So after we had eaten and drank all we possibly could after horse riding, we were taken back to Salta bus terminal where we boarded our bus in a slightly tipsy haze and I fell asleep almost straight away. Fortunately I woke up for the best scenery of the Quebrada de Cafayate: rock formations and vast views from our seats at the front of the bus. We were to return here two days later on a tour to take it in some more.

We arrived into Cafayate (Argentina's second biggest wine region) just as it got dark and just at the end of a storm which had left the streets covered in water, mud and bits of trees. Also sadly with no accommodation as we had not been able to book somewhere. We soon found a place with a room but it was a bit more than we wanted to pay. However after wandering around for quite a while, we gave up on this fruitless search and returned to the first place and were welcomed in by an elderly lady who I couldn't understand a word from. Fortunately over the next few days I managed to work out the accent enough to get the general gist but it was hard! Anyway we were happy to make it into the biggest bed I've ever seen in my life, no dinner needed.

The following day, after a slow start, we did a couple of jobs around the small town where we were very impressed with the clean-up operation in action after the previous evening's storm. We doubted that this would have been seen further north of the continent. After a visit to the tourist office and armed with a map we headed to our first site of the day. However we weren't here for the culture, we were here to satisfy our taste buds. So, first stop, a goats' cheese farm!

We walked to the edge of the town and soon found ourselves on a country lane, sun shining, grape vines and mountains in the background. We'd been told the time of a tour by the tourist office so quick-marched to get there on time, only to see that the sign suggested we had missed the last one before lunch. Fortunately the sign was wrong and we joined a small group for a look around the place. As it was all in Spanish and we were yet to get used to the Argentinian accent and the speed at which they talk, we didn't learn too much apart from that the goats get played music when they are being milked. Also the goats were pretty friendly so that was nice. At the end we got to try several varieties of cheese and then we elected to stay and pay some more for a more extensive tasting plate with a few extras and two massive glasses of local wine. At that moment, life was not going to get much better!

Our next stop after our cheese lunch was for pudding. We quickly located the ice cream shop where they first pioneered wine ice cream and ordered two scoops each - Simon tried the red, accompanied by cactus flower (called 'Tuna' in Spanish) and I went for the white, accompanied by pear. The wine ice creams were pretty strong so it was like drinking a small glass of the stuff.

The only logical next stop on our culinary journey was to a bodega, or vineyard. We walked out of town in another direction and up a very grand driveway to El Esteco. Again it was just a small group of us and the tour was in Spanish although I managed to grasp a bit more this time. We discovered that because of the high altitude of the area (1700m), a lot of grapes can be grown organically. Also the barrels used to age the wine for between six to 24 months are made from either French or American wood as the local trees aren't up to the job. After a look at the vines and the factory, it was time for the all important tasting where we elected to try a white and a red. The white wine they produce is from the Torrontés grape which is only grown in Argentina. I can testify that after trying several varieties that it's very good.

After we left this bodega it had started to rain but fortunately there was another one on the way back to shelter in. We skipped the tour and went straight for the wine which happily was free! Not much further down the road was conveniently stationed a lady making cheese toasty things by the side of the road which made Simon happy.

For dinner that evening we checked out Casa de Empanadas for 12 differently-filled empanadas and a litre of really good Torrontés wine all for the excellent price of about £5.50 with our good exchange rate. An excellent day's work.

As we wanted to return to the Quebrada in the afternoon of the second day, we had to squeeze a couple more wine tastings in before they all went off for three hour lunches. Fortunately, there were also some places right in the centre of town so we didn't have to go far. The first one was just a tasting session where we got four decent sized and excellent quality tasters and explanations in English. The second was the bodega affiliated with the goats' cheese farm, Domingo Hermanos, which we already knew to be good stuff. Here was our best bargain where for 50p we got a tour and a small tasting session accompanied by some cheese. At this bodega, 60% of the produce goes into 5l bottles, only done in Argentina. We got to see the grapes arrive by truck and enter the first machine where they are destalked.

After the wine, some lunch was in order so we found a place frequented by locals and had been recommended to us and ordered some mystery dishes as we didn't understand the three options that the woman had reeled off. It turned out to be nice so that was lucky.

After lunch we joined our large tour group to head back into the valley back towards Salta, the Quebrada de Cafayate. The afternoon was really hot so it was quite exhausting but we saw yet more beautiful, colourful and vast rocky landscapes as we made many stops along the way. The last two stops were to go into dead-end canyons, one called the amphitheatre where there were some Argentinian hippies with their instruments. The afternoon was really good despite the large group that we were with. We had become spoilt after San Pedro.

We arrived back into town at 8pm, pretty hungry and headed to a restaurant on the square where Simon got a steak fix and we ordered one last small bottle of Torrontés from the excellent Bodega Nanni that we'd gone to first that morning. A great end to a wonderful two days in Cafayate.

Katy