The old world charm enveloped us as we explored the cities and countryside of South America. Walking down cobblestone streets, ancient architecture looming over us and lining the streets, giving us a glimpse into a era long ago past. All the cities and towns are centered around a plaza, a large green park area with a statue of a Spanish hero or conqueror etched into stone or marble at its centre. Argentina is incredible. We stayed in a cute little hostel with hot water showers and a jack hammer working steadily outside our window from early in the morning till late at night. Breakfast is included with most hostels and we quickly discovered that breakfast in South America consists of pastries – croissants, danishes, buns with sugar sprinkled on top and more. Exciting at first but quite sweet. We spent our first couple of days wandering the streets and taking in all the culture of this new continent.
In the land of siesta’s, we quickly realized we had to get up early as we were heading out late morning just in time for all the shops to close between 12 and 5 or 6pm for siesta time. Our first order of business was to discover if the rumours about the charms of Argentina’s cuisine were actually true. So we set out to a paradilla – a bbq restaurant in search of the Grade A beef. We ordered one Bife de Chorizo to share and a plate of French fries and we are so glad we only ordered one, the mammoth piece of steak that was presented to us was incredible. It was 1 ½ to 2 inches thick and huge, probably a good 16 to 20 oz. Our litre of beer arrived as well to help us wash it down and it is easily one of the best steaks we have ever eaten in our lives. No marinating or tenderizing here, just straight onto the grill for the most delectable, melt in your mouth, cut like butter, tender steak! With bulging bellies we headed home to really appreciate the wisdom of a siesta after a feast.
Next we decided to explore the wine region of Mendoza. We awoke early to catch a bus to the neighboring town and rented bikes to explore the vineyards and countryside. Other than the absolutely freezing cold day that confronted us, our day was incredible – just means you have to drink more to warm up right? We made our way along the country streets, stopping in at old and new vineyards and touring the wineries. The specialty in this area is Malbec wines and it did not disappoint. We even stopped along the way at a little beer garden and garden it truly was. This brewery is set at the end of a long gravel driveway, amongst the fields and there is a small little building with an outdoor bar and some couches and chairs set around on the grass. We sampled the microbreweries specialties – although with the 5 degree weather we had to chug instead of savour. The owner was fantastic, bringing out his bongos and guitar. The vineyards and brewery did not disappoint!
We decided that we should next head to Cafayate to sample some further wines. Distances between towns and cities are huge in Argentina and we stopped in Tucuman for the night on our journey to Cafayate. As we wandered the streets of another beautiful town, looking for a hostel, we saw a police truck and the driver was waving at us – in what I construed as a “get out of here wave” however, as another police officer approached us, we realized it was more of a “can we help you wave”. In our broken Spanish and the officers limited English we discovered the hostel we were looking for had moved and the officer was trying to give us directions to the new location. We realized that there was another hostel close by and tried to convey that we were headed that way, so with a wave the truck load of cops who piled in and drove away as we started trekking to the next hostel. When we got to the intersection close to the hostel we saw the truck again and waved and as we crossed the street 2 officers were standing on the other side waiting for us to escort us to our hostel. Now I am not sure if that means the city is a little dodgy or if it is just so safe they had nothing else to do, either way it was hilarious as only a couple words were spoken and we blindly followed the officer to the hostel.
That night at around 7pm after a long day on the bus, we were starving and headed out for dinner. As we wandered the streets, the city coming back to life after siesta time, we noticed coffee shops galore and it turns out that at 7pm instead of dinner people go out for coffee and pastries to hold them over till dinner time. Sadly we realized this as we sat in the restaurant and were told that we could only order food that didn’t require cooking, dinner only starts at 9pm you know! Having our fill of pastries over the past few mornings we opted for sandwiches and a beer, which again was met with an odd look as if to say, it is coffee time now, cerveza time later!
The next morning we made our way back through the streets and central square to the bus stop, the party from the night before still going on at some of the clubs. Since dinner is usually 10 or 11pm, then the bars don’t get hopping till around 2pm and they go till 6am easily. We finally arrived in Cafayate to discover a fantastic little town full of charm and enveloped by the Andes at 1800m. The hills surrounding the village on all sides were in all shades of rich earth tones, browns, ochres, reds and oranges with a few touches of olive greens here and there. With stunning views from our hostels rooftop patio, the days warm and the nights cool, sunshine illuminating the town and the buildings at sunset, we realized that this was a great spot to stay and explore for a couple days.
