South America, Days 145 to 151 - Stage 29: Cordoba & Salta, Argentina

Just the one photo of me on our paragliding day in Mendoza

Day 145 Tuesday 

Brian spent the morning finishing the blog and doing YouTube while I very bravely wandered the streets on my own. Firstly to see if I could change 1000 peso notes into something bigger. Until very recently the biggest Argentinian note was 2000 peso which is not even worth £2.00 and we've not seen many of them. They have recently introduced a 10,000 and 20,000 peso note but in the 50,000 I was getting from Santander at least 10,000 maybe 20,000 was in 1000's. As you can imagine Brian's wallet looked ridiculous so he didn't want any more. I wandered into a bank and managed to change 20x1000 into 2x10,000. Good start. I then had to go back to the hotel to unfreeze my card which I've had to do to use it since January when there was an attempted Uber payment in the UK which obviously wasn't me. Off to Santander to get another 50,000 out as there seemed to be loads of ATM's in Mendoza but not so many in Cordoba and Salta. It did cost me 25p less on Tuesday than it had on Sunday for my £33, that's how quickly inflation is changing here.

Cordoba, the lake in the Biodiversidad park

Uber to the airport for our flight to Cordoba, Argentina's second city. In theory very attractive, but not necessarily much to do so only 2 nights. Easy flight though we had to do a luggage shuffle as on Aerolineas Argentina hold baggage can only weigh 15kg, with carry on at 8kg. Makes no sense, just means I have to carry more on my back!

Uber at the airport may have let us down, it seemed very expensive (3x what we are paying to get back to the airport) and when the Uber turned up it was a taxi, who for some reason put his meter on which came in at a lot less than the price on Uber! Oh well, it's been better every other time. He also drove like a nutter getting us to the Grand hotel Victoria in record time.

The cathedral in the plaza at Cordoba

The hotel was the first luxury hotel in Cordoba, but is now looking a little faded though still comfortable and well positioned. Only 5pm so straight out for a look around. First stop tourist information where the man took a deep breath and used his best English to tell us where to go. He was great and we had a good wander, firstly stopping in a fab rooftop pub for a good pint overlooking an amazing church and then moving back towards the hotel for dinner. We had pretty much finished when a guy came in off the street and asked if he could have our bread which we hadn't touched. He took that and then reappeared a moment later with a bag asking if he could have our uneaten chips too. Of course, but how sad.

Inside the magnificent cathedral

Day 146 Wednesday 

We had booked a free walking tour at 11.00 so went for a walk to the big park first, this was pleasant enough, but I'm not loving Cordoba, it seems to vary so much from one street to the next.

We made our way back to the Main Plaza and the statue of San Martin taking care to avoid the protest that was making it's way, very noisily, around the square. We think this was a regular, Wednesday, pensioners protest. The new government has to make savings somehow and 30% of them apparently are coming from payments to pensioners. It didn't seem threatening but did make it hard to hear Tommy out guide. See our Relive video with photos: click here

The Pasaje Santa Catalina leading to the museum of memories. Each of these photos is of a killed and disappeared person from the terror of the 1976 to 1983 military dictatorshhip

We enjoyed his tour though not as much as the girl who said it was the best one she's ever been on, and she's been travelling for a year and a half. We did get a bit distracted talking to a Scottish couple who emigrated to Australia 15 years ago. They seemed a bit reticent to begin with, until they realised we were travelling too, not just on a fortnight holiday, or else they didn't want to associate with English, in Argentina, where there are obviously still strong feelings about the Malvinas. Not that anyone we have introduced ourselves to has been anything other than lovely. They are just coming to the end of a year's long service leave, six months of which was in Scotland, but the rest has been far and wide. All sorts of interesting conversations ensued including money. I said we had mostly been using credit card which we know probably means we pay slightly more in restaurants (some give discount for cash) but is much easier and safer. They have been using Western Union which has been OK, they have all had the relatively large sums they have wanted, but often only in small notes, they have been given sandwich bags full of 1000's. As a consequence money for lunch out with friends in San Telmo Sunday market (close to where we stayed in BA) was in a bag looped around his knee. This was grabbed by someone who was out of the door and lost in the crowd before they could even react. And bang goes any savings made on exchange rates! We stood talking for some time at the end of the tour, but no-one wanted to suggest lunch for some reason so we went our separate ways.

