Despite full intentions of an early night, somehow it was midnight once again before we got to bed, which made getting up at 6am pretty hard. But we managed it and pretty soon were bidding farewell to Salta as we headed off on a tour of the region which was to end in Tilcara.
We were incredibly lucky to once again be the only people on the tour, just us and our driver/guide Tony. We headed north out of the city and first stop was at the railway of the clouds. This is the famous railway which runs over the Andes into Chile. Actually all we saw was the station and the train line but it was interesting to hear about nonetheless.
Just outside of the town is a fantastic viaduct which the train runs along. 200m long and 28m high, it is a great sight amidst the incredibly steep mountain sides.
Next stop was a tiny town called Santa Rosa. This was basically a toilet break, although we also got a hot drink as it was very cold. Nights out in that region can get well below zero but especially at the higher altitudes the days can be quite warm – if you are in the sun and the wind isn’t blowing that is. Santa Rosa was also our first experience with the locals selling handicrafts. It is a real tourist circuit we were on and not surprisingly, it is amazingly spectacular, however that also means in every town you are immediately surrounded by people wanting to sell you things, usually knitted things of llama wool.
Directly behind Santa Rosa is the remains of a pre-Inca city. It would have housed around 2,000 people and includes a cemetery and terraces which they used to grow things. We drove most of the way up to it but had to walk up a fairly steep path and at 3,300m it started to give us an idea of what we are going to experience when trekking at higher altitudes.
On leaving Santa Rosa we started to see the mountains that we had come for. The area is rich in minerals and as a result the hills are red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, blue and green. The photos do not do them justice, they are stunning, especially against the intense blue sky. In some areas there was snow on the top of the volcanoes (all dormant) which are the highest peaks, most up to around 6,000m. Ironically there isn’t much snow because it is winter and there is less precipitation.
Vegetation is very low as the area only receives about 80mm of rain in a year. There are lots of huge cactuses. They can reach up to 9m tall and some are over 500 years old so date back to the time of the Incas, but they only grow up to altitudes of 3,000m. The people generally graze sheep, goats and llamas. Llamas are particularly important as they provide transport, wool, meat and leather.
It was about then that our guide introduced us to coca leaves. We chewed them to help combat altitude sickness as we went over two passes of over 4,000m. Yes, they are the same coca leaves from which cocaine is made but given it takes 3kg of leaves to make 1gm of cocaine and we were chewing 10 leaves at a time I think we aren’t likely to become addicts! You basically chew it up until tiny and then swallow it. It tastes somewhat like chewing tea leaves, not bad but not brilliant.
We continued through stunning scenery, really it is hard to describe how beautiful the mountains are.
We stopped at another small town, San Antonio de Los Cobres (3,775m), for lunch. For 30 pesos we got a three course lunch and it was fab!!!! We started with a vege soup which thrilled us because we have been wanting soup ever since Amy first got sick. After the soup we had llama schnitzel with rice and salad. Llama was delicious, really close to veal and we loved it. Finally we had a choice for dessert, Amy and I had a custard and Anna had apple jelly. All in all it was a great meal.
Amy also succumbed to a very cute little girl and bought a llama wool llama doll before we left.
After lunch we had a long drive out to the salt flats. We all feel asleep at some point. The salt flats are small compared to what we are going see in Bolivia but it was really interesting to see anyway. They are blindingly white and from what we understand they harvest the salt by digging big pits, that fill with water from the water table below and allow the salt to go into solution and crystal in crystals that can be dug out with a spade.
This was also where the term peso for a pisso was coined as it cost Amy a peso to go to the port-a-loo. While she was doing that we discovered they were selling gorgeous plaques made of carved slate for about 10 pesos each. They are lovely and we each bought some.
Our final stop was a small town called Purmamarca. To get there we went over another pass of over 4,000m and then down a road which dropped 2,000m in a very short distance. At the bottom was the famous 7 colours mountain – that is right, there are 7 colours clearly featured in the mountain. It is a really stunning area and is a big tourist attraction with lots of flash hotels. We stopped for a hot drink and to look at the markets although resisted the urge to buy anything.
