We had heard of this place while we were in Bolivia and we knew we had to go. A girl from Colorado described it as a place of overflowing wine and never ending meat. It did not hurt that she said it was some of the best meat she had ever had. So even though it was not a planned stop, not that we plan, we changed course and headed to Salta to find out if Sayta was as great as she said.
We arrived in Salta at night and the next day Enrique the owner sent a car to pick us up from the hostel. There were also two guys from the states and Australia that joined us in the car. We arrived to tea on the porch and a very friendly Enrique. He was such a good host and welcomed us to his home with open arms literally a bear hug from a man who reminded me of an Argentinian Santa Claus.
After tea we went on a horseback ride with a guide. It was a nice calm ride with some galloping but mainly walking and taking in the landscape of pastures rising to meet mountains in the distance. It was really amazing but no room on the horse for a camera so no pictures. Oh by the way the guide was really cute, more than cute even handsome.
When we got back to Enrique’s he had the grill going. We washed up and then he poured us one glass of water followed by one extremely large glass of wine. I say one because he never let my glass go empty. When it started to get low he would fill it back up to the rim. I know that throughout the day we drank at least 14 bottles of wine and there were 5 people.
Once the food was done the table was filled with salads: lentils, white beans, grilled eggplant, potatoes, grilled onions, roasted pumpkin, and more things that I cannot remember. Everything was so delicious but the meat was still to come. He came by and served us sausage and fillet. I think that it was the most tender and juicy piece of meat that I have ever eaten. He bought half a kilo of meat for each person. (For the Americans reading about a pound and a half of meat) All washed down with wine. It just keeps coming.
After lunch we talked for a while, Enrique is just such a funny guy that we chatted till the guys had to leave. Then he asked us what we wanted for dinner. Not that we were hungry at all but Salta was the empanda capital of the world so why not. It was not until 10 pm that we ate dinner but even then I was still so full that I could only have three small empandas. I went to bed full and slept the best I have slept in 3 months.
The next day was about the same except we went for a ride in the afternoon and that day for lunch there was a large tour group there. They went for a ride in the morning and we went with Enrique into town to buy some traditional Argentinian country shoes known in the states as Tom’s. We stopped at the local fruit stand and talked with the owners who are good friends of Enriques. They let us try mate and a local dessert turron which is different than the Spanish version. We got back and some of his family came in from out of town. Lunch was served and though I had less wine this time I still had more than normal. Everything was just as good as yesterday with a few changes. We had pork that melted in your mouth it was so good, ribs, fillet, blood sausage (I had two pieces and I do not usually like it), and pork sausage. It was a feast and though I loved it I was ready for a light meal after this. Two days eating like that and you don’t need to eat for a month.
After lunch we went on a ride with an Israeli family that showed up during lunch. It was a nice ride similar to the one we did the day before, relaxing and beautiful. When we got back we talked to Enrique for a while and he offered us a job as translators and we could stay on the farm and live for free. I would have loved to do it but there is still a lot to see and I am not ready to stop looking.
Laura
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