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Published: April 1st 2008
Map of the Northwest
We took a bus to Salta (middle of the map) and headed south to Cafayate (bottom middle of the map), where we stayed for one night. We then headed back to Salta, where we stayed one night. The next day, we headed north, passing through Purmamarca and Humahuaca before staying in Tilcara for the night.Home Again, Home Again
Well, we're back home. And we’re tired. After all, it was a long trip back (4-hour drive from Tilcara to Salta, 2-hour flight from Salta to Buenos Aires, 2-hour adventure getting from one BA airport to another during Friday evening rush hour, 11-hour flight from BA to DC, 3.5-hour flight from DC to Denver). We’re back, and we miss Argentina. Lots. What a wonderful country. Generous, kindhearted people, beautiful, diverse scenery, excellent hiking, great food and wine, the best hotel I've ever stayed in. No end of things to see and do. So many areas left to explore. We could have stayed another week or two at least.
Every day it was like this—we’d get on the road, get on the trail, study the map, make a designated turn. Let’s say we headed left. My heart would race. Seriously, I was like an 8 year old waiting for Santa to come. Total anticipation. What lay ahead? Could be anything. Mountains. Cool rock formations. Goats, goats, and more goats. Chickens and cattle crossing the road. Pre-Incan artifacts in unexpected places. Other people exploring the area. It was all good.
But what if we’d turned right
Paul Playing Bus Bingo
We took an overnight bus to Mendoza, then 2 days later took an overnight bus from Mendoza to Salta. There's no end of ways to entertain yourself. Look out the window. Listen to your iPod. Read. Watch movies dubbed in Spanish. Or play bus bingo with roughly 40-50 other people. instead of left? What then? What were we missing? What wouldn’t we see?
I’m no fan of Frost. I’m not talking roads less traveled here. I’m talking all roads traveled, the desire for more. In short, I wanted to see everything. We made it to Purmamarca, but not at the optimal time, not at the 10 o’clock morning hour when, as if by magic, seven colors splay across rock walls. We made it to Humahuaca, but we didn’t hike further and longer, didn’t make it all the way to the ridgeline (due to the early evening hour). We made it to Quilmes, but we didn’t hike up the highest mountain behind the ruins (late afternoon heat made the very long, hard walk impractical). We made it to Tilcara’s Pucara but passed by the town of Maimara instead of visiting the astounding cemetery built and precariously maintained upon a steep hill—time was tight, and we had a plane to catch, after all.
So much seen, so much left to see. But that’s the very best kind of vacation, isn’t it? The kind where you see as much as you can and are left wanting more and more and more.
Dique Cabra Corral
The 127-square-km reservoir is located about 85 km south of Salta, just east of Coronel Moldes. It's a beautiful area, and Paul and I hope to spend more time there on our next trip. A few notes below about how we spent our last week in wonderful Argentina.
Buses. We took two overnight buses, one from Bariloche to Mendoza and another a couple of days later from Mendoza to Salta. We had sleeper seats, meaning that the seats reclined 150 degrees. Not too shabby. Our bus tickets included meals (shrink-wrapped sandwiches), snacks (usually a big chocolate-coated cookie), coffee, and sodas. Basically, we got on the bus sometime in the afternoon, checked out the window views during the daylight hours, read, worked on crossword puzzles, listened to our iPods, played bus bingo, and watched movies dubbed into Spanish. Movies played all day and into the night and ranged from recent releases like
The Kingdom to films whose every existing copy should be located and summarily burned, such as
Who’s That Girl.
Our second bus ride was better than our first. On the first bus trip, one poor, sick child, around 3, cried for most of the 16-hour trip. There was an open seat across the aisle to my right (the family sat in the row in front of us), and the girl’s parents put the girl in that seat, ostensibly so they
Boats on Dique Cabra Corral
There were lots of people boating on this sunny day. A few of the boats look like houseboats, which seems kind of cool. could get away from her and I could take care of her. At one stop along the way, the parents got off the bus for 15 minutes and, without a word, left the girl behind. (And why not? They left her with her nanny—me!) That bus trip is one I’ll always remember.
On that same trip, we weren’t fed dinner until 12:00 am. Not one person on the bus asked when dinner would be served, though we hadn’t been given any food since our 6:00 pm snack (chocolate cookie). On more than one occasion, a movie was reset halfway through for some reason. No one said a word. This bus was full of peaceable, accepting people with limited expectations. No complaints. People happy to get what they get, when they get it. Six hours with no food on an American bus/plane, and Americans would demand redress. Reset a movie forty-five minutes in, and at the very least you’d hear loud groans.