Finally, given we were the only people on the tour we convinced our lovely guide to drive us to Tilcara. It is 20 minutes the wrong direction for him as our tour was actually meant to go back to Salta, but he happily drove us to Tilcara and we tipped him well for it. We have found ourselves a hostel for the night and tomorrow morning will get on the bus to the Bolivian border – should be exciting!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Just a quick one tonight as it is late and we have an early start tomorrow.
We had a great day wandering Salta. Having a relaxed day was a good idea because at 2,000 ft we are getting the first signs of the altitude, basically in feeling a bit fatigued. We visited the cathedral a stunning building on the main square. It is incredibly ornate with painted vaulted ceilings, golden filigree, many statues of saints etc. There was a service happening as we visited so we didn't take any photos.
We then went to a museum with lots of pre-inca relics, along with some interesting stuff from the first Spanish in the Salta area. We then stopped off for a hot chocolate / coffee at Havanna. This is a coffee store we have seen everywhere. It is no Starbucks, everything was really delicious, particularly their buscuits. The cake in Argentina may have been a bit disappointing but we are in love with the bickies.
Finally we went to a muesum which has been set up as a result of an amazing archelogical find. In 1999 a team found 3 inca sacrifice victims at 6,000ft. As a result of the dry, very cold air they have been perfectly mummified and we got to see one of them, a 5 year old girl. It was just amazing how perfectly she is preserved. We also saw lots of the ornaments they were buried with which were also beautiful and fascinating.
After a siesta this evening we went to a local handicrafts market but it didn't thrill us, so we returned for dinner to the place on the corner - Toties - where we had lunch and dinner yesterday and lunch today. It may sound boring but the food there is really good and given that all the food places serve pretty much the same stuff, if you find a good place you go back. Of course they love ham there too - even our lasagne last night had ham in it - but we escaped today by ordering a vegetarian pizza!
We will now probably be off air for a few days as we make our way to the border and cross into Bolivia. We hope the internet access will be as good as it has been in Argentina but given we will be on tours etc, blogs won't be quite as frequent.
We have LOVED Argentina and still have a couple of days to go but incredibly soon it will be on to Bolivia!
We had a great day wandering Salta. Having a relaxed day was a good idea because at 2,000 ft we are getting the first signs of the altitude, basically in feeling a bit fatigued. We visited the cathedral a stunning building on the main square. It is incredibly ornate with painted vaulted ceilings, golden filigree, many statues of saints etc. There was a service happening as we visited so we didn't take any photos.
We then went to a museum with lots of pre-inca relics, along with some interesting stuff from the first Spanish in the Salta area. We then stopped off for a hot chocolate / coffee at Havanna. This is a coffee store we have seen everywhere. It is no Starbucks, everything was really delicious, particularly their buscuits. The cake in Argentina may have been a bit disappointing but we are in love with the bickies.
Finally we went to a muesum which has been set up as a result of an amazing archelogical find. In 1999 a team found 3 inca sacrifice victims at 6,000ft. As a result of the dry, very cold air they have been perfectly mummified and we got to see one of them, a 5 year old girl. It was just amazing how perfectly she is preserved. We also saw lots of the ornaments they were buried with which were also beautiful and fascinating.
After a siesta this evening we went to a local handicrafts market but it didn't thrill us, so we returned for dinner to the place on the corner - Toties - where we had lunch and dinner yesterday and lunch today. It may sound boring but the food there is really good and given that all the food places serve pretty much the same stuff, if you find a good place you go back. Of course they love ham there too - even our lasagne last night had ham in it - but we escaped today by ordering a vegetarian pizza!
We will now probably be off air for a few days as we make our way to the border and cross into Bolivia. We hope the internet access will be as good as it has been in Argentina but given we will be on tours etc, blogs won't be quite as frequent.