This is Tommy or free walking tour guide, who was quite a laugh. He is standing in front of a crypt (currently closed for refurbishment) that was meant to be part of a planned new cathedral. The pope apparently refused permission to complete it, so it was covered over and forgotten, only to be found by chance many years later

Wednesday is free museum day in Cordoba so we thought we'd better make an effort so we went back to the Marques de Sombremonte museum in the oldest house in the city. Interesting but limited as all in Spanish without WiFi for Google translate. Bumped into our Scottish friends arriving as we were leaving. We then tried to go to the memoria museum for the Disappeared, but couldn't get in so called it a day and went back for some AC. Not being able to face Tommy's 17.00 tour of New Cordoba. I had another call for BeMyEyes which was lovely, weighing out food for her guide dog. She did introduce us, but he wasn't really interested, he knew it was food time!

The oldest house in Cordoba, now a museum to the Marquess de Sombremonte

Out for dinner, though it's becoming harder and harder to find somewhere open before 20.00, some places not opening till 20.30 or 21.00. A place Tommy had recommended was nearby, and open so we went there and had another lovely steak and another lovely bottle of wine. Another call from BeMyEyes just after dinner had arrived, so that as well as the noise both inside and outside meant I had to reject the call. I only hope this doesn't mean I never get another one again. He'd offered us eggs with our steak which I'd turned my nose up at, but he brought them any way. There were also 2 bread rolls we hadn't touched that had come in a brown paper bag, so I combined the two and made two egg rolls. Now just to find someone as we walk through the Plaza that wants them rather than someone who will be insulted. Sadly it wasn't difficult!

The magnificent (and much more colourful than in this photo) Iglesia de los Capuchinos in Cordoba

Day 147 Thursday 

We had all morning before we had to leave for the airport for our flight to Salta so we went to the Jesuit centre for the 10.00 tour in English. We hadn't paid attention though and didn't realise we had to book this the day before so we settled for the self guided tour which was absolutely fine. The lovely lady even whisked us into the Graduation Hall which was shortly to be used for that very purpose. The whole centre and church were beautiful, a very well spent £4!

The Gan Hotel Victoria, our hotel in Cordoba, a beautiful but slightly faded grand hotel

We walked past the memoria museum which was open. Despite being all in Spanish you could feel the horror of the place that had been used as a prison before people were moved on. It was full of histories of not only the Disappeared but also the people responsible for the arrests and tortures. 30,000 people Disappeared in this period.

The museum of memories in Cordoba. This was an old prison and torture centre in the military dictatorship era, a very emotional and thought provoking museum

Lunch at a Parilla recommendation, only open during the day, so ideal. Full of locals having the full experience we shared a set lunch of empanada followed by ribs and fabulous roasted vegetables, and a hideous desert. We didn't need it, just as well, but always good to try things.

One room had cards you could pick up and read of those responsible for the torture, here's two of them. They were all in Spanish, but this is a Google translate screenshot in English

The flight was fine, though we had been waiting at the gate on our printed boarding cards which was the wrong gate and by which there was a trolley of luggage on the tarmac, you can guess my worries, fortunately unfounded. As we exited the hall all set to press the button for an Uber a lad asked Brian? I recognise you from your WhatsApp picture. That could have been embarrassing, I apparently had requested a pick up from the hotel!

And inn another room posters of missing people, arrested by the military police. Again this is translated using Google translate. The fact that the whole museum focussed on individual people in the original prison really brings home the horrendous suffering and torture these people were subjected to 

On arrival at the hotel I just wanted to dash out to get something quick and easy, but even the pizza restaurant didn't open till 20.00. We walked around, killing time, though Salta seems like a really nice place. We found the agency our trips are booked through, just at the end of our street, which is convenient as our street is completely blocked off so we'll just walk round for 06.40 after our early breakfast.

The Jesuit church and centre in Cordoba. Really interesting museum that featured a lot of early maps and history of South America and how the borders of each of the countries have shifted over the years through wars

Day 148 Friday 

Yes, a very early breakfast and round the corner to the agency. We were off by 06.45, though we did spend a while collecting people, including Sue and Paul who had actually been collected by the wrong bus and needed to be returned so we could collect them. We knew doing these tours would be long days, but at least we can both sleep or stare out of the window which wouldn't be the case if we'd hired a car and Brian was driving.

First of our three days of Salta trips and we arrive into stunning scenery on Route 68 south into the mountains towards Cafayate 

We headed South out of Salta towards Cafayete through some stunning scenery. We stopped at a couple of old waterfalls which which don't sound very impressive but the 'Devils Mouth' and the 'Amphitheater', were well worth a stop. Other formations followed, some of which would probably fit their description better after a glass of wine!

