Jemima's blog on the journey so far

El  Puesto - By Jemima

El  Puesto is amazing,  Maximo is so caring and gives you all his attention.

Max & me

Me leading Mummy & Daddy's horses

Me on La Colorada

I think Colorada is my FAVOURITE horse I have ever ridden. I love her. And I said to Mummy;” this is exactly the type of horse I want.  

Colorada is so comfy when she is cantering but also walking and trotting. Maximo and I always go riding in the evening together and I push Colorada as fast as she can go. I galloped twice -  I LOVED IT.

me cantering to the ball

Maximo taught  me how to play polo. It was really fun. The first couple of times I missed the ball but then I got the hang of it. I would love to play it in England but Mummy says it is very expensive. 

Me with Max and his old car

Maximo once came in his old fashioned car to collect us from the beach, a few hundred metres from the house.  It was made in 1928. Daddy says it was about the first car that came out.  They put sand on the beach and put a few deckchairs out. They had a swimming pool about three metres wide and which came up to my waist - great to play Marco Polo in.

Cordie,  Mummy is always using the Learning Spanish book you gave me for my Birthday !!!!!  Hah Ha.

Pampa Grande - By Jemima

Mummy, Daddy and I have been in Pampa Grande for 2 days.  We started on really bad horses. They keep some of these horses because most of the guests are really bad riders. So we have much better horses now. And Lorito (my horse) has got the smoothest canter I have ever had. You put the reins forward and he canters Its AMAZING!!!!!!!!!  Phia (In 4JPU) you would love it.

Me on Lorito (Little Parrot)

Mummy, Daddy and me

Ok 

Me at flat out gallop at right 












So, Mummy and daddy ask for no pudding after lunch (Daddy because he is diabetic) But I do. So I get my pudding after lunch and they devour my pudding. So I say; “ I thought you asked for no pudding”. We have to cut out  sugar otherwise we are going to get fat quickly. But the puddings are basically a bowl of sugar. Once I found a beetle in the Dulce De Leche  - it was about 2 inches long and there are loads of them.  We call them Doodle-Bugs. It flies like a motor bike but doesn’t know were it is going.  The reason I spotted it was because I saw a bubble in the big bowl of Dulce De Leche - which by the way it is a type of soft toffee which is so bad for you. Once a beetle landed in Mummy’s cleavage. 

A "Doodlebug"

She had just told me to stop screaming so she tried not to scream herself. She said; ”If you scream one more time you are going to bed. It is so rude”!!!!!! So it landed and she screamed so loudly I said MUMMY YOU ARE GOING STRAGHT TO BED But I found it hard to say this because I was in fits of giggles. Mummy said she had never seen me laugh so much. I was giggling so much it was hard to say it is giggling it was a whole-hearted laugh. It was also so loud… we couldn’t stop laughing for the next 15 min…!!!

There are loads of frogs here, which frighten the life out of me, even though I love them. They are really big and some of them are toads. One night I was walking to the door and the curtain moved and there was a frog that jumped out it gave me such a fright!!!!!


          

                                  

me In Pampa Grande

Me Gabriella and Rocio

Gabriella and Rocio

Gabriella and Rocio always travel together with Gabriella leading. They come and ask us about riding and what we are planning. Rocio has been here for 4 months,  I thought she had been here for a couple of years. Gabriella has been here for 9 YEARS which is a lot.!!! They are both very nice and are here most of the time. They get everything organised riding wise with Sebastian and Carlos. But they do with everything as well…

Sebastian & Carlos

                         Sebastian and Carlos

Sebastian is a little bit new but Carlos has been here for many years. He is showing Sebastian a couple of new rides but Sebastian already knows a lot… Sebastian takes me by myself sometimes and I like it. Sometimes I get a little bit scared that we are never going to arrive back at the ranch again.(He doesn’t speak any English).






