The last Argentinian leg April 10, 2008
Posted by andeandaremos in Argentina, English, photos.Tags: Guiso de quinoa, Locro, Salta, Tilcara
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It was with a heavy heart that I left Cafayate, as I could easily have stayed there another week. Still, more to see, more to do and not necessarily all the time (or money) in the world to do it…
After Cafayate we spent a couple of nights in Salta and were again reminded of how friendly the Argentinians are. Salta has a really nice atmosphere and we enjoyed soaking up the city vibe. I especially enjoyed being asked to show my ID to get into an electro bar. Sigh… still got it.
Our final destination in Argentina was Tilcara, a small town lying comfortably in another Quebrada. Less attractive than Cafayate, it still has its charms – one of which being the restaurant on the square that serves a great Guiso de Quinoa. We met a young German girl, Lisa, at the station as we arrived and ended up joining forces to hunt for accomodation. Lisa’s grasp of Spanish was impressive, having been in Buenos Aires for 5 months. I’m hoping I reach her standard by the end of my trip.
By nightfall we had added a further 4 people to our party and ended up wining and dining en masse at the aforementioned restaurant to the deafening sounds of local amp-folk music. The following day, Lisa, Domingo and I set off to climb the mountain to the nearby Garganta del Diablo (yes, there seem to be many of them in Argentina). The altitude again made it a slow trek but once we reached our destination (at 2,850 metres) the views were breathtaking.
Another fine meal in the restaurant (which as well as serving a lovely guiso de quinoa also serves a vile locro) and we were ready to hit the hay for the last time in Argentina.
I would love to return one day and definitely want to visit the parts we didn’t have time to see, such as the Lake District, Patagonia and Iguazu Falls. Highly recommended!
Lovely photos, you guys look so well – perfect start to grandma’s last day. We drank the Torrontes wine – have had 2 bottles it is very good. Dad has found where to get the Don David wines from so look forward to trying them.
Lots of love Mum xxx
How handsome you look, Peter in or on Garganta del Diablo!. Will get a framed photo out of that. And Domingo & lisa look great too. Sorry i missed meeting him. Congrats on the bilingual blog. very cleverly done You confirmed my attempts to get the gist of Domingo’s Spanish. Can’t believe I’m leaving tomorrow. The time has flown. Mum & dad have been wonderful.
Lots of love and best wishes to you & Domingo.
Grandma xxxxxxx……..
yeh, we did have a lovely evening last night .. and we drank torrontes, mmm, very nice, and you know i no love white wine but that was gorgeous. Photos are great, love the scenic ones, esp the mountains on leaving Cafayate, i will be printing and framing that one … !!! You all do look so well and gorgeous .. much love to you both .. xxx
hello peter ! cafayate sounds lovely and am pleased to see that your are finding time to sniff out lah-di-dah wine on your trek. hope you and domingo are having a great time and can’t wait to see you both. dave x