So after stuffing ourselves for a couple of weeks in a row we decided to finally do some exercise and burn some calories for a change. On our way down to Córdoba we stopped off in the tranquil village of Tafí del Valle. Tafí is set in a valley overlooking a lake and it’s a place where many people from Tucumán come to in the summer to escape the heat of the city.

We decided to rent bikes and do what was described as a “lovely downhill ride” in Lonely Planet. Turns out we took the wrong road because this was most definitely not downhill and it was not lovely either. It was mainly uphill dirt road and it was really hardcore. To make matters worse, at one point we saw a little side road next to the lagoon which we both thought looked really cute and decided to go down what we imagined was the scenic route. This resulted in us eventually cycling through cow shit for about 15 minutes and then somehow trespassing on various people’s farms and as a result having to climb over/crawl under about 4 barbed wire fences (with our bikes) and walk across/through a stream. When we eventually made it to the “main” road we fell into a massive puddle of mud and by the time we made it to the next village we were desperate to hitch a ride back.

Luckily a friendly couple took pity on us and gave us a ride to near our village in the back of their truck and we didn’t have to cycle too long to get back to Tafí. The only obstacle left was yet another road block from workers fighting for their rights but these ones were a lot friendlier than the Bolivians and let us pass almost straight away.