Sunday, April 2, 2023

Our day began in Iruya, Argentina. We had a quiet & comfortable overnight stay at Hotel Iruya. The hotel served a continental breakfast this morning of medialunas (glazed croissants) with jam and dulce de leche, yogurt & granola, fruit cocktail, and ham & cheese slices + coffee and powdered hot chocolate. This is standard breakfast fair for Argentinians, and quite honestly it feels a little underwhelming to me.

After breakfast, we packed our backpacks and hit the dusty trail once more. The same rocky, mountain road we traveled to get to Iruya yesterday is the same road we’d take back to join Route 9 in Northern Argentina. As we left town, we saw several locals walking to the cathedral with palm branches (or bunches of greenery) in their hands. It reminded me that God’s people are everywhere. Sometimes we look differently, sound differently, or we live in different places, but it’s the same Jesus that gave his life for us. It’s neat to think about people celebrating the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday all over the world today. I wish we could have listened to our home church’s sermon message this morning, but we didn’t have any cell or internet signal in Iruya.

Traveling the road leading away from Iruya seemed easier today for some reason; likely because we already knew what to expect. We didn’t seem many cars on the two-lane dirt road and found ourselves in the town of Humahuaca two hours later.

Humahuaca is another popular tourist town along Route 9 in Northern Argentina. The village is best known for the nearby Serranía de Hornocal (14-colored mountain). Everyone says the colors of this postcard-perfect mountain are a must-see in the area which is why we stopped for a visit.

As it would happen, we arrived in the Humahuaca town plaza just as the clock struck Noon. A crowd was gathered in the square in front of the Iglesia de la Candelaria y San Antonio Church to watch a mechanical priest statue emerge from the window to give a blessing to the crowd. It was totally by coincidence that we happened to see it which was really neat! As the metal statue disappeared, the crowd clapped and then continued on with their business in the square.

A big artisan market was taking place in the square with vendors selling the usual alpaca wool sweaters and hats, trinkets, clay pots, mate cups, and stuffed llama toys. Tory and I have been on the prowl for a Christmas ornament to take home with us, and we found the perfect thing at the Humahuaca market — a teeny, tiny mate cup and thermos. After spending the past two months in Argentina, the most unique thing that stands out to us is their cultural obsession with mate.

Andi wanted to grab a bite to eat, so we popped into a nearby restaurant called El Cafecito and found a table. We ordered two cups of cocoa tea (which is suppose to help with the altitude), two empanadas, and a bowl of spaghetti for Tory and Aden to share. We also ordered two bowls of vegetable bean soup, but they never came. I feel like that’s part of traveling in a new country; we typically receive 80% of the food we order, and sometimes get food that we didn’t order at all.

Lunch took entirely too long! We sat in the restaurant for 90 minutes waiting for our food. It wasn’t even busy in the restaurant. Andi and I joked that maybe the kitchen staff had to make the soup from scratch, starting by the soaking the beans? I don’t understand why restaurant experiences in Argentina take so long, but they do. No food is fast food here.

By now, it was 2:00pm and Andi and I questioned whether we had time (or the patience) to see Serranía de Hornocal (the 14-colored mountain). It’s another dirt road to get there, and honestly the four of us weren’t sure we had it in us to travel more miles on a bumpy, rocky road today. Plus, we still had another hour of highway driving to get to our hotel tonight. Finally, Andi and I decided to scrap visiting the 14-colored mountain in Humahuaca, and instead hike the Hill of the Seven Colors trail tomorrow morning in Purmamarca.

Tory and Aden wanted ice cream before we left Humahuaca, so Andi gave them $1,000 Argentine pesos and told the kids to go across the street to Grido Helado to order it themselves while he paid the bill at the restaurant. Both kids were hesitant at first, but the desire for ice cream overpowered their nervousness of not speaking the language. Andi and I watched from across the street as Tory and Aden marched up to the ice cream counter and ordered two scoops of chocolate and vanilla ice cream using a mix of their Spanish knowledge and Google Translate. They were both so proud when they successfully returned with their treats!

From Humahuaca, we drove south along Highway 9 toward the town of Purmamarca. Andi booked us a one-night stay at Pumahuasi Boutique Hotel there, but we weren’t ready to check in to our hotel room yet. At Purmamarca, we turned right onto Route 52 toward the Salinas Grandes salt flats. Seeing these famous salt flats was on my Northern Argentina bucket list, but we were running out of time to make it happen. In lieu of a drive to the 14-colored mountain, Andi and I decided to visit the salt flats this afternoon instead.

