I
woke early to catch the tour. I hope all oes well because my stomach is still
not happy. I had some breakfast (tea and bread) and waited for the tour (they
always late). They picked me up at 8 and collected a few more old people before
making our way.
We
drove through a hilly area which had trees and mist and was very green before
hitting sugar cane fields. We stopped at petrol station to pick up some more
people before heading on to Jujuy to pick up another passenger. It was raining
because it's in a valley and the clouds get trapped and this is their rainy
season. Jujuy is 1300m above sea level and we are making our way to Humahuaca which
is 3000m above sea level so its going to be a long uphill drive.
Once
in Humahuaca Valley we kept climbing and hit the bottom of the clouds while my ears
kept popping (think I might be coming past here again on way to San Pedro de
Atacama). The mountains became very barren with only some cacti and a few
shrubs on them.
We
arrived in a town called Purmamarca where we stopped and had a walk around. The
main reason we stopped here was to have a look at the mountain with seven
colours. I must admit I was a little disappointed as I expected more and would
like to have been told how it was formed.
We
got back in the bus and made our way to Humahuaca only to hit traffic with
everyone heading to the festival in Tilcara (heart of the festival even though
the festival is celebrated all over the province). We eventually made it
through after 4 hours or more but fortunately I took the time to catch up on
some sleep.
Some
locals were rather upset and there was a debate on whether or not to turn
around but in the end we kept going. Eventually we hit Humahuaca (which means
head of Christ) where we had some lunch (at 4:30pm). I had a llama milanesa
with mashed potato (hope its simple enough for my stomach).
After
lunch I went to the main square where the carnival was in full swing with flour
being thrown around, face paint being smeared all over and being sprayed with
foam. Obviously I had to join in and have some fun so I got some spray and
started walking around the square spraying random people which turned into a
war with everyone just joining any side (well just spraying whoever they could).
There
were also some people dressed up in sequins, mirrors and colourful outfits to
represent the devil... I'm. Not sure why though.
Unfortunately
I had to leave to get to our next stop so I put my spray away and headed for
the bus wet and full of smiles. We made our way back and got stuck in traffic
around Tilcara for another hour or two before getting through. The traffic in
the other direction was still just as bad.
I
have a feeling this tour is not going according to plan and we are skipping a
few things. It's dark now so think we may just push to Salta.
After
a while we hit Jujuy and stopped so the driver could have a break and we could
use a bathroom and food break but before long we were back on the road expecting
to arrive at about midnight. I'm cutting my first drink shot fine...
As
we left Jujuy there was a lightning storm around us. It’s not nearly as intense
as the one Damien and I saw coming from Iguazú to Buenos Aires but still
beautiful to see. We eventually got back to the hostel just after 12 where I
had my first drink of the day (beers only come in 1l so took me a while) before
showering and getting to bed for another tour tom.