One of the easiest ways to wreck a week or two of vacation is to spend the whole time bouncing around in an effort to pack in as much as possible. But with precious few vacation days and so much to see, who can be blamed for trying to get the most out of your time away from home? Instead of coming back relaxed and reenergized by a week off, how many times have you heard a colleague say, “I need a vacation from my vacation?”

Herein lies a key difference between vacationing and traveling. When we mapped out our yearlong trip around the world, we focused on the major destinations, the can’t-miss spots that anchor our itinerary. But in many ways the trip is defined by those in-between places that stitch it all together. The flyover towns that we call home for a day or two, if only to break up the overnight buses.

Every so often, these locations turn out to be highlights on their own. To borrow from jazz, it’s the space between the notes that makes the music. Such was the case with Salta provence.

Following our separate trips to Paraguay and Iguazu Falls, Stephanie and I reunited in Resistencia. Our original plan was to work our way quickly to Argentina’s northern border with Bolivia. Instead, we decided to slow things down and use the time to take in the countryside. After a brief overnight in the city of Salta we stayed in a picturesque guesthouse in Tilcara for a few days. As you can see from the pictures below, it was 3 days well spent.

Like Iguazu, Tilcara has its own Garganta del Diablo waterfall. While this one pales in comparison, the walk was stunning nonetheless.

The town of Purmamarca is famous for its Cerro de los Siete Colores, the hill of seven colors. In reality,  just about every hill in the region is marbled with several bands of color.