Enero Tilcareño..

Two weeks ago I wrote an entry expressing my feelings about the necessity of having a break and wanting so bad to have my contact with nature. Well, I ‘ve just arrived of having that contact I needed so bad. Last week I went to Tilcara with two of my best friends and my sister and I have to say that I spent a wonderful time with them.
The place where I had the pleasure to visit was Tilcara, in Jujuy,and I have to say that I have no words to express the beauty of this place and all the sensations that the rest of La Quebrada de Humahuaca and some other places transmitted to me. My friends were a great company and it was possible for us to visit places like Humahuaca,Purmamarca,La Quiaca and we even crossed the Frontier and we went to Bolivia.

The first day we arrived to Tilcara we stayed in the town itself. We went to the main square and then to Rio Huasamayo where we drank some mate and took some pictures.

The second day we went to Purmamarca, which in aimara language means ‘Virgin Land Town’ and it is nailed to the foot of the marvelous Seven Colour Hill to delight the senses of the visitors who pass by this area.
We had the pleasure to walk through El Paseo de los Colorados,which has wonderful sights of naturally carved stony formations. It was a truly delight for our eyes.

After having lunch we went to Las Salinas, which is to 66 kilometres from Purmamarca. Before arriving there, we stopped in a place where the scenic overlook was breathtaking and we also stopped in a famous place called ‘4170’. This place is called like that because that is the height over the level of the sea. We took some pictures and we quickly entered to the car as a strong storm was coming closer and closer. This was the highet point I’ve ever reached so imagine how proud I felt as I am an enemy of high places and I couldn’t have been so happy of being there and being alive!=)

Finally,we arrived to Salinas Grandes,which is one of the most beautiful and amazing places I’ve ever been to. There we had the opportunity to wade across the salty pool and it was a nice experience for all of us.

The following day we got up early and we had a delicious breakfast in the house we were staying in and then we went to Humahuaca.The city of Humahuaca has a colonial aspect. It has narrow and stoned streets, with lights and mud-brick houses and it is a pleasure to walk through them. In the evening we went out to meet the night life in Tilcara. It was full of young people who,in their majority,have just arrived and a huge amount of foreigners. All of them walking around the main square or through the main street looking for something interesting to do. We met three nice porteños in front of a peña and we all went in there. It was funny because we tried to dance chacarera and the famous carnavalito but we soon desisted.I really had a great time.

On Sunday,we also got up early in order to take a bus to La Quiaca and once we got there,we went to a small village called Yavi.
Yavi is only 16 kilometres from the east of La Quiaca and only 339 inhabitants live in adobe wall houses with roofs made of reed, clay and straw.
One of the biggest attractions in the city is The San Francisco Chapel. This building was finished in the year 1690 and the pulpits and the altar are covered with gold plate. It was a wonderful place to visit.

Once we came back to La Quiaca,we crossed the Frontier and we went to Bolivia. It was a great experience to do that as it was the first time I was going to be in another country so despite I was quite tired of having walked so much I was very excited.

That night we came back to the house very late and we were exhausted. As it was our last night there we were suppossed to go out again but we stayed at home,prepare our supper and we ate it on bed.

The following day we decided to do something that some of us were not that convinced to do.We went to La Garganta del Diablo which is a huge slice or indention into the side of a cliff formed by rain water over a long period of time.Two of my friends were not convinced at all to be able to go there,but I really wanted to do it. I think that day I discovered I have an adventurous side! We were able to climb all the way in and I went up as far as I could. One of my girl friends got into a panic attack and she didn’t want to even look at the precipice,but thanks God everything went great and we enjoyed of this beautiful place. The risk and the two hours walking and climbing were really worthy=)

Coming back from La Garganta del Diablo,we went to El Pucara de Tilcara,which is located on a hill just outside Tilcara. This place was declared a National Monument in 2000 and it is the only publicly accessible archaeological site in La Quebrada de Humahuaca. We took as many pictures as we could and we quickly came home to look for our bags. Our bus was arriving in 1 hour and we still had to buy some souvenirs. As a conclusion what can I say? I can say I fell in love of every place I visited. The beautiful places I saw will be impossible to raise from my mind. They’ll always be there and I hope next holidays to come back there and repeat that great experience. And finally I really have to thank my guys for making our trip so wonderful. I really enjoyed being there with you.I love you all and bye-bye!