When I think of Argentina, I think of Gauchos. To my Montana friends, that would be “cowboys.” This visit to an estancia (“ranch” to you Montanans) outside of Buenos Aires did not disappoint.
As our Antarctica cruise came to an end, we disembarked the ship and boarded buses (there were four coaches total) that took us over an hour out of the city. The idea was to give us something to do until our flights left, since most flights were leaving late at night. This turned out to be a lot more fun than anticipated.
We were greeted at the estancia with empanadas and wine (or water) and treated to a taste of the entertainment to come. We then went to an area where the gauchos competed by trying to spear a suspended ring from their galloping horse. When they did succeed, they presented the ring to lady in the crowd, as many horsemen in the past did to honor a woman in the affections.
We were then given time to wander the grounds and look at the many animals there, including sheep, ducks, emus, and peacocks. We also went shopping in their gift shop, and I ended up with a hat and a poncho, which came in handy on the chilly plane home.
Lunch was your typical Argentine barbecue: food, wine, more food, more wine. There was beef, chicken, pork, and sausages, and they just kept coming until we finally had to say “No mas!”
At the end we were treated to a performance of traditional Argentine music and dance.
Travels with Billie 