north of the north

From Jujuy to the border with Bolivia is around 350km. Jujuy is at 1300m and La Quiaca - the border town - at 3400m asl. It is 350km of almost constant climb. As I needed to come back to Jujuy to catch the bus to Buenos Aires I decided to hitchhike to La Quiaca and then cycle down back to Jujuy. I spent a few hours waiting on the outskirts of Jujuy but no-one wanted to take me. I got pretty pissed off as the situation seemed to be the same as in Mendoza a month ago when I wasted the whole day. I gave up hitching, got a dozen of empanadas, ate half of it and at 2pm started cycling up towards Purmamarca. It was a killer - 70km of nearly constant climb (one descent of around 4km), almost 1000m altitude difference. 

Purmamarca and the Cerro de los Siete Colores (a hill of the seven colours) behind the village

Purmamarca is a very picturesque adobe village with dirt or cobbled streets and loads of artesania; for that reason it is also very touristy

Purmamarca

here I am in Purmamarca

main square of Purmamarca, always full of souvenirs (not many tourists yet as it was before 9am)

artesania shop in Purmamarca

as always my bike almost within a reach from my bed (in Purmamarca)

I left Purmamarca, got back to the main road and tried hitchhiking again. This time I was lucky but I guess partially - I got 60km up to Humahuaca. From there there was still over 200km to the border. However I had already my new plan - I left my bike in a hostel in Humahuaca and took a bus to La Quiaca to 'touch' the border and close my trip - de punta a punta as the locals say (Ushuaia to La Quiaca). 
La Quiaca is not a specially interesting town (they have good and cheap empanadas though!) but only 15km east in a way along the border there is a tiny adobe village Yavi.

adobe oven in a hostel in Yavi

Yavi and its empty streets

Yavi again

main street in Yavi

Yavi

Yavi and me, part I

Yavi and me, part II

Yavi without me, part III

me in the search for inner peace; Yavi

I came back to Humahuaca to see if my bike was doing fine. It was. So then I took a bus to another little village, this time in the middle of nowhere (and exactly: deep in the valley) - Iruya. Humahuaca is located at almost 3000m. To get to Iruya the bus goes first 25km on the normal paved road, then the 50km stretch of ripio starts. The road climbs to a pass at 4000m just to drop to 2700m where Iruya sits. 75km done in 3.5 hours, quite a ride. I covered myself in cold sweat on the bus as I remembered that some time ago I considered cycling to Iruya...

On the way to Iruya - a village Iturbe.

on the way to Iruya

on the way to Iruya; on the pass 4000m asl

Iruya

Iruya

Iruya

butterflies in Iruya

Iruya

part of Iruya seen from a little plaza in front of the church (the second part of the village is behind my back)

Iruya stadium

every now and then (possibly almost every Sunday) there is a game East vs West or Upper vs Lower or Iruya I vs Iruya II (each of the two parts of the village separated by a river bed has its own football team); as opposed to the high altitude the level of the game was rather low

the game (in outstanding location on outstanding pitch)

the game in Iruya; the reds were better

the game in Iruya

what?! have you never seen a llama?

more llamas, this time alive

Quebrada de Humahuaca and Aymara flags (which also are the flags of Qullasuyu, the most southern province of Inca empire that included north of Argentina)

main square and church in Uquia

random point of Quebrada de Humahuaca, looking east

random point of Quebrada de Humahuaca, looking west

random point of Quebrada de Humahuaca, looking north

random point of Quebrada de Humahuaca, looking at me... and south

la bici y su hombre

drying corn in Quebrada de Huamahuaca

a stupid picture of 'me and the Tropic of Capricorn'; some 30km south of Humahuaca

view from a pucara (a fortress in Quechua) in Tilcara onto the Quebrada de Humahuaca; most of this pucara has been reconstructed relatively recently and to me in a pretty bad way (it just doesn't remind Inca walls, the doors don't have trapezoidal shape)

pucara in Tilcara, looking south

pucara in Tilcara, looking north

Tilcara seen from pucara

the essence of Quebrada de Humahuaca - cacti, adobe (these cacti are growing on adobe roof of one of a pucara stone buildings), colourful mountains and blue sky

Tilcara

Maimara and Painter's Palette - colourful rocks behind the village; there is a cemetery on these two hills in front of the mountains

autumn in Quebrada de Humahuaca

half way through Quebrada

only some 15-20km from Quebrada de Humahuaca but also some 600m lower; my bike and I am happy as we know we'll soon reach Jujuy and will end our cycling expedition