Distance: 31.63 km
Ride time: 2:44:27
Average: 12.06 km/h
Altitude: 2465 m
Total: 27071 km
Since it’s winter here in the Southern hemisphere it gets dark rather early – these days around 6 pm. You then have around 14 hours of darkness before the sun rises at 8 am. When you are staying in a tent that means a lot of sleep!
After 10 hours of sleep I packed my tent and started to cycle towards Tilcara. I was now entering the Quebrada de Humahuaca with beautiful colorful mountains at both sides of the road as I continued to climb towards the Altiplano.
Tilcara was only 30 km away, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the stunning landscapes. In Maimara I stopped to take a look at the cemetery, with the colorful mountains in the background.
A few kilometers further up the road I entered Tilcara. The other villages I had passed had not been touristic at all – in fact they had been very local. Tilcara was different – a village that welcomes travelers and with a artistic/hippie population as well. I immediately felt at home.
My hostel had the most amazing roof top terrace with views overlooking the mountains.
What the hostel also had was a lot of friendly people. In the night we gathered for a big BBQ which after a few beers and red wines also included an introduction to Argentinian guitar music. Did I mention that staying in these hostels is very social thing. This night was a lot of fun.
The next day I had some programming work to do, so apart from a few food walks I was staying inside. This was hard to do with such amazing surroundings. The job got done and it was time to enjoy evening.
It was one of these evenings where everything just seemed right; the restaurant, the food, the live music, and the company.
Tilcara is a special place.
Lovely!