We were still kind of grumbly about not getting enough to eat for lunch at the restaurant in Humahuaca, so Andi whipped a U-turn on the highway when we saw a food truck on the side of the road. Unfortunately, the road wasn’t as wide as he anticipated and the front of our rental car rolled into a deep triangle-shaped ditch. “Heather, do something!” Andi screamed at me from the driver’s seat. What did he want me to do?! I think what he was trying to tell me was to turn the hazard lights on in the car. Quickly, I hopped out of the passenger side door and started to push the front end of our rental car out of the ditch. Meanwhile, a car stopped and a European couple jumped out to help. Together, the man and I were able to push our vehicle back on the road while simultaneously Andi put the car in reverse. It all happen in a flash and we were definitely shook up by it, but we were all OK. Luckily, there was no damage to our rental car either. Andi drove into the parking lot by the food truck and we both exhaled a deep breath of relief.

The two guys working the Andes Ride food truck were so kind to us. Andi ordered a meat & cheese platter, two cups of coffee, and four waters. We sat outside at a patio table and let our nervous systems settle down a bit. The meat & cheese platter hit the spot — only thing better would have been a glass of wine to go with it.

Back on the road, the four of us continued along Route 52 toward Salinas Grandes. The drive there was farther and more intense than Andi and I expected. Nowhere in any of my research did I read about a switchback mountain pass climbing to 13,000 feet. What I did read was to expect “excellent views and unique sensations” on the Cuesta de Lipan scenic drive. Now, we understood perfectly well what unique sensations meant! High altitude = instant headaches and upset stomaches. At the top of the pass, it felt like my eyes were about to pop out of my head. I later learned that this is one of the highest roadways in the world.

We stopped to take a picture and to get some air at the summit — 4,170 meters (13,681 feet elevation) — and then continued driving down the other side of the mountain toward Salinas Grandes. Aden looked white as a ghost in the backseat and Tory complained of a headache, but everyone was mostly fine again once we reached the salt flats about 20 minutes later. We could see patches of white in the distance as we drove closer.

The Salinas Grandes salt flats were once a high altitude lake but in this desert climate, evaporation exceeds precipitation. Now, when any rain does fall, it vaporizes leaving behind white salt minerals. It was an incredible sight to see!

Route 52 cuts right in the middle of the salt flats, so the our drive led us right to the spot. Andi pulled our rental car into the parking lot where several buildings made of salt housed souvenirs and snacks for sale. Anyone can visit the salt flats for free, but it costs $1,500 Argentine pesos ($7 USD, or $3.50 with the Blue Rate exchange) to actually walk or drive on the salt. This is both to protect the salt flats from damage and because the salt is actively mined for consumption.

Andi and I figured it was well worth the price of $7 to experience the salt flats up close. We entered the tourist information building and paid for the fee, and then a tour guide named Christina led us out to the salt flats. She didn’t speak any English, but managed to communicate through a mixture of Spanish and hand gestures that she’d drive her motorcycle out there and we’d follow her in our rental car. Within a matter of minutes, we were driving on the salt flats behind her. It was so cool!

We parked our car where Christina told us, and she let us take as many pictures as we wanted. When we were ready to leave, Andi flew his drone overhead following our car as we drove away. The sun was incredibly hot standing in a desert of white salt at 3,450 meters (11,300 feet).

Back on solid ground, I bought us four cups of cocoa tea from one of the vendors to help soothe our stomaches, plus a little llama made of salt that Tory suckered me into buying her. We all agreed that Salinas Grandes salt flats was worth the long drive — worth the altitude sickness — to experience this natural wonder.

All four of us were dreading the rugged stretch of Route 52 back to Purmamarca, but it seemed to go faster the second time. We arrived at Pumahuasi Boutique Hotel around 7:00pm. In this hotel, our two rooms were connected suite-style with a bathroom.

Both Tory and Aden said they didn’t feel very well after the drive, so Andi and I offered to walk down the street from the hotel to grab dinner while the kids stayed in our hotel rooms. Tory took a shower and Aden laid down in bed — he looked pretty green.

For dinner, Andi and I picked up salad and a roasted quarter-chicken + mashed potatoes and chorizo sausages for the kids. Shortly after we returned to the hotel room with food, Aden threw up. “Salami and ice cream are not a good combo,” he said, referring to his lunch earlier today. Hopefully, Aden’s stomach is upset because of the altitude and he’s not coming down with something.

Tomorrow, we’re planning to do the Hill of Seven Colors hike and then drive further south toward Salta. Our adventure in Argentina’s north continues.