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PurmamarcaMar 15, 2009
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The Hill Of Seven Colours - Trademark Purmamarca
Here You Can See So Many Of The Colours Of The Rocks...
Our Simple Hotel - El Pequeno Inti - So Plain From The...
This little village has only 510 people so I thought I would try and keep my story about our visit here to fewer than 510 words. Anil says ‘Good Luck!’.
The highlight of the setting for Purmamarca is the hill under which the village nestles. It’s called the Cerro de Los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colours). Erosion has exposed various geological eras in the layers of sedimentary rock of different colours (ochre, red, purple, green) in the most striking way. From the map we received from the tourist office on the Plaza we learned of a three-kilometer walk around the base of the Cerro and that the colours are most vibrant early in the morning or at dusk.
On the first of two mornings in Purmamarca, we set out under clear skies to take in each of the seven colours. How can I describe what we saw? Each photo is worth a thousand words, and I’m limited to only 510. It was so incredible and the exercise was great after a long bus ride; we made the loop again in the evening. The colours were out of this world. We ate dinner that evening in a Peña, a folkloric restaurant. The music was wonderful, the young man was born in Purmamarca and played all the traditional instruments and sang with a beautiful voice. We were surprised to see a couple of extra items listed on our bill. When I asked what they were, we were told that one was for the music and the other for the cutlery. Now that is truly a first! Perhaps it was because the knife and fork came wrapped together tightly in a paper napkin.
The second day dawned cloudy and dull. We were so happy that we had done the route twice the day before. We set off with a car and driver to tour more of the Quebrada, north of Purmamarca. I’ve done a separate entry to show and describe the things we saw there. When we returned in the evening we poked around in the stalls at the Plaza. I went crazy looking and taking photos of the wonderful textiles, but limited myself to some small pouches. I wish I had a semi to haul away all the beautiful rugs, wall hangings and bags. But with no house, wherever would I put them?
We wanted to eat in a different place, perhaps one without wrapped cutlery, but the tourist season is all but over and the few other places to eat were closed or were so fancy, schmancy that we headed back to have another meal at the same place. After all, two pesos each for a knife and fork isn’t going to break our travel budget. However, I just can’t understand why they would have a separate charge; perhaps in the upper regions of the Andes they eat with their fingers and cutlery is an extra, who knows. Well, we plan to be in Argentina for the next several weeks. It should be fun finding out what else is different here.
Yippee, 510 words.