First stop is the Garganta del Diablo (Devils Throat) and it is a lot more impressive than shown in this photo. The rock was carved by a huge ancient waterfall of some 1000m height that would have been very impressive 

This was almost remedied by a stop at a vineyard just outside of Cafayete where we had a little tour and a sample of a Malbec and a torrontes, the latter of which I really quite liked. We arrived shortly afterwards in Cafayete where we had a couple of hours for a late lunch. We'd been chatting on and off with Sue and Paul, 9 months into their one year sabbatical, so we all went for lunch. It wasn't quite the lunch we expected as Paul has been given a very short window to decide whether to return to his job. He had changed his mind 5 times in the course of the morning so all in all it was a very interesting conversation over a set lunch and a bottle of wine.

Further  on we arrive at the Amphitheatre, another impressive rock feature carved by an ancient waterfall

A couple of hours back to Salta now so I might just rest my eyes!

Entering the amphitheatre. Jackie is a little distracted talking to Sue, who, with husband Paul we met on the trip and had lunch with. The amphitheatre is acoustically excellent and there were a couple of musicians playing to demonstrate when we were there

Day 149 Saturday 

Our second day trip from Salta, so again the alarm was set for 05.30, breakfast and round the corner for 06.45. onto the bus and pickups from 10 hotels, which is unusual apparently, but still meant we were only leaving Salta at 08.00, what with people being not ready and even locked into their hotel! Monica, the guide, was very apologetic, even asking if we needed a toilet as they normally schedule one after about an hour and a half!

Still on our first day trip, we stopped a little further on to climb a small mount and admire the scenery

Anyway, a we finally set off, north, towards the salt flats. Again, the scenery en route was one of the main attractions and it was stunning, though we are well aware that the colours don't come out so well on photos. A few stops on the way including a brief one at Purmamarca for 7 colour rock. We then headed up to a pass at 4170m where it was quite cool, what a relief. The road was many many hairpins, worse I think, than Las Caracoles from Chile to Argentina, altitude however didn't seem to be an issue. 

And how splendid it is

On to Salinas Grandes which are all part of the same geological feature as the Bolivian salt flats at Uyuni. The locals will take the staged photos for you, for a modest fee, though it appeared keeping others out of your shots would be the problem. Instead, we crossed the road and we're in splendid isolation so we took our own silly photos, and some for the young French couple, who irritatingly have been last back into the van at every single stop! I was really delighted though to see the fox that I had just caught sight of as we were driving in come trotting across the flats. I was even more delighted when we crossed the road ourselves and looked at all the people, but then found the fox curled up behind one of the food stalls. He looked very healthy and very cute.

Some rock features that were pointed out on the way. This is supposed to resemble a toad and I can see what they mean

We were all starving by this point, despite snacking on biscuits so were glad to arrive back at Purmamarca for lunch at 15.00. The lovely Monica had booked tables, though we had no obligation to eat there, at that time our options were limited, and we were keen to have a good lunch, so that, like yesterday, we don't have to bother with dinner. Homemade purple pasta with mushroom sauce was great! We ate with Hamish, a young Scottish actor, who as if being an actor isn't hard enough is living in Paris where he acts in French, and Spanish, as well as English!

And this is supposed to be the Titanic. Now here I'm struggling, perhaps I need more wine!

Monica had recommended the 45 minute hike around 7 colour rock, which obviously we had to do, though whether it was a good idea at 2500m on a full stomach is debatable. It was well worth doing though. See our Relive video: click here

Now just the 3 hours back to Salta. We have said, as yesterday, we'll hop out anywhere within a 5 block radius of our hotel if it's quicker to walk! Monica understands where we are coming from! Poor Monica, finished teaching at 22.30 last night, then had a 3 hour drive home before getting up at the same time we did. More pick ups than usual, but at least everyone speaks English, so she has only had to say everything once. She did try and give the teachers pep talk about being respectful to your fellow passengers and being back when told but this has fallen on deaf ears. She has also had to try and help the girl who couldn't get out of her hotel, not with her hotel but with her flight. Apparently her onward flight is at 20.50, not good with an optimistic ETA back I'm Salta of 19.45! And no, she hasn't got her luggage with her! Who would do this job?

Our visit to the Vasija Secreta winery in Cafayate with sampling of a couple of wines

Day 150 Sunday 

Today was a bit of a disappointment, when we said to Monica yesterday we were going to Huamamarca she said, "oh the 14 colour mountain" that is what we were expecting. We knew we were covering a lot of the same route as yesterday, but that as the other two trips had been good, this one would be too. As it turns out the 14 colour mountain is an optional extra which because we booked with Viator before arriving in Salta we were never offered, this is despite going into the agency the night before all three of the trips just to check in.

