Fourteen hours west of Buenos Aires, within sight of the snow-capped "cordillera" of the Andes separating Argentina and Chile, lie two parks that offer a glimpse into another place and time.
Together they are known as Ischigualasto and Talampaya Natural Parks, and I made the westward trek last weekend to see them both. The first park is more commonly called "Valle de la Luna", and it was my first pit stop in a race around the world. I mean of the day. I've been watching too much 'Amazing Race.'
The landscape was so strange that it made me laugh out loud a few times during the tour. Rock spires listing at precarious angles, a colorless white landscape interrupted by perfectly spherical bowling ball sized rocks... the pictures describe it better than I ever could.
After the morning tour of la luna, I skipped across the border from San Juan province to La Rioja to see Talampaya. If Valle de la Luna is the moon on earth, Talampaya is definitely Mars. The tour van took us through a dry canyon with 500 foot tall walls on either side. The brick-red walls were sculpted by running water and looked like massive pillars. Adding to the mystique of the place are elaborate drawings etched into stones, remnants of the Martians who once roamed free there. (Indians, depending on who you ask)
The return trip through the canyon turned into somewhat of a safari, and I caught some pictures of llamas, rheas (like ostriches), and patagonian maras. When I first saw a mara I could have sworn it was my sister's dog Bean, but upon further research I learned that it is a rodent, kind of like a big rabbit with short ears and long skinny legs, and is also one of the few mammals that is monogamous. (Are humans considered monogamous? How many humans have to stay with the same partner for the entire species to be considered monogamous?)(Wow don't google that unless you have a lot of free time)
The parks were breath taking, but I was more than happy to return to the little town of San Agustin after my day exploring the otherworldly landscapes. The town was so tranquil and welcoming, with rustic cars and horses and dogs all sharing the little roads, and nobobdy seemed to lock up their doors or bikes at night.
Immediately upon my return to Buenos Aires, I was accosted by a pair of ladrones who sprayed fake bird poop on my back and tried to steal my backpack, a "welcome home" present that made me appreciate my weekend exploring extraterrestrial landscapes that much more.
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