Overall, our bus experiences were interesting, and we appreciated having time to kick back and relax (much more so on the second bus ride). We’re glad we took the bus, and we saved a lot of money
House on Dique Cabra Corral
This is the house where Paul and I want to live. Such a beautiful area of the country. in doing so. The key, I think, is to take the bus at least once and to fly long distances when possible. And to forgo American expectations of what should be, what one is owed, what is acceptable/reasonable, etc. Pack an extra sandwich in case you get hungry, bring a good book and some good tunes, and sit back and relax. And hope you aren’t expected to play nanny 😉
Mendoza. We spent a very short 1.5 days in the city of Mendoza, the first day being Easter Sunday, a day of Easter festivals. Local plazas had live music, local parks were filled with small children playing until well after midnight, and lively Easter celebrations continued the next day. Mendoza has some very nice residential areas, restaurants, and plazas, as well as the expansive and extremely well-maintained Parque San Martín. Oh, and Mendoza is where a street dog peed on a man’s legs as the guy ate lunch in an open square. When I think of Mendoza, I’ll always remember that poor peed-upon man at the table across from us, as well as the spritely nonchalance of that dog.
Dique Cabra Corral. Holy mackerel, we like this area.
Goats!
Goats off of Rt. 68 (from Salta to Cafayate). There are tons of goats (cabras) in the area; accordingly, I felt obliged to take tons of pictures of goats. However, I posted only one picture of goats to this blog. It was the sensible thing to do, but being sensible sometimes makes me sad. ;) One guy we met recommended that we take a brief detour on our way south from Salta to Cafayate and head east from the town of Coronel Moldes to the reservoir. We’re sure glad we did. I only wish we could have stayed for a couple of days. Hiking, boating, kicking back. As we drove, we passed the **** Hotel Del Dique (www.hoteldeldique.com), which is built into the hillside, and I’ve since checked out the place online. All rooms have views of the water, spa services are included in the room price ($75US/night), and the pool area out back is truly something to see. Whenever we go back to the northwest, we're planning to stay here for a couple of nights.
Cafayate. As I mentioned, from Salta we drove south to Cafayate. And what a drive it was. Limestone hills, multicolored arches and canyons, cactus-dotted scrubland, gray moonscapes, red rock cliffs. A million goats, at least several hundred per one-horse town. I want to return to Argentina right now just thinking about this beautiful area. Along the way to Cafayate, we made lots of stops so we could hike around. Our favorite short hike of the day was Garganta
En Route to Cafayate from Salta
Lush vegetation and colorful mountains every which way--yellows, purples, reds, greens, blues del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat), which involved a scramble up to sheer red-rock canyon walls.
The next day, we had a lovely hike through lush grasslands and dry desert along the Rio Colorado just outside of Cafayate. We passed a man, a woman, and their young son as we picked our way down a big hill, and the man called Paul “Rambo.” We’re not sure why. Feel free, though, to call Paul “Rambo” from now on …
Wineries. We hit two great wineries during our travels, one in Maipú just outside of Mendoza, Familia di Tommaso, and a boutique winery in Cafayate on a property called Finca las Nubes. The first winery was packed since it was one of the few open on Easter Sunday. We went on a quick tour with about 50 other people (almost all Argentinean—we were the only English speakers in the group), then tasted 5-6 wines. We liked the winery and the tour, though the walk to the winery was a little stressful (we walked along a long, dusty road as cars whizzed by).
We loved the second winery, Finca las Nubes. We had a private 4-person tour (with an Argentinean couple)
Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat)
Garganta del Diablo (on the way to Cafayate) is one great short hike. You climb higher and higher over boulders to reach tall rock walls in the distance. This photo looks out on the valley from the Devil's Throat. and a tasting on a stunning property located a mile or so from the area where we hiked around the Rio Colorado. If desired, you can spend $135US (the standard going rate) for a day-long coordinated tour of 3 wineries in Mendoza or Salta. Or you can go it alone for free. Lots of guidebooks make winery visits in Argentina seem unduly complicated and intimidating unless you have the seasoned guidance of a local tour company. Don’t believe the hype.
Quilmes. About 55 km south of Cafayate is the ruins of the fortified settlement of Quilmes, which is built high into a hillside. We walked along paths past stone structures and explored the ruins, climbing higher and higher as quickly as possible as late afternoon became early evening. If we’d arrived in the morning, we would have climbed higher—much higher. Before we arrived at the site, we second-guessed our decision to make the drive south past Cafayate (especially since we were staying in Salta far to the north that night). Once we got to Quilmes, however, we were very glad we went, and we look forward to going back one day.
