When I think of Argentina, I think of steak, wine, tango and gauchos. I had been a little obsessed with the dream of being a cowgirl for a few days and galloping on horseback across the pampas. My inner anthropologist was also interested in the gaucho culture and I wanted to learn more... I've gotta give it to Ged he is definitely following Maddie' s advice and saying yes to all my crazy ideas! :-) best travel companion and husband ever!!
After a bit of research into ranch stays I found a winner. La Margarita in Tapalque. It's an estancia owned by a British guy with gauchos working with the animals. Most importantly, it had lots of horses, was in a beautiful location and we could do a self cater option which suited our budget!
We were met in Tapalque by Mario, a gaucho dressed in the bombachas (traditional loose pants) and topped with a beret. The gaucho culture had been present in Argentina for over 200 years and whilst it had adapted over time it is still very much alive in Tapalque. The gauchos seemed to have quiet personalities and their skills on horseback, controlling and herding animals were incredible.
We watched the sunset over the farmland as we made our way over some very bumpy and muddy roads and down the 7 km driveway to the estancia. We were greeted warmly by the volunteers that worked with the horses, shown our cute little room in the original farmhouse from the 1800s and set about making some dinner. We had stocked up on wine from the supermarket before coming - good vino is so cheap (or favorite the Mendoza Malbec retailing at $3) we quickly made friends with Katt and Mathy from Pensilvania :) we shared wine, cards and banter in front of the fire.
I was woken at the respectful time of 8am by the sunrise and a multitude of animal sounds. The farm became a live with chickens, geese, cows, pigs, sheep dogs and HORSES!! Ged was a kid in a candy store and left me sleeping to go exploring. It was the most beautiful day and I was yet again surrounded by nature's beauty. Before we mounted the horses, Karen taught us about the gaucho saddling which is quite different from English and American saddling (apparently) they have different layers, first a saddle cloth to absorb sweat, a few other layers of cloth and a pelliòn or a sheepskin blanket on top which made the saddle warm and comfortable. All the gaucho tools were traditionally tucked neatly under the layers.
We were introduced to our horses and we were off, riding across the flat pampas that stretched on ad far as the eye could see. It was so so beautiful and a great way to see the county! The first ride was pretty tame, we got to know our horses and started to learn their personalities - my horse Emma was gentle but stubborn and liked to be at the front and Ged's horse Picasso was the cranky one. It was cool to watch the dogs chase hares and armadillos and see all kinds of birds including migrating geese, Hawks, Eagles and flapping pheasants.
In the afternoon we had a tour of the estancia and learnt about its history. Everything about the farm is very quaint, one of my favorite parts was a tiny Chapel with a resident pigme owl that looked down on us from the rafters.
The next few days went by very quickly and our rides became more advanced and exhilarating! I was living the dream cantering (slightly out of control) across the fields. Despite many aching body parts I could not wipe the smile off my face!
Before leaving Tapalque we visited the Cultural Museum which had a random collection of dinosaur bones, gaucho paraphernalia and a car from the 1800s. My favorite was an armadillo shell! That one is for you dad!!
After nomming on the best empanadas we've had to date or awesome new American friends gave us a ride to Buenos Aires time to watch the big game: Holand versus Argentina, the semi final of the world cup.
Back to Ged...
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