Hours wasted trying to rent a 4x4 in Salta city : 3.6
Maybe there is only one truck available and they share it between the zillions of car rental agencies, hence the wacky price of 610 pesos/day. However, there was not a single one to be had for at least ten days. So we took to the hills in a Renault CLIO - not to be recommended unless you are fortunate enough to be driven by my sweetie or Lewis Hamilton. On second thought, even Lewis couldn't manage the twisting mountain roads of dust, gravel and rocks.
Cars also not cheap to rent - about 170 pesos/day plus franquisia of 4000 pesos (12000 for 4x4). As there is no insurance on rental cars in NW Argentina due to scary roads - they simply apply the franquisia to your charge card and if you damage the car - YOU PAY. The woman at Avis (Swedish with Argentine-ex. Apparently the men of the NW are the most macho of the machos) said that they regularly have to send out rescue teams to stranded drivers with damaged cars who thought they could manage the mountain roads.
Stopped first at that delightful tourist trap - the Hill of the Seven Colours - mercifully totally devoid of tourists as the sweetie knows what time the convoys arrive and hence avoided them.
From Purmamarca we drove over the mountain pass at 4170 Metres, with our constantly present coca leaves, to the phenomenal Salinas Grandes. This was an otherwordly environment of 15k hectares of solid salt lake, blazing sun and whistling wind, peopled by extras from Star Wars, totally covered against the sun, eyes barely visible through slits in their hoods.
What a beautifully desolate experience and hotter than hell whilst looking so icy. Yet more slaves toiling in this arid environment for a few pesos more. I could feel my skin shrivelling every moment I stood there.
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