Quilmes

After staying far longer than we expected, we finally left Cafayate. Great place. Definitely a  highlight of northern Argentina for us so far.

The town itself and has lots to offer, with plentiful restaurants, bodegas and heladerias around a peaceful town square. But, as usual, the best parts were the experiences and the people we met.

We met a nice family from Arizona who had come down here to find some land, get some cows and chickens, and live their Argentinean dream. More power to ’em. I found a great butcher – always important, especially when you look under the counter and most of the meat is unidentifiable. We met some nice locals, cool campers,  and hung out with some of those notorious Argentinean hippies. Even our regular camp site dogs were cool – our favorite we named Dye Job. He looked like he had accidentally sat down in some bleach.

But, when the hot sand storms started, we decided it might be time to get moving. The first one was an interesting experience. The second one was an inconvenience. The third one… time to go.

We headed south and stopped to see the ruins at Quilmes. It’s interesting enough for a stop and is in a beautiful setting, but don’t go out of your way.

We kept rolling and eventually decided to stop in Tafi del Valle. A formerly small farming village that seems to be suffocated by modern weekend homes. The huge number of vacation homes here seems comical. Weird and out of place – haven’t seen anything like this since Mexico.