Since we were the only people on this tour, they modified the itinerary so that we could visit Cafayete, a few hours away, but promising to be an interesting drive and town. Somehow, our hotel in Salta knew that today was my birthday, so with our breakfast, they brought a little cake made of alfajores (the traditional Argentinian cookies) with a candle. It was very sweet.
We left Salta for the Lerma Valley, which includes many gorges and natural rock formations. We were a full van of 14, with visitors from many countries. We saw the La Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat) and El Anfiteatro (The Amphitheatre), both of which were spectacular in their size and color. The Amphitheatre has the most amazing acoustics that resonate within the entire inside. I am not sure if they host musical events, but there was a musician sitting on a rock inside playing a guitar and you could hear every word and note!
Before having lunch, we visited a small winery, owned by a couple of generations of a family. The son recently returned from three months in Italy to gain more knowledge. He already looked very Italian, which wasn’t a bad thing! We tasted the wines, but did not find anything we especially liked. They served empanadas, which were tasty, so the visit wasn’t entirely wasted.
We then had lunch on the main square and decided that this was the time to sample the local delicacy of llama. It wasn’t bad. It could have been any meat, though. Otherwise, there wasn’t much to see in the town. As we departed, we were taken to another winery that we hoped had some delicious wine. In actuality, this stop was unplanned because our van had a flat tire and the driver had to change the tire. In addition to making wine, they also made fine olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Time to head back to Salta. Within a half an hour, a deluge of rain hit the road we were on. Water rose to at least the middle of our tires, with streams of water (like arroyos) entering our road from the towns we passed. We were stopped twice, waiting to find out the status of traversing the high water. In one case, a small sedan was stuck with water up to their doors and a band of helpers pushed the car out of the way. The second time, a tractor-trailer was caught and another one attempted to tow it out of the water. We waited for about an hour and a half, as the rain continued.
We arrived in Salta two and a half hours late, tired and ready to depart for our flight tomorrow to Mendoza.