Once local children came up to me and said( in Spanish) do you want to play with us?  I was nervous because I had never played with them before. We played hand stands and cart wheels, which was quite boring. They laughed at me a lot because we couldn't understand each other. They are very poor and their toys are very simple. It made me realise how lucky I am and how lucky we are. Once "I said lets look for animals", I had Rocio  as a translator and she said lets play animals because I had asked her to. It was really fun. We tried to catch butterflies and we caught 2 butterflies But by mistake let them go. .

me and the local kids

Pampa Grande - 17th to 25th Jan

Uneventful flight to Salta from Cordoba – biggest revelation was how cheap excess baggage is (GBP20 for 30 KG).  Arrived and were met by the congenial Santiago – an ex marketing bod from the banking industry turned guide/driver.  Of the 3-hour drive to Pampa Grande (PG), half was spent on a dirt track, on windy mountain roads in the dark.  By the time we arrived at 9:00pm we were literally quite shaken.  Were met by the staff (of 4) on the front steps of the estancia – like something out of Downton Abbey, and escorted through to a rather grand dining room, with a roaring log fire, where a table that could have seated 16 was laid up (silver and the works) for 3!

Front of Estancia

We hence discovered that despite the copious number of bedrooms, we were yet again, the only guests (same philosophy as Max at El Puesto).  This time we weren’t so thrilled, as we felt intuitively felt  that this place called for a much larger group in order that we didn’t swim in it. 

We awoke the next morning to glorious sunshine and had the opportunity to do a little exploration.  What a magnificent place!  The main house is set amongst 60,000 acres.

It is one of the most important estancias in the Salta region.  It has over 6,000 head of cattle, around 350 horses and 63 staff.  It was bought 8 years ago by a Belgian man who runs a globally well-known beer business from that country.  He has subsequently invested in the infrastructure of the place and in particular has made the lives of the Gauchos and their families much more palatable.  Before he bought, the place had been in the same family for 5 generations.  The Gaucho families lived in primitive cottages and all shared one shower and one loo for the males and another for the women – and there was no boiler.  He has since installed  a proper shower room/loo in each dwelling and is attempting to improve the education of the children. 

The Carniceria

The Gauchos on this estancia live a relatively simple life.  Many were born here and will die here.  It is a true way of life and things are done in traditional style and passed from father to son.  Hitherto education has been minimal.  The Carniceria (butcher’s shop) in the Gaucho’s village has to be seen to be believed.  

Every other day a cow is slaughtered as part of their staple diet, and the bits (the head is first to be bought – for boiling) sold cheaply to the Gauchos.  I won’t go into the process of slaughter, but suffice to say that no technology of less than a thousand years old is used, and there is little the current management can do about it!

Central courtyard

View from sitting room

The main house is built around a courtyard and has the most wonderful views to the foothills of the Andes.



The kitchen is the equivalent to an old Victorian kitchen and the main Aga-style oven and cooking “rings” are still fuelled by burning wood in the main body of the stove.

The sitting room has a great atmosphere, with a wonderful mixture of the modern with antique Argentine artefacts.  It is incredibly comfortable with an open fire, and all of the sofas covered with furs of the Guanaco – an animal now protected, but whose fur is  soooo comfortable.  The whole place has a very welcoming feel to it.

We have now been here for 5 days and the routine is fairly simple:  get up, go riding or walking, have a swim, have lunch, fall asleep, check emails, teach Jemima, have drinks followed by dinner, go to bed – repeat process.

