Day 2
February 7, 2014
Estancia Los Patos is in San Miguel del Monte, a quiet turn off of Rte 41, south of Buenos Aires. This is a two hour drive to the flat expansive pampas region of the country. There are no hills or mounds anywhere! What a contrast to our treks thru the Patagonian Andes only 2 days ago!!
Angel Estrada, el dueno, the owner, greets our van with enthusiasm and hospitality that will not wane for the next 48 hours. His horseman and his rancher and his nephew are there to meet us as well. Later, his wife Lili, an architect, will arrive from the city. And his house guest, Judit from Austria adds her cheerfulness and by now, her own sense of cheerful hospitality.
Every building here is painted a bright eye popping rosey red, except the barn! We settle into our rooms, as if we are moving in. Michael and I are in the main house; Ed & Wendy; Gail & Richard have a casita off the front patio. We are offered drinks before lunch and within an hour, we are in the rhythm of a day on an Argentine estancia.
La Senora de la Casa, Lili, is an architect by profession. She also decorates the house and rooms and plans the menus, cooked by a rotation of capable staff in a well managed kitchen. Each meal is set with new linens and china; lunch is an abundant three course affair, tea is cookies and cakes; olives and cheeses and chutneys are presented on long boards with drinks before dinner that is a welcome light vegetarean dish for supper…
The stream of delicious food is interrupted by relaxing long horseback rides, swimming, polo practice with horses or in our case, without the horses), bird hunting in season (luckily not now) and most importantly, long siestas to digest the mid-day meal. In Argentina, there is a second dawn!
After lunch and a nice siesta, at 4:15, it is time to ride. The beautifully trained horses are ready and saddled up by the capable stable master of 40 years. The system is different than I have seen before: first comes the blanket, a woven pad; then a leather saddle, then a sheepskin layer, then the girth wraps up the whole package. We wrap suede chaps around our lower legs. The horses respond well to western style, tho there is no pummel on their saddles. And they do very well, even with new riders. Richard is proof of this. Having never ridden after unpleasant experiences when he was young, he ends up looking like a natural riding three times before we have to leave.
The horses are criollo breed. They are strong, good workers in the field. Judit’s horse is a cross between a thoroughbred and a criollo. “Girllie” was caught in a fence, injured her leg. She had run wild for 2 years. Judit has charmed her and has “broken” her with the help of Angel and his nephew who is 24 years old…… He is a master horse trainer and breeder on his own 300 km farm who is living the life of a gaucho.
The ride takes us across the estancia past a huge manicured polo field, a swimming pool, across acres of grasslands and through woods, poplars that that rustle all the time, planted by Angel and his son 30 years ago. The cattle are herded here during the hot days. Last week the temperatures rose well over 100 F. this week, we are cooler, thank goodness. The non riders are brought along in a horse drawn carriage driven by Angel. He keeps up a continuous chatter of friendly conversation in his excellent English. We ride down long straight dirt roads past other farm houses mostly owned by other family members. There is a windmill, more horses, and flat farmland extending as far as the eye can see.
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