Week 24. Half way through our adventures!
Tuesday. Today we visited a place known as the Hill of Seven Colors in the small town of Purmamarca. A destination recommended on various Internet sites but not in Lonely Planet. Getting there was easy - we only needed to catch a 30 minute bus ride from Tilcara.
The town was really pretty with a huge artisans market. We bought a few things to take back home and then walked for about an hour enjoying the views around us.
Feeling a little tired of eating out, I attempted to cook us dinner in our room. Cooking pasta in a kettle worked out better than expected! However I wouldn't rate the overall dish much - best to keep eating out!
Wednesday. We caught the 4 hour bus to Salta and arrived at our hotel (hotel Samka) at 5pm. We dumped our bags and had a little wonder around the town.
We were finding it difficult adjusting to the eating habits of the Argentineans. Typically they start the evening activities around 10pm!! By 7pm we were starving but hardly any restaurants were open. Luckily we found a nice Parrilla which was open and had a few other gringos feasting away on plates full of meat.
Sometimes I wish I had a dictionary when eating out as my Spanish isn't that great with regards to food. I ordered what I hoped to be a chunk of sirloin but instead what came out was a portion of cow rib (Asado de tira) - I am surprised that I still have teeth left as it was sooooo chewy! Major dissapointment!
Thursday. Another day wondering around Salta. The guide book raves about this city but I do not understand why. It's ok! There are lots of shops and restaurants but not much else. 2 days here was enough.
Highly recommended in the guide book is to try empanadas in Argentina - the best in South America. So with this in mind (and a budget to look after) we ate at an empanada restaurant near our hotel. 50 pesos served us 12 small empanadas filled with minced beef, chicken and cheese. They were delicious!
Friday to Monday. It has been a dream of mine to stay at a ranch in Argentina and ride horses all day long. So this is what we did for my birthday weekend!
After a lot of research we chose SAYTA. This place was great and the charismatic Enrique welcomes you to his ranch as soon as you step out of the taxi with a huge cheeky grin. If you love food, wine, horses and beautiful countryside this place is perfect.
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| Our private little home in the garden (not the caravan!) |
We rode every day in the morning for about 2-3 hours and then stuffed ourselves with barbecued meat and red wine (very easy to drink!) for lunch. We then got back on the horses (a little merry!) and rode again for another 3 hours.
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| Lunch time with Enrique |
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| Wine before lunch |
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| Riding across a dried up river bed |
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| Roland bonding with his horse |
By the time we returned after the afternoon rides, we were knackered and a little sore! It was then time for tea and cake, followed by a nice relaxing siesta.
In the evening we sat and drank copious amounts of wine into the wee hours and ate even more delicious meat!
On my actual birthday I was surprised with a lovely cake for breakfast and then rode into the mountains on an all day excursion. It was fantastic! However I wish I enjoyed myself a little less the night before as the thought of even more wine at lunch turned my stomach a little!
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| Birthday cake!!! |
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| Just a little bit more wine ... |
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| Attempting to catch the guide with a lasso - I did after 4th attempt! |
We both had a really great time at SAYTA and would highly reccommend this place.
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| Cheaky Enrique! |
Monday. We said goodbye to the lovely Enrique and made our way to Cafayate - a wine growing area in Argentine. The journey only took 4 hours and we stayed at Cafayate Backpacker - cheap place but not the nicest! Once we were settled in, we explored the town and visited a goats cheese factory our first Winery - El Testino.
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| Cheese! |
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| Wine!! |
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| Enjoying ´picada´ |
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