Moon Landing

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Day 52 -53

After the 25 hour bus ride we arrive to a rainy Salta and catch a cab to our hostel (with the moodiest taxi driver ever - Em tries, amd fails to charm him), which to our great relief is very nice. The next day we explore (now) sunny Salta with visits to the modern art gallery and Museo de Arqueolgia. The latter has a display of three inca child mummies. The story is that the best looking children were chosen to be sacrificed to the Inca gods, which although was a great honour, involved being drugged and buried (we thought definitely better to be ugly to escape that fate). The altitude they were buried at (c. 6700m) means that they were perfectly preserved when they were found and it was more than a little creepy to see a seven year old child mummified.

Museo de Arqueolgia

The plan for Salta was to explore the surrounding countryside by car and we had made loose arrangements with the Kiwis from Mendoza (Boyd and Katy) to do a road trip. We happened to stumble past their hostel and after a lomito (steak sandwich – amazing and so cheap) we decided to hire a car for a 4 day road trip.

In the afternoon we took the gondola to Cerro San Bernardo, (we were going to walk but the hour uphill climb through the mosquito forest put us off) and after a 5 minute ride we were rewarded with fantastic views across the sprawling city of Salta. The evening was spent at local restaurant sampling unknown chicken dishes and rejoicing as we collected our freshly cleaned clothes from the laundrette.

Day 54 - Road Trip to Cachi

After collecting our shiny red VW Gol (for some reason they drop the 'f' here) we set off westwards on the crazy Argentinean roads to Cachi, a small town located in the mountains at 3200m. First task was to get out of town... the roads work on a grid and one-way system which you would think would make it easy to drive. The only problem is when you come to a 4 way junction, right of way is decided by who has the biggest balls or the loudest horn. So I 'confidently' took to the wheel and within seconds was cut up by a local bus which almost took the passenger side of the car out. Using my best South American impression I hit the horn and raised my arms shouting “heeeyyyyyy”. At this point we were all very pleased with ourselves for paying the extra £8 a day for full insurance which meant we would have to a) roll the car or b) damage the spare wheel (slightly baffled as to how, but it was repeated several times) for us to be charged anything.

Once outside of Salta the road began to get smaller until it turned into a dirt road. Now the previous few days and months had seen a lot of rain and when it rains here that means floods, and floods mean roads and bridges are no more. Lucky for us it was bright sunshine but this did not mean we were totally safe as water was still bringing mud down from the mountains. The gravel roads were interspersed with puddles/mini waterfalls that had a chocolate milkshake type consistency, which meant we were unable to tell how deep the water was. However our little Gol was made of strong German materials and it was actually quite good fun driving like an off road rally driver (in my head). The one part of the road where we really thought 'uh-oh' there happened to be a lucky tractor on hand to fix it up. After reaching dizzying, and literally breath-taking, heights we decided to stop for one of our now famous blue cheese picnics and take in the mountain air. After many quotes of ‘this is awesome’ we continued onto the tiny town of Cachi, passing through Cacti fields (some of which are 100+ years old) which stretched as far as the eye could see. We stopped to wander through the cacti, taking photos and found it funny that each cactus was so different, almost displaying an individual personality (or maybe we had been out in the sun too long).

In Cachi we spent 10 seconds in the tourist office before deciding to splash out and go for the hostel with the pool and outdoor gym and it was worth every peso (still only £20 each). After a very refreshing swim, as it was once again scorchiooo, we hit the only restaurant we could find in town for pizza and beers.

Day 55 - Road Trip to Cafayate

Waking up to bright sunshine we decide to take a quick walk up to the cemetery which gives a great view of the town and local area. We very quickly spot numerous Condors flying overhead but unfortunately our camera is a bit rubbish and we can't get a good photo of them.

Back in the car Katy elects to be today’s driver, and after a few near misses (imagine lots of blind corners, big buses and trucks, gravel and a slightly over-responsive brake) our heart rates return to a normal level and we are soon speeding our way to Cafayate (well as fast as you can on corrugated concrete roads). The scenery very quickly changes to what can only be described as moon-like , with giant rock formations and craters. With David Bowie ‘Space Odyssey’ booming through the ipod speakers we sit back and enjoy the ride, stopping occasionally to take photos. By the afternoon the landscape changes again to red sandstone and we now begin to feel like we are on an alien planet...

Once in Cafayate we seek out an asado recommended by our hostel owner and we are more than impressed. We each hand pick a huge hunk of meat from the giant bbq which is served on a piece of wood and accompanied by beer, chips and salad - and it only costs £20 in total for all 4 of us, bargain!

Day 56 - Bike Hire

After a restful night in Cafayate we decide to spend the day on just 2 wheels and hire some bikes for another D.I.Y wine tour. First stop is bodega Etchart for a free tour and tasting. We now know the drill when it comes to wine tours and even though this is in Spanish we understand what is going on. After much swirling, sniffing and gurgling we move on. Next Bodega we skip the tour and go straight for the wine, enjoying a bottle of cold white torrentes in the sunshine. We then head to the cheese factory/farm to sample some of their special goat cheese. As we labour back into town under the hot sun we decide to cool down by trying some wine ice cream. Sounds weird... and it is, we all agree that it isn't something we will never have again (definitely a novelty sold only to naive tourists). For dinner we sample some of the local dishes; Tamales (maze and meat cooked in a leaf) and Locro (stew) both very good but the latter was made more challenging with the small amounts of tripe and pig skin added, all washed down with a velvety Malbec reserve.

Day 57 - Road Trip to Salta

I returned to the driving seat and we set off back to Salta. Quote of the day was Emily pointing and saying, 'look a cute baby horse/donkey', to which Boyd quipped, ' or mule?'. First stop was Quilmes, (not the brewery), the ancient pre Hispanic ruins (AD1000) of the indigenous people. Next with Em at the wheel (and me nervously clutching the door) we headed through the famous Quebrada de Cafayate which is a valley full of distinctive sandstone formations, which are named after what they look like (castle, obelisk, ampitheatre etc.). Much fun is had stopping every km or so, jumping out of the car, climbing over the rocks and taking photos, and after a picnic in the car due to the high winds (and lots of dust) we head to our final destination 'the devil's throat'. As predicted it is red and looks like a throat, and to get the best view you have to scramble up a few near vertical sandstone slopes. After some hesitation Emily climbs up (Em - I see a couple climbing up and down in their flip-flops, which inspires me to think I can do it) and achieves her gold level in mountain goateering... Being sandstone it is very crumbly and we are startled at one point when we hear small rocks falling from above, thinking that a landslide might follow next. It is a health and safety nightmare, but we survive and get some good photos.

Boyd and Katy have turned out to be great travel buddies (chilled and enthusiastic all in one) and back in Salta we bid our new friends farewell over another lomito and beer and wish them the best of luck in Bolivia. We all agree that we feel we have seen the Argentina we were expecting and it has been great to get to see some more remote towns and places...

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