Putting away the trekking poles

Hi all, sorry to be out of touch.

First, may I say how TOTALLY AMAZING the scenery is down here. Think I´m spoiled in Banff? Well, yes, but the drama of the mountains here comes from the fact that they rise suddenly and majestically from the rolling pampas (think prairie with a whole lot more spiny shrubby things).

Lu and I splurged on an overnight horseback expedition which took us 35 km from El Calafate to the once-renowned ranch of Bon Accord. We had a real gaucho for a guide, who cooked meat & veg to perfection over an open fire (which could have set the whole grassland on fire at a second´s notice) and topped up our tin cups with generous portions of red wine and whisky. Our kind of trip, for sure. We were the only guests on this excursion, so it felt pretty damned decadent. The host family at the ranch took in we gringas with good humor, and the visiting nephew showed us around his domain with the gusto only a nine-year-old can muster in the company of those who only partly understand what he is saying.

The real highlight of this part of the trip was not the sheepskin saddle (fine & comfy) or the sparkling glacial lake we rode beside, but the private tour we got of a defunct Estancia house. Everything was left as if the owners had just walked out one day (apparently not far from the truth - the estancia system collapsed in the 80's due to poor government policies, and many were sold to foreign owners). We walked into a time past, when the ranch held the only radio in the province, and was the social centre for the newly forming town. Gauchos lived and worked lifetimes on the ranch, tending a multitude of sheep and protecting them from the fierce pumas that stalked the pampas. Now there is a dim echo of that time, and the big house remains shut and unused, its contents left to the whims of time. It would make an amazing interpretive centre, with a bit of time and money. Hmmm... Career opportunity? Hard to say. The owners of the farm now favour a quiet lifestyle, with the occasional horseback visitor. Besides, it was far more moving to see the estate in this "found" condition than it would have been in a catalogued collection of artifacts. Still, the visit raised more questions about that lifestyle and time (and the family, in particular - all buried in a small graveyard on the property) than were answers available with the gaping gulf of language.

Anyway.

I started this entry talking about trekking. The short version of the story is that we hiked Los Glacieres National Park and now we´re done. I fly to Buenos Aires tomorrow to take in some of the Tango Festival, and drink some more red wine. My holiday is nearly done. In a couple of weeks, it will be back to reality & also back to my nearest and dearest.

Cheers!