Earth as I know it

"Is this how an ant feels in my home?" I wondered, gazing at the sheer grandeur of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. Having never before set foot inside of a church not surronded by farmland, it was difficult to not be absolutely boggled by the lofty ceiling, opulent decor and the hushed solemnity that hung in the air. I was utterly unprepared for my first visit to a cathedral, pictures simply do not do it justice. They cannot capture the total peace; they cannot capture how history weighs the air; they certainly cannot capture the echoes of murmered prayers. I was awestruck. And even though I was quite clearly not there to pray, ogling away as I was, nobody paid me any mind, only stopping me to ask if I needed help. Eventually I sat myself at a pew and spent a few simple moments soaking it in. The frescoes, the altar, the worn wood beneath my backside, all drenched in history and culture,

Argentina has presented me with many firsts, many adventures and more than a few mishaps during my time here. I´ve eaten guanaco(a relation of llamas and alpacas), attended raves in the middle of nowhere, and discovered that I have a very low tolerance for fernet, a particularly potent alcoholic beverage of choice in this gorgeous country. Argentina is a place to explore and create memories, no matter what you´re looking for.

I spent four days in the wine making town on Cafayate, in the northern province of Salta. Before arriving there my bus drove through a dry, rocky and vibrantly red valley, just as you would imagine a Martian desert, and on arrival I found the town was nestled against the mountains, mostly cobbled and dirt roads, a perfect escape from the lights of the city. Yet, offering winery tours, plaza markets, numerous restaurants and a respectable night life, this small town is not short on entertainment. In my brief visit, Cafayate became my favourite town in Argentina.

But nothing has taken my breath away like las Salinas Grandes, the salt flats of Jujuy. After crossing steep and rocky mountains, the perfectly white salt stretches out before you, covered by a thin layer of water, a still and exact reflection of the sky above. Some days you are hard pressed to tell where the heavens end and terra firma begins. It is exquisite, amazing, and lovely. I am yet again an ant in a towering space, exploring a world of firsts.