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Published: March 9th 2007
Colourful desert
Quebrada de CafayateWEEK 14 CAFAYATE - SALTA
I wasn't very impressed with Cafayate. A tourist resort full of artisan stores at inflated prices and many selling imported products. I did have a quick look but as I can't carry anything else extra I didn't regret not buying anything. There was however good wine tasting and a chance to walk round the vineyards. On the way to the winery we walked passed yet another Routa 40 sign - this time almost 5000K-- which gives some idea of the length of the country.
Mariela, the girl in my dorm was going paragliding - one of my long term fantasies ( I think I must have been a bird in a past life!) I went along to watch. I always thought they went to a high point, waited for a gust of wind and then jumped off! But no - we headed for the desert and stopped by a track a bit like a small airstrip. The idea was that an old Fiesta with a winch of the back attached to the paragliders moved forwards filling the sail. The people then had to run fast until the sail lifted them off the ground.
Desert landscape
Quebrada de Cafayate With a careful check of the equipment and an eye on the windsock - it took ages to set up. The poor girl had 2 abortive attempts, ripped her trousers and badly grazed her elbow shoulder and knees on the pan-sanded desert surface with prickly vegetation.
Next it was the guys turn. Several false starts as a couple of pickups - and then a bicycle came along the track. His first attempt failed. Then they were off. Up into the air. But apparently the guy was so excited that he squealed and swore so much that the instructor thought he was scared so he landed as quickly as he could! Fe told me that that I was confused with hang gliding - but perhaps what I am looking for is a microlight flight!
We had a wonderful trip to the Quedebra de Cafayate.The museum at Amachia interpreted the geology of the area which enhanced our visit. Sedimentary deposits laid down beneath the sea were later uplifted and folded due to massive tectonic plate movements when the Andes were formed. Together with compression, igneous intrusions and the heat from the volcanic activity the rocks were metamorphosed. Later earth movements
resulted in faulting and the formation of peaks and valleys.The valleys filled with sediments through which rivers have eroded to expose impressive landforms. Hard to explain but the consequences of the geological outcrops are incredible in terms of shape, colour due to oxidation of metaliferous ores and mineral content. Photographs can only give a hint of the scale and wonder of the Quedabra de Cafayate. It was breathtaking especially after the 1000's of kilometres of horizontal desert scrub further south! A bit like a dream- but we are told that the structures and colours are even more wonderful north of Juy Juy.
Cafayate is renowned for it regional dishes and it provided a good opportunity to sample the local fayre. First of all humita - a mixture of maize, squash, onions and potatoes with local cheese. It was either served wrapped in maize leaves and boiled or served as a soup. It was quite filling and tasty. Next was locro- another maize based dish cooked with beans, pork, beef and tripe and served with fried chillies and onions -also very tasty. ( I tried not to think about the tripe - but I used to eat it when
Regional fayre
a plate of locros! I was little!) Tamales were good - veal and potatoes thickened with cornflour and boiled in maize leaves tied at each end like a little haggis. Most common are empanadas. Just like small cornish pasties with regional variations in their fillings. I tasted one with minced beef, hard boiled egg and olives. Fe had ones with cheese in. Most tasty was the chovito - grilled baby goat! I tried not to think about it but it was rather good! Even Fe tried the baby goat as she decided it was the most likely meat to be natural and not stuffed full of hormones for rapid growth! Perhpas my favourite is still a lomito sandwich. Fried steak, ham, cheese, eggs, lettuce and tomato in a toasted bread roll.
Watching people in hostel kitchens is interesting. Dishes from all over the world. I still have not may anyone else from Scotland and only a handful from England. On a couple of occasions I have bartered a few litres of beer for a tasty dish and it lovely to offer food to fellow travellers who arrives late and exhausted after long journeys. Most fascinating was a man who boiled coca leaves in
Routa 40 !
Even further from Tierra del Fuego! the kettle. Coca is widely available here - not legalised - but generally overlooked as it is reputed to help the constitution at high altitudes.
From Cafayate I took a 4X4 trip further along Route 40 to Cachci.The dirt track, although not suitable for buses was well maintained. and river deposits trapped in the inverted switchbacks where the river runs over the road were neatly scraped into the verge. Geologically it was amazing. Almost lunar at times. We passed through several villages and small hamlets with adobe houses once on the Trans-Andean rail route to Chile and Peru. Although virtually a desert we saw large piles of red peppers laid out to dry in the sun. Amazingly these could be grown close to river in the short rainy summer season.
