Maja in Norway: ruins

Quebrada de Humahuaca is a valley in Jujuy. It is really beautiful with colourful mountains and lots of culture. On the tour we visited Tilcara and the pre Inca ruins located there, the city Humahuacha and Jujuy and a pottery.

Tilcara

Lama or chama as they would say in Argentina.

In Argentina there were 4 types of Lamas. Some of them wild and other domesticated. Their wool, especially the alpacas, is very soft and is often used to make clothes. I didn't buy any, but I did try the meat several times, and it was really good:) In the region they even had empanadas with lama meat, yummy!

Pre Inca ruins

The ruins were always placed on a hill so that it was possible to keep a look-out for enemies. There were several of these ruins in the valley and they were all located like this. What was really fascinating was that even though they didn't have any thing fancy to build their houses, they were still standing there. With only dirt roofs and rock walls. They must have been really clever!

The whole in the ground was used for something, but what I can not remember:/

There were always a lot of cacti around these ruins. We got two explanations for this; the first was that the seeds have to go through a digestive system. The second was that people planted them there. An other amazing thing in the region was how they used the wood of the cacti: lamps, roofs etc.

The people living here could not have been big...

Tropico capricorno
From Wikipedia: "The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It lies 23deg26'22'' south of the Equator, and marks the most southerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun to its maximum extent."
This event calls for a celebration in the city before it spreads throughout the region.

Pottery
There was a lot of pottery in the region. The products were really nice and well made and very cheap. Unfortunately it is very difficult to back pack with breakable things:/

Humahuaca

look at that statue!

There was a famous Glockenspiel here, but it was only twice a day so we missed it. Angela had wondered why the churches were closed some places we visited, here we got the answer. After a piece of jewelery was stolen from one of the statues, the churches are now only open when someone is around to supervise.

This grave is very different from the the average grave in Norway

And this doesn't remind me of a graveyard at all... It has too many colours and looks too joyful

An other graveyard a long the road that was very special. The colours and shapes of the mountain in the background was also typical.

Jujuy
In Jujuy we just did some quick sightseeing around the plaza before we had to get on the buss again. The first thing we saw were the statues that had been moved from BA after the women of BA had found them inappropriate. Apparently because of the nudeness of the statues and especially the female ones. I must disagree, what do you think?

An other church made like a wedding cake, of course!

This was so sad to see. it was on a wall one block from the plaza. I hope it has been removed by now!

On my way to Salta and the north-west of Argentina I made a stop in San Ignacio. In the down you find one of the missions founded by the Jesuits. The ruins in this down is very well preserved. There are more ruins nearby, both in Argentina and in Paraguay. Even though it was interesting to see how they lived, and especially since the society was almost communistic, and to see that the plaza was so central also here, it was not the most interesting thing that happened during my stay.

It all started when I arrived late on the bus terminal. Because of some stupid tourists on my tour in Brazil we ended up getting back later than expected and I had to catch a later bus to San Ignacio. This bu also got delayed so when I got to San Ignacio it was past midnight. I thought no worries: I had booked a hostel and I had been told the hostels were close to the bus station. After I left the bus and the drivers had called me loco for traveling alone many times, I was lost. It was almost no light and there were no people. The other person that also got of the bus had walked fast in the direction that seemed like the only way to go, so I decided to follow him. After a while I met a guy, that of course seemed scary at first, but helped me with directions. Sadly he could inform me that there were no taxis in San Ignacio at this time of day(or night). The next people I met really scared me, they told me the place I was going to were several km away and no light. I didn't believe them and went towards a sign saying hotel hoping they could help me. By now there were some people in the street and more streetlights. A girl outside the hotel spoke English (Hurray!) and told me it was only some blocks down the road. Sadly I had to walk away from the light and towards the darkness again. When it started to get really scary again I realized I was walking past the police station and I decided to ask the man on duty just to be sure. He told me that the place I was looking for was several km away, as the other had did. And my hope faded of ever getting to sleep this night. One doesn't move fast with a heavy backpack on one's shoulders. Luckily he got me a "taxi" and on we went. Away from everything that seemed slightly safe to the dirt road and the forest. A lot of thoughts ran through my mind before he stopped. It was nothing there. Just a house I could barely see in the darkness. I explained to the driver that this could not be the place and he understood were I really was going. There was only one letter difference between this place and the name of my hostel. Finally I arrived at my hostel, only 2 blocks from the police station (unbelievable!), but it was closed! And when I turned around the taxi had gone. After knocking and yelling for a while, I decided to walk towards the centre again hoping that the English speaking girl was still sitting there: She was!=) Even before I reached here, she saw be and asked me what was the matter. I explained and she just said "I know what to do". All of a sudden I was in an other car and two minutes later I was outside an other hostel that was open! Happiness! I hugged the girl a long time before she left. THANK YOU!

I do not think I was in any danger at any time, but I was tired and it was dark. And in Argentina it seems like they have a tradition of fear, that I am not so certain that they really need to have any longer. This is the only time I ever felt scared my entire trip. People in Argentina are just very kind, helpful and really likes to talk. (Even if you don't speak Spanish). But their tradition of fear also planted a seed of fear in me because of all the warnings and stories people told. And I understand it is nor easy to get rid of.

The next day I got to know Chloe, my only roommate. A French girl also traveling by herself. After visiting the ruins, we went to have empanadas and beer for lunch. This was the first time I tried empanadas and the Argentinean beer: I loved both of them=) I had such a good time in San Ignacio, I was sad to leave so soon. It was a nice place once I got a place to sleep. The service at this hostel was also fantastic; They couldn't get a taxi for me when I was leaving so the owner drove me himself. The place was called San Ignacio Adventure Hostel and had a nice location, a garden and a swimming pool=)