Backpacking South America

We had such a wonderful time in Cafayate that we decided to take the 3.5 hour bus ride back to spend a few more days, which turned into more than a week.  Cafayate is a town that either wraps you up and makes you want more, or is so small that you’re ready to go after one or two days.  Obviously, we fell into the former group.

On our bus trip, we met a nice family that had made reservations at the hostel we were planning to stay at, the Rusty K Hostel.  The Rusty K is the most recommendable hostel that we have stayed at thus far.  It was well laid out, not overly cramped or large, but with lots of open space on the patio that you couldn’t resist grabbing a beer (quite cheap at this hostel) and lounging for a bit.  It was also extremely clean and well run by a super friendly and helpful family.

Our First Asado

One of the nights, we decided to try our hand at the parrilla with our new found friends.  So we grabbed meat for four people, green peppers, 3 types of cheese (soft, hard and blue), and a bag of carbon (already burnt woodchips).  With the help/guidance of Walter, the owner of the hostel, we got the fire started.

Our first course was green peppers sliced in half, stuffed with the cheeses and roasted on the grill for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese was melted and there was a nice char on the bottom of the peppers placed on top of sliced bread.  About 10 minutes later, the first cuts of meat were ready.  First was the bife de lomo (beef tenderloin), then the vacio (flank steak… I think).   It was an epic feast and everybody was completely full by the end.

The Art of Doing Nothing

After visiting a few wineries we had missed and re-visiting a few others, we decided to take a weekend at a hotel to enjoy a pool and relax… (more on this in a future post).  Unfortunately, Hotel Killa was booked, so we had to try another hotel which was totally unremarkable, but comfortable nonetheless.

Breaking out of the Lazy Funk

By the end of the hotel stay, after having too much time and getting restless, which I hadn’t expected – we decided to break out our lethargy by taking an afternoon excursion to Quebrada de las Conchas.   I was very thankful we got out, got the blood pumping, and took advantage of the beautiful scenery around Cafayate.

View complete set from Quebrada de las Conchas

This is another location, similar to Valle de la Luna (but still very different), where the movement of the earth’s plates has caused the earth to shoot up in very drastic formations and colors.

Saying Goodbye

After so much time enjoying Cafayate, it felt really comfortable and a bit like home.  It was hard to say good-bye to the friends we met and the places we enjoyed, but we could feel deep inside our bones that it was time to move on.