Next on to Maimara which has more colorful slopes known as "Paleta del Pintor" because the mountains look like they are painted with fringes of different colors. We pulled over and there was a farmer loaded boxes of his fresh produce into this larger truck. There is a surprising amount of agriculture in this area - lots of types of lettuce, beets, and ornamental flowers - and even some vineyards.
We then drove along to the Humahuaca Gorge which was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2003. The landscape has a patchwork of small villages with mud houses, historical chapels and Pre-Hispanic Ruins. The Gorge is a scenic canyon that runs about 100 miles along the Rio Grande. Historically, it was an important trade route up through the Atamaca Plateau to Bolivia and Peru.
One of the main attractions in the gorge is the Pucara of Tilcara, a pre-Columbian fortified city built by the native american Omaguaca people. We passed through the town of Sumaj Pacha to reach the archaeological site.
Once through the town, we crossed this narrow wooden floor bridge to get there!
The admission fee to Pucara de Tilcara was only $500 pesos each (about $1.50USD). We took the self-guided walking trail from the entrance station stopping at the different sites which have been partially reconstructed.
The ancient site was occupied from the 1st century AD until the 16th century when the Spanish arrived in this area. The site covers over 18 acres on the top of a hill that is about 230 higher than the surrounding area. It is thought that the area housed over 2000 inhabitants who lived in small, square stone buildings with low doorways and no windows. In addition to the living areas, the pucara contained corrals for animals, sites for religious ceremonies and burial sites.
The "walls" below were the animal pens.
Near the entrance to the archeaological site was also a botanical garden we walked through.
This cactus made me think it belonged in some kind of cartoon or movie!
Our scheduled tour then had us continuing to Humahuaca, Jujuy Province which is another small community of about 11,000 people. Our guide asked if we wanted to go their, or go back through Jujuy, Jujuy and take a scenic road that goes through something like a rainforest and see more of nature than a town. We voted yes!
We retraced a small portion of our route past Purmamarca then headed south to Jujuy, the capital of Jujuy province. It is a large city and we skirted the edge of town, stopping at a gas station for lunch. That sounds terrible, I know, but it wasn't! They have dining tables, waitresses, and menus! Many business men were there having lunch. We shared a veal and cheese sandwich and tried a white/dark chocolate treat for dessert before turning south on the "scenic" Highway 9.
Along the way we went by lots of agriultural areas. There were acres and acres of tobacco fields, most of which is exported to China.
Near El Carmen we stopped at Mirador del Dique Las Cienegas. It is a HUGE lake created by a dam and there were boat docks, swimming, and camping areas. 
I thought these were flamingos, but their beaks are not the right shape. Okay, my bird-watching friends, help me out!!!
We continued south and were soon a a narrow, very windy road through the "rain forest." We enjoyed the beautiful scenery and very few cars, although we sometimes had to share the road!
As we exited the rainforest area and came back to civilization, we spotted three Chuna Patas Rojas birds. He seemed surprised to see us!
We had a great day and got back to our hotel in Salta about 5pm. We rested a while, then went out to change some money and have dinner. In Salta, the easiest place to exchange US dollars for pesos is along the square with "money changers"! This was our guy. His bag is full of money and there are many of these guys. You just ask them the rate and they tell you what they will give you on that day. It's definitely more informal than going to the Western Union in Buenos Aires, but it worked!
It was a late dinner and we opted for pizza and then ice cream before heading back to the hotel about 10pm. Tomorrow we are off on an excursion to Cachi so goodnight!
2 comments:
The birds are Roseate Spoonbills I think.
I think you are correct! Thank you!!
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