San Salvador de Jujuy - One Mistake and Many Lessons

The Jujuy Province is located in northwest Argentina.  Before arriving, I knew next to nothing about the region.  I had made one critical travel error that led to a series of events that resulted in finding myself at the Gregorio Hotel in San Salvador.  You can read all about it here.

What do you do when you find yourself in a city you’ve never heard of?  A place you never intended to be with no idea what to do next?

You start by waking up early and taking advantage of free coffee!  I was going to need some caffeine to get my mind in gear as I was finding it difficult to organized my thoughts. Do I track down the closest Bolivian consulate, obtain my visa, and make my way to Uyuni as originally planned?  Do I hang out here for a few days and then make my way to Peru earlier than scheduled?  Is there even an airport near here and if so, am I going to be forced to pay a small fortune to get, well, anywhere?

I did some internet sleuthing and discovered that there was a Bolivian consulate nearby.  I could simply take a taxi and get this whole visa thing taken care of.  The idea didn’t excite me. In fact it made me nauseous.  A four-hour bus ride, three hours at the border then another 8-hour bus ride.  After yesterday I no longer wanted to go to Bolivia.  The salt flats would have to wait for another trip.   

Maybe I could stay here for a few days.  I did some reading on Jujuy and the articles about the region confirmed what I saw from the window of yesterday's bus.  It is a beautiful area with colorful mountains, lush green valleys, ancient sites and a unique culture.  Unfortunately, the popular locations; Humahuaca, Tilcara, and Salinas Grandes were spread out. There were more than 100km between locations.  San Salvador may be the capital of the province, but it barely got a mention in any of the online guides.  Okay, so at least I hadn’t inadvertently stumbled into some overpriced tourist trap.  This was the real deal.  I wasn’t prepared to invest in a rental car or plan a last-minute, self-guided, multi day bus tour so until I could find an alternative destination, I would try and embrace this opportunity for an authentic Argentine experience.   

When I was in the taxi last night the town seemed a lively place.  Lots of people walking around, music coming from various restaurants and bars and streets lined with vendors and all types of shops.  I needed some money so decided to track down an ATM.  There was a bank a block away and I found it easily enough.  It might  have been the only bank in town because at 8:00 a.m. there was already a line half-way down the street.  Since I had nothing better to do, I took my place at the end.  While I waited, I took note of my surroundings.  What seemed colorful and lively last night now just seemed dusty and dirty.   The old buildings were covered with faded graffiti, the roads littered with potholes and the sidewalks uneven and cracked.  Everything looked so neglected.  After waiting in line for almost 30 minutes, I got some cash and decided to walk south toward the river.  Last night I had noticed the bridges and a park along the riverbank so I wandered in that direction thinking perhaps it was a cleaner, more modern area.

It wasn’t. 

At first glance the park looked pretty, but upon closer inspection it was clear that it wasn’t what you could call well maintained.  The grass was overgrown and spilling onto the walkways. It didn’t help that the river itself was almost non-existent, a mere trickle of a narrow stream surrounded by rocks and weeds.  I had been hoping that this mishap would turn into one of those fascinating stories where a wrong turn led to an amazing (or at least interesting) experience. Instead I merely felt sad and alone.

I made my way back to the hotel eager to boot up my laptop and figure out what to do next.    

I discovered that there was a regional airport 20 minutes from my hotel.   I then went to Skyscanner and searched "JUJ to Everywhere” to see what affordable options were available.  I looked at Lima, Santiago, Mendoza, Asuncion.  Since I was skipping Bolivia, I wanted to pick up my itinerary in Puno, Peru on Jan. 31st.  That gave me a week to work with.  After a couple of hours of researching I was getting another headache.  Not sure if it was from the altitude, the lack of anything substantial to eat in over 24 hours, general stress, or a combination of all three.

I finally decided to take the easiest and most economical option.  I found a cheap flight back to Buenos Aires leaving the next morning. From there I booked another flight to Juliaca, Peru on January 30th.  I would use some of my Citi Thank You rewards to offset the price of the airline ticket to Peru as well as cover the cost of a nice hotel in BA.  When I added up what I was saving with reward points, coupled with the money I wouldn’t have to spend on a Bolivian Visa this unintentional detour had minimal impact on my budget.  Thank god for travel hacking!

Now that I had a firm plan, I felt better.  I could go and have a relaxing sit-down lunch and try to adjust my attitude.  A quick search on Trip Advisor showed that one of the top rated restaurants in the city was only two blocks from my hotel so I headed in that direction. 

The restaurant was very nice.  There wasn't an English version of the menu and my experience with Mexican restaurants back home was only mildly helpful.  Fortunately, the waiter was very patient with my inability to speak even the most basic Spanish.  I was able to ascertain that a section of the menu highlighted regional cuisine so I figured that I should probably try some. 