Purmamarca and Humahuaca. Great tiny towns.
Paul at Garganta del Diablo
We climbed as far as we could until the rock wall became a near-vertical cliff. Worth a day and night each, I’d say. In our case, we had roughly 1/2 a day in each town (and we spent the night in a different town, Tilcara). Warm, friendly people. Cobblestone streets. Huge open markets. Mountains surrounding the towns and great hiking for the hiking minded. In Humahuaca, we made the quick climb up Peña Blanca and took in views from on high of the town and the entire valley.
Outdoor Dining. In Salta, we had a pre-dinner drink, and in a 35-minute period we were approached (along with our fellow outdoor diners) by 7 people trying to sell us something or other. Let’s just say outdoor dining wasn’t quite as relaxing in the cities and towns in the northwest as it was in Buenos Aires. (We’re not sure what outdoor dining is like in Bariloche, as it was generally too chilly to eat out of doors.) Interestingly enough, the people pestered the most (as far as we could tell) were Argentinean tourists. Along those lines, I never once saw anyone buy anything from a table-to-table vendors. Tough line of business, I’d say.
Lodging. We stayed at wonderful hotels, cabañas, and B&Bs throughout our trip
Mirador Tres Cruces
On the way to Cafayate from Salta, we climbed up to a viewpoint to see Cerro Tres Cruces. We stopped the car many times that day to do mini-hikes. (thanks, Patricia, for making most of the reservations for us!), but I have to say that the places in the northwest had more character and beauty than even the nicest places where we stayed earlier in our trip. Bloomers Bed & Brunch (www.bloomers-salta.com.ar, $60US/night) in the beautifully preserved colonial city of Salta, a colorful, eclectically decorated place (most rooms had three walls, meaning that the indoors was, for all intents and purposes, partially out of doors). Cerro Chico (www.cerrochico.com, $46US/night), located high on a hillside outside Tilcara—beautifully decorated cabañas run by a lovely, talkative French man. Killa Cafayate (www.killacafayate.com.ar, $100/night—we splurged), the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever had the good fortune to stay in—an exquisite place meticulously managed by a goodhearted woman who treats guests like kings and queens.
And Finally - the Argentinean People. Where to start? Everyone we met seemed emotionally invested in our trip and interested in our welfare. Go here, there. Take this route, that. Be sure to visit this site, eat at this restaurant, stop at this viewpoint, do this hike. People would spend 5, 10, 20+ minutes helping us map out plans, figure out where to go, decide how to spend several hours
Mirador Tres Cruces
Another shot from the viewpoint. The entire area feels pretty isolated. We saw people periodically throughout the day, but for long stretches we saw no one. or even a day. Our enjoyment on this vacation and our opportunity to see the very best of this beautiful country were of the utmost concern to the many people we met. And the people we met were spot on roughly 100% of the time. If an Argentinean suggested we do something, we did it and were supremely thankful afterwards.
On our last day (during our last hours, really, in Argentina), we jumped into a cab for a long rush-hour ride from one BA airport to another in a desperate attempt to make our flight home. And let me tell you, our cab driver took our airport arrival needs seriously. This guy wove through traffic, scared me on no less than 100 occasions during the drive (the stoic Rambo was unmoved), and promised he’d get us to the airport by 8:00 for our 8:45 international departure. Impossible. Not with this traffic. We knew we wouldn’t arrive a minute before 8:30. But what do you know? He did it. He was fully committed. As he pulled up to the terminal, he unbuckled his seatbelt as he drove, threw the car in park, dashed to the trunk, whipped out our luggage,
Carolyn at Killa Cafayate
Killa Cafayate is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. Beautiful, scrupulously clean, gorgeous views. When we left to go out to dinner, someone cleaned our room while we were gone. My clothes had been strewn about the room, and they even folded and repacked them for me! and hurried us along in the hopes that we’d make our flight. (And keep in mind that Argentinean cab drivers usually don’t receive tips.)
We met with this kind of energetic, thoughtful personal interest everywhere we went, in Buenos Aires as in Bariloche and Salta. What a great country. What great people. I’m already planning our return trip.
That’s all for now. Thanks for taking the time to skim through my ramblings. Can you tell we had a good time? I’ve made only periodic subtle mention of our feelings about the country, so I want to make sure I’ve left you with the right impression 😉
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LuAnne
non-member comment
So when are you moving there?
Sounds like a great trip and a wonderful experience! You are so right on with the bus trip experience and the expectations between locals and people from the US. I've had similar experiences and thoughts on my bus travels! Sounds like you are hooked on adventure travel! Come with me to Colombia this May!