We have LOVED Argentina and still have a couple of days to go but incredibly soon it will be on to Bolivia!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
18 hours on a bus
18 hours on a bus – surprisingly not as bad as you might think. We were on a different bus service this time, Andesmar, with cushier seats (which our bums enjoyed) and a nice temperature. The toilet was fairly awful though. The big difference was that the bus ride began with a game of bingo – yes that is right, bingo on a bus! It was good practice for our Spanish except that trying to understand as he repeated in different ways and through a muffled microphone – luckily the guy across the aisle repeated them for us in English, but we didn’t win anyway.
We watched a couple of movies, ate a bit of the very ordinary bus food, then knocked ourselves out with sleeping pills and got a really good night’s sleep – well not as good as in a stationary bed, but as good as you could hope for on a bus. The worst thing was being woken for breakfast by our grumpy bus attendant, he basically punched Amy in the arm.
Being an 18 hour bus ride meant we got to see quite a bit of country by daylight. The scenery is mountainous, we are really in the Andes now, although not at extreme heights yet. The land is covered is low scrubby vegetation and as we got closer to Salta we started to see large cactuses etc. We saw lots of birds, in particular peregrine falcons sitting on the power lines or fence posts, but also smaller hawks and a couple of birds that looks like ostriches. Also really interesting was the moss that was growing on the powerlines. In some cases it was like a little forest hanging from there, it was really interesting, I would like to know what it is. There are lots of horses grazing beside the roads and of course when you go through towns there are heaps of dogs, chickens etc.
The main crop seems to be sugarcane. There are also plenty of citrus looking trees, but being winter many of the fields are lying fallow.
We arrived in Salta at about 2.30pm and it is a lovely small city. The first view of the city as we came down a winding road was stunning, with it laid out below us. We made our way to our hostel which is just lovely. It is in an old (early 1900’s) renovated house. Our room has 10ft tall ceilings, you go through a small courtyard and up a winding set of dark wood stairs with a terracotta tile roof to get to it. Outside our window is a wrought iron grill with a red geranium in a planter box.
We were starving so just went to the nearest café. Luckily it is brilliant and seems to be a local haunt. In fact it was so good we went back there tonight and had dinner! While we were having lunch a sweet local girl who was having lunch with her parents engaged us in conversation. She was so sweet and enthusiastic, it was just a joy having a chat with her.
This afternoon we basically did some planning for the coming days including booking ourselves on a tour for Friday. To do this we managed to play various tour operators off each other. This does seem like more of a touristy town, there are heaps of tour companies but there are so many options, we really wish we could stay for a week in the area but time won’t permit.
The plan for tomorrow is to explore the city and it should be great.
We watched a couple of movies, ate a bit of the very ordinary bus food, then knocked ourselves out with sleeping pills and got a really good night’s sleep – well not as good as in a stationary bed, but as good as you could hope for on a bus. The worst thing was being woken for breakfast by our grumpy bus attendant, he basically punched Amy in the arm.
Being an 18 hour bus ride meant we got to see quite a bit of country by daylight. The scenery is mountainous, we are really in the Andes now, although not at extreme heights yet. The land is covered is low scrubby vegetation and as we got closer to Salta we started to see large cactuses etc. We saw lots of birds, in particular peregrine falcons sitting on the power lines or fence posts, but also smaller hawks and a couple of birds that looks like ostriches. Also really interesting was the moss that was growing on the powerlines. In some cases it was like a little forest hanging from there, it was really interesting, I would like to know what it is. There are lots of horses grazing beside the roads and of course when you go through towns there are heaps of dogs, chickens etc.
The main crop seems to be sugarcane. There are also plenty of citrus looking trees, but being winter many of the fields are lying fallow.
We arrived in Salta at about 2.30pm and it is a lovely small city. The first view of the city as we came down a winding road was stunning, with it laid out below us. We made our way to our hostel which is just lovely. It is in an old (early 1900’s) renovated house. Our room has 10ft tall ceilings, you go through a small courtyard and up a winding set of dark wood stairs with a terracotta tile roof to get to it. Outside our window is a wrought iron grill with a red geranium in a planter box.
