Cafayate

I’m beginning to think that I’ve got the hang of this driving thing! There are definitely times that remind me that I’m very much brand new to manual cars, but I’m doing ok! Oh, and for those of you aware of my new-found fear of roundabouts, I thought I was afraid of stalling, but I should have been afraid of not knowing how to exit the roundabout when going anticlockwise

Really I only had a few small issues with the driving. When leaving the rental car place, I had no idea how widely I needed to turn, and got uncomfortably close to the wall – that would have been embarrassing to run into… Stalling four times at a single intersection wasn’t a great look either, and I don’t really blame the person beeping at me from behind! There was also the time where I pulled into a park nose-first, and upon leaving found myself stuck. I honestly thought I was going nuts – the car wouldn’t reverse!! I had to get out and ask a stranger to reverse it out for me Turns out there’s a thing on the gear stick that you have to pull in order to get into reverse – would have been good to know that in advance!!! And finally, the parallel park I just did on the street outside the hostel has got to be one of the worst parks I’ve ever done in my life, but it is staying that way!

Today’s trip was to Cafayate, 190km away from Salta. It’s a nice wee town probably most famous for its wine, though if you know me at all, you’ll know that’s not why I went – I went for the rocks! My research tells me that the area was initially a result of tectonic movement that was later eroded by water – some of the more famous features of the area used to be waterfalls! The formations run along more than 50km of the road, so there was a lot to see, and there were all quite different in shape and colour. Very interesting! Maybe I should become a rock person