Being that Tucuman is situated in the northen region of Argentina, there are many mountain ranges nearby. To get away from the city we set out to explore Tafí del Valle, a small pueblo about 2.5 hours from Tucuman. We left on a Thursday morning and arrived around noon. After unloading our gear at the Nomade Hostel and Campground we scarfed down some Milanesa sandwiches and set off on foot for another pueblo, El Mollar. We trekked down the valley along the river and passed an ancient cemetary, wild horses and amazing casas viejas where few people live, and live off the land. The wind was in our face and provided a proper exfoliation since it was blowing so fast!
At El Mollar we had to hustle to catch the last bus back to Tafí or we'd of been trekking back in the dark...not bad, but we'll save it for later. While there we had a friend, another dog, who I am thinking about going back to get...and bring home to Chi! That night we were dying for a hot shower and the hostel had that under control! We dined at Don Pepito, one of few restaurants in Tafí. Using our mini calefactor to heat our room, we passed out for a less than proper night's rest. The next morning we woke early and set out to peak Cerro Pelao, a quick 45 minute ascent, but with views worth 45 million pesos. To our luck we met two guys, an Argentine, Mariano, from Mar de Plata and an Israeli, Amir. They met in Cordoba and decided to travel together; how sweet! They had tunes and we hung out together through the descent.
I will see him soon!
After grabbing our stuff from the hostel we hopped on the bus back to Tucuman but quickly got off down valley in the jungle region at a lower altitude called El Indio. We walked there for 3 hours in the humid fog and just relaxed and enjoyed having the river alongside us. After getting on the next bus that we saw we were famished and couldn't wait to feast back at Babi's condo in Tucuman. D stayed up and enjoyed a hot shower and I passed out within 30 minutes, yes, in my own filth...and for sixteen (16) hours!!! Don't worry, I showered right when I woke up.
Dani prepped for El Mollar
Hail to El Indio
Mariano, Amir y el Perro
