Jujuy a Villazón11

DAY 7: JUJUY, AR TO VILLAZÓN, BO

This day is already our last day in Argentina, first of all we would like to thank all the great CANAV family, Argentinean sailing championships, who helped enormously during the whole journey through the country, either with data or with the charging points.

Once we left Jujuy we continued north passing through the town of Humahuaca at 2,950 metres above sea level, here we contacted Don Mario Gonzalez, who is in charge of the municipal electricity in the area, here he helped us to install the CarConnect to the town’s municipal electricity to recharge the electric car. At this moment, while the ID4 is charging on the pavement, the municipal mechanics approach us, impressed to see a car without an engine, they inspect it with great curiosity, asking every detail of how it works. Our attention is drawn to the coca leaf bolo that is always on their cheek. Here we take the time to eat some local meat empanadas prepared on the spot at the side of the road next to the local fair, at the same time we are approached by a boy who was giving away cats to find them a home.

As we continue on our way we pass a large sculpture of a llama to honour this noble animal of the camelid family that has accompanied the Andean cultures for hundreds of years, providing meat and wool to the native peoples of South America.

After several more kilometres between curves and colourful mountains, we pass up to an altitude of 3,700 metres and then begin to arrive at the border town between Argentina and Bolivia. La Quiaca welcomes us with its sign and we notice the great distance of the route 40 that runs from Ushuaia to La Quiaca, here an old abandoned bus painted with portraits of Argentinean icons such as Diego Maradona and Evita Perón catches our attention.

The border is marked by a river that divides the two countries and is crossed by a bridge that is shared by customs and immigration. We are surprised by the food and oil transactions that the Bolivians transport in their hand-pushed carts, which resemble ants at work.

Once in Villazón, Bolivia’s first town, which rises to 3,440 metres above sea level, we immediately get a feel for the conditions of life in these lands.
The first thing we do is get in touch with José Zárate, an experienced electrician who helps us load the car in his workshop. Very kind and willing, we leave the car there all night and settle down in the hotel to rest and acclimatise to the Bolivian altitude.

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