We were starving so just went to the nearest café. Luckily it is brilliant and seems to be a local haunt. In fact it was so good we went back there tonight and had dinner! While we were having lunch a sweet local girl who was having lunch with her parents engaged us in conversation. She was so sweet and enthusiastic, it was just a joy having a chat with her.
This afternoon we basically did some planning for the coming days including booking ourselves on a tour for Friday. To do this we managed to play various tour operators off each other. This does seem like more of a touristy town, there are heaps of tour companies but there are so many options, we really wish we could stay for a week in the area but time won’t permit.
The plan for tomorrow is to explore the city and it should be great.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Meandering around Mendoza
Our last day in Mendoza began with a great breakfast – cornflakes with milk and strawberries and vegemite toast. It might not sound like something particularly special but it was the most normal, un-sugarfilled breakfast we have had so far.
Amy wanted a quiet day to get over her cold, so Anna and I went out to finally (we hoped) post our parcel. We went back to the post office and the international section was finally open! After a wait we managed to get not only someone who worked in the section but someone who spoke English! He inspected the contents of the box, then gave us a small green slip and a number. We then had to wait to go into a little office, have the contents inspected again and the box sealed. We then had to go to another desk, fill in two more lots of paperwork, and finally the box is sent!!!! It took about an hour.
After that we went for a walk, a very long about 6km walk! But it was great, we went past lots of lovely houses and went down to the major park of the town. We found a small museum and went for a wander. It did seem really quiet, in fact we are pretty sure it was closed because when we tried to leave the doors were locked! Luckily we found someone who could buzz us out!
We wandered for a bit longer then got a cab back to the hostel. We have had a quiet afternoon and will head out for an early dinner ahead of catching an 18 hour bus ride tonight to Salta.
Mendoza has been lovely and relaxing, but now we are off to our last major stop in Argentina, Salta.
Amy wanted a quiet day to get over her cold, so Anna and I went out to finally (we hoped) post our parcel. We went back to the post office and the international section was finally open! After a wait we managed to get not only someone who worked in the section but someone who spoke English! He inspected the contents of the box, then gave us a small green slip and a number. We then had to wait to go into a little office, have the contents inspected again and the box sealed. We then had to go to another desk, fill in two more lots of paperwork, and finally the box is sent!!!! It took about an hour.
After that we went for a walk, a very long about 6km walk! But it was great, we went past lots of lovely houses and went down to the major park of the town. We found a small museum and went for a wander. It did seem really quiet, in fact we are pretty sure it was closed because when we tried to leave the doors were locked! Luckily we found someone who could buzz us out!
We wandered for a bit longer then got a cab back to the hostel. We have had a quiet afternoon and will head out for an early dinner ahead of catching an 18 hour bus ride tonight to Salta.
Mendoza has been lovely and relaxing, but now we are off to our last major stop in Argentina, Salta.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Argentinian Time - and the saga of the parcel
Our pace has slowed somewhat here in Mendoza. Amy wasn’t well again today but we are also starting to get the hang of Argentinean time. Basically, things are open from 8am till about midday. Then they close until about 4 or 5pm and remain open until 8 or 8.30pm. The streets only really come alive with people out and about after 6pm and most people wouldn’t head to dinner till 9ish. It is taking us some time to get used to but it is actually a really nice way to do things.
We had a very slow start to the day, taking our time to get up and ready, having another sugar filled breakfast (they do like their sweets here, we have yet to come across a breakfast food item without sugar in it) and then doing some planning for the coming weeks of the trip. All that done, we headed out for some lunch and to have another go at posting our box home.
Lunch was great, freshly made local hamburgers. They had plenty of salad on them, along with egg, good beef patties and of course ham and cheese. Everything in Argentina that isn’t sugar filled seems to have ham and cheese on it – actually we have even seen sweet glazed croissants filled with ham and cheese. It is really good ham and cheese, but there is only so much jamon y queso one can eat without getting mighty sick of it.
