A quick look at the map indicated that the border with Bolivia was not so far from our hotel in Quiaca so we decided to give it a try on shanks’ pony once again. Before leaving the hotel however we were entitled to breakfast which, although they always say “full breakfast included”, is simply bread, jam and coffee. This particular morning was very cold and as we entered the breakfast room, a haze of smoke and the smell of burning wood hit us. The porter guy was new and had managed to mess up the small wood burning stove in the corner so it was billowing out smoke into the room. Interestingly because of the temperature, the smoke rose to a level and stayed there so once we sat down, all we could see above was smoky cirrus clouds. What followed could only be described as a scene of faulty towers with both the porter and the cook trying in vein to flap the smoke out by various means.
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Dan Spencer Bolivia, Travelling

The girl that we had gone on the horse trek with had told us that just north of Jujuy was a set of beautiful villages and scenary. With this in mind we agreed to wake up early in the morning and take a bus to purmamarca with her.

A beautiful bus ride took us through la Quebrada de Humahuaca where the geology changed and the scenary became brighter. We arrived at Purmamarca which was a dusty little village lined with people offering “local” gifts and all sorts of alpaca knitwear. The gem of the village however laid behind it in the form of a rock formation called the rock of 7 colours. Needless to say we took a few photos here.
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Dan Spencer Argentina, Travelling

Another bus ride but this time only 2 hours across winding bumpy roads to the highest Provincial capital in Argentina- Jujuy.

Getting off the bus it was obvious now that we were getting close to bolivia. You could see it in the people’s faces. Being as the terminal was not that far from the city center i suggested we walk to a hostel which was about 4 blocks away. We walked straight through the street markets that i am now used to in Latin America. We were greeted by a bunch of 20-something guys who were really friendly and we soon got checked in and ready for a small tour of the city by Tuki, one of the staff. We walked to the main square by which time it was nearing sunset.
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Dan Spencer Argentina, Travelling

A 14 hour night bus brought us “Smoothly” (the road was pretty bumpy) into Salta, Argentina’s second highest provincial capital. As further punishment for the taxi scandal in Resistencia we decided to walk to the hostel from the bus terminal. Not a problem as it was only a few block on the map and we had the trusty compass to point us in the right direction.

The youth hostel, called Terra Oculta, had a real backpacker vibe- adorned with photos of past visitors and inspirational quotes on the walls. The only snag was that it was pretty cold but at least we were provided with a little electric heater and plently of blankets.
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Dan Spencer Argentina, Travelling

We decided not to do the Brazilian side of Iguazu falls as we had seen plenty of waterfalls and it seemed that from the Brazilian side it would only be an oportunity to take a few photos. With this decided, we bought tickets to go to Resistencia, a regional capital to the west which would serve as a stop off to our ultimate destination, Salta.

After a pretty long bus ride we arrived in Resistencia. We hadn’t booked anything but didn’t forsee that it would be a problem – mistake. everywhere that the taxi driver took us to was full. However fortunately we found a place in Hotel Colon. Unfortunately we got stung for the taxi – nearly 10 dollars from the bus terminal – i suppose at least it taught us to confirm a price before getting into the taxi.

Well nothing really more to tell about Resistencia. There wasn’t much to see and the people were unfriendly. By midday Thursday we were quite ready to go. As punishment for our taxi mishap we took a bus to the terminal that cost 1 peso (33 US cents) and bought tickets for Salta on a night bus.

Dan Spencer Argentina, Travelling

After our walk around San Telmo we cruised back to the hostel to pick up our things and leave for Iguazú. The only snag was that both Charlie and I fell asleep on the sofa and didn’t wake up until quite late. We hopped across to the cafe opposite to get a light snack and then hailed a taxi for the bus terminal. However, being 8:30pm, Buenos Aires was gridlocked and we thought that we wouldn’t make it in time. Fortunately we did, and we made our way to the back of the bus towards the relative luxury of semi reclining seats.

This was to be our longest journey yet and i’m pretty sure the longest I have ever spent on one mode of transport without stopping – 15 hours. Fortunately the seats were really comfortable and within a couple of hours both Charlie and I were out for the count, only to be woken up for breakfast at 9 and then again when we arrived.
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Dan Spencer Argentina, Travelling