ruta cuarenta

so i´ve finally made it to the last country on this incredible journey...argentina. but first, i went through a couple more places in bolivia, trying to get all i could out of it before i entered the land of the expensive. tupiza, the wild wild west with an indigenous twist, for horseback-riding and tarija, ¨the most mediterranean of all of the country¨so said the lonely planet, but in all reality it was just a couple of ho-hum plazas and dingy hotels, for a taste of bolivian wine (and let´s just say that got me ruuuuuul excited for the vino in argentina!). i took a night bus down to the border town of villazon (side note: bolivian bus lines always plan their routes so you get in at, you know, between the very reasonable hours of 2-4am. because that´s the exact time i want to get into a new city, with everything i own on my back, running on no sleep, food or energy) and true to form, i arrived at little past three. unsurprisingly, immigration offices weren´t open, so i crashed out for a couple hours on the bus with the drivers and luggage handlers. they were even nice enough to lend me a couple blankets to snuggle up in.

then, i crossed the border, and everything changed. what, roads are paved? there are movies on the bus, and not one, but two!? the seats actually recline? coffee service? why yes, i would LOVE a glass of wine, thank you very much. toto, we are definitely not in kansas--or south america, for that matter--anymore.

it doesn´t have much of an indigenous culture, the spanish accent is nearly impossible to understand, people seem to survive solely on massive amounts of meat, and the prices are absolutely killing my budget, but gosh dang, argentina, i think i love you. i really do. and not just because they serve wine on the buses.

salta, the first town i settled into, reminds me more of spain or italy than peru or ecuador. sprawling plazas lined with palm trees, large avenues, large groups sharing mate, pizzerias on every corner, old men debating politics and lingering over cafe con leches and a sense of sophistication that for the first time makes me feel a bit self-conscious in my flip flops and dirty jean shorts. it´s still latin, but with class.


i promised my mother i wouldn´t hitchhike, and thus was hit with a bit of a dilemma. i had heard about this amazing drive from salta to the small towns of cachi and cafayate, connected by the famous route 40, ruta cuarenta, the longest road in argentina that stretches from bolivia to patagonia, the road taken by che guevara on his infamous trip through the south america. it had to be done. only problem is that there is no public transportation between the two cities. luckily, a swiss guy, martin, from my hostel had his heart set on renting a car, and even though i couldn´t pay (because, if you haven´t noticed, i am cheap cheap cheap), said i could tag along for the ride. road trip!

clear the road! alex is attempting to drive a stick shift!

garganta del diablo (devil´s throat)

the scenery was incredible, and the company wasn´t too bad either. a quirky character, this martin. english wasn´t his first language so we had a couple lost-in-translation issues. especially once i started on the wine (as he was the driver, that meant that i got to taste the vino at all the wineries we stopped at, whee!). communication problems aside, though, we made great road trip buddies.

and my personal favorite, wine-flavored ice cream. though i am a red wine girl through and through, the man in the shop recommended the fruity local torronte. wine and ice cream, together as one, something quite nearly close to perfection.


i learned both how to drive and stick shift AND change a tire, along with being informed of the fun fact that people in switzerland eat horses. you really do learn something new every day.