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Published: January 18th 2012
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We had wanted to go see the Quilmes ruins near Amaicha and spend the night there but time, money and the local bus schedule were not on our side so we decided to skip it. We had all been, or were going to Machu Picchu, so weren’t massively disappointed! The description in the guidebook was also a little off-putting – “Be prepared for intense sun with no shade and a large fly population keen on exploring your facial orifices.” Tempting but no thanks! We did stop off in Amaicha for an hour for a bus connection, ate some Queso M sandwiches and laughed at Ian getting accosted by a crazy local guy telling him all about his trip to the States, photos and all. He really is a beacon for weirdoes!
A few hours later and we got to Cafayate where we were once again surrounded by hostel folk touting their accommodation. We plumped for El Balcon, as it was close to the terminal and again within our budget – so far we were doing well moneywise as we had budgeted 50pesos a day for accommodation but up to now had paid only 40pesos. Joe did one better though and
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The views from the top of our hostel, El Balcon found a place to camp for 10pesos – bargain! Although he did pay for it later as it rained during the night and our rubbish tent has no waterproof protection whatsoever and the people next to him stayed up till the wee hours playing cumbia. Being a skinflint doesn’t pay Joe! We stayed at a lovely hostel though, which had an amazing balcony (hence the name) with super panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas and a big cooking area with a parilla and pizza oven. We chilled in the sunshine for a bit with random bangs going off all around us (kids setting off fireworks/people getting shot?), showered and popped over the road to the shops for supplies. The hostel was perfectly located on a street solely providing meat and veggies but by the time we got back to the hostel about 20 other people were wanting to cook an asado too. Damn! But a helpful French guy squeezed our meat on and we cooked up a yummy feast of lemon and herb chicken, corn on the cob, peppers and onion with crusty bread, washed down with a bottle of Torrontes, the local grape. But surprise, surprise, it
was another bad night for sleeping as it was somebody’s birthday and 20 people were celebrating right above our room with blaring music causing them to stomp their feet till 3am. (Lisa grumoy old woman moment!) Mosquitoes were doing the norm of buzzing in our ears again and poor Ian had to get up for another interview, although he did sleep perfectly fine again! How annoying!
Another checkout by 10am the following morning, although we ended up waiting around for young Joseph for an hour as he sipped tea with his host at the campsite (aka some random guy’s front garden) and left us waiting in the rain. We wanted to cycle to some vineyards but decided that if it continued raining it wouldn’t be much fun so sacked it off and walked instead. It was also cheaper! We wandered to the town square and munched some tiny empanadas, picked up some poochies to keep us company as always and stopped off at the first bodega, Domingoes Hermanoes, where we saw grapes coming in fresh from the vines and going through a separating machine. We had a short tour of this small bodega, only 35years old, given by a
nice lady, after which we tasted 2 wines. We then carried on about 3kms up the road to Bodega Etchart, during which time the sun came out and we walked through some stunning scenery. Etchart is a much bigger producer and the oldest in Cafayate at 150years old. We managed to hop on the tour halfway through but it was the wine tasting at the end that really made this a great experience. It was excellent! We tried 4 different wines and another lovely lady tested our noses and taste buds - a fun and slightly boozy time had by all! The impatient Yanks who had been waiting outside with us, banging on the door before stomping off, really missed out! Hurrah for British patience! But because we could buy the wine we tried in the UK we all decided to buy from Domingoes instead. We then had to lug 2 bottles of vino round for the rest of our trip as Lisa wanted to take them home as pressies. An unimpressed Ian thought this was ridiculous. Lisa’s family, on the other hand, on receiving said wine, thought it was great!
It was then more empanadas at La Casa
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Young Joseph can't handle the pace De Las Empanadas, alongside some typical North Argentinian fare of tamales (potato and meat wrapped in leaves) and humitas (mashed maize, again wrapped in leaves), before picking up our stuff and moseying the 2 blocks to the bus terminal. This was turning into a non-stop whirlwind tour of the North! It was another good bus journey though, through the amazing landscape of the Quedabra de Cafayate, a land of red rock reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, creating some crazy formations. A double rainbow appeared on the skyline making the view even more stunning. So it was picture time gone crazy for the first hour and a half and then sleepy time as the scenery became less interesting. It seemed we were all getting more sleep on buses than in beds...
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