There was a note on the fridge in our hostel in Salta offering a twelve-hour ride in a rented car. The scenery north of Salta was meant to be amazing and Christian and I had thought about taking a guided tour, but the prospect of trekking it in a car was much more appealing, and cheaper.

We met Duncan and Louise, an English couple traveling through South America who rented the car, that evening to talk about the details. They agreed to drop us off in Jujuy rather than take us back to Salta, which saved us a travel day.

tarting at just under 4,000 feet we drove along an unpaved road, following the now defunct Tren a las Nubes (Train of the Clouds) up and up to the secluded village of San Antonio de los Cobres, which sits at around 11,000 feet. Along the way the scenery changed vastly, more so than anywhere I've traveled in such a short time. After lunch we kept climbing, reaching heights over 12,000 feet.

The bumpy roads and thin air were somewhat uncomfortable, but the day was one I will not soon forget. From almost hitting a cow on a dirt road at 45mph to running alongside the car just to see if I could at over 12,000 feet, to walking across a train bridge over a canyon... it was a fun day.