Click on a photo to enlarge it.
We left the campground in Humahuaca after our five night stay there. It cost us 250 pesos ($16 US). We drove south along the Quebrada de Humahuaca and passed several places where there was evidence of landslides and water damage. Our next stop was San Salvador de Jujuy - the last word is pronounced Hoo-hooey (LP says if it sounds like an arch exclamation of surprise, you're doing well!!) After doing some quick shopping for a very late lunch at almost 4pm and then more shopping once our bellies were full we parked up on a car park next to the river at 6pm.
The roads are terrible in the town - concrete plates that are broken and uneven and quite dangerous for tyres! I went for a 30 minute walk to the main plaza to take a look inside the cathedral which has a golden altar and blue murals on the high ceiling. The original was built in 1605 but it fell down and has since been rebuilt twice.
We slept really well probably because we were lower than 1,400m for the first time in weeks. Kirsten went for her walk around the square and we left in the early afternoon. We took the very narrow Ruta 9 south to Salta. There was a police check at the start and the road was barely wide enough for one way traffic but it was a two way road. There were numerous curves and low hanging trees and I had to pull over for oncoming traffic. It was very slow going.
Ruta Nacional 9
We finally got to Salta and parked near a monument where it seemed as if the entire police force were practising marching to a band. They finished just as it got dark but later on we had idiots racing motor cycles up and down the steep road to the memorial so it was a late night for us.
Salta police force practising marching
We both went for separate walks into Salta city centre the next day so one of us could keep an eye on our motor home. We were parked a few blocks away but it didn't take us long. Founded in 1582, Salta is one of the most touristy spots in north west Argentina. We went to see the Catedral de la Virgen Del Milagro and the San Francisco church. The latter has magenta and yellow outside walls so it is hard to miss. The exuberant façade is topped by a slender tower and there are several much-venerated images inside. The Convento de San Bernardo is the oldest building in Salta and has white washed adobe walls and only nuns may enter the 16th century convent.
We also drove up a very steep hill to get to the Cerro San Bernardo for great views above the city. Then we drove out of the city and headed west along RN51 to get up to San Antonio de Los Cobres. The road is mainly tarmac but there is a 23km stretch of gravel which is wet in parts where the river runs across it. They are building a new road here and the train line accompanies the road for most of the route.
The Tren de las Nubes (Train to the Clouds), is Argentina's most famous rail trip. It heads from Salta down the Lerma Valley before ascending the multicoloured Quebrada del Toro, continuing past Tastil ruins and San Antonio de Los Cobres, before reaching the trip's highlight - a stunning viaduct spanning a desert canyon at La Polvorilla 4220m above sea level.
We knew that the train only operates on Saturdays and we had been hoping to see it on our way to San Antonio because it was a Saturday. We didn't make it all the way to San Antonio and parked on the side of the road for the night and we hadn't seen the train. It was 7-30pm and just getting dark when we parked and about an hour later we heard a loud rumbling noise. We wondered what it was and then I thought it could be the train. And it was!!
We dashed out thinking the train line was on the opposite side of the valley but it was right next to us! The only reason we could see anything of the train was because the lights were on inside and all the staff were obviously having a rest on the way back to Salta. There were no passengers. Oh well, at least we'd seen it.
The next day we continued up to San Antonio de Los Cobres which is a dusty mining town at 3,774m above sea level. It has adobe houses but there has obviously been a recent influx of money as there were a number of new houses, a newly built bank and a new church.
The tourist information office was open and the staff were very helpful. Unfortunately there was conflicting information about the train schedule. The tourist office told us there was a second train on Tuesdays and we could get tickets at the railway station in town. But once we got to the station we were told the train only runs on Saturdays and we can only get tickets online (no internet here!) or from Salta which would mean driving 170km back!
So the train journey was not on the agenda and we drove up to the La Polvorilla viaduct the next day. This meant driving 18km along very bad gravel roads which took us one hour. The viaduct is 224m long, 64m high and was built between 1930 and 1932.
Afterwards we drove back through San Antonio and back along the RN51. We went through a small place called Campo Quijano and stopped because we were hoping to pick up money from a Western Union transfer we had completed online several days ago. The office we had tried in Salta was closed at the time, and the office in San Antonio couldn't give us the money either. So we tried in Quijana who also couldn't give us the money but we saw the Tren de Las Nubes again! It was a Tuesday so maybe the tourist office had the schedule right after all. Who knows?!
Ruta Nacional 51 & La Polvorilla Viaduct
Our money situation meant that we either had to cancel the money transfer for which we would need internet access that we couldn't get here, or we would need to drive back to Salta. So we drove back to Salta which wasn't too far away - 30km, so it was only 60km extra.
Unfortunately we had to drive through a downpour of rain. We parked at the memorial again (no marching police this time) and Kirsten walked into town. She had to wait more than an hour for the office to open so she went out taking some more photos. At least we got our money.
