Purple Mountains Magesty

Posted by: Laura

Travel date: 5.10.08

Northern Argentina includes an immense and varied landscape. After we left the jungle of Iguazu falls, we took yet another over night bus to the deserts of the Jujuy province (pronounced huh-hooey). This area of the country is known for its brightly colored mountains. During a day trip, we drove north from Salta to the town of Purmamarca and stopped at a few sites along the way.  At our first stop we saw the Cerro de los Siete Colores or the “Hill of Seven Colors,” which is full of minerals that create rich colors in the soil. A small town sits below the mountain. As we walked through the town and climbed up part of the purple mountain, we saw a view of the roof tops of the adobe (sun dried mud brick) houses and were amused that almost every residence had Direct TV satellites.

We also crossed over the Tropic of Capricorn where a group of boys were playing soccer and seemingly oblivious that their goal crossed an imaginary line that circles the globe. We ate lunch at a small town where we ordered plates of empanadas or pastries filled with meat, chicken, or cheese. After lunch we stopped by another mineral formation named the Pelata del Pinto or the “Painter’s Palette.”

We have enjoyed the past few weeks we have spent in Argentina.  Although the country has huge distances between its highlights and we have spent a lot of time on buses, the people, food, and sites in this country has made it our favorite so far. We are now headed through Chile up to Peru.

Click here to see pictures of Salta***