Falls de Iguazu !!!

Iguazu falls are one of Argentina's most advertised attractions. And rightly so. After leaving Potosi and Bolivia behind, my next destination would be Puerto de Iguazu. That involved a little bit of excessive travelling :)

almost 2.400km, which translates into 40h spent in buses during 3 days...hope Iguazu is worth it

Puerto de Iguazu, the town that is close to the falls, is really nothing special.....apart from the huge mosquitoes it has :) The climate is tropical, humidity is high and the altitude is nearly at sea level....quite the opposite from Bolivia's altiplano cities.
Now, pictures time....you cannot really describe in words how spectacular these falls are. I have been to Niagara falls some years ago and was amazed, but when you face Iguazu, you remain speechless with the energy and the beauty you face right in front of you !!

if you want your name to remain in history, all you have to do is.....jump :)))

going to the Garganta de Diablo...
.the 3rd one in Argentina :)  the other two are in Cafayate & Tilcara

you take a nice shower just from the spray....refreshing i must say

Next, I am heading down south to Rosario, another 18h on the bus :(

How far can you go on a bicycle??

While in Cachi, having breakfast with the French, a guy was sitting at the next table and next to him there was a bike. Not any bike.....

....THIS bike !!!

a heavy duty, no suspension, all-steel two-wheeler, weighting over 20kg on its own, ready to withstand the most harsh weather and road conditions. Jason, the guy in the red t-shirt in the first picture, is a Brit. He took a year off his work to travel alone in South America with his bike !!!
Believe it or not, this beast when fully loaded, was weighting over 70kg. Jason had started 4 months ago from Patagonia, and had managed 4.500km so far; aiming to reach about 15.000km by the time his journey would end, in 8 months from now. "The first 3-4 weeks were the toughest ones" he said. "For every 2 days I was cycling, I needed 1 full day to rest. But now, I can cycle for 6-7 days, 6-8h per day without needing any days off"
He stayed with us for about an hour. He had to head on to Salta and try to get there in 2 days. It would take me by bus 3-4h. He shared with us quite a few stories of other bikers he had met so far, one of which involved a couple of bikers, cycling around South America for over a year, during which time the girl became pregnant, she delivered the baby in Argentina and they continued their trip together with the newborn. Now, if that is not commitment and love for life, I don't know what is.
Jason's way to Salta is not gonna be an easy one. He has to get from Cachi (1700m altitude), over the mountains (at 3.300m) and then downhill on a difficult and in some points dangerous half-paved road to Salta.

I was planning to stay in Salta for a few days but didn't manage to find any decent hostels. It was Easter week and everything was fully booked for some reason. So, I skipped Salta altogether, took the bus to Jujuy, and from there straight to Tilcara & the amazing Quebrada de Humahuaca....the freedom of traveling alone. Change your mind as often as you like....:)



...and one last small detail.

Rallye Paris-Dakar passes from that same part of Ruta 40, including Cachi.
Anyone interested for 2012??

Hitch-hiking in Ruta 40

If you followed my previous post, I am just about to leave Cafayate, going further north to Salta. There are two ways to do that. One is to take the bus and just go to Salta in less than 3 hours :)))

That's how to get to Salta if you are in a hurry....

The other, is a bit more complicated since bus services do not get you to Salta. They get you via Ruta 40 to Angastaco, a village about 40km from Cafayate and then.....you are on your own. Nada !! This a very remote place and villages count from 5 to maybe 100 people. Don Jorge from Cafayate said (or at least that's what I understood) that I could reach Angastaco and then hitch-hike to Cachi, which was the town that bus service resumes and I could go to Salta....hmmm.

The tricky part....just shy of 70km

Surprisingly there was a tourist office in Angastaco... just for myself apparently, as I was the only tourist there :)) Wasn't expecting much of an answer, but nevertheless I asked how I could get to Cachi. The boy there, kind of smiled and said "No bus senior". Haha....I smiled back. So far so good with Don Jorge's plan. Now I had to find a hitch-hike...
An otherwise very nice guy offered to get me to Molinos (not even Cachi) for 150 pesos (approx. 25-30 units in european money). Nahhh !!!

I was standing at the central plaza of the village fully loaded with my backpack staring at the absence of everyone. It was afternoon already and apparently they was sleeping. So, I headed towards the gas station hoping that someone would stop to fill their tank and possibly would be willing to take me a bit further.
At that point, I have to admit, I was very very lucky. A French couple had stopped their car to take some pictures of a bunch of parrots, just a few hundred meters from the gas station....so I started running !!!!
And yes, they took me to Cachi. Wasn't very difficult, was it? :)) Thanks Don Jorge....

one of the numerous little places the bus stopped from Cafayate to Angastaco

If you are a loner, this is the place to be....no one will ever reach you :)

a good alternative too

some stunningly beautiful landscapes.....I want a motorbike NOW !!!!

Reached Molinos, relaxed, at the back seat of a dusty Fiat, so great. Thanks Frenchies :))

pre-Easter celebrations at Molinos. It's hot !

toothpicks anyone???

Next morning breakfast with my saviors at Cachi !
On me of course :)

Cachi deserves a small post of its own, so keep tuned.