Another Land Down Under

The Quebrada de Humahuaca is a 155 km long valley that follows the Rio Grande River through the high desert of Jujuy province in north-western Argentina. It has great cultural and historical significance. Early trading societies, caravans of Incan conquerors and soldiers in the War of Independence are just some of the people who have been using the route for over 10,000 years. In 2003 the region became recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The landscape throughout the valley is rugged and remarkably beautiful. Although it is a popular holiday destination for Argentinians there are not a lot of foreign tourists. Nobody that we know has ever travelled here and that makes it all the more exciting. The elevation is still relatively high, beginning at 7600 feet and increasing to over 10,000 feet as we work our way from south to north.  Our first stop was the village of Purmamarca, famous for its seven-coloured hills. It didn't disappoint. The various hues are a result...

Greetings to everyone! To those of you who are not vacationing somewhere down south I hope that the weather in your part of the country has been tolerable, that you have been healthy and have had a positive start to the new year. Our trip continues to be a great success, but alas, our side excursion to Bolivia was not to be. I had been wrestling with the pros and cons of the journey from San Pedro to Uyuni for a long time. It is considered to be one of the highlights of South America. On the other hand, for many people it is a miserable few days. The extreme altitude defies all safety guidelines unless you have already slept at an altitude of over 4000 metres for a few nights. Just about everyone suffers some degree of illness. There's often very little sleep due to the early starts, the effects of the altitude, cold overnight temperatures, and inferior accommodation. Unless you're paying big bucks for a private tour there are seven people crammed into the vehicle. Legendary...

The Atacama Desert of Chile and southern Peru is a special place. Most famously, it is the driest non-polar location on the planet. The Humboldt Current flowing from Antarctica is very cold. Low evaporation rates reduce the moisture in the air. Tall mountain ranges impede most precipitation. The Atacama is also Earth's greatest source of sodium nitrate.The Chinchorro Mummies that were discovered here are the world's oldest, predating those in Egypt by about 4000 years. The soil is so similar to that on Mars that NASA often uses the area for testing instruments for its missions to that planet. San Pedro is an oasis in this inhospitable land. Water flows from the mountains far to the north providing a source of irrigation that has enabled people to survive for centuries. Nevertheless, the town has an outback feel and remains so rustic that few of the streets are signed or paved. Largely unknown until the early 1990s, San Pedro has since been on a collision course with th...