Argentina Part 3

In Pumamarca in the northwest, we stayed in a gorgeous hotel that was about a mile from the village square. Each day, we hiked into town marveling at the mountains.















Our newest favorite food-- empanadas! We had them filled with ground meat, shredded beef, cheese, squash, corn, eggs, bacon, and chicken (not all at once). By the end of the trip, Alyce-Ann was asking for them daily!














What started out as a precious photo of Alyce-Ann mixing with the locals ended in a screaming brawl when the shop-keeper's son refused to give back the doll that Alyce-Ann let him hold for a few minutes after this was taken. Obviously, he was 2 years old as well, and borrowing is a learned skill. Luckily, we didn't have to involve the embassy in this event.





These are just some of the actual color variations in the mountains in the northwest. They literally looked like someone colored each one with different colors of chalk!









This 250 year old cactus was near the main square in Humauaca, about a 2-hour drive from Pumarmarca, where with dozens of other tourists, we watched a mechanical saint come out of the side of the church at noon, raise his mechanical right arm, and to the tune of a metallic-sounding "Ava Maria" playing in the background, bless the entire crowd below. Freaky.