There were also occasional vineyards. We called into a 150 year old adobe house which was full of character and where where wine was still made. We were shown round by an old gent in his 70's who we discovered was the father of 2 little girls - just goes to show the benefits of drinking homemade wine!
Another stop at a village where we met a
Coffee time
Vida & Fe gathering our wits! weaver famous for his ponchos. Made on a simple wooden frame with stick pedals underneath which lifted the warp threads alternately, the weaver passed a ball of wool through the threads and then used a tapered piece of wood to push each weft thread individually into position. Such a laborious task. The ponchos were wonderful and really heavy.
On to Cachi which thrives on tourism. A neat little town with cobbled streets, painted adobe houses and a small white church. Quite upmarket and picturesque. From here we travelled across a high grassy plateau through the Parque Nacional Los Cardones famous for its huge cacti. Then to the Cuesta de Obispo - reputedly one of the most spectacular journeys in South America. Unfortunately it was misty as we descended the intrepid hairpin bends
but it was still possible to see the wonderful pink, red and green rocks. Lower down the valley we passed through sub tropical forest and down again to the irrigated lowlands growing tobacco and sugar cane.
We were dropped a 2 pesos (35p) bus ride from Salta so that the 4X4 driver could return to Cafayate. We clambered aboard an already full collectivo with all our luggage. It must be the best 2 peso's worth of travel in Argentina, taking almost an hour to reach to town centre. The bus was full of families and small babies and it was quite an experience. I arrived in Salta after an impressive 15 hour trip and managed to locate Fe who had travelled along a less impressive route by local bus.
Salta is the first town in Argentina which I have visited with any historical feel. There are several lovely colonial buildings including an impressive cathedral which is very baroque. New buildings around the plaza are appropriate architecturally and the plaza is lovely with footpath cafes. It was however quite lively with a noisy, but peaceful demonstration watched over by at least 50 policemen.
Fe explored the town first.She has a nose for finding things and discovered that the new archaeological museum was free between 9-10am and that the hotel next door did a wonderful breakfast of orange juice, medialunes (croissants) with butter and jam, a glass of agua con gas all the price of a coffee. 4.5 pesos -about 75p before 11am.
The newly furbished museum interpreted Inca rituals and sacrificial sites in the craters of nearby volcanoes - the belief being that the high mountain of Llullaillaco at 6700 metres was closest to God. A 500 year old mummified child - 'the Queen of the Mountain' was exhibited, which was quite eerie, together with numerous artifacts for use in the afterlife. Most interesting were tiny effigies, like dolls 3-4 inches high, with carved stone or gold faces. They wore feather head dresses and were dressed in ponchos and capes wrapped tightly and help in place by gold and silver pins. Even after 500 years the fabrics woven from llama wool, plant material and human hair were still perfect and had retained the wonderful rich colours of the available local natural dyes. The intricacy of the weaving was remarkable. It was possible to see the detail through well positioned magnifying glasses. Even the feather from local parrot like birds had retained their bright colours.
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The breakfast was delicious and after wards it was a delight to window shop in up market tiendas of down town Salta with beautifully designed and crafted products. Lovely woven blankets, ponchos, shawls, leather and silver goods and wonderful colourful jumpers. I just hope that there is similar selection further north!
Salta seems to be the city of queues! Long lines everywhere - at banks, ATM's and supermarkets. I was amazed when I had to wait almost 40 minutes at the butchery counter in the supermarket. Now I know that I should have got my numbered ticket before I started my general shopping! However it was fascinating to watch. The butcher kept glancing at a TV screen near his counter and he was obviously quite enthralled with the film it was showing! I watched about 6 people being served with masses of meat. The cuts are different but many people buy long strips of chopped beef ribs for the BBQ. They also bought huge lean roasts of leg and fillet and thin slices of tender meat for milenesa. However what a housewife does with 5 kg of mince or sausages I'm not sure.
Travelling gives time for reflection. My Dad would have been 100 this week. He was fascinated by travel and read library books by the dozen - but he never went abroad. I often wonder what he would think about my adventures - or the fact that his grandson Andrew has just jetted off to New York for the weekend.
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Pat
non-member comment
Dear Vida It all sounds marvellous. I hope Sean and I can do it soon Pat