We then had another go at the post office, thinking third time lucky. From our previous trips we had worked out which type of post office we had to find, we had secured the appropriate box and had the right documentation. It was even a week day and in the usual business hours and having asked three separate people for directions and times we were feeling confident. Only problem, apparently you can only send international parcels between 8am and 12.30! Honestly, who could possibly have thought it would be this difficult to send a parcel!!!!
We headed back towards our hostel (carrying the f*ing box) deciding to stop for cake. While we had sampled a good selection of cakes at the market the other day, we had never managed to actually sit down in a café and try one of the fantastic selection they have on display. We chose three gorgeous looking pieces, but they didn’t really live up to the expectation. Unfortunately, they just like things here oversweet, it was all a bit much.
Heading back to the hostel we stopped in at a very small museum. It is basically dedicated to General San Martin who was instrumental in the battles between Argentina and Chile about the border. Much of the action took place from Mendoza. It was really interesting, particularly getting close up views of the ornate uniforms and the old weapons. Then Amy (who was ahead of me and Anna) said she wasn’t going into the next section without us because it was too creepy.
The next section was a series of life size dioramas, filled with appropriately costumed figures. However the figures were basically made of rag filled stockings with masks and wigs on. This meant they were life sized but somehow had an incredibly creepy atmosphere. The first one was a chapel scene complete with a bleeding Christ figure which made it even creepier. It was a little too like a horror movie, so we passed through reasonably quickly.
We dropped Amy back at the hostel and Anna and I headed off into town. We bought bus tickets for tomorrow then went in search of food. We had a bit of a wander and a detour and as a result, we ended up at the local central markets. They were fantastic, filled with stalls selling fresh veggies, fresh meat and fish, delicatessen items and a range of cooked things. We chose chicken quarters which were roasted over coals and served with chips or salad. There was some confusion as Anna and I tried to convey that we wanted to take the food away which lead to a bit of delay but we eventually got it back to the hostel and it really was an absolutely delicious meal, one of the best. I think we might be back there for lunch tomorrow!
We had a very slow start to the day, taking our time to get up and ready, having another sugar filled breakfast (they do like their sweets here, we have yet to come across a breakfast food item without sugar in it) and then doing some planning for the coming weeks of the trip. All that done, we headed out for some lunch and to have another go at posting our box home.
Lunch was great, freshly made local hamburgers. They had plenty of salad on them, along with egg, good beef patties and of course ham and cheese. Everything in Argentina that isn’t sugar filled seems to have ham and cheese on it – actually we have even seen sweet glazed croissants filled with ham and cheese. It is really good ham and cheese, but there is only so much jamon y queso one can eat without getting mighty sick of it.
We then had another go at the post office, thinking third time lucky. From our previous trips we had worked out which type of post office we had to find, we had secured the appropriate box and had the right documentation. It was even a week day and in the usual business hours and having asked three separate people for directions and times we were feeling confident. Only problem, apparently you can only send international parcels between 8am and 12.30! Honestly, who could possibly have thought it would be this difficult to send a parcel!!!!
We headed back towards our hostel (carrying the f*ing box) deciding to stop for cake. While we had sampled a good selection of cakes at the market the other day, we had never managed to actually sit down in a café and try one of the fantastic selection they have on display. We chose three gorgeous looking pieces, but they didn’t really live up to the expectation. Unfortunately, they just like things here oversweet, it was all a bit much.
Heading back to the hostel we stopped in at a very small museum. It is basically dedicated to General San Martin who was instrumental in the battles between Argentina and Chile about the border. Much of the action took place from Mendoza. It was really interesting, particularly getting close up views of the ornate uniforms and the old weapons. Then Amy (who was ahead of me and Anna) said she wasn’t going into the next section without us because it was too creepy.
The next section was a series of life size dioramas, filled with appropriately costumed figures. However the figures were basically made of rag filled stockings with masks and wigs on. This meant they were life sized but somehow had an incredibly creepy atmosphere. The first one was a chapel scene complete with a bleeding Christ figure which made it even creepier. It was a little too like a horror movie, so we passed through reasonably quickly.
