Cafayate to Cachi

Part 2 of the Salta-Cafayate-Cachi circuit. An unpaved, upward drive to Cachi´s 2,200-metre altitude.  In a 2-door Corsa, it´s 3rd gear most of the way trying as much as you can to steer away from the sharp rock and pot holes that feature permanently along the entire route. For this reason alone, you see far fewer cars than on the first leg, and I suppose it´s the solitude that I enjoyed most about it. As white rock replaces red earth, the journey is every bit as enjoyable and even though you can drive no faster than 40kmh for most parts, you won´t want to.

This road is the northern section of the famous Route 40 which Graham and I spent most of our time on down in Patagonia.

Quite some distance north of the 0km marker where the lighthouse was,
at the bottom of Route 40.

First signs of altitude
Much that I enjoy taking photos of myself from close-up, it´s a bit monotonous seeing your own mug in EVERY print, so I decided to put the self-timer to some use. This was when I first noticed it the shortness of breath that followed the mildly physical act of pressing the timer and running 20 yards away to strike a pose.

This shot took 3 attempts by the end of which I felt like I had
played 10 minutes of football. 

Nearing Cachi the climb gets steeper and even just sitting in the car you notice you´re breathing just that much harder, although not enough to stop random punters for a quick snap. It gives the photo collection a ´human touch´ which I rather like.

It might also have been the result of altitude that I somehow missed this sign to Cachi prolonging my arrival by an hour. Instead of turning right as is clearly indicated, I drove straight past it for a half hour, over rocks, streams and mud lakes - all the way into a farmyard. So it was with some relief when I made it with still some light to spare, before wolfing down a Bife de Chorizo.

Excellent husband and wife team who run the restaurant
at El Cortigo hotel.