The cathedral at Purmamarca with our tour bus waiting

So another day up at 05.30, long bus trip, looking at the 7 colour hill again and stopping at Purmamarca again where despite two stops yesterday we did manage to do something different, going up the viewpoint we'd decided against yesterday. We seemed to get later and later leaving every stop until we arrived in Huamamarca where the transfer bus was waiting for the 4 people who where doing the 'extra' trip. We were feeling a bit aggrieved by this, but having had our lunch and a walk around the town (which was nice), and sat and done the crossword, at the prescribed meeting time 2 of the 4 appeared to have just ordered the same three course lunch we had, so we had to wait an extra 45 minutes which has really rubbed salt in the wounds!

We're still on the first day of our three days of tours and this was on the way back. Here Sue and Paul are looking at 'The Castle' (yes, I can see that). I thought this was a nice photo of them on the year away. They have until June before they return to Bristol UK and make their decision for their future, take redundancy and pay off the mortgage, but have to work for another two or three years before retiring, or keep their jobs open? Difficult decisions and we had an interesting conversation over lunch with them, offering an impartial view, but they have yet to make their decision. We hope they'll keep in touch as we want to know what they finally decide

We have just stopped at The Tropic of Capricorn for a photograph, so that's a first. It was marked as the Inca used to perform the Inti celebration here at midwinter to encourage the sun to come back. We've crossed the Equator at the Centre of the World in Ecuador too so I guess he'll now be looking for a point where the Tropic of Cancer is marked too.

Tilcara is a scheduled stop which he's insisting we do, I guess because he doesn't want the grief of someone complaining we didn't stop to the agency. It's just going to be another long day!

Tilcara was fine, except they seemed to get lost driving in! Then when asked, the guide didn't know if there were any toilets. Does this mean it is somewhere that normally gets missed and there has been complaints? Anyway, we looked in the church, had an ice-cream and found some toilets. Bet we don't get home till 21.00!

More fabulous scenery on the way home on day 1 tour

Day 151 Monday 

I woke up at 05.15, I'm a creature of habit, but I did go back to sleep. We went to breakfast at a sensible time which was much more pleasant. So, blog or see Salta in the daylight? Doing a bit of blog before going out seemed to make sense, except it was already vaguely raining and it is a getting worse sort of day so we'll go out for a quick look around.

It was a very quick look around, a couple of Basilicas , bought some toothpaste, exciting things! It is actually a public holiday, The Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice commemorating the victims of the Civic-military dictatorship of Argentina, the Disappeared. It is held on 24 March, the anniversary of the coup d'état of 1976 that brought the National Reorganization Process to power. This means some shops are closed, but we are not bothered and maybe some museums are open, that aren't usually on a Monday. In theory there is a museum we should go to that contains the mummies of three Inca children discovered in 1999 at the top of the Llullaillaco volcano. They were sacrificed in a capacocha ceremony where they were typically given alcohol and coca leaves and deposited at the place of the ceremony. Sacrifice was primarily carried out through four methods: strangulation, a blow to the head, suffocation, or being buried alive while unconscious, though if the ceremony was carried out in a particularly cold place, they could die from hypothermia, as was probably the case here. We might go and have a look later. See our Relive walk of the centre: click here

Day 2 of our 3 days from Salta tours and this time we go north to Salinas Grandes. This is a solar powered train (only partly solar powered) on a refurbished railway line. The line was abandoned in 1997, but part of it recently has been reopened, at the moment only for tourists to Tilcara. The intention is to refurbish the entire line up to the Bolivian border, eventually and open it for all traffic

We stopped for a coffee to watch the parade go past. It has stopped raining, but the blog has to be done before we leave here tomorrow to go to Iguazu falls.

Today was a long day to the salt flats in Jujuy province (pronounced hu-hui) but was helped tremendously by the bubbly Monica, our guide for the day

Just look at the colours of the mountains in this photo near Purmamarca. The seven coloured mountains they call it. Imagine the colours being even more vivid than shown in this photo, they are amazing! We came back to them in the afternoon and took a short walk through them. More on that later

On to the Salinas Grandes (salt flats)

Not as impressive as the Bolivian salt flats, but a great place to be. There's a snow capped mountain in the distance and we are around 3500m altitude

We decided to do some silly photos, much as we'd had done in Bolivia. This was the best one on our own, mine of Jackie were a bit blurred. A French couple were nearby so we showed them how to do them and took some of them. We asked them to take some of us...

