Argentinean small town life

I've just spent one of the most relaxing weeks of my trip, traveling through the little pueblitos in Argentina. Though Matias, Mariela and I have basically been jumping from town to town everyday, they are all very close to each other and the vibes are just so chill here, I don't mind all the travel.

All these towns are very very small with probably less than a 1,000 people each. We went through Humahuaca, Iruya, Tilcara and Purmamarca. The people are all very friendly and willing to sit and chat if you want. We've been staying at very small hospedajes, which are basically rooms in people's houses. The food here is also very distinct and super-delicious! The regional specialities include empanadas, tamales and some really amazing stews. Much better than the food in Bolivia, which basically consists of rice, french fries and some sort of stewed or fried meat. I didn't think the food in Argentina was all the great either (basically steak, pasta, pizza and more steak) but the regional stuff has been great.

We were lucky enough to get to Humahuaca in time to see a saint and be blessed. That's "him" in the window. The mechanical saint came out, raised in arm in a very solemn manner and went back in.

For such a small town, it had a very impressive plaza that was probably bigger than the town itself.

We saw wonderful landscapes like this all throughout these towns.

Taking in the sites at Iruya, a small town nestled in the mountains.

We climbed (literally) up this huge hill to get these panoramic shots near Tilcara. The mound the the left are some indigeous ruins and a whole bunch of cactus.

Cactus like these! HUGE.

Town of Purmamarca. The ridges behind it are called the Painter's Palette, since it has 7 colors. Notice the helado sign? It was very hot so I ate lots of ice cream.

The Painter's Palette!

Its also been nice to travel with Argentinos because I'm getting a very upclose view of Argentinean culture. Right now, its summer here and its prime travel time for Argentinos. There's the "Gringo Trail" which includes the Inca Trail and the parts of Bolivia that I've been through but there's also a trail for Argentinean backpackers (called mochileros) and all these little pueblos are on it. Its especially nice since I probably would not have even thought about visiting them with out Matias and Mariela since there isn't much about these towns in the Lonely Planet book (the gringo travel bible). I've drunken so much mate and learned so much slang in these last couple of weeks and its great! A lot of our conversations have centered around the differences of Argentina and the States and its interesting to see what conceptions they have about American culture.

We went to a lot of traditional peñas where you can eat regional foods and enjoy folk music.

I now know what part of the world we can blame for Zanfir. But Zanfir doesn't have anything on this guy!

The winds made picture-taking ridiculous.

One last group shot. I had a great time, guys!

We did spend 2 nights in this place called Malka Hostel in Tilcara and it was unbelievable! The dorms were in cabins and for each set of 6 beds, there was a sitting area, a bathroom and a very well-stocked kitchen. It was like staying at a house! I know it doesn't sound like much but when you're traveling any bit of personal space you can get is very precious. We were able to cook a little, enjoy big breakfasts and actually spread our stuff around a bit. The hostel was also set up in the hills on a large bit of land so there were trees and beautiful settings everywhere. Definitely the best place I've stayed at so far!

Each group of dorm rooms were in these cabins, which included a bathroom, living room and kitchen. And yes, those are hammocks!

Sigh, I could have stayed for a week!

And now I'm in Salta and back on the Gringo Trail. I've met some English-speakers here and I have to say that its really nice to speak English again! I love practicing my Spanish but I just feel like a boring, unfunny idiot all the time. I stutter and screw up my grammar and its also very hard to get across sarcastic, funny comments in a foreign language. Salta is also a very lovely city with beautiful colonial architecture. I've spent the last couple of days just wandering around, not doing much.

Colonial architecture in Salta.

The main church in the plaza.

The rest of the city looks like any other busy city except these crazy ornate building just seem to pop up out of nowhere.

What's a return trip to Argentina without an asado? Bring on the beef!

I head back to Buenos Aires on Friday. I will be very happy to be back in BA but I have so much stuff to take care of when I get there. So I need to enjoy the rest of my time here before the "real world" encroaches once again!