It is great to be back in ARGENTINA

It really is! Since crossing the border, we spent the last few days hiking and eating (or, for Dan and Ioanna, drinking) so this post will be devoted to these two 'activities'. 

The first nice hike we did was into a lush green valley with a river in the middle. We walked along up the valley to get to a wonderfully shaded riverbank where we had lunch. There were plenty of rocks and logs to climb on, and Ismene and I had a brilliant adventure while eating our sandwiches. I crossed the river by hopping on stepping stones, but when we left, I climbed over a big log that went from one side of the riverbank to the other. That was fun and I thought pretty easy but Ismene and Ioanna didn't want to try it. We also had a quick swim in the river which was incredibly refreshing after the dusty and hot walk. I say refreshing but, actually, it was so cold that Ismene came out screaming and looking rather blue!

Our next hike was through the Valle Encantado or Encanto Valley (not the one where the film Encanto which Ismene loves so much was set in. That one is set in Colombia). The hike wiggled through the valley with a canyon that was green and lush inside but barren and dry outside. After twisting through the valley, the path led us up and over a couple of hills into one of the places where, apparently, potatoes first originated! Apparently, the Incas first harvested the potatoes in this area so I think it's only right we all thank the Incas for our chips!

Our third and final hike in the area was to a little chapel on the side of a mountain. The hike was not very long (around 6km) but it was steep and we were climbing up the mountain most of the time. Especially at the very end, the path was very steep, and every now and then, we would see a cross with the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 13, 14 written in roman numerals for the stations of the cross and the numbers would fill us with hope that we are getting close to our destination. 

Now, in terms of the second most popular 'activity' of our stay in Cachi: eating and drinking. Food was great and cheap, but the highlight for me was my first time trying out a roasted goat! It was delicious! The ribs were perfect and very tender (with enough meat to have something to gnaw at but not completely covered with meat so there is no bone to hold). We also tried out more empanadas and, of course, a lot of ice-cream. 

We also went to one of the bodegas where Dan and Ioanna tried out different wines while Ismene and I played with the owner's dog and ate all the wine snacks. Dan and Ioanna didn't seem to mind maybe because they were enjoying their wine a bit too much to notice us eating their food.

Moving down to the next village today to see what else we can see!

ps. I almost forgot to tell you that we drove a road called the Recta del Tin Tin. When I first heard about this, of course I assumed it was called like that because of Tintin and tried to remember which of his adventures were set in this area. The answer is: none! The road was named after the valley of Tin Tin and has nothing to do with Tintin. But still, it was great to drive this with Chiquita - a perfectly straight road up the plateau on the hills near Cachi, probably first built by the Incas. 

pps. We've now done a quarter of our trip. 3 months since we left England, 9 months to go! Will we make it up to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia?