Antique Gauchos

We spent all of today at a tourist estancia. It's something like a dude ranch, except it's a gaucho ranch! They served us wine all day long, and then a generous lunch of meats of all kinds. I found out I'm not the biggest fan of morcilla, or blood sausage. We all got to ride horses and climb trees and kick soccer balls around fields. It was incredibly refreshing to reach my arms out into open space and walk on grass. I could walk and not inhale cigarette smoke and exhaust. I could run around and jump out of trees, a complete unreality in Buenos Aires.

The Gaucho Ranch was the closest feeling I?ve had to home since we?ve arrived. I grew up on acres of land with animals everywhere. I certainly haven?t been feeling homesick since Buenos Aires is more than a worthy substitute, but it?s entirely different than any place I?ve experienced. The estancia had wide, open space and fields that sprawled as far as the eye could see. There was no smog in the air, no cigarette smoke in my path, and no ruckus from unruly buses. Instead there were royal peacocks, sweet dogs, and tame horses, not to mention the ostriches, llamas, and turkeys.
Rodrigo the gaucho is a direct descendant of Italian gauchos. He knows his history and his way of life, and rather than letting his family gaucho culture die out, he preserves it within a tourist ranch. He explained to us how eclectic the gaucho outfit is, drawing upon Turkish trousers, Spanish boots, and French coats.
There was no lack of activities that Friday. We rode horses, kicked around soccer balls, climbed trees, toured historically rich buildings, and watched traditional guacho sports.
The two best experiences of the day for me were the lunch and the show accompanying it. We entered the dining hall to find tables set with green salads, sliced potatoes, and shredded carrots. Then arrived the bubbly water and the first of what became an incessant supply of red wine. While two extremely talented dancers demonstrated traditional dances, we feasted on different cuts of meat. Argentine grill deserves an Italian kiss on the fingertips, 2 thumbs-up, a round of applause, standing ovations, what have you?And so do those dancers. Their performances were impeccable, and executed with genuine smiles. They even managed to teach us a few steps of a simple Tango.