We got up and left Campo Quijano around 10AM for a long day ahead us. Tonight we were all leaving for various destinations, but before we would do that, we would head south of Salta, to the town of Cafayete.  It was an aggressive plan given our penchant for driving slowly along the road to admire the landscape, leaving late and, oh yeah, we had a couple of hundred kilometers to drive on a two-lane road.  But, we were the “cinco suertes” and we wouldn’t let any of that get to us.

The first part of the drive was through some beautiful farming areas that clearly had a strong German influence.  Then we crossed a geological frontier where we left green, rolling hills and hit arid, beautiful mountain ranges.  We did make time for a couple of spots that were significant.

The first was the “Devil’s Throat,” a rock formation that looked like you were walking into someone’s throat.  We climbed up the “tongue” inside and wandered around a bit.  The only hint that it might be the devil’s throat was the red coloring of the rock.  It wasn’t a fire red.  But, it does make for a snazzy name.

The second stop was at a nearly enclosed, open-air rock formation.  Envision walking into a circular rock formation with a small entryway where once inside you can see the sky and here the echos of those inside.  It was very cool.  I climbed a bit on the walls, and thanks to Kim, I have the picture above to show off.

There were a few vendors selling their wares at the entrance.  One guy was selling arm bracelets so I bought 5, one for each of us as gifts to remember the trip and each other.

We then jumped in the car and raced for Cafayete.  I had to get to a bank before it closed to pull out money to pay for my apartment in Buenos Aires when I arrived.  Sadly, we passed by some amazing rock formations – even after everything we had seen already on the trip, we were mesmerized. We got into Cafayete and I bolted for the bank.    The town was picturesque.  This is definitely a place to come stay for a long weekend.  It is very quaint, historically preserved with a town center that looked like something out of a movie.

Unfortunately, the bank had already shut and I was S.O.L.  So, when I got to BA, I would have to postpone my check-in for a day.  Not the end of the world by any stretch of hysteria.  But, I was looking forward to having a place of my own as soon as possible;  my nesting part of me needed to be fed.  Disappointed, I rejoined my friends (who had been exploring the town) so we could get on the road to Salta.

Now the race was on to get back to Salta.  Noemi was behind the wheel and took us home.  We arrived at the bus station with just enough time to turn the car in, find our bus platform, pick up some alimentos (snacks and drinks) for the 20 hour bus trip to Buenos Aires.  Kim, Andres and I boarded our bus.  Noemi and Pepe were headed to Cordoba to visit friends there.  It was a teary goodbye as the realization hit us that this incredible trip with these incredible people was over.

We had the front row of the bus to ourselves.  As we made ourselves comfortable, we took our shoes off.  Anyone who has ever worn Teva shoes knows that you trade off comfort for foot odor when worn for an extended period of time.  I chose a pair of shoes from Teva’s competitor, Keen, so I wouldn’t have this problem.  Well, apparently what I was told at the store wasn’t so true.  To sum it up, just when I thought the smell was dissipating, it was, in reality, so bad, that the people behind us complained.  So, the bus conductor actually had to tell me to put my shoes back on.  Not one of my finer moments for sure.

As I sit on the bus, Kim and Andres are both asleep.  And, I have a bit of time to reflect on the trip.  I’ve been traveling now for about six months and this trip ranks as one of the tops so far.  In travel, people come and go all the time.  Most of the time, you travel together for a few hours, maybe a couple of days, exchange emails and then that’s pretty much it.

But, there are those rare times when you actually connect with the people you are traveling with.  Kim told me today that she once read that the people you meet are there for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  Well, Pepe, Noemi and Andres definitely fit in the first two categories (Kim already is a lifer).  It still remains to be seen if they are with me for a lifetime, but I certainly hope so.

Originally Published September 14, 2007

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Tags: Argentina travel, Jeff's Career Break Blog

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