Drive from Salta, through Cachi, to La Paya

Th 1.31.13

• so I call these next couple posts "drives" because that's mostly what the rest of our trip consisted of...driving
• you're probably thinking, "That doesn't sound like much fun!" 
• but you see, the views in this region of Argentina are truly spectacular...we had limited time, so we wanted to see as much as we could...entonces, we squeezed in A LOT!
• after crying for having to leave Finca Valentina (see previous post), we were off...on the windy, sometimes paved, sometimes not, many times rough, narrow, and water-covered roads that led to our next destination, La Paya, where we'd spend the night

goodbye paved roads!

• we stopped several times along our journey to stretch and take photos...

• we even spotted the homeless man, randomly frolicking among the sheep

• we checked out some ruins

• then arrived at our first checkpoint for lunch at Sala de Payogasta, a recommendation by Valentina's husband
• we sat outside, enjoying local wines and appetizers, until the flies attacked, so we continued our meal inside

see Cathy keeping the flies out?  she's not about to share any of her wine!  smart woman

Jake's local tamale 

• I ordered the quinoa crusted goat cheese (yes, sounds weird for an entree, and it was...but always good to try new things)

• Jake got a cazuela de cabra (goat stew) that was pretty tasty

• then we continued on, through Cachi and other tiny towns so we could make sure we got to our hotel before exploring a bit more

loving all the change of scenery...and variety!

• after more curvy, dirt (rocky) roads, we somehow managed to locate the place, another gem, Finca La Paya (such a great place, and for a great price!)

• this place had some pretty nice touches too...beautiful green courtyard, stone, walkways and beds, and fitting decor

stone bed

• after getting settled a bit, we decided to do a little trekking, instead of more driving (i.e. going back to check out Cachi, or forward to see Molinos)

• this is the sort of terrain we faced:

• and the sort of animals we encountered:

• but the views made it worth it...plus it was good to get a bit of cardio in

• now, I can't take credit for these photos, as they were taken from one of the "mountain's" peaks...
• mountain man Jake decided to abandon us and take off up the hill on his own...

• where he got some great views of the hills and valleys (he said that these hills are taller than you think!)

• luckily he found his way back (I was beginning to worry), and found us relaxing around the pool

• we decided to go for the finca's  set price dinner that night, which was again, convenient, comfortable, and tasty

• we even got to see what this was made out of:

typical dessert in this region

that's one BIG melon!

• we all slept well that night, and vowed to get on the road early the next morning so we didn't feel rushed on our second full day of driving

F 2.1.13

• 7:30am complimentary breakfast setting looked like this:

• we hopped in the cars for another view-filled day...
• accommodations score: 3 for 3