What a difference a day makes and after all that visa fiasco we are settled in a grassy campground, vast and empty out of season even on the weekend.
We left Salta Saturday morning just after eight and drove north to San Salvador (Saint Savior) de Jujuy (“hoo-hoo-eee”) the capital of the province of Jujuy. The reason for this backtracking was we need export papers to get Rusty back into Chile and iOverlander promised a vet who could get it done in this town two hours north of Salta.
We spent one night downtown and two nights slightly out of town in the camping area of a convention center and hotel in the suburb of Cerrilos. Thus we sadly missed the gruesome bouncy potholed streets of downtown Salta and took a circuitous bypass around the city. The forecast had a promise of rain and after the humidity we weren’t surprised. Don’t was pleasant to see a real in the clouds in our direction of travel.
It was sunny in San Salvador de Jujuy, a large industrial city even more ugly than Salta but endowed according to iOverlander with a capable vet.
Sure enough they do health certificates here as required by the Agricultural office whose permission is required to export Rusty.
It was about $35 for the certificate and another $55 for the de-worming pills required to obtain the border pass.
Happily young Rusty did not have to have a thermometer up his butt, and the stethoscope reported his heart is still in tip top condition. Also he’s passed on a couple of pounds to me since his last physical two months ago in Chile.
We came out after an hour, part of which was consumed calling our banking Key West to get them to make our debit card work. We get a better exchange rate (1250 pesos to the dollar) if we use a card and the vet doesn’t brake credit cards. But the bank had blocked our debit card for some reason. You get used to occasional glitches when you travel. Compared to the Visa application this was nothing. First Stare Bank always has a live banker answer the phone which is pretty nice. Plus our debit card has a manatee on it.
Oh and we were blocked in by double parking for a bit (above). That sorted itself out and off we went to lunch feeling pretty good about getting the health certificate at last.
Layne had found a bit lace to have lunch near the campsite so we stopped there first.
We got the trout which is often pink like salmon around here with a broccoli cream sauce. Delicious actually with home squeezed lemonade which they make much less sweet than in the US. $36 for the two of us which is a bargain in expensive Argentina. The owner loved our travels and said he’s got a touring motorcycle as he too wants to visit the southernmost city of Ushuaia.
Then we paid for two nights, $26 all in which included hot water and electricity so we could rest for the weekend. On Monday we go early to the agriculture office in San Salvador and pay $40 to get the permit done instantly ($1 for three day turn around service…) and head south to the vineyards of Cafayate a long days drive south of here.
Our next obstacle is Easter, which starts on Monday for Holy Week when all of Latin America shuts down and parties. Government offices close on Thursday so we want Rusty’s permit wrapped up so we can lose ourselves wild camping in the mountains near the border.
Then on Monday we pop into Chile, buy some more fruit and head to the beach, where will camp fit a few days before meandering north to Perú. We may not get to see Bolivia but luckily they lost the War of the Pacific in 1879 and lost their access to the sea so we can just drive around them. Antofagasta used to be in Bolivia after the Spanish left.
Our splendid Chilean down converter making 220 volt electricity into 110 to charge our US lithium batteries.
And Rusty keeping guard. As always.
Cool, overcast, with the promise of rain. Good sleeping weather for elderly formerly busy overlanders.
