Tilcara: a little gem in the north west

A friendly local

Tilcara wasn't even on our radar five days ago. We wanted to see a bit more of the Jujuy province, one of the poorest regions in Argentina and one of the most indigenous. The plan was simple:

• stop in San Salvador de Jujuy
• be a bit lazy and take some tours into the surrounding countryside
• head north to Humahuaca for some sandboarding
• scoot over the border into Bolivia.

San Salvador de Jujuy turned out a strange mix of Argentina and Bolivia: large leafy plazas, beautiful colonial buildings and cosy cafes on the one hand, and lively markets, potholed roads, Quechua street sellers and coca leaves on the other. But the tour agencies in this city ruined everything. They tried to flog us bad tours at inflated prices. We had visions of our Cafayate rock tour all over again - drive, take a photo of a rock, drive, take a photo of a rock, repeat 20 times - and decided to hightail it out of there. The new plan went like this:

• escape from the rip-off tour agencies
• stop in Tilcara for a night and visit the Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colours)
• head north to Humahuaca for some sandboarding and check out the World Heritage-listed Quebrada de Humahuaca along the way
• scoot over the border into Bolivia.

But Tilcara surprised us. Surrounded by giant hills on all sides, Tilcara is a pretty little regional town with dirt roads, mud brick houses, friendly dogs and good cafes. We stumbled across a cracking hostel with amazing views, hammocks, and fresh fruit juice for breakfast. We wandered around the ruins of El Pucara, a pre-Columbian fort set high on a hill just outside the village, and decided to stay another night.

El Pucara

The next day we set out early - before dawn - and hiked to the top of a nearby canyon to watch the sunrise. The hike was amazing but taxing. The hammocks and the sunshine beckoned. A new plan emerged:

• skip Humahuaca and go sandboarding in Peru
• stay another night in Tilcara, laze in hammocks and work on our tans (this is a holiday after all)
• scoot over the border to Bolivia.

Halfway through the hike and the altitude takes its toll on Carl

This morning, however, Dave climbed aboard the bus to the border alone. A nasty little bug has attacked my insides, making it impossible for me to hold down food or venture more than a metre or two from the bathroom. We're stuck in Tilcara for another night, night four.

Here's the kicker though: we've promised to meet Dave in Tupiza tomorrow to start a four-day jeep trip to the Salar de Uyuni. Tupiza is eight hours away by dirt road on buses with no toilets. In preparation, Carl has emptied the local pharmacy. He's armed with an arsenal of drugs and thinks I'll make it to Tupiza without incident. Needless to say, I'm less optimistic.