Saturday 18th January 2025: Tren d las nubes and the Polvorilla viaduct

 

We've decided to change some of our plans here.  The maps we need to traverse the altiplano didn't arrive at home in time and Google maps isn't adequate to find some of the routes we need.  Nor have we found maps on sale here.  So were taking the beautiful scenic route to Cafayate via the RN 40, rather than via Tolar Grande and Antofagasta de la Sierra.

That aside, we're both feeling the effects of altitude but we know it will pass in a couple of days.

We ate a modest but adequate breakfast at our hotel - no second cup of coffee!  Luckily we always bring a travel kettle with us.

We'd booked on the Tren a las nubes which set off from the station at midday.  The route was via Calle Belgrano where we found some old tanks parked.

We'd booked on-line yesterday and picked up our ticket at the station.  See photo above.

The train left on time and would take 3 hours for the 42 km round trip.  The views were stunning.  The original line linked Buenos Aires on the Atlantic with Antofagasta on the Pacific coast  in Chile.  Originally conceived in the 1020s, its aim was to bring economic regeneration to NW Argentina.   A miracle of engineering, it finally opened in the 1940s.

The views were vast with snow capped mountains in the distance.

We passed the now abandoned Termas de Pompeya, a hot thermal spring.

We stopped briefly at the now abandoned mine of Mina Concordia to change the locomotive from the front of the train to the back, so it pushed the carriages over the Polvarilla viaduct.

The viaduct is curved and we were given lots of advice on taking the best photos.  Once across everyone swapped sides of the train so those on the wrong side of the curve could get their photos too.

There was a short break to take photos but people are no longer allowed on the viaduct itself.

The bridge is a truly beautiful structure and for once Joan didn't suffer vertigo.

All too soon we were back on board on a different side and heading back down.

On board there is a special suite for passengers suffering from altitude sickness where they can get oxygen.  An ambulance awaits the train's return.

Back at SA de los cobres, most of the passengers boarded coaches that would take them into restaurants in the town before heading back on the 3 hour journey to Salta.

All the shops in town were shut, so we headed back to our hotel for a sneaky beer and to catch up on the blog.

We returned to Quinoa Real for dinner.  Joan ordered an aubergine Milanesa and Kevin a pizza with vegetables.  The latter turned up with ham.  It went back to the kitchen and seconds later - no ham!

So this morning we changed our holiday plans as we were worried about heading out into the Andean wilderness without sufficient US Dollars.  We decided to stay safe and travel on the Ruta Nacional 40 from SA de los Cobres to the idyllic village of Cachi.

When paying for dinner the waitress said the road to Cachi had been washed away by the rain. We bumped into a local police officer on the way back to our hotel and he confirmed the closure.  We have a high clearance vehicle but if we ran into trouble,  we would only have ourselves to blame.  Roads get closed for a reason, though try telling that to some drivers in Derbyshire recently.  There's not many ways around it, if any.  So we had to cancel our reservation in Cachi and are now working out Plan C.

I think it was Caitlin Bisknell who said she would never travel in the same country at the same time as us as we seem to attract crises.

No idea where were are going tomorrow.