Waiting is the rust of the soul.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
 |
| Salar de Quisquiro (Quisquiro salt flat) A lone vicuña on the shore of a salt flat near James (or Puna) flamingoes My first view of both animals in Argentina We are at nearly 14,000 feet (4,267m) of altitude |
My tour of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia starts with a short flight to Salta where I will be meeting with my amazing guide Lautaro Funes of Socompa Adventure Travel, a local of Salta, who will drive all over Argentina and a bit of Chile with me. I will trade for a new guide in Bolivia.
As the title of this post suggests, Argentina and Chile are a dreamscape for geologists, hikers, climbers or overall nature lovers. The scenery varies quickly and strikingly from just one mile to the other, each curve or corner offering a distinct view, texture, or color. Being that there aren't many tall plants, the rock formations are mostly raw or bare, having been exposed to harsh cold and wind elements for eons.
 |
| The way up to Serranía de Hornocal Instead of grafiti, people cover signs and guardrails with stickers |
 |
| Near Maimará, a vineyard where they kept the cardón cacti growing among the vines |
 |
| Paleta del Pintor (painter's palette) Hill with layers of colors ranging from cream to ochre and yellow to red. Village of Maimará |
 |
| Close-up of same colorful hill |
 |
| Across the road from Paleta del Pintor |
 |
| Serranía de Hornocal (or Mountain of Fourteen Colors) Yacoraite limestone formation Many of the same colors as Paleta del Pintor |
 |
| View of Serranía de Hornocal. I am at 14,272 feet (4,350m) and the wind is very strong Very similar, but not as well-known, as the famous Mountain of Seven Colors in Peru. Beautiful against the blue Andean sky |
 |
| Cementerio de Maimará What a wonderful setting for this cemetery |
 |
| Cementerio de Maimará The tall cactus is a cardón - looks a lot like a saguaro but isn't one Cardón tolerates more cold and grows faster and taller than saguaro |
 |
| Hotel El Manantial del Silencio, Pumamarca This llama lives in the backyard of the hotel |
 |
| They love their meat in Argentina Home delivery |
 |
| Driving through the Yungas Warm, densely wooded area on the slopes of the Andes Bromeliads are in bloom |
 |
| On our way to Susques, the highest town reachable by paved road At 12,600 feet (3,840m) |
 |
| Paja Brava (brave straw) a tufted grass of La Puna Grassland or Andean Altiplano Festuca orthophylla, master of survival Its tussock form is also called cushion |
 |
| Paja Brava These spiky pom-poms give a golden glow to the hills beyond Because of its high silica content and durability, it was the primary material used to thatch roofs High silica content also improves tissue hydration & stress tolerance |
 |
| Salar de Aguas Calientes Dark lagoon, sometimes you see a plume of steam near its shore but not the day I visited |
 |
| Parque San Martin, Salta Small oasis near downtown |
 |
| Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, Salta Painted in ox-blood red and ivory white It has been elevated to minor basilica by the Pope in 1992 for its historic, artistic, and liturgical significance |
 |
| Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, Salta 'Its tower and soul are part of the city’s spiritual skyline.' Damaged by five fires, the first church was built in 1625, this last version finished in 1877 |
 |
| Ceramic tile mural, by Elsa Salfity, 1976-1978 Honoring 19th century Argentine cleric Fray Mamerto Esquiú Famous for his sermons in defense of the Constitution of 1853 |
 |
| Going down the other side towards Salinas Grandes |
 |
| Salinas Grandes 82 sq miles of salt (212 sq km) at 11,200' (3,414m) of altitude Dirty white salt flat surrounded by dark peaks |
 |
| Salinas Grandes Its famous salt polygons, a natural phenomenon also seen in the tundra Here, one feels alone, lips tasting salt, the wind your only friend |
 |
| The salt is a 12 inch (30 cm) thick crust over brine that has been mined by the Atacama people for centuries Now they dig these crystallization pools, about 24 inch (60 cm) deep These pools take a year to fill up, the salt is then collected, dried and processed |
 |
| 'No to lithium' sign Locals do not want companies to mine for lithium here |
 |
| Administrative buildings made of salt blocks Like two of the hotels, I stayed at. Good insulation and a nice feel to it |
 |
| Orangish river |
 |
| Salar de Quisquiro Dark blue lagoon against white salt |
 |
| Salar de Quisquiro More vicuñas near flamingoes |
 |
| Look at that face. Vicuñas are the smallest of the camelids Others in South America are llamas, alpacas, and guanacos Llamas and alpacas are domesticated; vicuñas and guanacos are only found in the wild |
Often presented as the most expensive 'wool' (I was told wool is only from sheep so not sure what term to use here) in the world, vicuña fiber is the second most expensive after muskox. Per year cashmere production = 55,000 lbs., vicuña production = 22,000 lbs., muskox production = 2,000 lbs. It's hard to compare pricing but muskox fiber can be three times as expensive as vicuña.
