We
spent the night at a yoga retreat near Catamarca, but we don't
do yoga. Sadly, they expressly prohibited consumption of
meat and alcohol. Somehow, we both survived. Their
meal was quite tasty, so color me surprised. But,
breakfast was another deal all together. On the list of
"prohibited substances" was coffee. Color me sleepy.
We left the facility soon thereafter, returning to the real
world.
The photos below are what we saw.
The area
around Catamarca was lowland and somewhat arid. As we
headed over the next range of mountains, the vegetation grew
dense.
We
pulled over at the crest of the mountains and got a great view
of the valley beyond.
At the
pull-out I spotted this small bush with striped fruit about the
size of golf balls. Note the thorns protecting the fruit.
We knew
that we were days away from our eventual destination of Salta so
we decided to "slow the roll". We passed a road-side
parrilla and we stopped for lunch. They had beef ribs,
chicken, chorrizo and tripe. We chose the chicken and beef
ribs (costilla). This was the best meal that we have had
recently and surely the most tasty. When we finished lunch,
we continued on toward Tafi del Valle, in the nearby
mountains. Tafi is a popular resort town.
The road
to Tafi was super steep, narrow and very curvy. Within a
few minutes we were into hard-core jungle. At a pull-out,
we got a view nice view of the jungle river below.
The
canyon walls were very steep and totally covered with dense
jungle.
We were
traveling on a Sunday and the weekenders at Tafi were coming
down from the mountain. We were expecting the traffic, but
not the traffic hazards. The cattle in the roadway totally
ignored the presence of cars and did not respond at all to my
horn. I was fearful about getting too close and getting my
rental car kicked or gored in the process (and yes, I have had
vehicles gored before). The cattle eventually got out of
the roadway allowing us to pass.
A few
miles down the road put us above tree line.
We
rolled into the Tafi area and spotted this tourist trap.
The statues of the Incas got plenty of attention, the first step
in the pottery sales process.
Tafi was
high enough that it was in the clouds.
To our
surprise, Tafi was having a feria (a fair). There were
tons of folks and tons of car. Our path took us right
through the center of the action.
It was
getting late in the day and we had seen some road signs for the
El Mirador de Tafi, so we decided to stay the night. It
was a nice place, likely the nicest in town.
This
young fellow had his mount right outside the hotel.
This
pair were in full native garb with their dog in tow.
I
believe this breed of horse is a Paso Peruvian.
More
folks in native garb.
This
pair brought the colt along to get it accustomed to traffic and
people.
Like
other ferias, it was a "see and be seen" event.
It was
raining lightly but we decided to check out the vendor
area. There was plenty of stuff for sale at the various
stalls, but it was all the same stuff.
This gal
was an exception; she was an herbalist. Or a bruja (a
female shaman, AKA witch). Her sign states that she can
make amulets that can give you luck, money, work, better
business or love. The box on top was labeled "evil eye".
She had
something for every malady: diabetes, high blood pressure,
impotence, digestive issues, colitis, sinusitis, etc.
This cabellero
brought his puppy.
| Previous Adventure | ||
| Trip Home Page |
Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2018, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.