The road to Iruya
23/01/2006 - We get up early. Quick breakfast. Pack and leave. Today’s destination is Iruya. A small village that’s been recommended by a couple from Buenos Aires as beeing a MUST. We talk to the owner of the hostel to see if we can make it to the village with our car, a VW Gol. He gives a few calls and tells us it’s not possible to go by car today. What a bloody bummer. But we are adventurers and take the car anyway. After 15 kilometers on a dirt road, we get to Iturba and the first river that we have to cross. And indeed, our Gol is not gonna make it. The level of the river is too high and the small rapids would take our car away. After a serious analysis of the situation, we decide to leave the car there and take a bus. The bus is old, very old. The driver is listenning to some Bolivian versions of English hits, terrible but very funny. After 2 hours of drive, we get to the top of a mountain, more than 4000 meters high. And there!!! The most stunning view i’ve ever seen. It’s just marvelous. This view point, part of the Quebrada valley has been added to the World Heritage list by the Unesco. And it’s not a surprise. Wow Wow Wow.
After 30 more minutes of wild driving and a few river crossed, we get to Iruya. Iruya is small. A bit touristic, but not too much. The main square with the little church is pretty. People living here seem to be used to the flow of tourists coming and going every day at the same time. The village is not really pretty, it’s quite poor, but the area is just stunning. You really feel lost in the Andes. The village is surrounded by grey, red, pink mountains. You can see condors high up in the sky, dogs gangs chasing donkeys. There is some excellent clay around here. I would love to use it for my walls. We’re staying in a family pension. Very basic but 10 pesos a night per person. 3 euros per night. A few empanadas, a lomo a la milanesa, a quilmes and we’re off to bed. The journey was really tiring.