We dropped Amy back at the hostel and Anna and I headed off into town. We bought bus tickets for tomorrow then went in search of food. We had a bit of a wander and a detour and as a result, we ended up at the local central markets. They were fantastic, filled with stalls selling fresh veggies, fresh meat and fish, delicatessen items and a range of cooked things. We chose chicken quarters which were roasted over coals and served with chips or salad. There was some confusion as Anna and I tried to convey that we wanted to take the food away which lead to a bit of delay but we eventually got it back to the hostel and it really was an absolutely delicious meal, one of the best. I think we might be back there for lunch tomorrow!
Do I need another pair of earrings?
The cama busses certainly are more comfortable than your average Murrays coach, but none of us had what one would term a peaceful night’s sleep. Anna and Amy got cooked a few times by the heating under their seats while I occasionally froze from a draft from the window. But we arrived in Mendoza in early morning and found our way to the hostel.
Being so early (like 7.30am) we couldn’t check in so spent most of the morning catching up on email, watching DVD’s etc before we were able to check in properly. Being a Sunday we found out where the local handicrafts markets were and headed down there only to discover lots of empty stalls. It was 1pm so we thought we had missed them, but quickly realized that we were applying Australian/New Zealand market logic, not Argentinean time, they were only just setting up!
We headed off to find some lunch and found local place where we got salad (yay!) and lots of meat. There were sausages of two kinds, one beef, the other blood, which we tried and tasted quite good but the texture was awful, some other unidentified meat and really delicious ribs. We also tried some of the local wine to go with it.
Filled up with tasty meat and wine we headed back to the markets. Only half the stands were full but we found some lovely jewelry. At one of the stands we met two American girls who were deciding on earrings as well. They agreed that the jewelry here is fantastic.
We continued along the markets, then headed down to find somewhere for a drink. On the way we ran into the American girls, Rachel and Erin again and they joined us. We had a great chat, Rachel is working for the peace corp in Paraguy and Erin has just been working on a farm in Argentina before doing an internship in La Paz. We got on really well but wanted to go back to the market so agreed to meet up for dinner.
We headed back to find the market in full swing now and bought some seriously stunning stuff. It is mostly silver, all handmade filigree with local semi precious stones set in. We are doing pretty well with our purchases and we will have some lucky friends and family as well!
We headed back to meet Rachel and Erin who had also brought a guy from their hostel, David. We found a good pizza place, and over pizza (topped with various interesting things but of course this being Argentina there was plenty of cheese and ham) had a really nice dinner and good conversation including some good tips for Boliva.
On the way home Anna fed various stray dogs with hot dogs, becoming the sausage fairy as we like to call her.
It has been a really nice relaxed day, and even though we have eaten and drunk heaps we have walked miles so we are set for a really good night’s sleep.
Being so early (like 7.30am) we couldn’t check in so spent most of the morning catching up on email, watching DVD’s etc before we were able to check in properly. Being a Sunday we found out where the local handicrafts markets were and headed down there only to discover lots of empty stalls. It was 1pm so we thought we had missed them, but quickly realized that we were applying Australian/New Zealand market logic, not Argentinean time, they were only just setting up!
We headed off to find some lunch and found local place where we got salad (yay!) and lots of meat. There were sausages of two kinds, one beef, the other blood, which we tried and tasted quite good but the texture was awful, some other unidentified meat and really delicious ribs. We also tried some of the local wine to go with it.
Filled up with tasty meat and wine we headed back to the markets. Only half the stands were full but we found some lovely jewelry. At one of the stands we met two American girls who were deciding on earrings as well. They agreed that the jewelry here is fantastic.
We continued along the markets, then headed down to find somewhere for a drink. On the way we ran into the American girls, Rachel and Erin again and they joined us. We had a great chat, Rachel is working for the peace corp in Paraguy and Erin has just been working on a farm in Argentina before doing an internship in La Paz. We got on really well but wanted to go back to the market so agreed to meet up for dinner.
We headed back to find the market in full swing now and bought some seriously stunning stuff. It is mostly silver, all handmade filigree with local semi precious stones set in. We are doing pretty well with our purchases and we will have some lucky friends and family as well!