Lunch on the terrace

Our morning coffee spot

Pool area with main house in background

On our first morning we were taken for a 2 hour ride by Sebastian, our non-English speaking Gaucho guide for the week.  Our horses were very disappointing, to put it mildly!  20 minutes into the ride, we had still not moved from a walk.  When Philippa asked if we could move it on a bit faster, he looked slightly bemused and said fine.  5 minutes later we knew why:  The horses could barely manage a canter, Philippa’s she swore had 5 legs, and they all nearly collapsed at the end of a very short run! We then discovered from him (Philippa’s Spanish is now pretty good) that

these horses we were riding were “for the tourists”.  By ‘tourists’, he meant guests who didn’t know how to ride, which he assured me applied to most (surely not you Nick and Cherry!) “Tomorrow, I want your horse” she semi-jokingly demanded – his horse hadn’t stopped prancing for the whole ride, and he clearly had to rein him in when we did that one canter.  Much to her surprise, he said “fine”.  And he promised us fine steeds for James and Jemima who he could see were also good riders.  The next day we had the most fabulous horses.  

Pip on Favorito

We have subsequently tried out Andean as well as European breeds – these Andean horses have an extraordinary gait: they kick their front legs out to the side as they walk or trot (not sure what they do at the gallop), it really has to be seen to be believed.  They are also particularly renowned for having great stamina – and boy do they go on and on and on at the gallop.

James on Rubio

What is so refreshing here is that our “minders” Sebastian and Carlos, have no problem just letting us loose.  At virtually every available opportunity, Jemima is asking if we can gallop; Philippa asks “Vamos?”; they say “sure” and off we go.  And the fields/tracks just go on for ever….  It really is riding as it should be.

Sebastian & Carlos

Jemima on Lorito (& Mrs D)

Wednesday was a very special day.  We were on our horses by 7:30am, and a fast ride for about 4 miles, followed.  We caught up with several Gauchos, entered a field and then had the task of helping to round up around 600 head of cattle.  These we then drove about 1 km to a corral for inspection, where we left them and continued on yet another fast ride.  The wrangling was very special and something we have always wanted to do, but there is limited opportunity. 

These we then drove about 1 km to a corral for inspection, where we left them and continued on yet another fast ride.  The wrangling was very special and something we have always wanted to do, but there is limited opportunity.

Every night at 7:30, Philippa has a half hour conversation in Spanish with Gabriela and Rocio, the 40 year old guest manager and her deputy.  They are both very capable, intelligent and charming women for whom nothing is too much trouble and they have added greatly to our enjoyment of this week. 

It is at dinner that the problems usually start – when, that is, we eat outside.

Every evening, just after darkness has fallen, the bugs and frogs come out – not tiny frogs, but one’s the size of your hand.  They seem to find their way into the rooms and we are constantly on tip-toes trying to spot them.  Of the bugs, whilst most are moths or the equivalent thereof, there is one, highly populous breed of flying beetle, up to 2 inches long.

We have named these Doodlebugs after the German ‘flying bombs’ of WW2.  Often we hear them coming (similar sound to the original bombs) – they then bump into anything and everything, then silence until suddenly, there it is, having fallen, silently like a bomb, to land in your soup with a splash – or as happened to Philippa last night, into her cleavage. I have never seen her move so fast (food everywhere) or Jemima laugh so much.  Tonight we eat inside!

The birdlife here is also exceptional.  We have now done a couple of 3 hour walks near the river (our water carried for us by an accompanying rider!!) and have seen a wide range of our feathered friends.  They seem remarkably at ease with us around and allow you to get really quite close.

 ………Today is Friday, and we have just had our last ride.  We feel we have to make further mention of our horses: Lorito (Jemima’s), Favorito (Pip’s) and Rubio (James’s).  Philippa, who has done a lot of riding over the years, even went so far as to say that she had never ridden such a wonderful horse: for comfort, control, responsiveness and pace.  James felt exactly the same about Rubio, and with the exception of La Corada (at El Puesto), Jemima felt similarly about Lorito.  The bad news is that we are unlikely to ever come across such great horses again!

As the ride finished, the heavens opened, the temperature has fallen sharply and we are left to pack in what seems like a typically depressing January day in England.  I hope this makes all of you back in the UK feel better!

Tomorrow we leave for a small village called Tilcara - a 5 hour drive due North of here.  On our way we will pick up a hire car in Salta city and then have a week to ourselves in a rented house.  No more horses for a few weeks (thank goodness I hear you say) and hopefully, we will also have a mobile signal!

