Tafi del Valle

lunch in the middle of nowhere

After leaving the estancia as the sun rose on Thursday, we drove to Tafi del Valle. Much of the journey was driving past the pampas, or then through areas that often seemed completely deserted and inhospitable.

We stopped for lunch at an abandoned petrol station in the middle of nowhere.

The last Dragoman truck??

There were a couple of deserted buses which inevitably led to the suggestion that these were the last dragoman trucks to pass through.  We found the ladies toilets but sadly all that was left was the stump of one loo, so we had to make alternative arrangements.  It wasn't the most pleasant spot for lunch, but somehow it felt right given the type of journey we are on.

The journey to Tafi del Valle

But the latter part of the drive changed completely and took us through the hills, with the roads winding up and down, and almost jungle like trees and plants in the valleys.

Tafi is a small town about 2000m above sea level, and reminded me of westerns where you have a town with one main street and a few roads off it, with nothing else around for miles.

Tafi del Valle

Tafi wasn't really quite that extreme, but it was a small town and largely had one main road of shops with hills and lakes surrounding it.  It has plenty of tourist shops as it is the summer destination for many people from Tucoman.

We only arrived in time to set up camp and have dinner that evening, but we had time to have a quick look around the town the next morning.

Sunset at the campsite in Tafi del Valle

We also had to take the opportunity to visit the local butchers and buy meats for our barbecue that evening.  Dave and Ivan had created something of a challenge that 5-800 grammes was the expected amount of meat to be consumed on an Argentinian barbecue, so we felt it necessary to rise to that challenge, and between us bought over 1600 grammes of steak and four sausages.  All for less than £10.