Sleepless in Salta y Soaring in Iruya

In the far northwest of Argentina, two provinces are known for their dramatic high-mountain beauty: Salta and Jujuy (say "who who-ey").  This is Andean country, the land of  condors and llamas, pan flutes and El Condor Pasa, wool weaving and pottery, and of course the Andes mountains.  These provinces create a finger of Argentina alongside Chile and poking into Bolivia. Here fiercely independent, native cultures continue to thrive.  In the late 1400s the area became subject to the Incas from Cuzco, Peru and shortly after that to the Spanish.  A Spanish general from Lima founded Salta, the principal city in this region, in 1582. Salta,  800 miles from Buenos Aires, sits in the rich farming Lerma Valley and has 500,000+ residents.  The colonial city center looks much more Spanish than Buenos Aires with its Italian/French influences.

G and I talked about visiting the region, but had difficulty pinning down a date.  Finally with only two weeks left in our time in Buenos Aires, we went to the bus station last week for the 18-hour overnight "cruise" from BA to Salta, which surprisingly wasn't so bad!

Once off the bus, we were besieged everywhere by the haunting recorded music of the pan flute, which we soon realized had burned into our brains....Is there any song not playable on the pan flute?  We heard "Can't Help Falling in Love with You (Elvis lives!), " Can You Feel the Love Tonight?",  "Unchained Melody", "Brasil",  "My Heart  Will  Go On"  (Theme from Titanic), the theme from the movie, "The Mission" as well as various Beatles tunes....Even just before sleep comes, the melodies keep playing in the distance.....


Here is the Cabildo, now Salta's Historical Museum, which contains many items from the pre-Colombian era through Inca and Spanish wars....this week they were celebrating General Guemes' victory during the war for independence.  Salta is a wonderful museum town.  Art, history, culture -- it's all to visit.  Probably the most dramatic is the MAAM museum.  Three Inca children, sacrificed to the gods, were buried, frozen on the top of a mountain.  On a rotating basis one of the children can be viewed, in a perfectly preserved state, along with all the Inca relics found with the bodies.

After two nights in Salta (Hotel Candela), we jumped on  the bus again for Humahuaca, a small, quaint town, 4 hours north.  We had stayed up watching "Sleepless in Seattle" (yet again) in our room and then couldn't sleep that night in Salta!  We returned to the bus station early the next morning, knowing we would have to change buses in Humahuaca for the pueblo Iruya, high in the Andes at the end of a dirt road.

Alas, after arriving in Humahuaca,  there was no bus for Iruya.  So we spent the night (Solar de la Quebrada), feasting on typical local food of empanadas, tamales and humitas (fresh corn with cheese in a husk) at a small cafe just below the hotel.  Great hot sauces.  A waiter explained that in the northern cold country you need "picante" to keep you warm, whereas Buenos Aires is warm enough not to need it.  Wedidn't extend the discussion by bringing up the excellent picante sauces in Panama.......




























We caught the early morning Sunday bus to Iruya.  All the buses we have taken in Argentina are luxury double-decker vehicles with plush wide (first class airplane) type seats.  The Iruya bus was our first experience of the "chicken" bus with lots of locals getting on and off at various wide spots in the road.
























The first hour was on the paved highway, then 2 more hours on a rocky, dirt road through the most amazing, colorful mountains, valleys and DRY river beds either of us have ever seen!  For a while the countryside was filled with saguaro/sonora cacti, but quickly we climbed high enough that the vegetation disappeared.


























At the highest point of the trip, we were on the border of the Salta and Jujuy provinces at 4, 000 meters (13,123 feet).  We got out of the bus for a stretch. We weren't gasping for air, but the altitude did make us breathe a little harder....talk about high and dry! If you look carefully you can see the church steeple of Iruya at the end of this valley.







































Here is our goal -- Iruya, a jewel of a pueblo and the end of the road!  It sits nestled in the mountains at 2730 meters (8957 feet), its Spanish colonial church glistening in the morning sun.  As we got closer, we realized this was to be a very special visit--the sky was blue, the air crisp and dry and the vista like no other....




























We knew from a friend that there was a nice hotel in the pueblo, so we jumped off the bus which stopped just below the church plaza (Sunday Mass in session) and headed up the cobbled hill, following only a hunch.

The people along the way greeted us with a "Buen Dia!" and smiles which made us feel welcome, especially once we realized we had no idea how to reach the hotel and a nice lady told us to cross the basketball court, turn left and continue up the hill.

The hotel, Hosteleria Iruya, was at at the top of the pueblo bathed in pale pink stucco, reflecting the colors of the mountains themselves....but first we had to climb up the several flights of rock stairs to the lobby!  Boy, were we huffing by then!  A one-story building with just 15 rooms and almost no guests, we chose the very best room -- an end room with windows on two sides and a trillion dollar view!  Our room also had a king sized bed, 4 pillows, nice sheets and coverlet and a lovely hand-woven wool blanket at the foot.  And we were sure this room was larger than most peoples' homes...food for thought!

Once settled, we went for a short walk around town, had lunch---quinoa tart with cheese, herbs and tomatos and roasted potatoes and legumes in a vino tinto sauce.  Both absolutely delicious!....and then returned to the top of the hill  for a short nap.

On waking in the late afternoon and from the bed, we spotted birds flying, grabbed the binoculars and saw two condors soaring  near the opposite  wall of the canyon.  Then we spotted their nest...they were too far away to capture well on camera...BUT WHAT A THRILL!  And the lazy man's approach to birdwatching, from bed no less!  Our waiter that evening commented that yes, we have many condors here, as if  something taken for granted.

Here's the front patio of the hotel, which had outside dining too....it warmed from below freezing at night to shirt-sleeve weather by noon....and the bright sun was overwhelming at times.  Note the pinks, grays and greens of the stones..there was also an abundance of trees covered in lacy sprays of pink peppercorns everywhere in this area, which we never expected...

Here we are on one of the plazas, where we traded shots with another couple...note that there are no windows on these homes....some homes are made from stone, some from stacked adobe blocks, some from new hollow block, reinforced with rebar.

























The older women all wear hats, not the bowlers as in Peru and Bolivia, but flat-brimmed, Royal Mountie-style.




























While waiting for the bus to return to Salta, this young mother approached us selling chances as a fundraiser for the school.  Prizes included a stove and a motorcycle.  We bought a ticket and told her to put her name down since we wouldn't be around to collect the prizes.  Her photo was reward enough!

Moments later, 3 young girls passed by on their way to school.  One had a Mickey Mouse school bag so G jumped up and ran over to show them her Mickey Mouse watch.  They were impressed and had a good giggle before continuing up the hill...






































Monday's bus ride back to Salta to our same Hotel Candela for another night felt like the right thing to do...we had a wonderful pasta dinner at a Paladar Negro just next door and a tour of the Historical Museum on the main plaza the next morning before our plane back to BA....This gem of a Falcon  was parked just outside our hotel while we were waiting for the taxi.....in an area where there is little to burn for heat or cooking, this bundle of sticks amounted to a gold mine!