The Vagrant Gypsy Life

Day 170 Wed 16/2 Salta

Spent most of the mornng walking around town. The plaza is very comfotable and is home to some beautful buildings, including the ice-cream coloured catedarl and the cabildo. Arranged tours for the next couple of days.

Salta is in the heart of the Valle de Lerma and there is more of an indigenous presence in other parts of Argentina that I havr been to so far.

The afternoon was spent watching the Arsenal – Barcelona Champions League match. These are two of my favourite teams and it was a very enjoyable game, with Arsenal came out a surprise winner 2 – 1.

Day 171 Thu 17/2 Salta

A throughly enjoyable day on the tour to Cafayate. It is a small town in the south of Salta province. Valle Calchaquí is a wine growing region, with many wineries. There was a music festival in progress in Cafayate and the place was full of tourists.

Of the many tours I have taken over the past few months, this was probably the most enjoyable one. We had a nice guide, Naomi, and a very funny driver, Miguel. The entire group of people got along so well that the tour was a lot of fun and we had a great time. There was an Argentine family and foreigners comprised the rest of the 13-member group. And yes, the scenery was great as well as we went through the Quebrada de Cafayate. Learned quite a bit about the area ad some of the customs as well.

After the tour, we decided to head to a Peña, a typical folkmusic performace and dinner. A pleasant dinner, but way past my bed time. But no complaints as I rounded up one of the memorable days of the trip.

Day 172 Fri 18/2 Salta

This time too the tour guide proved very knowledgeable and kept the audience engrossed. Cachi is a small, charming village and the road from Salta to Cachi has soem amazing. The scenery changes from jungle to desert to highlands in a short time. The flore changed along with the different regions and altitudes as we passed by. We visited the Parque Nacional Los Cardones (cactus park), with numerous cactii as far as eye could see, before making it to the town of Cachi.

Dinner with a few folks from the group and it is time for bed.

Day 173 Sat 19/2 Salta

Walked up Cerro Bernardo to catch some great views of the city and surrounding mountains. Also arranged my bus tickets for the trip back to San Pedro and journey upto the northen province of Jujuy.

After taking a nap to refresh myself, I met a co-traveller for dinner.

Tags: Travel

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