There are a couple of reasons to come to Tupiza. One of them is to ride the canyon's via horseback and imagine yourself as either Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, or if you prefer one of the posse that hunted them down. But, first you must ride past the "Devil's Gate" on your way into the steep walled canyons.
Being a PG-13 type blog... I won't give you the Spanish name for this valley, but it is called "The valley of ....(s)". I think you can take one look at the stone pillars pictured and figure it out.
Even though our ride was during the mid-afternoon, the sun was intense and we welcomed the narrowing canyon, with its added shade.
Our horse's seemed to naturally know the way (I'm sure through the drone of daily repetition), but this didn't make the three hour ride any less fun.
At the end of the canyon, Lipika and I were given an hour, by the guide, to scramble up the narrow gaps and enjoy the amplified orange colors. Deep in the crevasses the ambient lighting on the floor gave evening shadow during the mid-afternoon.
Returning to the horses, my three dollar investment in a cowboy hat on the Salar was reaping dividends once again. The Bolivian high altitude deserts are no place for the UV wary.
Finally, leaving the valley, we were treated to a Tupiza display of ascending mountain ranges in three distinct colors. The mineral segregation in Bolivia is truly amazing. I don't know how this happens geologically, but the result is a pretty cool visual.
Local guides are pretty amicable, but unreliable. The classic example was on our return to the town of Tupiza via horseback. The most direct route is straight up the raid road track. After asking the guide if there are any trains in the afternoon and receiving reassurance that there were none, guess what chugged up the track? Oh well, at least the horse's weren't freaked out and there was room to trot off into a playground. Our five hour ride was cut short through a tour agent miscommunication, resulting in a three hour excursion. Actually, there were no complaints from us, as the three hour walk, trot, canter, and gallop left us plodding along, nursing our best "cowboy stride" bow-legged walk.
1 comment:
It's OK, Paul - saying "The Valley of Penises" won't bump your rating from PG-13 to R.
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