A tough day on La Estancia

It is a beautiful morning in Buenos Aires and I must say the city is growing on me and, as much as I am surprised to say it, I will miss my little home away from home here. (it seems much busier as summer vacation is over and everyone is back home)

The day started early yesterday - in the rain - as we headed out to La Estancia el Ombu. It is about an hour out of the city and it turned out to be just three of us - what turn out to be a very entertaining, very Jewish couple from Toronto (he could be Sandy's twin brother) Our guide is Eugenia who I have traded many many emails. She is lovely but seems strangely ill-prepared. At one point she actually is reading out of a Lonely Planet guide!

The ranch is about 100 acres and is a real working ranch that has a few rooms to rent. It is amazing how quickly the city falls away and you are in the country. Thankfully the rain has stopped and after a walk around and a welcome empanada and a beverage we head over to the horses.

[PDAs - yes everyone has a phone here I am speaking of the other kind. I am sitting at an outdoor cafe having coffee and the couple next to me are being uncomfortably affectionate. And you see it everywhere]

We have a real gaucho named Oscar. Sadly it seems his days on the pampas have taken their toll as he is severly hunched over and frail looking. The three of us and Oscar head out for a quick ride around the ranch. It is pretty typical and my new friends Bernie and Ava keep things interesting. Once we arrive back it is time for real food - the asado! We are seated with about 10 other guests on the wisteria covered veranda of the main house - it is like Spanish Tara. The gauchos serve platters of just grilled meats - loin, ribs, regular and blood sausages and there are a few bowls of greens on the table and a bottle of red wine. Mi dios!! I could have eaten all afternoon. And perhaps the best was the blood sausage and the chimichura sauce (on everything)

After lunch our multi-talented host Oscar sings us a few songs and then we are treated to a horse whisperer demonstration which is amazing and hard to describe.

The day has flown by and it already time to head back. After a little snooze on the bus, I am wide awake and decide on a massage after a tough day on the ranch. Once again it is nothing special but it is oddly situated in an early 1900s mansion. It is now about 10PM so I wander a few blocks to another Pena I have read about.

Thankfullly I am not really hungry as nothing from the menu seems to be available. The beer is warm and the place is ungodly hot. But the singer is fantastic. Accompanied by a pianist, I have no idea what she is singing but it is great. (and after my massage I sweat off another five pounds)

I have heard from my innkeeper friend in southern Chile. He thinks that things will be back to normal, where he is, by the time I arrive. And Delfina and Eugenia both confirm that tourist are still traveling back and forth. I think that I will take advantage of. Internet and try to secure some rooms in Santiago and Valparasio and see what they say.

Before I go I must talk about tea. You see these fairly ornate cups with strange metal straws everywhere. The custom is to fill the cup with a loose herbal tea mixture and then fill with hot water from your thermos. The metal straw has a strainer on the end. It is very hippie looking and I wonder about the "herbs"

For altitude everyone chews cocoa leaves. They look like a bay leaf and the young guy on the earthquake tour chewed a whole bag throughout the course of the day. Make your own assumptions.