This was the best one

Our hands weren't quite aligned on this, I'm supposed to be pulling her up

Then we saw this fox walking by in the distance

And then found him settling down in a quiet area away from people

Isn't he cute!

Salt house and salt table and chairs

Guanaco's on the road out, one of four species of camelids in South America

The long, tortuous RN52 road that leads from Salta to Chile as it climbs over the Cerro Colorado mountain

At the high point of the pass

Arriving back at the seven coloured mountains we took a walk through them after lunch

It was a lovely, colourful walk all the way and only just over 3km long 

Time for a selfie

Fabulous colours all the way

Right to the end

We're on day 3 of our Salta tours now and this was back in the same place at Purmamarca and more beautiful mountains

Jackie took this panorama at a viewpoint

This is in Humahuaca (pronounced umawakka) high up in NW Argentina on the RN9 road to Bolivia. It's an old town with an interesting history, being on a bit of a crossroads during the wars of independence from the Spanish. Indigenous peoples and settlers fought the Spanish in the early 1800's and this town changed hands 9 times and was completely destroyed twice! Now a peaceful place with some interesting old buildings overlooked by beautiful mountains 

The old cobbled streets round the plaza

A splendid monument exists by the main plaza depicting the battles against the Spanish. The indigenous leader stands atop, in the  centre are his people, to the left at the Spanish and to the right are the settlers fighting with improvised tools

Love the old, beautifully restored Cabildo

After our visit to the Salinas Grandes perspective shots have become a habit

For Jackie, the day is complete!

And for me, a visit to the imaginary line of the Tropic of Capricorn, my day is complete too. And, if you're interested, it was here: click here. How accurate it is I've no idea

We could have done without this final stop at Tilcara as it was after 6:00pm and we knew there was still a three hour drive back to Salta. Still it was nice, we looked in the church, had an ice cream and listened to someone singing in the square

So after three very long days of tours where we were up at 5:30 am and finished at 7:00pm on the first day, 8:00pm on the second and nearly 9:30pm on the third we just wanted to relax! Up at 7:30am today (what a luxury!), a stroll round town today and coffee at a cafe on the plaza. It's a day's holiday in Argentina today, it's their day for Remember of truth and justice, where they remember the killings, torture and disappearance of loved one's in the military dictatorship of 1976 to 1983

The country is now open and democratic (though still with many problems), but look at these people in the parade, 'exile never again' and 'memory on the march multiplies'. The lady with the white headscarf represents the original movement in the country of the grandmothers searching for those they lost. Babies were confiscated from mothers and given to military personnel or favoured people and those people grew up without knowing the truth. Today, anyone with birthdates between 1976 and 1983 are offered DNA tests free if they suspect their origins. They are matched with DNA of families who lost children and, so far over a hundred have been reunited with their birth families 

I made this Youtube of a little of the parade today

Some other sights around Salta today, this is the rather gaudy cathedral (and for the second time of going there I couldn't take an internal photo as there was a service going on)

The theatre

And the historic Cabildo. All these are round the plaza in the centre (and just round the corner from our hotel)

Not in the plaza but very close is this lovely building, the San Fransico convent. See what looks like curtains in the lower openings? They are stone carvings

It's fabulous inside too. What a great place Salta is, the town is lovely but with all the amazing scenery around it's no wonder it's on every tourists visit list

But I'll leave you with this. It's something that has made us feel a little uncomfortable on a number of occasions, although no-one has shown hostility to us when we've said we're English. The sign says 'Don't forget, they are not negotiable' and the image is a map of the Falkland Islands, Las Malvinas to the Argentines and you can see they are coloured in the Argentine flag. This was in the centre of Cordoba, but we saw similar things everywhere. Even today during the parade in Salta someone was carrying a placard showing this image, yesterday on our tour we saw one guide wearing a t-shirt with the symbol on it and we've seen it painted on vehicles. The reminder is everywhere and it seems to be the one thing that fully unites the country. Today Argentina has frosty relations with Chile because, in the Falklands war of 1982 they say Chile betrayed Argentina by siding with 'The British'. It is the reason General Galtieri, head of the military dictatorship of 1976 to 1983, so hated today, invaded the Falklands to try to unite the country. For a while he did and the country was firmly behind him. But he sacrificed ill equipped, young soldiers to try to hang on to power