The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Argentina (Part 1)

Friends and Family;

I am now in the northern regions of Argentina, in a small town called Cafayate.  For those of who with a little knowledge in wine, yes I am in a very important Argentinian wine producing town, but I swear to you that’s just a coincidence.  Funnily enough, the only wine I’ve had since coming to Argentina has been Chilean, and that was back in Salta.

I have decided to expand my knowledge of Argentina through a bit of hitchiking, which I have learned is a very popular thing among travellers to Argentina.  The reason for the popularity are the ridiculous transport costs that range anywhere between $80 to $150 for a trip that back in Peru, would have cost $5 to $15, the other are the people you meet.  I’ve been fortunate so far to have been picked up by some very nice people.

The first, an Argentinian delivery man who was going to a place called Colonel Moldes picked me up, and offered to take me to a lake that was quite pretty, and off the beaten gringo path.  I went with him, seeing the very impressive Lago Embalse Cabra Corral, apparently the second largest lake in Argentina.

There, we waited several hours before returning to Colonel Moldes, where I stayed the night in a small Casona, an old Spanish household that has been adapted from small mansion to hotel.  It was a very beautiful spot, and not cheap either.  I compromised by eating a sandwich and carrots for dinner.

The next day, I was on the road again, walking for about two hours before a couple of French travellers, medical students on leave, picked me up and offered to take me along with them.  I was grateful at that point for the ride, given how long it had taken.  We travelled the most beautiful stretch of highway in Argentina, affectionately called the Wine Road by the tourism agency.  It’s easy to see why as well, given that the entire trip goes from rapidly changing mountaneous ranges and gorges, to the flatlands that put the country on the map in terms of wine production.

They also stopped off at a local ancient citadel of a pre-Inca people called the Quilmes, who were able to resist Inca and Spanish conquest for over 130 years on account of the veritable fortress they had constructed into the mountainside.  We returned to Cafayate at night, accompanied by some fantastic colours and views.

Easy to say that the French turned out to be quite the cool bunch, and were actually staying the night in Cafayate, so we shared a hotel room and a meal of very delicious asado, what the Argentinians call barbeque.  We crashed, and had breakfast before sadly, parting ways and into our own individual futures.  I wish them well.