The Argentine Puna

Watch a video of the route Anke cycled below:

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A different landscape every hour in La Puna, Argentina

We arrive at Corina’s house, one of the two residents of Antofallita. Today’s route through the vast region of La Puna in Argentina was fantastic. We drove past the black Carachipampa volcano, which stands out so beautifully against the red mountains in the background and the earth, covered in yellow and white deposits from minerals. We drove through Antofagasta and saw the fertile soil of the Vega Colorada – a green oasis at the foot of a parched gorge. This patch of land is dotted with streams, small trees and grass. Llamas, sheep and Andean geese graze peacefully nearby. We passed the highest point of the day, 4,600 metres, and stopped at a viewpoint from where we could see the impressive, elongated Antofalla salt flat stretching out before us. We crossed the salt flat and were welcomed to Antofalla, a hamlet with 35 inhabitants. From here, we drove for another two hours or so along the salt flat and past the ever-changing mountain range to this little spot where Corina, aged 80, lives. Her only neighbour is her brother, with whom she has been in a dispute over the land for years. As a result, they don’t speak to each other, my guide Luis explains. Hearing his story, I feel sorry for the woman. What on earth is there to do here at that age, so far from everything and with no one to talk to?

A unique experience

We get out of the car and Corina soon comes out to meet us. The 80-year-old woman is wearing a bright pink velour cardigan. The edges are trimmed with a leopard-print trim. She has only a few teeth left, but she has a wonderful smile and gives us a warm welcome. Her daughter is visiting, and together they’ve just harvested the potatoes, which are now lying out to dry in the sun. Next to them are four sheepskins, recently cleaned, also drying in the sun. I look around and realise I’m in a little paradise. The sky is cobalt blue, the sun is shining, and we’re looking out over the Antofalla salt flats, with red-hued mountains in the background.

Luis wants to take some potatoes home with him and, before I know it, he’s locked in a fierce haggle with Corina. Corina isn’t about to give in easily and knows exactly what she wants in return. Meanwhile, they’re laughing heartily at the haggling. Luis is allowed to pick out and weigh his own potatoes. I watch the conversation unfold with a smile. We could also buy a piece of mutton, but Corina is asking far more for it than Luis pays for it in Salta, so that’s where it ends. After chatting for a while longer, we say goodbye and I receive two big kisses from the lovely lady once again.

​We get into the car and Luis drives on through this extraordinary landscape of La Puna in Argentina. I look back once more at this special little paradise, far from civilisation. For several minutes, I’m lost in thought. I have nothing to say and can think only of Corina and her hearty laugh at one of Luis’s jokes. At 80 years old, she is incredibly happy where she lives. She isn’t pitiful and, apart from the help she gets from her children, she doesn’t need anyone at all. I envy her for the fact that, there in Antofallita at an altitude of 4,000 metres, she needs far less to be just as happy as I am in the Western world. The simplicity of life and the beauty of nature.

The Argentine Puna: one of the most beautiful experiences of my life

We continue our journey through La Puna in north-western Argentina, and I enjoy the next two days just as much as the ones I’ve already had. So much to see, but so few words to describe it. One thing is certain: this is one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I look out ahead and hum the Blof song ‘Een mooie dag’ (‘A Beautiful Day’), which seems to have been written especially for this place.
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“The sun, the sand, the heat and the tranquil river, the silence and the dryness and the emptiness of this place. The sky and the Earth, the vastness of the land and the wisdom of one man – that is enough. The ground, the grass, the paths leading to the shimmering horizon. Time here is space; the depth here is wild. Nonsense and necessity are approaching the limit; the love of one person was enough for me.”