Sometimes Mercedes and I react differently to our travel experiences. Tuesday was one of those times.
I remember being woken at 3 am in Libertador by a party crowd, but I was happy to be in the center of the town's night life and I am sure that I would have been welcome to join the action if I'd wanted to. And, yes, breakfast in the morning was a bit of a rush - but just a reminder of how New Yorkers take their breakfast every working day. As for the bus, it was fun to mix with the local people. Perhaps the experience was a little more intimate than I had anticipated, but I felt that I got closer than tourists are typically able to.
And then there was the blockade. Just an opportunity to mix with another group of young locals and share the warmth from the fire of burning tires they had built. I am not sure what they were protesting about, in fact I don't know if they were sure either. But, although my Spanish is not very good, I got the impression that they were responding in a good-natured way to all the people who were stopped along the road and honking impatiently. The blockaders had plenty of patience and, apparently, plenty of time. Very laid-back.
Calilegua itself (the ultimate destination) is very beautiful. We were lucky to have sunny weather after so much recent rain, and wading through the river several times was an ideal way to keep cool. All the water meant that the foliage was at its greenest - and ensured that we were not bothered by the local pumas and jaguars.
Finally, the bus back to Salta was a little delayed, but bus stations are a great place for people watching so the time passed quickly. And the arrival time in Salta coincided perfectly with a gathering of Mercedes's family to kindly celebrate my birthday with a dinner of empanadas. It was a great day.
Simon
No comments:
Post a Comment