Salta: Giant Cacti

On Saturday, we went westwards to the sub-Andean mountain range to see Los Cardones, which are the giant cacti in Argentina. Inside the cactus is actually wood that they are able to use for many different types of handicrafts as well as more utilitarian purposes. In addition to seeing Los Cardones National Park, we were able to admire the different types of mineral-dyed mountains around us. We also saw condors, which are birds that live only in the American Southwest and Argentina. They are called romantic birds because after the female condor dies, her partner/lover/husband dives directly into the rocks and commits suicide because he cannot live without her. A bit like Romeo and Juliet, no?


Then we headed out on the Inca Trail. The Incas were a powerful civilization that took control of many different tribes in Argentina. After conquering a tribe, the Incas would continue on their trail. At one point, the Inca Trail was constructed in a straight line that is been said to be more straight and accurate than many of the highways constructed today. Here is the trail (now cemented over for modern users):


Our final destination for this trip was a town called Cachi. They have a cemetery on the top of a hill. We climbed up there to get a view of the town and surrounding landscape. The Spanish family that founded the town mandated that all buildings must be of colonial style. They also all use the wood from the los cardones cacti to make street signs as well.

After a full day out in the outdoors, we moved to our new hostel...I was looking forward to a warm evening indoors, but unfortunately, our hostel was mostly outdoors. We also had to use a communal bathroom. We had to go outside in the cold from our room to reach the other covered part of the hostel to use the bathroom. Then, there was no heat. However, they provided a space heater that glowed brighter than a lamp. If I stood in front of it for long enough, I could have gotten a tan. Free tanning salon right in our hostel room. Guess that was a plus.

Despite our surprise at the quality of our hostel, especially compared to the one we stayed at for the past couple nights, it was quite an experience. I felt I was camping...this really was an au naturale kind of weekend.