We headed out early the first morning with bikes to explore the Quebrada, sandstone hills nested against the Andes. We put our bikes on the bus, which was a chore in itself and painful to watch as they tried to figure out how to get the bikes to fit in the storage compartment. When we arrived at our stop 50 km from town, the sun was still nestled behind the sandstone hills, casting them in shadows and their colours of darks browns in varying shades greeting us. The morning chill was still on and we were frozen, teeth chattering and knees knocking as we unloaded our bikes and went to see the first sandstone formation – the Garganta del Diablo – the Devils throat. The sheer size and incredible formation quickly made us forget the cold as we stood in awe with the towering sandstone walls reaching high into the sky. The jagged cliffs arched skyward and the colours appeared to be stacked in layers reaching up. We finally tore ourselves away to bike down to the next formation the Amphitheater. Our voices echoed into the huge dome and once again we stood with our mouths gaping in awe at the sheer size and beauty of natures creation. Finally, the sun began to spill over the hills, illuminating the once shadowed brown hills and turning them into fiery shades of reds and oranges. We biked along the road with huge hills, the wind whipping us in the face as we raced downhill, around curves and then up the other sides. The scenery was breathtaking making it necessary to stop every few minutes to try and capture the beauty that surrounded us. All in all there were 8 formations to stop and see, but so many more hidden amongst the hills. We stopped at “the toad” and decided to have lunch there. We sat with our feet dangling from the cliffs, overlooking a huge valley with a river gurgling along and the green grass contrasting the brown and red hills. The hills towered all around us in so many shapes and sizes, some rolling and almost smooth in appearance, others jagged and craggy spiraling into the sky like turrets on a castle, and others still boxy and square with layer upon layer of different colours of sandstone reaching into the sky. We watched as birds of prey soared overhead waiting for the chance to swoop down in a flash and get dinner, as llamas meandered along the hills in search for something green to eat and the brilliant blue sky with a few waifs of clouds capped off the whole scene.
It is so hard to describe the incredible views and beauty that surrounded us as we biked through this incredible countryside. The altitude had us gasping for air and the uphills had us putting in everything we had to make it to the top. We passed through a little village with sheep and goats in a central pen, houses blending into the landscape surrounding them. As we crested the final hill that led out of the Quebrada, we were met with a view of the vast countryside stretching before us. The home stretch was a constant change of scenery from the vineyards to piles of sand glistening white in the sunshine. It was funny to watch Greg biking along with a back pack on and standing and biking, a vision of him as a little boy biking home from school flitted through my mind. When we stopped for a break, we discovered that the boys, Greg and a German guy we were biking with, could barely sit on the bike seats any longer! Hence Greg standing to bike!
When we returned to Cafayate we decided that the famous Argentinian ice cream was in order, so we headed to the heladeria and ordered the speciality of the region – Cabernet Sauvignon wine ice cream – that was amazing and the alcohol content was quite high – and dulce de leche, a sweet almost toffee/maple syrup flavoured ice cream.
Each night in Cafayate we would go to the grocery store and head back to the hostel to stand in line to wait to cook on the stove. It was a great friendly environment and we met so many people including a couple we had met briefly at a coffee shop in Laos who remembered ‘the Canadians’ – what a small world. The other great thing about Cafayate was that wine was fantastic and super cheap. We had bottles of wine for dinner for 3 or 4 dollars and when we discovered that there was a cheese factory specializing in goat cheese, we were in heaven.
We made the rounds of the local vineyards, sampling the local wines, viewing their different methods and getting to know the award winning wines of the region. Finally it was time to move on and we left Cafayate and headed to Salta. Salta is quite a contrast to the small charming town of Cafayate with its busy streets, hawker stalls and crowded markets. In the evening the streets are packed as people wander through the center of town, window shopping, music playing on the sidewalks, popcorns stands on every corner. We quickly discovered the “pancho” – a hot dog but with all the fixings, small or foot long and with crushed potato chips, olives, salsa and every sauce you can think of on top. 2 hotdogs and a fry for only 6 pesos less than 2 dollars! We explored the central plaza and trekked up the huge hill behind the city, with 360 views from the top. There is a little oasis with waterfalls, gardens and viewing platforms of the city and the hills around. We even stopped into the casino and Greg won big – well big when playing 1.50 blackjack!
From Salta we continued on our northbound journey, stopping in Humahuaca for a couple days. Now I have to say South America has exceeded our expectations and then some, however the cold weather was a shock, we didn’t quite realize that it would be so cold and with no source of heating the nights were really chilly. Humahuaca is another great little town nestled in the hills with cobblestone streets as far as the eye can see. We hiked high in the hills for stunning views of the town below. The river bed had dried up and the brown hills and landscape had only a few splotches of green splashed across the landscape, mostly in the form of cactuses. The people and culture had now slightly changed and woman were wearing bright coloured clothes, traditional dress of the local tribes, the woven blanket that we have come to know so well, slung over their backs carrying babies, or vegetables or all manner of things. The black hats with the wide, straight brim, propped on their heads, covering the braided black hair that hung down to their waists. As we headed north we could see the overlap into Bolivian culture and people. The people are so warm and friendly in Argentina.
