Cafayate – the first two weeks

View of the Andes from the house

Cafayate, as seen from San Ysidro mountain

Our first couple weeks in Cafayate were a blur.  We learned a lot:

- Food:  the first night we arrived, we had no food, so our neighbors, the Kinghorns, lent us a couple frozen burger patties and some bread and condiments.  Additionally, since we have no car, our only mode of transportation to and from town are our bicycles.  We intended to buy two bikes in Salta, but only one was available.  So, we had to borrow a second (inferior) bike from the spa at La Estancia.  Next up was learning how to procure food in Cafayate.  There’s no supermarket where you can just buy whatever you want.  Shelf-stable goods and deli meats/cheeses are sold in small markets, of which there are many, with varying inventories.  Fruit/veggies and meats are sold in small stores at the central market, of which there are many, with varying quality.  And, oh yeah, everything closes down for siesta from 2-6pm.

- Bugs: when we arrived, the weather was gorgeous, so we propped the doors open for an hour or two at dusk.  BAD IDEA.  We spent the first night with tons of mosquitoes buzzing in our ears (I got bites on both eyelids one night, which swelled nearly shut).  For the first week, we had all manner of insects throughout the house – beetles, spiders (including a few massive huntsman specimens), flies, moths, ants, and a bunch of things I can’t even identify.  Needless to say, we were paranoid from then on, and kept all doors and windows shut at all times.

- House stuff: when we arrived, the only pot or pan in the house was a wok.  Additionally, the stove is spec’d for natural gas, but as the pipeline from Salta is still in construction, it currently uses propane, which has far greater energy density.  So, we scorched a lot of food before we got good at using it.  On our third or fourth evening, an extremely strong thunderstorm rolled through, and the house partially flooded.  Since this is a brand new house, there are some kinks to work out, including some improperly graded door and windowsills.  The house also does not yet have window coverings, so we had to buy some blankets to string up over the windows in our bedroom.  And on and on.

- Neighbors: we met lots of people in our first couple weeks – the Kinghorn family, Kent & Jane Russell, Carol & Mike Peters, the Galland family, Roan and Emily Marshall, and many others.  On our first Saturday, Gary Kinghorn and Kent Russell invited us to go on a hike up to the cross on San Ysidro mountain (which was fantastic).  And to top it all off, we got invited to a Christmas party for all the residents, where we got to mix and mingle with even more people!  Everyone has so far been extremely nice and helpful.

- The View: wow, this place is gorgeous!  It feels a little like Jackson Hole, with mountains on all sides.  Except the mountains are far more rugged, and there are red rocks like in the Southwest.  Kristen took the same picture of the same mountains every evening for the first week – it was just too pretty to stop.  And the town is picturesque as well.  There is a nice little square/plaza in the middle of town, with a colonial-style church at one end, and restaurants/bars lining the other sides.  And of course, great mountain views in every direction.

In all, the experience has been a whirlwind.  Since this place is quite new, there are no established systems, and everyone does things differently - where to change money, where to buy the best fruits and veggies, which restaurants are trustworthy, which stores sell X/Y/Z, what type of car is best and where to buy it, how to fix some common house problems, etc.  We solicited opinions from anyone and everyone who would talk to us, and our information changed daily.  It was mind-boggling.  But of course, as pioneers in this development, we expected it and did our best to sift through all the info.  And, as expected, we were rewarded after a week or two, when things started to settle down and we got a handle on living here.