Cordoba

We took an overnight bus from Buenos Aires to Cordoba and were treated to some delightful reclining chairs. They were comfortable but unfortunately there were many stops during the night and each time we were subjected to Blackpool illumination. Far from ideal.

We were only in Cordoba for 2 days and we took it as an opportunity to have a little rest after a busy week in Buenos Aires. On the first day we enjoyed some relaxation time in the main square as we people watched and bench hopped our way through the afternoon.

We did a little bit of shopping because Abi needed to buy a cardigan (we had actually been searching for a cardigan for the last 2 months without success…the less I say about the whole process the better). Anyway Abi now has a new hoodie so that is good.

Our Air BnB was located in a hip area known as Guemes:

Abi’s Rating: 9/10 – Excellent haircutting facilities…kitchen.

Mike’s Rating: 8/10 – Good location and it was a lovely little flat. An extra point for early check in and late check out

I needed to get my haircut and there was a (small) queue at the barbers so instead of paying the equivalent of £3.75 I thought it would be a great idea to let Abi do it. Nearly two hours later and this was the outcome…

We played some cards in the park, returned to our favourite square to eat ice cream (Grido – very good value and some excellent Dulce de Leche). We then prepared ourself for the long overnight bus trip to Salta in the North of Argentina.

Salta

This bus had a similar comfort (this time with Fono Bus) level to the last one but the experience was much more pleasant as the stops in the night were either done in the dark or not done at all. This meant that we arrived into Salta feeling quite fresh.

We spent some time in the bus terminal on our arrival as I went off in search of a bus that would take us to San Pedro de Atacama in a few days time. The buses did not quite fit in with our schedule so we had to make a slight adjustment to our itinerary. I then thoroughly confused the poor woman in the ticket office by telling her I wanted the ticket before aborting half way through because of some date confusion. Abi and I discussed the options before we went back and actually bought the tickets!

With the boring stuff out of the way we took a taxi to our Air BnB which was perfectly located just two blocks from the main square:

Abi’s Rating: 8/10 – It had nice decoration and great facilities. However it was a bit hot and the bathroom was shared.

Mike’s Rating: 8/10 – Superb location and Elena was such a wonderful host. The room was very hot on the first two nights.

We spent most of the first day wandering around the central part of the city and had some marvellous empanadas for lunch at Dona Salta (we had heard great things and were not disappointed!)

We also found a laundrette and this time it was an overnight job. A bit more expensive than Buenos Aires but still nowhere near the dizzy heights of Floripa.

The following day was somewhat overcast so we had a day of eating and chilling. We had a lovely brunch (that included an enormous brownie) and we also treated ourselves to more ice cream in the square.

We went to the Archeological Museum in Salta and it was fascinating to read about the history of the Andes and the exhumation of three bodies from the peak of one of South America’s highest mountain. ‘The Lightening Girl’ was on show and it is truly remarkable.

It is Mother’s Day at the end of the month and the products on show in the shops were deeply offensive/amusing (depending on whether you ask Abigai or my good self).

The late afternoon was dedicated to finding a suitable tour for the weekend and we ended up booking a trip to Cachi on Saturday and Cafayate on Monday.

I was not convinced that it was the right day to be heading up to Cerro San Bernardo but Abi said that it would be best to go so we walked to the cable car before opting for a taxi up (it was a bit cheaper). The views were incredible and the cable car trip down was breathtaking.

Cachi

Cachi is a small town approximately 180km west of Salta and we spent the whole of Saturday on tour with Jose (a very amusing and knowledgable guide).

We had an early start (7am pick up) and the trip was a long one but the scenery on the way was incredible as we ascended up into the mountains to a high of 3800 metres.

The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly a stop in ‘El Parque Nacional de los Cordones’ which was home to thousands upon thousands of cacti. It truly was a site to behold.

The village itself was fairly uninspiring. The bus dropped us off outside a restaurant and there was an attempt to heard us inside but we quickly disappeared in search of our own sustenance. We were ejected from another restaurant because we were not part of that tour so we eventually settled on a small place that served us a pizza to share.

The return journey was quite long and we did not return to Salta until around 6pm. We were quite tired but we managed to go out for dinner and I tried a local stew – Locro. It did not taste of much but the meat was good and I enjoyed having something a little different.

We went to La Criollita and we also sampled a couple of empanadas that were so good that I delivered some to Abi in bed the following day as we allowed ourselves some well earned rest.

Our day of rest included the first rain that Salta has seen in 2019 (would you believe it!!!!!) and the locals enjoyed it even if we didn’t.

El Cafayate

Another early start but this time the bus did not arrive until 7.45 which meant 45 minutes of idly waiting.

Today’s trip was to El Cafayate, a town known worldwide for its wine production.

Again the scenery on the trip (this time South West of Salta) was stunning and we stopped off at the ‘garganta del diablo’ (more of them than pablo’s in South America) and also spent some time at the amphitheatre made out of rock with excellent acoustics (apparently – the singing was the wrong side of average).

We stopped off at the first vineyard and a man explained how the vineyard worked. Unfortunately the explanation took place in a warehouse type building with a tin roof and all we could hear was the wind shaking the metal.

We had a little taste of wine but I don’t drink and Abi doesn’t drink too often so we didn’t really enjoy it too much.

We continued on to the town itself and had some final empanadas in the square before wandering around and spending some time in the church.

Our guide also told us how the roof of the Bank was made for El Calafate (in Patagonia) but they got it confused with Cafayate so it ended up here – hence the snow roof in a place where it never snows.

When we returned to the bus and there was a vote to visit another vineyard. We were outvoted 13-2 so off we went to another one. Luckily this time the explanation was audible and we even enjoyed the white wine as it was quite sweet!

The return journey was tedious. A combination of annoying fellow tourists (one couple in particular were intent on going as far away as possible and undertaking ridiculous photoshoots) and 4 hours of Argentine folkloric music being blasted out of the speakers made it an excruciating return to Salta and we did not get back til around 8.30pm.

Because of our change of plans we had to relocate to another hostel and it was gone 10pm by the time we were on the hunt for dinner.

Abi’s Rating: 3.5/10 – The bed was comfy, no lock on the bathroom and dirty shower. Curtain was like a piece of paper. Just a bit dingy in general.

Mike’s Rating: 3/10 – Basic bathrooms, see through curtain…not good

I had a preference for one restaurant…Abi another…naturally we went for Abi’s choice and the rest, as they say, is history…

Despite the final night in Argentina being ruined we can laugh about it now and reflect on an amazing 3 weeks in the country. Abi loved it and we were really well looked after throughout our time there. The economic situation is pretty dire but the Argentine people are still incredibly warm and generous.

We were up early for a bus that would take us across the border and into Chile, to San Pedro de Atacama and a meeting with my Father.

#WhatOddsPaddy

We had the best time in Argentina and that meant matrimonial harmony was high throughout. We even saw the funny side of the haircutting situation and the only real change in the market came on that fateful final night when Abi was embarrassed by my increasing (h)anger and general rudeness at the restaurant. (Apparently asking ‘any news on the food’ is a bit rude…I beg to differ)

Divorce Odds: More chance of us returning to Adobe