A-C-B: Tafi de Valle

On October 19th Joan and I grabbed a couple of pastries at 7:00, when the hotel buffet opened, and then joined guide Laura and driver Gustavo for the trip to the downtown Buenos Aires airport and a busy travel day.

Despite our early arrival the automatic check-in kiosk showed only a few unassigned seats on our flight to Tucumán, in northwestern Argentina, and no two adjacent. However, on the plane, Joan's row had plenty of empty seats! The Aerolineas Argentina software wasn't synchronized with reality.

We knew before check-in that our luggage would be overweight, and we were prepared for the modest fee; within Argentina, the limit is 15 kg / 33 lbs. per person. When the check-in agent discovered this a multi-step process began. He tore up the boarding passes that had printed out and directed us to a window across the hall to pay the fee. No, it could not be done at check-in. Joan, Laura, and I waited in line to pay the fee and have new boarding passes printed. Many were paying in cash -- perhaps Aerolineas didn't want the check-in agents handling cash? Or they wanted to create more jobs?

Theoretically we boarded in two groups -- rows 1-15 and 16-29. But that merely affected the order in which we boarded buses to drive out to the plane, so inevitably some mixing occurred.

On the plane I was in a middle seat, and a young man was sitting in the window seat. The cabin attendants offered drinks and snacks, including alfajores, which come in many varieties; mine reminded me of the moon pies of my youth in Tennessee. When the young fellow heard me speaking English he introduced himself, Pablo. He was returning to his job as a radio host after spending a month working as a volunteer at the Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. I introduced him to Joan at the baggage claim.

In the arrivals hall we met Carlos, our guide for the rest of our trip. Outside there was a light spring rain. We immediately began to drive towards Tafí del Valle, today's destination, and Carlos described his trip to meet us. He had been rear-ended in a minor collision, which left his back bumper somewhat misaligned with the rest of the car, and for several days, until he found some suitable wire, it would require periodic inspection to make sure it wasn't falling off. The loose look of the bumper made the police suspicious, and they stopped him to make certain he wasn't stuffing drugs under it. Joan and I were glad he had been able to make it to the airport!

Tucumán is at 470 meters / 1542 ft., and at 26.8° south latitude, has a warm and wet climate; annual rainfall is about 1000 mm. On the other hand, Tafí del Valle is at 2,014 meters / 6,608 ft., annual precipitation only 410 mm, and is a favorite cooling-off spot for the citizens of the plains. The drive was a long and twisty one (click on the image to enlarge).

The climate is visibly drier at the top.

This region is part of the Yungas, a transition zone between the Andean highlands and the eastern forests -- a subtropical highland climate. In Argentina the name is pronounced Zhoon-gus.

Trade winds dump moisture on the rising slopes, and today there was rain of varying intensity.

A viewpoint over the draining river.

Looking upstream.

The three of us ate lunch by the riverside further up the road, while the weather cooperated. There was also time for some casual bird watching; above, a cactus was blooming.

Carlos drove us up and on to Tafí del Valle, where we checked into the Hosteria Lunahuana. The skies were overcast, but the precipitation hadn't made it this high. The three of us went for a walk.

Our route passed through a district with lots of small shops on either side of a noisy road hosting a variety of vehicles -- bicycles, motorbikes, autos, and small trucks. We left the crowded zone at a bridge over the confluence of two streams, and I took this picture looking back.

While crossing the bridge we were adopted by several roaming dogs, who would run ahead and check out interesting aromas and contest right-of-way with the resident canines.

We traveled as far as the Jesuit Chapel Museum and took the tour, with Carlos interpreting the Spanish-speaking guide for us. This history took us through indigenous, pre-conquest times up to the revolution for Argentine independence from Spain.

On our way back we stopped at a cheese/fruit/meat shop. We tasted the owner's unaged grape wine, and a soft cheese that came in flat strips, about the size of an extra-large ribbon of lasagna. Joan and I bought two strips of the cheese.

Our room at the hosteria had a small upper level, reachable by a stairway so steep that the steps had alternating left-right cutouts. (I never went up there, although Joan did.)

The dining room opened for dinner at 8:30, reminding us that we were in the Latin culture now. We had a good meal, including a half-bottle of local wine, and returned to our room eager for more exploration of the area tomorrow.