Travel Week 18
When I woke up, I discovered that the computer I had plugged in to charge overnight was completely drained of battery and unable to charge further. Several days of intense productivity, hanging out in the Cafe de Paris came to a close as I no longer had means to work. Even my daily Spanish study is intensely tied into my laptop. I crawled all over town looking for repair shops and got estimates of 1-3 weeks to complete repairs (because of generous time off for Carnaval).
Day 120:
| Antares Brewery | 300 |
| Total: | 300 ARS (3.81 USD) (RMB 26.6) |
I discovered a whole new neighborhood full of swanky cafes and breweries. I think Antares is based in Mar del Plata, or somewhere on the Argentine coast.
Day 121:
| Rotisserie Chicken | 210 |
| Ice Cream | 110 |
| Coffee | 100 |
| Burger and chips | 370 |
| Quilmes Beer | 250 |
| Total: | 1040 ARS (13.20 USD) (RMB 92.3) |
Unable to work in my daily haunt, I read the newspaper in Spanish. Also, back to real food.
Day 122:
| Pen | 35 |
| Porter Brew House | 550 |
| Arab Empanadas | 140 |
| Total: | 725 ARS (9.20 USD) (RMB 64.3) |
Having nothing better to do in Tucuman, I tried to get a refund for checking out early, but was refused on the basis that I got such a special discount (something like 30 pesos a night). So I was stuck there another day and my pen disappeared, which is weird because I had bought a three pack in Cordoba. How could they all have been lost so fast? At least I discovered an excellent bar where I could actually sit at a bar and the bartender chatted with me through the duration of happy hour.
Day 123:
| Bus to Tafi de Valle | 500 |
| Luggage | 10 |
| Nomade Hostel (1 night) | 700 |
| Artisenal beer (spicy) | 120 |
| Total: | 1330 ARS (16.88 USD) (RMB 118) |
I traveled up to a village in the mountains passing through at least three distinct ecosystems in the three hour drive. The chill farmhouse hostel included dinner (hamburgers completely made from scratch, e.g. even the buns) and breakfast. Tafi de Valle is very nice and worth a visit, though I had just missed out on the annual cheese festival the previous weekend.
Day 124:
| Bus to Cafayate | 450 |
| Cielito Lindo Hostel (2 nights) | 988 |
| Wine – Ice cream | 230 |
| Wine, tomato, lentils | 245 |
| Pan casero | 20 |
| Total: | 1933 ARS (USD 24.53) (RMB 171.5) |
I traveled on to Cafayate, Argentina’s other major wine producing region (after Mendoza). Cafayate is most famous for its unique white wine, called Torrontes. Of course, I had to try a bottle and seeing literally everyone eating ice cream on my 12 minute, thirsty walk from the bus terminal to the hostel. Cafayate was supposed to be a site of a big carnaval celebration but there was literally nothing going on in the town on either the Monday or the Tuesday before Lent.
Day 125:
| Nanni Bodega | 100 |
| Queso de Cabra | 280 |
| Bus to Salta (advance purchase) | 435 |
| Pan de campo | 15 |
| Bodega El Transito | 50 |
| Museum of Wine | 100 |
| Tortilla (street food) | 60 |
| Wine | 150 |
| Total: | 1190 ARS (15.10 USD) (RMB 105.6) |
I tried to fit a lot into my one full day in Cafayate, but barely managed to visit two bodegas, one goat farm, and the museum of vine and wine. If I wasn’t in a rush to hit Salta as soon as the holidays were over, I wouldn’t mind sticking around Cafayate for several days. It is small and relaxing and some of these bodegas are so cheap for the wine samples (compared to Mendoza!)
Day 126:
| Luggage | 10 |
| La San Francisca II (2 nights) | 890 |
| Wine, crackers, olives | 245 |
| Salta Beer | 60 |
| Total: | 1205 ARS (15.29 USD) (RMB 106.9) |
I booked a hostel in Salta from the bus on the way. It turned out to be a quasi-legal establishment, but seemed chill enough that I went ahead and paid for a second night. With a block of goat cheese, I needed to buy somethings to accompany it and spend a lovely evening on the rooftop terrace of the hostel. Of course with the delay of coming in (our bus lost a wheel and we were stranded on the highway two hours), I wasn’t able to find a repair shop right away.
It is kind of crazy how I have dropped my daily average by a dollar and a half over two weeks. It costs so little to live in Argentina, especially in the north.
Running Total: 3334.40 USD (RMB 23313.8)
Daily Average: 26.46 USD (RMB 185)