South American travelogue, winter 2008
Displaying one entry (click here to see all):
- Week 6 (March 1-7): Salta, Argentina; Iguazu Falls; Curitiba, Brazil
March 12, 2008 - Saturday, March 1
Abbreviated version to catch up after Tom’s computer died late Monday, March 3, taking with it a few days of journal that hadn’t been posted. Before leaving Tafí area we went around its reservoir
(with road signs at one point to Tucumán Yatch [sic] Club) to see park with collection of menhires--a Celtic word--small to medium-sized obelisks from around area. They’d been used as markers in
various ways in pre-Columbian times. Left Tafí on steep, winding road with very bad pavement but fortunately light traffic and went through Infiernillo (Little Hell) Pass at over 10,000 feet. Visited
ruins of native Quilmes town that had withstood Spanish for a century and a half after conquest of most of area. Disputed history–conventional version is that the 2,000 survivors were deported to
Buenos Aires and disappeared into the general population. Modern native activists are saying, in effect, that they never left and less than two months ago won long legal fight to get control of site.
Private concessionaire had controlled site for past fifteen years, building hotel on what apparently had been ancient burial ground and charging natives for access to conduct observances. Activists
have closed hotel, which guide book had recommended for lunch at ruins! Quilmes, incidentally, is the name of one of the main national beers; Argentines don’t seem to apologize about it the way some
Chileans do for one of their main beers.
Short drive on to Cafayate, stopping at major Etchart winery before town for tasting. This was about the first winery we’ve encountered where they’re set up for you just to drop in and taste,
American or Australian style, without trying to give you a tour you don’t want after touring other wineries. Many of Argentina’s good white wines, including all of its Torrontes variety, come from
Cafayate, far north of Mendoza; Cafayate is much smaller than Mendoza and saved from being too hot by higher elevation. Drove into dusty town on streets packed with people in town for festival; we
were lucky to have gotten last, and very nice, room at lovely, small Killa Hotel (word is Quechua for moon). Dinner out with interesting regional selection including excellent empanadas, quinoa
(local grain) salad that was much like tabouleh only better, small meat and lentil stews.
Sunday, March 2
Interesting to be in Cafayate for festival, but music stayed loud until after dawn and kept both of us from sleeping well—including Tom with his combination of earplugs and Bose noise-reducing
headphones that do well against Susan’s snoring. On way out of town, first signs of serious speed-law enforcement—police handing out time-stamped slips that said you’d have to show them about half
way to Salta and would be fined if you covered the stretch faster than the absurdly low speed limit of 60 kph. One crew with radar gun part way along, but no sign of anyone being stopped. Police on
other end just waved us by when we showed we were willing to give them the slip, but we made stops on way to look at beautiful and unusual red rock formations somewhat like Sedona. In Salta, major
city of northwestern Argentina with several hundred thousand people, we stayed at excellent, small Papyrus Hotel on hill at edge of town with view to green hills on far side. Interesting room and
design—instead of corner, they built semi-circular three-story tower, with our room on top, taking advantage of panoramic view over city. Good-sized room had almost half of its space taken up by
bathroom, leaving plenty for room itself.
Monday, March 3
Pleasant late-morning walks around downtown Salta, city of “endless spring,” with old buildings in good repair and long pedestrian shopping blocks. Bought some good artisanal works from area. Lunch
in fine Dona Salta restaurant downtown—tourist-oriented but very well done. Population of city, unlike every other major place we’ve been in Argentina, is clearly majority of native origin, with
significant mix of whites also present; can’t think of any US city of at all similar size where natives are so dominant in population, not pushed off to reservations. Found little wireless device we
thought was stolen in Mendoza—we’d looked very hard but missed it. Sent message to hotel exonerating staff.
Tuesday, March 4
Before getting on road, visit to Archaeological Museum of the High Mountains (MAAM in its Spanish initials) in downtown Salta, which had been closed Monday. This is where they have 500+-year-old Inca
mummies from the high Andean peaks to the west, unearthed recently in excellent condition because of permanent freezing at around 21,000 feet; the museum opened just three years ago. Locals call it
the “mummy museum.” It has four mummies, one of an adolescent girl unearthed around 1920 and taken away but returned some years ago and now displayed in cryopreservation. The other on display is of a
girl about 6, unearthed in 1999 with two others—one young boy, one adolescent girl—not on display, from the same high peak. The young children were apparently from the elite and taken to the Inca
capital of Cuzco for “marriage” ceremonies between peoples from different parts of the empire, then taken back close to home for what we’d regard as sacrifice and burial in holy places on very high
peaks. Many well-preserved artifacts also on display.
Long drive, between 800 and 900 km., across sparsely populated Chaco—surprisingly green and much of it, especially eastern part, prosperously farmed. Easy drive with mostly decent two-lane roads,
flat and straight and little traffic. Gas at town of Pampa del Infierno (Pampa of Hell), not that bad-looking a place despite its name; picnic lunch in another town that had benches in roadside park.
Mid-evening arrival in major city of Resistencia at eastern end of Chaco to check in at relatively new Amerian [sic] hotel near center with casino and nice, comfortable room at reasonable rate.
Again, significant investment in good, modern facilities despite 2001-02 crash—hotel opened about three years ago.
Wednesday, March 5
A little bit of exploring in Resistencia before continuing on to Iguazu Falls—Resistencia has become a focus for public sculpture in all sorts of styles, which you see everywhere. Pretty easy drive
of a bit over 600 km. northeast after going through nearby city of Corrientes on other side of wide, muddy Paraná River; lots of tall, new buildings near river in Corrientes. As we drove toward
Iguazu falls, vast pine plantings. Also, big ant or termite hills up to at least 3’ high in much of area; stopped for picnic lunch at city of Posadas, about half way, in pleasant city park with some
of the anthills nearby (but not too close). Early evening arrival at Sheraton hotel in national park, the only place you can stay on the Argentine side with a view of the falls. End of daylight just
as we got into our room with excellent view of major part, Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), of extensive falls. Fairly expensive but worth it for remarkable views. Lovely dinner on hotel terrace
with roar of falls in background.
Thursday, March 6
“Susan, you have to see this.” Tom was up early and saw falls entirely obscured by clouds, worried that we’d be there on day when you couldn’t see them. Around 8:00 the clouds started to lift,
unveiling the falls gradually from left to right. No question about awakening Susan for one of the sights of a lifetime; she was promptly out on our balcony taking pictures. After breakfast, out for
walk on lower trail to see falls from Argentinian side. These falls dwarf Niagara and are really an extensive system of dozens and dozens of falls, many of which would be major tourist attractions by
themselves, as the large Iguacú River spreads over a broad, curving shelf and cascades over the shelf for a stretch of maybe 2 km. (varies with water volume) before it joins the Paraná a short
distance downstream. Some are broad, going straight to bottom and throwing up great volumes of spray; others land on intermediate shelves and flow on to fall again to bottom. Good-sized rafts take
tourists to edge of where water lands at bottom, get pushed back by rapids, and buzz back again. From the Argentine side you get many fairly close-up views of several of the falls; the Brazilian side
gives you more large panoramic vistas. It’s very much worth doing both. Both sides are well set up for tourists with paths, catwalks, etc. Then we took a narrow-gauge train from tourist center to
catwalk that takes you way out over Garganta del Diablo, where water rushes over a good-sized horseshoe part of the shelf and crashes all the way at bottom with much spray rising back up.
Off to Brazilian side, not knowing how long border crossing might take after our two-hour experiences each way between Argentina and Chile. Five minutes to get stamped out of Argentina, and we just
drove through with no one slowing us down on the Brazilian side. After getting Brazilian money in Foz do Iguaçu (a trick because only some banks’ ATMs take foreign cards), we decided we really should
go back to nearby Brazilian border post to see if we could get ourselves stamped in, which turned out to be easy. Immediate change in population noticeable as soon as you cross into Brazil, with
significant numbers of people with African heritage—virtually absent in Argentina. On to Hotel das Cataratas near falls, like the Sheraton the only place on its side in its country’s park and with
views of falls. Reception clerk gave us special deal on their unexpectedly empty top suite, where Princess Di once stayed; one of the few rooms in this old hotel with falls view from room. We got in
just in time to open a bottle of champagne from our cooler and watch a stunning sunset over the Argentine falls out our balcony window. Quite expensive but very much worth it. Good dinner on hotel
patio.
Friday, March 7
Exploration of trail with many panoramic views on Brazilian side in morning, finishing with catwalk that takes you out near midpoint of Garganta do Diabo (as it is in Portuguese) where you get wet
from spray unlike on higher Argentine-side outlook. On checkout, hotel insisted that figure we’d signed for as total was just the increase over our original rate; after long standoff, hotel backed
down. Possible misunderstanding with original check-in fellow, but we don’t think so; hope he didn’t get in trouble. Lunch near hotel at restaurant next to river just above falls with views on
terrace of waters as they gather speed nearing falls, plus last looks at whole remarkable panorama of falls. If you get to southern Brazil or eastern Argentina, you should not miss visiting these
somewhat remote falls; and we thought it was worth paying the rates to stay near the falls. Then on road east in direction of Rio de Janeiro, driving through prosperous-looking western part of Paraná
state with medium-sized farms, rolling green hills, and towns with new buildings and freshly painted old ones. Late arrival after drive on mostly two-lane road—thankfully, with many passing lanes on
hills to get past heavy truck traffic—in major city of Curitiba (pronounced, more or less, koo-ra-CHEE-va) at Crowne Plaza hotel near old city center. Again, as in some Argentine cities, a nice,
modern hotel with decent rates.
