Northern Argentina

It is a strange combination of an intense sun and a cool breeze. We all felt the altitude change and with it, a dramatic change in scenery.

We rented a car for a week to explore Northern Argentina. I can't tell
if it was the scenery or the driving itself that will be more memorable. One day it took us 9 hours to drive 300 kilometres. Our car was good on gas but we went through an amazing amount of Gravol and
motion sickness ginger capsules and that was with most of us also
wearing motion sickness bracelets. Greg did a great job of navigating
and manoeuvring and we were able to explore and reach special places
we would not normally be able to get to on busses or with local
transport.

Before leaving the car rental shop in Salta, Argentina, our agent
showed us a map of all the roads we could go on and then the roads we
were not to take the car. Several times I would double check the map,
sure we were on a forbidden road but it was never the case. Not sure
what the non-recommended routes would be like considering that the
'good' roads were unpaved and often as wide as the walking/bike trails
back home.

The best way to describe the terrain is to refer to 'Radiator Springs'
from the Pixar movie 'Cars'. Several times Greg would slip into his
'Mater' impersonation just for added effect.

The other drivers were good, it was the steep climbs, descents and
hairpin turns that were unfamiliar to this Alberta family. Hard to
gauge our time when we plan for 300 kilometres to take 3 hours.



Climbing higher and higher, we experienced the effects of altitude on
our bodies and noticed a big change in the ambient temperature. At
times we were higher than the clouds and at about 5000 meters above
sea level.

We were able to go on some great hiking adventures through rocky
hillsides and cacti throughout Northern Argentina. Our favourite hike
led us up a gorge and to a little paradise swimming hole that was only
3 hours in. It wasn't just the scenery that was breathtaking, that
water was bone chilling cold too. I loved watching my kids scramble
and manage the obstacles with so much more ease than I.

  

Another of our favourite hikes took us to an ancient ruin called Quilmes. The sun was so hot, it must have been about 35 degrees out. This was a very memorable jaunt for Levi and so he dedicated a blog entry to this hike alone.







We covered a lot of territory in Northern Argentina and saw some
beautiful mountainous rocky landscapes. It was great for Greg and I to
reflect on our sights over spectacular $4/bottle Argentinian wines in
our evenings. Neither of the girls are showing any interest in trying
the wines, although it certainly makes Colby frustrated when waitors
put a wine glass in front of Quinn and they automatically pour Colby
and Levi juice (Colby turns 18 in February).