La Luna

La luna, the moon!! She rose in all her glory over the Andes mountains, and blessed me with misty rays from between the clouds after a rather taxing day.

Louise and I started the day like this (down, not up thank goodness), on our way to try and catch a local colectivo (bus) from Jujuy city centre to the bus terminal.

We found one (we always find one), and were soon on our way to Purmamarca, a popular tourist destination further north. I had made an Airbnb reservation (and paid for 2 nights) in Humahuanca, still further north, without knowing if and when I would be able to get transport from Purmamarca, whether a few hours there would be enough to fully experience the colourful mountains, if I would be in time for my booking and if I would be able to walk to my destination (my budget is now non-existent). If this sounds confusing to you, just imagine what was going on in my heart and mind. All these uncertainties were taking their toll and not being able to communicate was not helping at all. And then the WiFi was not working at the place I was staying last night, which drove me into frenzy, until I decided that it would be of no use whatsoever to panic, today was going to happen either way. The landlady of the place I was staying at gave me such a motherly hug and fond farewell this morning, I was on the verge of tears. Maybe she sensed that I was confused and uncertain.

I díd get a bus in Purmamarca and 4 hours wére enough to fully appreciate the splendour of the mountains, ánd a lady started talking to me as we were waiting for the bus. I caught the word frío which is ‘cold’, so I could fully agree with her. She carried on chatting, asking me if I was travelling solo and, I gathered, spouting forth about the non-necessity of men (with her husband standing a few feet away), but eventually I had to admit no comprendo, hablo un poco español. She was most amused, told her family about it and promptly came and gave me a proper Argentinian greeting (a hug, cheek to cheek, with a kiss to the side of your cheek) when they left. All the time saying suerte, suerte which means ‘good luck’. All little gems that bring relief and add meaning to a complicated day.

The route north is along the Rio Grande (Big River) which is mostly dry at this time of the year, as are all the rivers in this part. The riverbed is covered with stones which they are harvesting in various places. I don’t know what happens when the river comes down, but there are huge trucks and other equipment, as well as roads and mounds of stones.

Pulmamarca is definitely worth a visit in spite of the touristy feel of the place. It is off the main route, so be sure to buy a ticket to the town itself. For me it just happened by accident, and had it not been for a lady warning me about it, I might have ended up in the wrong bus. The attraction is the different colours of the hills surrounding the town, aptly called Cerro de Siete Colores (hill of seven colours). This whole area is called Quebrada de Humahuaca (quebrada means ‘broken’) and is best explored along the Ruta Nacional 9 between Purmamarca and Humahuaca.

My natural curiosity and yen for exploration made me follow the trail in the middle of the following picture:

And this is what came in to view as I got to the neck:

I had met a couple from Buenos Aires on the way up, and the man was keen to tell me about the spectacular view, so when I ‘wowed’ at it, I looked back at them and we all cheered and waved our arms in the air, sharing a moment of sheer enjoyment.The town has many local artisan craft markets, shops and stalls and a few restaurants and old little church

Even the stalls close for siesta time:

Lunch for me was stirred-fried vegetables with fried rice, a little bland a usual, but tasty:

And the ever present dogs…

I was in for a shock when I saw the road Louise and I were going to have to traverse to get to Casa Valentina, my Airbnb booking for the night. The wind was blowing, dust everywhere and no even pavement or road to ease our way, and having to cross the Rio Grande, which is not so big at this point. Louise was on her back, and I hate that, it means I have to carry her.

At least there was a perfectly clean room waiting for us after 750m of struggling. A room without windows, I might add…

I went in search of a restaurant after a refreshing shower and discovered a completely different town from what I had experienced on the outskirts where I’m staying. Narrow cobbled streets, town squares, many little shops selling handicrafts and souvenirs and lots of restuarants. It was getting dark, but I took a few pictures.

The last was a sneak photo – the shops have these beautiful old display cabinets and are really old-fashioned, but the owner wouldn’t allow me to take a picture. I can’t wait to do some walking about tomorrow.

On my way back home I was wondering about the ‘reflection’ on the clouds in the east, when it suddenly dawned on me: the moon! I stopped in my tracks in the middle of the dirt road and waited for the magic to happen. Even then I was not expecting a full moon, but there she was – hallelujah!!