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Published: October 5th 2012
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We went for a huge drive today but the scenery that we saw was so amazing so diverse and so different from any that we had ever seen before it was definitely worth it. The photos can't fully convey the beauty and awe but they are still better than words.
The drive was split into several sections, the first of which was up through the Andes to a small town called Cachi. The road started off sealed and flat as it followed the river into the mountains. We passed a couple of locals on their donkeys and headed into Cardon region. Cardon is the cactus you see in every cartoon and cowboy movie. As the road rose the Cardon got bigger and bigger. The road snaked its way up the mountains becoming unsealed and we finally reached a height of 3457metres above sea level. We got out of the car to take photographs and realised just how high we were by the sudden inability to breathe or to walk more than a few steps before becoming exhausted. It was strange to be so high and yet there was no snow. The lack of snow was compensated for by the over
Cardon
The road to Cachi abundance of wind. Coupled with the oxygen empty air it made breathing almost impossible. After the peak the road levelled out to cross the puna- flat open spaces between the peaks. The peaks looked small in comparison and it was hard to believe we really were so high.
Cachi itself was a pretty little town, not much bigger than a village, set around a main plaza. We ate at
one of the restaurants on the plaza and enjoyed the view. The restaurant was built out of Cardon wood and sold a specialty tea from the region - coco tea. This is made from the leaves of the cocaine plant and is quite legal in the area. As well as tea the locals chew the leaves with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. It doesn't give you a high like cocaine, but is supposed to reenergise you more like coffee.
Next door to the cafe was an ice cream shop. Toby was all for waiting until the next stop for ice cream, but Fiona persuaded him to get it here in case there was no more. Then we walked around the square looking at the indigenous craft stalls and visited the church where the lecturn,
Llamas!
The road to Cachi confessional and ceiling were all made from cordon wood.
From Cachi we made the second part of the journey to another small town called Molinos. By the time we got there we were beginning to wish we had decided to stay rather than do the drive in one day. However when we did arrive we weren't sure if staying was a good option either. The town was dead. There was no one on the streets and the shops were shut. It was a good job Harriet and Toby had already had their ice cream. Molinos may have been shut but it was quite pretty. The houses are adobe and it was a relief to see white after the stark landscape we had driven through to get there.
The road from Molinos to Cafayete was even more stark. Everything was red brown and dusty. The rocks were jagged and imposing. A vineyard along the road was a surprising verdant oasis amid the beautiful monotony. Toby really wanted to see a toucan whilst we are in Argentina. As we were driving Fiona spotted coloured birds and shouted "toucan toucan". Of course they weren't toucans - we were in the wrong
part of the country, but they were colourful parrots. Harriet thought it was funny to shout toucan every time she saw any wildlife from then on - " toucan , toucan oh no it's a goat" etc.
As we neared Cafayete the rocks started to get more colourful and varied. We were about to take a photograph of one rock that was red and white. The position wasn't right so we drove a couple of hundred metres to get a better view and by the time we did the colours had completely changed. It was entrancing.
We took a short cut instead of going the whole way into Cafayete and back out again. The main road would have been sealed but this wasn't. As we drove along a sudden dip appeared full of water. Toby hadn't seen it and we got a bit of air just like the Dukes of Hazzard. Harriet thought it was the best part of the day, but Fiona and Toby were worried we were going to need a 4 wheel drive, especially when the road disappeared and we had to drive through a river to find it again. Luckily that was the worst
of it and the rest of the road was fine.
Once we hit the main road again we were in the Quebrada de Cafayete. This amazing canyon is a unesco world heritage sight and just cannot be described. The multi coloured rocks rise high and steep on both sides of the river valley forming some weird and wonderful sculptures and sights. We stopped at two to explore further. The first was the amphitheatre. Even though we hadn't seen anyone for ages there were policemen there and even a busker. It was quite surreal to stand in this vast open cavern with the sound of the pan pipes swirling around. The second was the gargantua del Diablo or devils throat. There was no one else here at all and we climbed in, mesmerised by the size and the power that would have created it.
The sun was beginning to set and so we hurried back to the estancia. We wanted to get there before dark as Argentinian cows amongst other animals, often head for the warm asphalt as the sun goes down. We really didn't want to be driving in to one of them. We got back in one
The amphitheatre Quebrada de Cafayete
Can you even spot Harriet and Toby at the bottom . It's so huge piece and in time for another fabulous meal finishing with a dulce de leche mousse which transcended all food categories. Delicious!
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