Living a dream...

Falling asleep on the bus departing from the Arg/Bol border, I awoke in Salta, Argentina, which, having come from Bolivia, proved to be a remarkable contrast. The cleanliness and organization of the streets was reminiscent of many of the cities I visited in Europe. The faces of the older people told a story not of poverty, desperation and loss, as in Bolivia, but of a life full of vibrance and plentifulness. One does not need to know the history of these places to understand the readily apparent fact that life for Argentinians is relatively painless when considering the years of suffering endured by their northern neighbors.
I have come to realize that large cities, as comfortable as they may be, all start to resemble one another after a few weeks on the road. True adventure, for me, is most often found on the road less travelled. For this reason, we opted to stay in Salta only one night and rent a car early the following morning. This was undoubtedly one of the best decisions of the entire trip. Joined by Dimi(Greek) and Grace(Canadian), we hit the open road, bound for the vineyard rich region of Cafayate. The 3.5 hour drive was breathtaking, a mix of spectacular sandstone rock formations and lush green hills. More or less, Grand Canyon meets Jurassic Park meets Napa Valley. Upon arrival, we toured a vineyard, went out to dinner, and, naturally, spent the rest of the evening imbibing the local industry. That night we saved money on a hostal and instead chose to sleep in a vineyard underneath thousands of stars. Some experiences in life verge on perfection- this was one of them.
The second day began with a fairly intense hangover, though it wasn´t anything that could not be cured with a good breakfast. We spent the hottest hours of the day relaxing and gathering materials for a picnic, which was thouroughly enjoyed at the bank of a river a couple miles outside of town. We found the tranquility of our lunch locale to be irresistable, and thus opted to hike upstream in search of a good place to camp for the night. I slept about as well as one could expect to on the bare ground, but the calm sounds of the river and the spectacular night sky were pleasant companions to my restlessness.
I can say with certainty that my time in Cafayate will prove to be one of the highlights of the entire trip. Looking back on the experience, it felt more like a movie than reality. It is times such as these that make life such a spectacular gift...

Responses to comments...
Jeremy- Thank you for the kind words old friend. Im really looking forward to spending time with you when I get back. Lets plan some cool CO road trips to go on in the next couple months...

Ryan- Im glad to hear you did well on the CSAPs. Those tests are definitely stupid, I agree, but still a good chance to show off your intelligence! I think there are tons of places perfect for a Ryan/Andy adventure. Did you know that many archaelogists think there are undiscovered Inca Ruins in the Bolivian rainforest? Maybe we could find them; we would be rich and famous and we could save all of the miners in Potosi! What do you think?

Mom- We got some great cowboy pictures that will help you visualize your 6´4 son riding a horse. It was probably about as strange looking as you are imagining, but Ill leave that judgment up to you.

Hilda- Are you glad to have your daughter home safe and in one piece? Im sure she is missing it down here already, but you are probably sleeping much better at night now that she is home :)

Katie- Great to keep in touch with you via Skype. I can t wait to see you and the rest of the family! Looking forward to the move as well!