V-Flyer

NOT!

However before I tell you what happened, you are just going to sit down and read about another trip we made. Yes, you are! Don’t argue otherwise I won’t tell you about the rest of our trip. Now sit down and behave!

The day after our return we made a road trip which had been suggested by our travel planner. We hadn’t a clue as to where we were going or what was there other than it was a day spent among the gauchos. We were picked up in the morning by car and driven for a couple of hours into the pampas area which was flat, lush farming territory. We arrived at a small town called San Antonio de Areco where our guide was waiting for us. He was a charming man who lived in the town and was well connected so that he could open doors which were not on the general tourist trail. The first place he took us was to a private gaucho museum and explained the history of the gauchos and how they became acceptable and wealthy in the area. The museum was owned by a silversmith and silver is an integral part of the gaucho culture. We were shown various artefacts mostly about their lifestyle but in pride of place was a photograph of the Queen with a silver trophy for polo which had been made in that very place. We were allowed to meet the silversmith and watch him at work. Most of his work is based on the knives and belts worn by the gauchos but to stretch himself he was working on an exquisite portrait of the Holy Family which was still a work in progress.

From there we walked around the town and especially the main square. The guide, on hearing I was from Ireland, said he had a surprise for me and indeed he had. In the middle of the park in the centre of the square there was a statue of the founder and at the bottom was a plaque acknowledging the visit of President Mary Robinson during her presidency to the Irish diaspora in South America. Apparently the gauchos knew cattle husbandry but were hopeless when it came to sheep and so Irish prisoners were drafted in for that in the nineteenth century. When they were granted their freedom they wisely decided that the climate in Argentina was preferable to Ireland and stayed becoming quite wealthy through sheep farming. They married and settled down and many of the locals have Irish names. A man with the name of Kelly was pointed out to me and according to the local church the parish priest is Santiago Whelan. Oh and they speak Spanish with an Irish accent!
The town itself was was charming and I loved the windows where the young unmarried ladies could socialise without leaving their homes.

When we had had our fill of the town we were driven out to a ranch where we would have lunch and mingle with the gauchos. Our guide was well known to the owners and so we had an exclusive guided tour of the house before lunch was served which was barbecued meats served with salad and breads and the ubiquitous (and delicious) malbec. We were served by the gauchos and afterwards were given a demonstration of their horsemanship in breaking in horses. It seemed to be a type of horse-whispering and we watched as he gently coaxed the horse into submission (although I must admit this looked a bit disturbing!) and I was able to lie down alongside it. We then road horseback with the gauchos before once more connecting with our driver and headed back to Buenos Aires.

So, honey lamb, tell us about the flight and what happened.

Nope! You’ll just have to wait for the next trip report.

I, for one, am hooked and wait with bated breath for the next installment.

What a brilliant day, you really know how to make the most of your trips. Next please

HL - I don't know how you manage it, but every TR of your that I read transports me along with you (metaphorically), you and your travelling buddy really do make the most of each and every day in new places and I, for one, am envious and wondering why I don't always show the same level of adventurousness (is that a word?) as you...

And, so, there I was settling down to read about the next flight - when, the report abruptly stops!!! I feel like the guy with a flexible ticket for LHR-JFK on Concorde only to learn it's being withdrawn from service!!!

Looking forward to the next installment of this gripping tale.

Is that a beret on the horse's back hoof

Top notch reporting HL.. keep 'em coming