Jujuy - Purmamarca - Tilcara (and beyond)So this starting post has been a long time coming. The problem with the blog is that we have been having so much fun actually travelling we haven't left any time to write about it. So here it is. We will backtrack and add entries about North America but for now we're going to start with Argentina. Although we actually flew direct from Auckland, New Zealand to Buenos Aires on the newly opened Air New Zealand route we are actually going to skip over Buenos Aires and Córdoba and start in San Salvador de Jujuy (pronounced Hoohooy for those of you wondering). The rationale for this is that there is plenty of travel information out there for Buenos Aires and Argentina's second city, Córdoba but far less information about the beautiful area known as Quebrada de Humahuaca. For most people this is just a short stop (if they stop at all) on the way to Bolivia but this is a wonderful, bright and colourful area with lots to offer. After starting, as we said, in Buenos Aires and then taking a bus to Córdoba we decided to skip Salta and head straight to Jujuy as we were looking to get away from the bigger cities. On arrival after a 14 hour night bus we caught a taxi to our hostel. This cost us $80 Peso ($6.60 AUD/5 USD) however after consulting with other travellers we found that it ranges between $70 and $90 Peso ($5.80-7.50 AUD/4.30-5.60 USD). We did find out from some other backpackers that there is a local bus from the station which is 6km out of town but 2 friends got lost doing this journey and one of them has Spanish as their first language, so it's probably not worth the money saving effort on this occasion (although you won't often hear us saying that!). Jujuy doesn't have much in the way of attractions but it's a welcoming stop to break up any journey further north with a great market for street food and a warm vibe. We stayed at D-Gira hostel for $160 Peso each ($13 AUD/10 USD) for a very comfortable 6 bed dorm with private ensuite and breakfast. This place was run by the very helpful Juan-Pablo and we would highly recommend it. From here we caught the bus up to Purmamarca which is about 1hr15mins from Jujuy. This is the gateway village to Quebrada de Humahuaca. The bus cost $67 Peso ($5.50 AUD/4.20 USD) and took just over an hour from Jujuy's bus terminal. Purmamarca has been written off by many as a tourist trap village with its countless market stalls but we didn't find this to be the case. Yes, there are lots of market stalls and people selling handicrafts but we felt Purmamarca was pretty picturesque place with loads of charm. It's beautiful adobe architecture and the stunning Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of the Seven Colours) makes it worth a visit and it can be a good jumping point for other villages. We stayed at Don Tomas which was a cute guest house with very basic but comfortable facilities. It was $150 Peso ($12.50 AUD/9.30 USD) per person for a 4 bed dorm and ensuite. We decided to use this as our base as we were catching our bus to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile from here. One thing worth noting is that water in many desert areas is not drinkable from the tap and even when boiled or purified tastes pretty foul, so bottled water is pretty much a must in these areas. To catch the bus up to Tilcara from Purmamarca to see the ruins or hike Devil's Throat it costs $16/17 Peso ($1.40 AUD/ 1 USD). Once in Tilcara, we decided to catch a taxi up to the start of the Devil's Throat and hike the 4km back into town afterwards. This cost us $200 Peso ($16.70 AUD/12.50 USD) for the car and was split between 3 of us. We didn't get time to see the ruins but they cost $100 peso ($8.30 AUD/6.25 USD) to enter. We did however get a great view of them from the hill on the way to dinner. Other trips that can be done are up to Humahuaca and Iruya, however this is not something we managed to do in the time that we had. On enquiry however, we were told that it cost around $60 Peso ($5 AUD/3.70 USD) to get to Humahuaca from Purmamarca and takes about an hour. There are many buses daily to and from the villages but a handy tip is to check the bus timetable before you leave the bus station to explore. I say this because Dani and I ended up waiting for close to 2 hours to get back to Purmamarca from Tilcara because buses are more frequent travelling north and become significantly more sporadic in the evenings. We were told by a local hostel manager that many people make the mistake of going back to Jujuy or Salta to continue their journey on to Chile. This isn't necessary and saves you not only time but money. Bus travel in Argentina is great, but very expensive. The Jujuy to San Pedro de Atacama bus will stop in Purmamarca if you have booked in advance. The bus stops outside Hotel El Manantial del Silencio. This is not the same place as the buses to Humahuaca stop and is about another 500 meters up the road that runs alongside the highway. All you need to do is stand outside the entrance, by the large sign for the hotel and wait, the bus will come down the slip road and pick you up! Budget Time $$:At the time of writing the exchange rate was: $1AUD = 11.75ARS (Argentine Peso) $1USD = 15.96ARS Obviously exchange rates are subject to change and where, when and how you exchange money will always effect the rate that you are getting. We chose an official money changer (cambio) in Buenos Aires to change our money. We payed a nominal fee (approximately $30AUD to change $1000AUD) and were guaranteed the security of exchanging at a bureau. There are many street money changers who will chant 'cambio, cambio' at you as you walk down any of the main tourist streets in the city (particuarly Florida Street). They seemingly offer very good rates for a range of currencies but obviously you are always taking a risk trading money on the street. After a very bad experience in Bali a few years ago this is something we wouldn't risk again! What it actually cost: 13 days = $1,061.14 AUD for 2 people Transport: $472.16 Accomodation: $263.03 Food: $225.72 Entertainment: $48.14 Drinks: $46.50 Souvenirs: $1.29 Daily Budget: $40 AUD/30 USD each. We did go over this ever so slightly and it ended up being $40.80 AUD a day each. The most expensive part was transport. The other buses that are not costed above were $780 Peso ($65 AUD/48.80 USD) for the bus from Buenos Aires to Córdoba and $993.50 Peso ($83 AUD/62.20 USD) for the bus from Córdoba to Jujuy. Transport took up almost half our budget but did save us on nights of accommodation as they were night buses. Given the relatively high level of comfort in semi-cama on a bus in Argentina and the extortionate cost, saving on accommodation by taking the night bus is a very smart budgetting option! Food is also not cheap if you're eating at restaurants and be warned sometimes sitting down will cost you as will tips and cutlery charges and that's even before you order. We went out one night with some guy friends and they were charged for the entertainment as well (girls are never charged for the entertainment). Argentina isn't really in to street food but you can get empanadas to go which should cost no more that $15 Peso ($1.25 AUD/0.93 USD) and a couple will set you up for the day. Tamales are also a great snack/meal costing around $10-20 Peso ($0.83-1.66 AUD/0.62-1.24 USD) each. Alcohol from the supermarket is ridiculously cheap and is often cheaper than soda (but beware you sometimes have to pay a bottle fee which you get back if you return the bottle). We could find 1lt beer bottles for $33 Peso ($2.70 AUD/2 USD). Prior to heading to Argentina we had concerns about the ability to change money outside major cities and the exchange rates that we would get, both for major world currencies and other South American currencies. Our worries turned out to be unfounded as there were 'cambios' is every city/town/village we stopped in, many with the facility to change a range of major and minor currencies and all with surprisingly good if not down right astounding exchange rates! LGBT: As far as the big cities go Dani and I were fine both in public and when we were getting private double rooms together. At least in the big cities Argentina is progressive and even has marriage equality. That being said it is still a very Catholic orientated country so discression in smaller towns is advised. We however had no issues what so ever in the north and found people welcoming and friendly.
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