We got up a little later than we wanted.  But, after the night we had dancing (with maybe a little bit of wine), we certainly needed the sleep.  We finally made our way into town to check out the local market.  Finally, around late morning, we left Tilcara and headed north, to the remote town of Iruya.

To reach the town, we left the main (paved) highway for the dirt road that cut through the mountains to reach this remote town.  We also started gaining in altitude significantly.  At some spots we were over 4000m/13,100ft.  In Tilcara, we picked up some coca leaves and began chewing.  Coca has been used in South America for hundreds of years to help counteract the effects of altitude.  The taste is bitter.  But, it’s said to work.

 

We stopped off on the side of the road for lunch in what I am pretty sure was a town.  At least, there was a school, a small store and a bus stop, but few people.  We continued on past the beautiful mountains.  The landscape seemed to change every 20-30 km.  In some areas, we’d see rounded, green mountains which would then morph into more jagged peaks which would then morph into canyon-like surfaces.  It was surreal and awesome.  The road ascended to 4000m and then descended along a snaky road that eventually took us to a river’s edge which we followed into Iruya.

 

Even after the awesome scenery we had already seen today, I was still blown away by Iruya.  This tiny pueblo with stone streets and buildings made of crude materials sits directly in front of a large, rocky, mountainous wall.  The mountain has an imposing presence over the town.  We quickly found a hostel and met up outside to watch the sun set and drink mate.

 

Mate in the Argentine culture is much more than just an herbal tea.  It’s a true part of the Argentine fabric, norms, psyche, etc.  The herbal tea is placed in small gourd-like container, hot water is added and it’s drunk from a silver straw.  The gourd is passed around and everyone shares from the same serving.  It’s not only a symbol of friendship and kinsmanship, but also an occasion to share moments with friends, family, etc.

We headed off to dinner and found a small family-owned place.  Afterwards, we wound up at the playground across from our hostel where we played on the slides, swingsets, etc. while we gazed at the clear night sky.  Then, it was off to bed to rest up for the next day.

Originally Published September 14, 2007

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Tags: Argentina travel, career break travel, Jeff's Career Break Blog

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