I can not believe I have not written anything since January 24. Here is a catch up: Danielle came at the end of February for a little over a week and then Mom came for 10 days. We had a great time walking all around the city, checking out museums, going to the markets. Mom was a real trooper--one night we stayed out at a milonga until 3 am because the live tango orchestra did not start playing until 2 am! Then in late March Logan came to visit and we went up north. The natural beauty was spectacular. We rented a car in Salta and drove all around Salta and Jujuy provinces. I, of course, brought my camera along and took some 2,000 photos. Highlights: listening to live folk music from the region, meandering through the artisan markets, driving through the jungle to get to the desert, going horseback riding in Tilcara, visiting the salinas grandes (salt flats), the archeological museum of Salta where we saw a mummy, and the 50 km, 3 hour bus ride up and down a scary mountain on a one lane dirt road in the rain to a village called Iruya. But back to the mummy....in 1999, archaeologists discovered three bodies atop nearby Mount Llullaillaca. The bodies were those of children who had been part of a human sacrifice ritual performed by the incas some 500 years ago. The body that was currently in the museum was the well-preserved body of a 15 year old girl. Apparently, the Incas would choose one child from each of the four main inca villages (from Peru, Argentina and Bolivia) to be marched up to the top of Mount Llullaillaca. The child was chosen based solely upon aesthetics, a child who was seen to have no physical imperfections. Then the child would be sent on a long, tiresome journey to the mountain top, given some kind of alcohol to drink and then left alone in some hole to die. They were thought to become some kind of god, and to watch over their people for eternity. What the #%@!?? If they did that me, I tell you I would be one pissed off god.
So the trip was a amazing and I can not wait to go back. Oh, and I got to feed a llama. They sure can masticate some corn.
Photos from top to bottom:
cows on the road
me in Iruya
Purmamarca
Route 9 near Purmamarca
Route 9 in Jujuy
sheepherder
salinas grandes
the church in Tilcara
some creepy old man that i photographed before he tried to kiss me
the route 68 to Cafayate
2 comments:
I am so glad you wrote again. I love the pictures. Looks like the photo class paid off. Daisy says she misses you. I miss you too. How long will you be there? I want to visit too.
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