Technically, vicuña fiber is the most expensive commercially (some say legally) since muskox wool is not considered commercially viable - there is too little of it available to sell worldwide.
Vicuña fiber is collected from the wild animals every two to three years under a government-managed program that also helps save this specie which was nearly wiped out not long ago. They are corralled for a short time (chaccu ritual) and only 200gr is taken off each animal, nothing more. The fiber has to be at least 2.5cm long before it is sheared. Muskox fiber however is gathered when found attached to tundra shrubs where muskoxen were present when they naturally shedded their undercoat. They both have guard hair that need to be removed before using.
Vicuña fiber doesn't take dye well, so it's mostly sold in its natural shiny beige/cinnamon color. Muskox fiber can be died. Vicuña is finer than muskox (as fine as angora). Muskox fiber is eight times warmer than wool at a fraction of the weight, non-itchy and stronger, but does not felt. They are both light and warm.
I feel privileged to be able to compare these two very rare fibers. I have seen and felt muskox fleece when I visited the great north of Canada a few years back. I've also seen and felt vicuña fiber here and can say I thought muskox was softer, lighter, and felt warmer when hand-held.
Saying one is more expensive than the other can get a little tricky as there is little history of the sales of muskox fiber, being that it is so rare and not commercially available.
 |
| Although I am in Argentina, these mountains are in Bolivia We are traveling at the corner of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia |
 |
| El Tatio, field of geysers and fumeroles in northern Chile The highest (with its counterpart in Bolivia - Sol de Mañana) geyser field Part of the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex Third largest geyser field in the world (containing 8% of the world's geysers) After Yellowstone (USA) and Dolina Geizerov (Russia) |
 |
| El Tatio (can mean grandfather, appear, burnt, oven or...) No one knows for sure And the sun is coming up Super cold since we are at 14,030+ feet (4,276m) Best seen at dawn for the sharpest contrast between steam and darker skies |
 |
| El Tatio Sinter cone, opal is its most important component Geothermal wonder where water boils, flows, spurts, or steams in the freezing air |
 |
| El Tatio A hot stream running down the hill In a way it feels violent yet so peaceful, it's hard to describe |
 |
| El Tatio Water gurgling up through the steam |
 |
| This poor flamingo landed on ice instead of water It was gingerly walking towards open water |
 |
| And the Duna Mayor (large dune) took over this sign In Valle de la Luna, Atacama Desert, Chile |
 |
| Valle de la Luna, Atacama Desert, Chile So many contrasting colors, textures, and shapes |
 |
| Valle de la Luna, Atacama Desert, Atacama Desert, Chile A sand dune taking over |
 |
| Valle de la Luna, Atacama Desert, Chile Sand dune ridge |
 |
| Las Tres Marias or Los Vigilantes, Valle de la Luna, Chile Supposed to represent three women Made of granite, quartz and clay in a field of evaporite |
 |
| Last of the snow in high plateau near Salar de Pocitos |
 |
| Still driving through high plateau - deep blue sky against wine color mountains |
 |
| White salt flat against reddish mountains |
 |
| Desierto del Diablo in Los Colorados, Argentina Driving in blood red canyon watching vicuñas |
 |
| Los Colorados, not snow but salt among pyramid-like hills |
 |
| Traveling in style in a Toyota Hilux with wifi, oxygen, first aid kit, etc. Excellent driver and guide |
 |
| So raw are these red mountains against Andean blue sky |
 |
| To me these hills look like they are covered with mother of pearl velvet Between Catamarca and Salta Provinces |
 |
| These mountains go on forever - so beautiful |
 |
| Near Salar de Antofalla |
 |
| Many of these bushes are bare at the moment |
 |
| Pueblo Ferroviario near Tolar Grande |
No comments:
Post a Comment
We are always happy to hear from you but at times it may take a while to get a reply - all depends if we have access to the internet.