Backpacking South America

After Cafayate, it was off to meet our friends Paul and Kathy outside of Salta on an Estancia. We had intended to stay one night in Salta and leave first thing the following morning for the Estancia.

Once we arrived into town, we checked into our hostel and decided to wander the city to get the lay of the land and get a snack. After walking around the center plaza, we were heading back to a café we had passed by to get a bite to eat. I asked Jared, “What about that café?” As I was scanning the patio seating, there were Paul and Kathy! This world is seriously too small. We were all so pleasantly surprised.  They had, on a whim, decided to catch a ride to Salta with the owner of the Estancia and were in town for only 2 hours.

So, we joined them for a drink on the patio and were chatting about our travels and the random encounter that just happened. They then twisted our arms and asked them to join them at El Bordo for one extra night. We said “Definitely!” We promptly grabbed our bags and caught a ride back to the Estancia.

The following day, after breakfast, we went horseback riding all the way out into the middle of nowhere for a private Asado.

The Asado was amazing. We had 4 different types of meat, roasted green peppers stuffed with three types of cheese all cooked over a little fire, beer and wine and this beautiful setting in the woods, right beside a stream. It was a perfect break in our day and we didn’t even need to lift a finger. They hauled out a table and chairs for us and just served us. It was so much fun.

We had very good horses. Paul’s horse always wanted to race. Jared’s horse just couldn’t stand still, even when we stopped it would lap my horse. And my horse, well, he was a good horse, but man was he slow. He was a follower, not a leader. When he did keep a good pace, he was always up on someone’s butt, and if close enough, rubbing his head against another. But he never wanted to be in the front of the pack, so I was eating everybody’s dust all day and got home covered in dirt head to toe. I even had a sunglass mark of dust on my face.

Our second day on the Estancia was a bit more relaxed. Jared and Paul headed out for a morning ride, while Kathy and I sat around relaxing. I found a comfortable spot by the pool where I spent most of the afternoon. We had a delightful afternoon tea that day featuring fresh baked banana bread.

That night, we shared a bottle of the El Porvenir Laborum Tannat before dinner. At dinner, we were treated to traditional dances performed by a group of local children. They performed two dances before dinner, and another dance between the starter and main course. All this took place on the back lawn. Every meal while at the Estancia took place in a different location on the property. It was absolutely beautiful!

The following morning, it was back to Salta. We spent the morning and early afternoon with Paul and Kathy, but then it was time for them to head out and we began to settle back into our normal life of traveling.