Many of you that have followed my blog for years know I like to balance time in the big cities with getting out to the small towns and off the beaten path places. Today was one of those days! I did an all day tour to an Estancia (cattle ranch) with Gauchos (cowboys) about 75 miles northwest of Buenos Aries. The tour van picked me up at my hotel at 8:30 AM and dropped me back off at 6:30 PM. What a fun day!
There were only 6 of us on the tour, two elderly sisters from Idaho, a couple from Miami, a German guy and me. When we all get in the van, and after the guide explained the all day itinerary, he starts mixing up a cup of Mate (pronounced Mat-tay). It’s made from Yerba Mate herbs, mixed with hot water and they drink it from a metal straw out of a calabash gourd. It’s sort of like their coffee and I guess you would say their National drink. After he mixes it up and takes a sip from the straw, he passes it around for all to taste. I wouldn’t have mind trying it but not after he used the straw. Yuk! Only the German guy tried it! Lol.
Then right when we’re leaving the city, we go through a toll booth that the guide explains they also use as a checkpoint to catch people doing human trafficking since that road goes all the way to Paraguay. Well don’t we get pulled over and the cops ask the driver to get out and they’re grilling him with all kinds of questions (I admit, he looked a little shady!). They made us sit there for about 20 minutes. I so wanted to take a picture of the cops interrogating him but I thought if they saw me they may haul my butt outta there! Lol. The guide even said they may be shaking us down for money so that we’ll offer to buy our way out. After about 20 minutes (and the poor Idaho sisters about in tears), they let us drive away. The guide explained that the driver’s license is not from Buenos Aires but the tour group is so they thought that was fishy. Whew, crisis averted!
Our first stop was the quaint little town of San Antonio de Areco. We first stopped at a silversmith’s store (silver is real big around here since the Gauchos all wear it). The owner was a cool guy from Italy whose family emigrated here years ago. We then walked across the town square to the quaint little church (even got my church fix in!) called Parrochia San Antonio de Padua. The legend has it that the townspeople were being constantly attacked by an indigenous group of people and they prayed to the Saint named Antonio de Padua and said if he spared them, they would build a church in his honor. They were spared and they built the church in 1730.
After leaving the town, we drove further out into the country to the Estancia. They were waiting there for us with drinks (lots of Malbec!) and empanadas (pastry type turnover filled with beef and other savory ingredients). They were so yummy! They showed us the asado (barbecue) they were preparing over the parrilla (grill). While the meat was cooking, they took us out on a 30 minute horse back ride across the pasture. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I hadn’t been on a horse in a long time but it was fun.
When we got back from the ride, they had the food all ready. They started with a salad and then a bowl of boiled type potatoes with hard boiled eggs in them. Both were really good but of course the main show was all the MEAT!! Have you ever been to that place called Chima Steakhouse or any similar Brazilian type Rodizio. It’s where they keep bringing out all kinds of meat until you tell them to stop. That’s what this was. You had to be a carnivore to enjoy it and it was all delicious. They served Bratwursts, Blood Sausage, pork spare ribs, Vacio (flank steak), and Asado de Tira (short ribs). What a feast!
After the meal they played guitars and an accordion and sang traditional gaucho songs. After that, the gauchos showed off their horse riding skills and how they train the horses. One thing they all did was ride really fast toward this small ring hanging down from a post and tried to catch it with a small metal rod. It was really hard to do but they all eventually got it.
It was a great day and nice to get away from the big city and get to explore the countryside. Hope everyone had a happy Friday. TGIF!
The Wandering Italian 