German
Argentina: mountains, vehicle fire, carnival & El Baqueano
February 2023
Purmamarca and colored mountains
The village of Purmamarca is ideally located on the route between Salta and the villages of Tilcara and Humahuaca to the north. It is known for its hill of seven colors, which dominates the village in the background. Nowhere else have we seen so many handicrafts, but unfortunately others, for sale at the main square!
We camped a little above the village alone in a unique, grandiose rocky landscape. At night absolute silence and starry sky. The area is simply fascinating!
South American Cemeteries
Cemeteries are comparable to other cultural achievements like a castle or a coal mine from days gone by, which one wants to and should preserve because they belong to the history of people or of mankind. “by Hanns Dieter Elschnig”
The old cemeteries are struggling to survive because the communities usually have no money to spend or do not want to spend money on their maintenance. So valuable sculptures and monuments thus deteriorate. The new cemeteries are essentially limited to the simple cemetery culture. We are particularly fascinated by the mostly well-preserved and well-kept cemeteries in smaller villages. A different world!
Carnival in Salta
Once again, we stood for a few days at Camping Xamena with the huge swimming pool in Salta.
We were amazed when, one afternoon, a small carnival parade filed right in front of our campsite. In addition to the exuberant joie de vivre of the Argentines, there was also something else to see.
Vehicle fire
We were shopping at a supermarket and then we stowed the goods in our motorhome in the parking lot.
Suddenly we heard an extreme bang, as if a bomb had exploded in the immediate vicinity. A few minutes later the next bang. When the fire brigade arrived, we left our vehicle. What we saw: a large fire in the immediate vicinity of a gas station. To be on the safe side, we moved our vehicle a little further away.
The petrol tank of a public bus had exploded due to a technical defect. The passengers were able to leave the burning bus in time. Fortunately, there were no casualties. However, the bus and a wooden hut next to it burned out completely. The fire brigade, which arrived relatively quickly, was only able to protect the surrounding area.
The somewhat careless Argentineans drove the whole time a few meters past the bus on fire.
El Baqueano - Cocina Autóctona Contemporanea, on San Bernardo Mountain, Salta
The restaurant, voted one of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America in 2019, can be reached by chairlift or cab on the mountain station above Salta. During the approach on the narrow mountain road, we enjoyed the great views over the city of Salta.
With an excellent view on the illuminated city of Salta, we enjoyed the 7-course tasting menu together with Swiss travel friends. The dishes were imaginatively prepared and overall, a culinary highlight.
An all-around beautiful, unforgettable and fun evening with our friends.
