Haras San Blas San Antonio de Areco

... lake and the road just became a raging torrent. The wind was so strong that substantial branches (not just twigs) were being torn from trees and being blown around. While we were watching the storm there was a sudden flash and loud crack which we took to be a street lamp finally filling with water and shorting out. This would explain why the lights in the cafe went out and we were now in the wet and dark.

Hence our contingency plan of waiting until the rain eased ...

... but the woman gets to kiss the Guacho. However, if she is married or has a boyfirend, she would get to kiss the Guacho and her husband would have to kiss the horse!

The spanish here is different as well. I took some getting used coming from Peru where the spanish was very simple and easy to understand. Instead of pronouncing "caye" for calle, they prounce it was a sexy "cashe". When they first asked me Como se ...

... all about the history and art of the Gaucho <Argentinian cowboy>. There were obviously many similarities to the history of the American Southwest, but I enjoyed the subtle differences. The fact that we saw a modern day Gaucho helped to idealize the period. We then heard about an Estancia <ranch> that we might be able to drop in and see if we could get some food or a ride on a horse. The dusty road led to a tree ...

... EDude and XDude "If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong." ~Pat Parelli Many of the following pictures were taken for a friend of mine in Ottawa. I thought of her during the three days at the estancia. She loves horses and at the same time, got me addicted to horse back riding. "Small children are convinced that ponies deserve to see the inside of the house." ~Maya Patel

... all these dudes since they are such tools while thinking they are like the coolest thing in BA. Meet some English girls who looked pretty good from a distance but obviously close proximity do not do these girls any favor. English girls for the most part are to the world of girls what Yugo`s were to the world of automobiles, the absolute worst of the worst (excluding Keira Knightly of course). But Juan and Santiago I think sort of dig them so we go ...

Men tillat meg aa felle en liten taare! For det er veldig synd aa reise herfra, selv om vi naa er her for andre gang skulle vi gjerne vaert noen dager til, for en fantastisk by! Kan ikke faa rost den nok, og den har bare en feil, at den ikke ligger naermere Europa. Det hadde vaert en perfekt by for langhelg med shopping++ I dag har vi bare gaatt rundt i Palermo Viejo og handlet og shoppet paa de mest utrolige butikker og kafeer. Butikkene er severdigheter i seg selv og ...

... beacuse they don't speak English and I don't speak Spanish, but Steve was a good translator and they were very welcoming and quick to make us feel like part of the family). It was nice to see how a typical Argentine family spends their day. Siesta is such a great concept. They work in the morning, come home and spend some time with the family over a nice lunch, have a quick nap and then ...

... more dancing and a little horse show. The cowboys put on a carrera de sortija which is essentially a game where a ring is hung from a rope above head height. They then gallop on their horses at full speed and try to poke a stick through the ring and rip it away from where it is hanging. When they finished displaying their skills it was our turn to ride some horses. Steve reluctantly hopped on and his ...

... seat of the Royal Order of Corkwood... which welcomes a new member everytime a bottle of wine is opened... my family may have received 3 certificates during that one lunch... !! Since the famdam were almost on their way home, I took the opportunity to do some shopping - oh so tough but necessary ;-) - and bought some beautiful things to send home with them: mate gourds and silver straws, a stunning wooden bowl inlaid ...

... places you may not have found on your own. All in all it was an extremely enjoyable afternoon. We drive back to the farm through lowering black storm clouds. The road between La Bamba and San Antonio usually floods in heavy storms, but fortunately the clouds pass us by, travelling deeper into the pampas, leaving us in a great mood for an elegant banquet in the stately dining room, furnished with beautiful antiques and illuminated by a gorgeous chandelier.