Cusi Cusi
The Valley of the Moon
Getting to Cusi Cusi is not easy. The final stretch of Route 40 has its difficulties.
In addition to the tough access, the altitude and the puna have their effects.
Once you take the detour from Route 40 towards the town, you pass by one of the viewpoints to the Valley of the Moon.
There are many hypotheses about the meaning of the name. The most traditional one refers to a red valley. Another thesis suggests that the name derives from kusi kusi, or cusillu, a jumping spider that lives in the region and brings good luck.
We continued along this five-kilometer stretch to confirm our lodging in Rincón Del Cusi.
We had contacted Rubén Quispe to make the reservation.
Upon arrival, the kind Ruben told us that it was the day of the celebration of the eighty-first anniversary of the creation of the town so he urged us to go to the school to participate in the festivities.
So we went to the square, which was very lively after the parade.
Policemen, gendarmes, artisans, teachers, students, everyone was participating in the celebration.
In one corner, the El Puneño ice cream cart was offering homemade ice cream. Of course, we tried three of the available flavors, grape, granita and bananita dolca. The ever-discussed mint granita rounded out the flavor options.
It was already autumn although the heat of the siesta was making itself felt, so the refreshment of the ice cream gave us energy to head out to take pictures of the Valle de la Luna.
We went to the viewpoint when the afternoon sun was illuminating the east side of the valley.
A deep red, orange, yellow, dotted with green bushes that grow in the puna, and the most arbitrary shapes make up this spectacular landscape.
Back in the village and after a rest in our lodging, we went to the square in which -as in so many villages in the area- is the only place where wifi is available.
At that moment the bell of the very small church of the village began to ring; the novena for the patron saint's feast was being called. There was no mass because everyone was really on holiday for the civic celebration, so a few shepherdesses came to the call. Soon the sikuris arrived at the door of the temple, playing their instruments in honor of the divine.
Just in front of the square there was a small sign indicating the sale of handicrafts, so we went in to find out more. There we were attended by María Silvia Quispe, who was frying potatoes with her assistant Irma.
The scene was so genuine and from another time that we were tempted to try her proposal. We ordered a cone of "salchipapa", the mix of french fries with Vienna sausages so popular in Andean communities, accompanied with lots of ketchup and a 710cc lager beer, the only one in the fridge that was cold.
As we savored our powerful snack, María Silvia gradually lost her shyness and began to tell us about her handicrafts, made from llama wool, which she raises with her family. She knits socks, gloves, leggings and blankets, all with designs created by her, honoring the teachings her grandfather gave her as a child.
Just then Edelberta Sarapura, another great weaver of the village, arrived and amusedly joined in the conversation, asking curious questions about us. All the people of Cusi Cusi were very kind to us. Although at the beginning they are a bit sullen, once the shyness stage is overcome, they are charming and the simplicity of the life stories are in itself a whole lesson.
It was already dark so we returned to our lodging, where we had made a reservation for dinner that night. The cook Concepción, by the way also a weaver, presented us with the menu in the sequence of a fresh vegetable soup with oatmeal, followed by the main courses, a pizza made with quinoa on one side and a trout with puree, complying to the letter with the zero kilometer rule, since they fish them in the icy high altitude rivers of the area.
Dessert was anchi, the traditional northern sweet made of semolina.
At night the town's celebration continued with a party, where three groups of Andean cumbia or -as they call it- cumbia chichera performed. The revelry lasted all night, although thanks to the location of our small room the din of the revelry was not so bad.
We were so tired that we decided to take our bath the next day, which is clearly a mistake in these places because it is convenient to take advantage of the water that is heated during the day thanks to the solar panel systems and, consequently, bathe as soon as you arrive to make sure it is with hot water. So it was that the next day that possibility had already been extinguished, so the shower was short because the cold felt like stabs in the body.
After a frugal breakfast, a tea with a bun, we left to continue the last stretch of Route 40, but not before making another stop in the Valley of the Moon to be amazed again with its beauty, proud to have reached this remote and extreme place in Argentina.
