So for eleven days I peaced out of Buenos Aires and went on a grand adventure that was well needed. First, I went to the desert-land of Salta and Jujuy in the very northwestern tip of Argentina (close to Bolivia) and then I took a bus over to the Cataratas de Iguazu (Iguazu Falls right on the boarder of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina).
I’ll try my best to describe the trip, but really neither words nor pictures will do justice.
I spent the first 6 days of the trip with my friend Emily.
First, I spent 22 hrs on a bus. I made friends with a couple ladies that sat near me on the bus. One of these ladies, not only did I heard all about her son and see pictures of her nephews and grandchildren, but I can also tell you what she had for lunch last Tuesday and her social security number. [if social security numbers actually even existed here haha. …at least I think they don’t...]
So 22 hrs later we arrived Saturday afternoon to Salta, Argentina. Being in Salta gave me a great desire to grow dredlocks. A man approached us at the bus station and offered us a cheap hostel. I actually really really loved my experience at this hostel! It definitely wasn’t a five star hotel, but I had the opportunity to meet people from ALL OVER THE WORLD! I made friends from France, Dubois, Israel, Germany, Armenia, you name it! All week I had a blast just talking to different people, learning what it’s like where they’re from. Most of these travelers could speak at least 3-5 languages fluently. I felt really ignorant and stupid not knowing much about their countries and only knowing 2 languages. I was really impressed. We’d sit in the kitchen with a bottle of regional wine and talk until all hours of the night swapping stories and switching languages. So long story short – It was fun! If my career in social work is a flop, I’m working at a hostel for the rest of my life – it’s been decided.
The climate here was HOLY COLD!!! BRRRR BRRR BRRR. Especially at night. I bought more sweaters made of llamas…with pictures of llamas on it…and gloves made of llama…with pictures of llamas….and a hat made of llama…with pictures of llamas…you get the point J “me llamo llama”. Yes that was a dumb joke. Yet, it was the desert so mainly just really cold in the morning and at night. Yet, standing in the sun, at one point I wore a tank top…
During the week, I woke up at 6 a.m. three days for different excursions.
1) The first was Calfayate. For these excursions, we sit in a bus most of the day and continuously jump out and hop in to take fotos and sightsee. The mountains were ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! Talk about desert! I felt like I was in a movie. Millions of giant cacti just covering the mountains almost as far as you can see. I can’t tell you how many times the bus had to stop for wild llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, cows, or bulls to cross. I pet a llama! And I ate llama! (I don’t really like meat, but it was actually really really good! Like really tender steak.) This day, we also stopped at a vineyard and did some wine testing. And I rode a bicycle built for 3!
2) The second excursion was to Las Salinas (or salt flats). These were INCREDIBLE. They are huge, completely flat areas in a valley between the mountains. There were a few strips of bright blue water, but mostly solid white. It looked like snow, but don’t be fooled! I was. Until I licked the ground. Definitley salt. Actually, it looked like giant 2ft cells or dry snake scales. I bought a salt figure in the shape of a llama from a man on the side of the road.
3) Third excursion was to Humahuaca. Another mountain-filled journey. There is one spot where the rock literally has 7 colors. I saw a man pretty much work a miracle as he sculpted pots in every shape possible. Also, I went a place that was a little town of rocks on the side of a mountain set up to look like how the indigenous towns had been. Red and cactuses for as far as you could see.
Also, we stopped in many tiny towns in the mountains that have a culture unlike any place I have been. The buildings and streets were all pretty much a tannish color – like dust. Friendly country folk with a much more relaxed pace of life. Quite the opposite of Buenos Aires. I feel like Buenos Aires has a certain flair, but then once you leave the huge city it’s like a different world. The rest of the country is pretty much countryland.
· Next day: Hiked up 1,070 stairs to a lookout point to see the whole city of Salta. Emily had flirted a little with the tour guide the day before and so today he came with us and could give us random facts, which was fun. Then, Emily and I took a colectivo outside the city to do some hiking through the greenery. Finally through green! We saw wild bulls, cows, and goats.
I’ve decided that my future husband better really like backpacking and mountains and hiking. If he’s in a wheelchair, he has to at least let me push him up a path.
· I went to a museum where I saw two mummy children that were human sacrifices 500 yrs ago by the Incan tribes. It was so real! My heart had never beat so fast.
IGUAZU, Missiones!!!! (Northeastern tip of Argentina at the boarder of Brazil and Paraguay). I had been planning on just going alone since one of my friends from Bs As had backed out, but thankfully I had met a guy at the hostel from Australia who decided to go too. So we bought our bus tickets, and an hour later took off for another 24 hr bus ride.
We spent an entire day at the National Park. Rainforest! Waterfall after waterfall. Random fact: This is the biggest waterfall in the world [in terms of width. It’s about 2 miles long]. The amount of water was just unreal. So powerful! Words do not describe. Pictures do not describe. Not having a camera wasn’t even bad because it forced me to just soak it all up with my own eyes! If you’re curious and/or bored, maybe it would be a good idea to google image these places…. Seriously do it!
This day at the park we saw a wild otter and a bunch of racoonish looking creatures which don’t exist in North America. Normally you can see hundreds of rainbows, but sadly the day we went the sun wasn't out at all so we didn't.
My friend from Australia left early Sunday morning, so I then I was alone in Iguazu for my last day. It turned out to be actually one of my favorite days. I spent a while trying to find the lookout point where you can see Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina all at the same time. I wandered around some random country roads with just me and my backpack, saw a couple donkeys, and then after asking for directions a few times finally found the spot. Cool to see! Then, I had still another 4 hours to kill before my bus back to Bs As so I approached an empty colectivo and started talking to the bus driver and explained that I wanted to see a toucan bird. He told me to come with him. He took me to a wild life reserve. It was just outdoors in the trees and I saw toucan birds, monkeys, and then some endangered species animals – one of which looked like a giant ostrich. It was like an ostrich, except without the long neck. And without the long legs. So actually not so much like an ostrich. Just a fat bird I guess… It was almost a private little tour through the jungle. We road on a tractor. I like tractors. There were just 2 other small families. They looked at me as if I’m lame and pathetic and without friends as they repeated 8 times, “you’re alone?” haha I didn’t care because I saw a toucan bird and a monkey.
Small world coincidences: a guy from Barcelona that I had met at the next hostel was on my same bus back to Bs As. And a woman from Turkey that I had met in Salta (24 hrs away) was on my bus from Iguazu to Bs As also! Crazy small world we live in.
18 hr bus ride later. I passed through Retiro tired and alone and with all my crap and I wasn’t robbed! I had my death face on. Yay for not being robbed!
I find it so Crazy to go from the desert/llama/cactus land ----à to the green rainforest of Iguazu with the world’s widest waterfall ----à back to a huge busy South American city with a European twist filled with billboards, taxis, subways, colectivos and colorful graffiti. I think soon my brain might explode due to culture shock! (especially after I’m in North Dorr, Michigan in 2 weeks and then Madrid, Spain the following week!) However, I find it really impressive that you can have such a variety of different environments all within the same country.
Now my time left in the city is very very scarily short! 16 days to be exact. Two of my classes are done. I got straight As in both. Two more exams left – one next week and the other the following. The exams I lack are my two classes with Argentines so wish me luck!
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