I ordered the Picante de llama.  The idea of eating llama was a little off-putting at first, but then I figured that if I eat beef and lamb its practically the same thing and besides, its a local dish.  It turned out to be very delicious.  After lunch I spent more time walking around.  After several days of sitting on planes and buses and behind whatever sort of makeshift desk I could concoct out of a hotel room, I needed some exercise. 

I wish I could say that I stumbled across a wonderful little park, or historical plaza, or architecturally interesting church, but I didn’t.  Instead, I walked on uneven pavement with loose stones, passed old buildings and storefronts that looked like they came straight out of the mid 1980’s.   There were lots of people walking around going about their day so I didn’t feel unsafe, just very conspicuous and out of place.

If you’ve ever seen the movie “My Cousin Vinny”,  you’ll remember the scene near the the beginning of the film where Vinny and Mona Lisa arrive in Alabama and exchange words about who sticks out more (watch the scene here).  That was how I felt.  I most certainly did not blend in.  It was obvious that I did not belong.  The feeling was unsettling.  At least in “My Cousin Vinny”, they all spoke the same language.  Actually, come to think of it, there was something of a language barrier that played out in the movie.  (Remember the "Two Yoots"?) That realization made me smile a little. 

I stopped at a small store on the way back to the hotel to pick up some snacks and bottled water.  The shopkeeper didn’t have a cash register but used a calculator to figure the total. Since I clearly didn’t speak Spanish, she showed me the tiny screen and I handed over the bills.  There was also a young man working there.  He smiled at me and asked in English, “Where are you from?”  I said, “Virginia, in the US.”  As the cashier handed me my bag and I turned to go, his smile broadened and he said, “Thank you.” 

The hotel had arranged a taxi to take me to the airport the next morning.  When I arrived down in the lobby at 5:00 a.m., the clerk had one of the little tables in the breakfast room set for me.  He had a small pot of coffee, a cup, and a plate with two pastries.  He poured the coffee and motioned for me to sit and eat before my taxi arrived.

On the ride to the airport I thought about how that simple gesture of having coffee waiting made me feel very special and taken care of.  Then I thought about the taxi driver at the bus station and how he could have taken advantage of my situation but instead took me exactly where I needed to go.  I thought about the waiter at lunch and how patient he was when it took me forever to order and how I had to point to what I wanted because I was too self-conscious to try and order in Spanish.  I thought about the young man in the little store and how he seemed to have gotten such a kick out of the middle-aged American woman who had wandered into the place.  I guess that’s not something he sees every day.  I was so clearly an outsider and had no reason to be in this place and yet the people that I interacted with were all so kind even when they didn’t have to be.    

I had spent an entire day focused on how I was going to get out of this place.  The fact that I saw it as somewhere to escape from is not something that I am proud of.  People live here, it’s their home and I’ve no doubt that most are living happy lives.  I suppose that no matter how hard I try to be a respectful tourist, deep down there will always be that part of me that is a soft, spoiled American.  I think I can come to peace with that. 

The biggest lesson that I learned here in Jujuy is that if you give people a chance, most will be helpful and kind.   However, let’s not overlook some of the less philosophical and more practical travel lessons. 

1. When you exchange money, get more than you think you will need.  Some places don’t take credit cards and you may not be able to find an ATM when you need one.

2. Don’t rely on the internet.  Prior to the 21st century, travelers would carry guidebooks.  If you need a hotel, a restaurant, an ATM, the location of a bus station or airport and you can’t access the internet, it could trigger a complete meltdown.  A book doesn’t rely on a satellite signal and never needs a battery.

3. Don’t let feelings of insecurity or self-consciousness prevent you taking action when necessary.  Knowing that there is a language barrier can make it difficult to approach people for help.  We feel vulnerable and afraid that we will be taken advantage of.  No matter how deep you need to dig, summon up the confidence to seek help when you need it.

4. Always take care of your basic needs.  Always carry snacks and a bottle of water with you.  You may find yourself in circumstances were neither is readily available.  Never turn down an opportunity to go to the bathroom!

5. Don’t panic.  When you find that your travel plans have gone completely sideways and you don’t know what to do, take a few deep breaths and focus on finding solutions. 

6. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  The past few days haven’t been great, in fact some moments have been downright miserable.  Even though I knew this was bound to happen at some point it still feels yucky.  A part of me wanted to give up, book the next flight back to the US and curse the day that I decided to take a year to travel.  I could keep kicking myself for making mistakes or I could feel proud of myself for figuring things out when it got difficult.  I’m probably going to do both. In the end I believe that growth comes from uncomfortable situations and if nothing else, I’ve gained a little more confidence in my ability to focus and solve problems when all I want to do is lay down and cry.

7. Finally: Don’t believe anyone who tells you that you can get your visa at the border.

 Please share your best travel lessons in the comments! I need all the advice that I can get.