for a simple lunch outside on a shady square. Exhausted by the altitude and the sun, we retired for the rest of the day.

Link to Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/zQ3vn6B94UwHp6sP7

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San Salvador de Jujuy to Huacalera

1 Comment / Jujuy /

We decided to go to Jujuy, the northern-most province in Argentina, partly to get out of the cold in Mendoza, but also because there is now a non-stop flight (1 and a half hours) on Tuesdays between Mendoza and Jujuy. Everything was on time, and renting the 4×4 we reserved was a breeze. The Jujuy airport is only two years old and lovely—small, clean, and very efficient. 

We left the airport in the capital, San Salvador de Jujuy, around 1:45 pm, heading up in altitude. At first, it reminded me of Vermont a little bit because of the rolling, very green hills, until I realized there were no evergreens, only jungle-like vegetation. In this part of Jujuy, we were north of Salta on the eastern edge of the province, much of which is jungle. The climb was steep and we noticed the change in altitude quickly. The terrain changed from green to massive green/brown mountains, but still appeared as rolling hills with beautiful coloring from pinks to yellow to greys. After an hour or so we began seeing the enormous castle-like, sphere-shaped, spiky mountainous structures formed by wind and water erosion that we’ve seen in Salta before, but these were brown rock instead of white.

Continuing to climb in altitude on a winding, mostly two-lane highway, there was virtually no traffic.  We passed through the mountain town of Tilcara with about 14 minutes more to our hotel (Huacalera Hotel), a large, sprawling structure along the highway in a small village in between the larger communities of Tilcara and Huamahuaca. We found the room well appointed, and the restaurant featured great local cuisine.

We met a lovely couple from Rosario, Argentina who told us about the area in some detail, as they frequently come to hike. They told us the indigenous populations were quite “closed,” and protective of their lands, against excessive tourism, etc.  Quite similar to the story of indigenous peoples in North America – a common conflict in terms of way of life, beliefs, etc.

Link to Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/2HTk74cZY1ZEwnKU7

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