A two-hour bus ride from Cafayate, along a winded dirt road through devastating landscape, leaves me at the corner of the dusty little plaza in Angostaca, Salta. Population: 1,200. Number of restaurants: 3. Hotels: 2. Gas Stations: 1. No: Internet, Cell Service etc... The kind of town where even the dogs know you're not from around.
On one of my first days in Cafayate, I wandered up a dirt road on the outskirts of town towards a mountain stream said to boast a number of waterfalls along its path. The two hour walk took me past a number of humble, mud brick homes the same color as their sepia surroundings, acres upon acres of vineyards and a handful of wineries. When all this came to an end, I was left once again with the barren desert scape, speckled with yellowed-out grasses, low shrubs and regal cactus.
Oh, you lady like llama
how elegant and smart you seem
with your coquettish batted lash
and your moon brown eyes
and your corn buck teeth
How you nibble my palm
with your two grey tongues
and your three soft lips
Oh llama, of my fluttersome heart
The word chivo literally translates to 'male goat'. In Argentine spanish (at least, but I cannot attest to the vernacular of other goat domesticating or non-goat domesticating Spanish speakers), chivo is used in an array of other contexts. Meter el chivo- put in the goat, refers to someone who cheats on their partner, and pasar el chivo- pass the goat, is often used by television and radio stars to self-publicize other the information about their
The delicious day took me on yet another bus outside of the little mountain town of Tafi del Valle. Tafi is now the summer escape for lowlanders driven out of the city of San Miguel de Tucuman by the intolerable heat. But originally, Tafi was founded by Jesuits with a ferocious desire to make cheese. A half and hour outside of the town by bus, you'll find Estancia las Carreras where the descendants of the original owners have been cheesing it up since 1779.