We headed back to meet Rachel and Erin who had also brought a guy from their hostel, David. We found a good pizza place, and over pizza (topped with various interesting things but of course this being Argentina there was plenty of cheese and ham) had a really nice dinner and good conversation including some good tips for Boliva.
On the way home Anna fed various stray dogs with hot dogs, becoming the sausage fairy as we like to call her.
It has been a really nice relaxed day, and even though we have eaten and drunk heaps we have walked miles so we are set for a really good night’s sleep.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Following the dinosaurs
After last night’s cocktails we all slept incredibly well and woke up feeling good. The breakfast was fairly ordinary so we decided to go out and find some of the beautiful cake we kept seeing in cafes. However as soon as we came to a cross road we spotted an enormous market. It was the local market held every Saturday where people buy their weekly supplies. There were masses of beautiful looking veggies, fresh chicken and eggs, cheese and other food supplies. There were also clothes, CDs and DVDs and items of all description.But the thing that most captivated us was the number of yummy things to eat. We bought and ate:
- A slice of lemon meringue pie;
- A slice of jam pie (a little like lintzertorte);
- A slice of an orange cake, we think was made with something like polenta;
- Chicken empanadas – absolutely by far and away the best we have eaten;
- Hot chips – freshly made with local potatoes, quite different;
- Dulce de Leche filled donuts
- Bananas, apples and mandarins
This feast cost us a total 16 pesos, about $5 Australian!
It was really cold though, maybe 5 degrees with a significant wind chill factor so we gave our thermals their first real workout.
We wandered until 12.30 when it was time to meet Jorge and head off on the next leg of our dinosaur journey. Today we went out first to Project Dinosaur, the dig that Anna had first found out about. It is an ongoing dig, which was started in about 2000 when paleontologists from the local uni found a sauropod’s fossilized remains. Since then 3 very complete skeletons and many other sections of dinosaur remains have been found.
To get there we drove through beautiful countryside. It is desert like, covered with low scrub.
Near town huge wind breaks of poplars have planted to protect the apple trees. Apples are a major industry here, but the real employer and job is oil. There are pumping stations and refineries everywhere and they are the major employers. It isn’t really surprising then given the oil deposits that it is a major site for finding dinosaur fossils.
Project Dinosaur is great. It is a working dig but the tour has been set up to explain the fossils, how they are created and the process for retrieving them. It is really interesting. One of the best things was a whole lot of fossilized tree. The minerals had made them go smooth and lovely to touch (yup, you can just touch the fossils here) and several had been fossilized with copper which had then oxidized The result was that they looked almost like they had been spray painted. We also got to hold a fossilized dinosaur egg which was really cool, like a pimply textured bowling ball.
From there we continued around the lake it is situated on. Another man made lake (this one to control flooding as well as for power), it looked stunning with its aquamarine blue water against the red-orange earth. Flocks of goats wander the landscape and occasionally you see horses freely grazing. Only issue was that Amy and I kept falling asleep missing the scenery!
We went to another museum (sorry, I can't remember the name) where they have a replica of the largest dinosaur found. It is truly huge, a single leg bone is longer than me, it is hard to believe that such a thing 
could have walked the earth, let alone that there could have been herds of them! They have a full scale model along with the various bones they have discovered.From there, Jorge took us back into Neuquen. He had managed to fit our packs and other accumulated belongings into his golf so took us straight to the bus station. He was just lovely. The whole trip he was incredibly informative about the dinosaurs but also about the area, what things were (like the little shrines which line the roads in tribute to the dead) and even helping us with our Spanish pronunciation. We really liked him and appreciated the time he took with us.
We are now on the bus to Mendoza. It is an overnight bus ride but we have booked cama seats. This means that not only do they feed us, we have seats that recline back till they are nearly flat! Hopefully it will make for a comfortable trip (although of course the seats are a little short for me) and we will get plenty of sleep tonight.
Neuquen has been fantastic, now it is on to Mendoza.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)