Apologies for our terrible blogging habits. We are about a month behind and so I am going to write a few compressed posts so we can catch up.
After Parque Ichigualasto we had quite a bit of road to travel before we made it to our next destination, Tafi Del Valle. We spent nights in Villa Union, Chilecito, and Belen, but didn't do anything blog-worthy while we were there. We met lovely locals, both canine and human, abandoned plans for camping because of rainstorms, drove through beautiful scenery, and went on a few walks.
Finally we reached Tafi Del Valle, a beautiful green valley nestled in the peaks of mountains so high they are usually covered in fog. We had been in hot, dry deserts for so long that it it was such a treat to get there. We stayed two nights in a nice campground on the edge of town, and one night in a fancy cabaña on a hill overlooking the town. While we were there we relaxed a lot and went on a drive around the valley and to an archaeological site. I also tricked Jordan into a 4 hour walk that was supposed to be a 2 hour walk due to a missed a turn somewhere. Jordan still has a farmer tan.
An adorably crazy puppy at our hostel in Chilecito.
A view from the Jesus Christ statue overlooking Chilecito. A lot of towns have their own Christ statues, and they are often perched on top of a nearby hill, requiring a hike to the top.
On our walk in Tafi Del Valle, we were out in the middle of nowhere, at least 10 mins walk from the nearest house, when Jordan heard some meowing and found this tiny little kitten. It was so cute and friendly and came right up to us. It climbed to the top of my head. It was so sweet that I couldn't imagine leaving it all alone, so I tried to carry in the two hours back to town to find a home for it, but it was not interested at all in being carried, but would run along after us when we walked.
4.I thought there was no way that it could walk all the way back to town, but then we ran into a bunch of kids of all ages, playing by the river who were fascinated by the kitten. I asked them if they could take the kitten home and they said yes, so we found the kitten a family. In the pic one of the girls is holding the kitten.
Some friendly kids in a truck that passed on our way back to town.
These stones were made by the Tafi people thousands of years ago and were found all over the valley, but someone has collected them all and put them in this park to protect them. They all somewhat phallic in shape, but some of them them are very obviously meant to resemble male anatomy. :)
A panorama of the view on our drive.
I watched this herd of horses walk into town on the main road. They parked themselves in front of this dumpster and did a little dumpster-diving.
The view from our cabaña.
A funny example of common transportation in South America. Horses and scooters (often with a whole family riding them) are more common than cars in some areas, and there are stray friendly dogs everywhere.
Parque Provincial Ischigualasto
