Riding my Motorcycle through Argentina's Northern Region
Update 14 (January 2023)
La Puntilla to Humahuaca, Argentina
I stayed two nights at Finca la Sala and thoroughly enjoyed it. My spare day was spent working on this website, getting my washing done and eating the nice food the ladies in the kitchen made. I did have a quick look around the property and fruit trees but that was about it.
Time was starting to catch up with my motorbike. It was running fine but I had now done about 14,000kms since arriving in Santiago. It was time to be a responsible owner and get a service. Plus the rear tyre was getting down and I wasn’t confident in easily finding one in the right size.
Salta was the next big town, so I booked an apartment for four nights and headed that direction.
The housing and style of villages had been changing for a while. The houses were often built right up to the road, as you passed through the small villages. And the adobe or mudbrick construction was increasingly common. I didn’t take any photos along this stretch, as I didn’t feel right stopping and photographing people’s homes.
After a while I saw a sign to the Ruins of Quilmes. Being an ignorant tourist, all I really knew was that there is a company called Quilmes, that makes good beer. So I took the turn off for a few kilometres to have a look.
The ruins were the site of the largest settlement of the Quilmes people, with about 5,000 people that lived there, back as far as 850 AD.
Unfortunately, you had to walk a distance from the car park. There were were lots of people around and nowhere I felt comfortable leaving all my luggage, so I just had a quick look and kept moving.
It was somewhere along here that I came across a Condor. I was riding along an open stretch of road and saw some birds up ahead, feeding on some roadkill (roadkill is quite rare to see compared to Australia).
Amongst them was one bird that was significantly larger. As I approached they all took off. It was a big bird and had the white ring around it’s neck and a vulture like appearance. It was quite a thrill to see one.
The land started to take on more colour north of Cafayate. The ride took on some extra adventure, as the area had been hit by a storm the night before. It was amazing how much sand and silt had come off the mountains and covered the road, in parts. The water in the rivers is the same, often bright red and orange.
Some of the most amazing rocks I have ever seen.
I really liked Salta. My apartment was in a nice area and was pretty good. It was across the street from the Salta cultural centre. They seemed to have some type of event for young people every night. And when that wasn’t on, they’d be practicing their dance moves in the park.
I got a great tip from the lady that rented the apartment about a motorbike mechanic, CRA Automotive Service, and after organising that I just relaxed and explored Salta.
People going about their day in Salta.
The motorbike mechanic did a superb job. The bike had a few problems from the tough treatment it had been receiving and they did a solid job fixing them. The young fella did a great job cleaning it. It looked brand new, well apart from all the scratches I have done. Unfortunately they didn’t find a suitable tyre, so that task was still unfinished.
So it was a shame to get it muddy a few kilometres after leaving Salta. But I wanted to try a different route, as it turned out the road was just too muddy and covered in water. I still found a fun road out of town along Ruta 9. It was my first real greenery for a long time, with cows and horses on the road to dodge also.
The greenery didn’t last too long, before I was back to the rural and dryer geology. Cactus were also starting to feature more. Could this be a new breakthrough in companion planting for the grape growing industry?
Roadside stalls selling clay pots are very common. I gave the lady a little cash to take the photos, just seems the right thing.
My comfy cottage in Humahuaca. It was a fascinating town. The photographer was a bit slack though and I have nothing to show. It was still a tourist town, but didn’t seem to be spoilt by it, as some can be.
La Puntilla via Paso de San Francisco, Argentina
Update 13 (late January 2023)
Humahuaca to Antofagasta, Chile
Update 15 (late January 2023)