PS: forgot to tell you, there is also a beautiful lake near the house to walk round, boat or fish!

El Puesto - Sunday 12 to Friday 17

Firstly, apologies for the delay in getting this and our previous blog out on time, but there has been a problem with the internet at El Puesto and despite numerous promises by the local provider (Claro Telecom), we still have no connection after 5 days!

Back to the plot:  we left La Constancia late – but on a high.  Our transport to El Puesto was meant to arrive at 10:30am and the driver (who happened to be the ranch owner, Maximo) had planned that on our way to the estancia, we would stop off at the Che Guevara museum – total drive time of around 3.5 hours.  He got held up however following a traffic accident (not his) and we consequently managed to get in another excellent BBQ lunch at La Constancia, eventually leaving, after a few tears, at 2:15pm. 

Max changing tyre

We still had just enough time to visit the museum, until, that is, we got a puncture 40 minutes into the  drive!  Half an hour later, wheel changed, we were on our way again….but then had to stop to have the (now spare) wheel repaired – didn’t fancy crossing the small mountain range with no spare!  3.5 hours later, at around 8pm, we finally arrived.

El Puesto is a little cottage in the grounds of Maximo’s estate (La Defensa) – a 400 hectare arable farm which grows corn and soya.  (Maximo made his money in transportation and logistics in Buenos Aires, but hated the life there, and so a few years ago, in his late 30's) gave it all up and moved out here to run the family farm.)  The cottage is in the most idyllic setting, surrounded on all sides by cornfields and totally secluded.  It is very simple but immensely charming and well equipped, with most comfortable beds and beautiful linen. A middle-aged cook comes each morning to make us breakfast and lunch; she doesn't speak a word of english and so we have limited conversation but she makes up for that by talking to herself the whole time, much to Jemima's amusement.  The place is nothing short of fabulous, and again, we LOVE it.  

lunch in the shade

OUR place!

Max 

When we arrived, we were surprised to discover that we were the only guests at the estancia, but Maxi explained that his philosophy was that he could only properly look after one family or small group at a time.  Boy, was that a luxury - he was truly available to come with us, help us, entertain us for as many hours in the day as we wanted!  His wife lived with their child an hour away in La Cumbre, and so his day was focussed on us and he seemed genuinely to hugely enjoy it.  It suited the girls down to the ground, since he looks like the archetypal, good looking, black-haired Argentinian polo player and Jemima and Pip clearly both adored him.

In the evening, instead of having supper in our cottage, we dined at a restaurant in the grounds of his estancia.  When we first heard this, we were a bit surprised, but Max downplays everything and he indicated nothing of the quality of the food.   It was phenomenal!  It was 100 yards away (but he insisted on driving and picking us up each night),  and is run by the most delightful French couple – Julie and Martin - who used to run a very successful restaurant in BA but who became entangled with bureaucracy and legislation that wore them down.  They fought for over a year, then willingly accepted Max's invitation to set up shop in one of his out-buildings.  The result is food to die for – and we get to eat there every night!

Transport to "the beach"

Polo on the front lawn

Jemima leading Philippa's and James's horses to them having tacked them up

We have now been out on numerous rides with Max around the estate.  The horses are superb and we do A LOT of cantering along the tracks between the fields and woodland.  The countryside, unlike at La Constancia, is flat here and much more open – Jemima in 7^th heaven and what's more, her confidence and riding generally has come on in leaps and bounds! Under Max's tutelage she has also taken a liking to polo - and unfortunately (for us at least) seems to have a natural talent for it.

Main house - La Defensa

The main house

After our morning rides, we tend to end up at the main house where Max lives.  The house is a really beautiful, relatively recently built villa.  Here we have freshly made lemonade, salami, some white wine and a few nibbles.  On our first day this was followed by a BBQ down by the river, which borders the estate.  Here we met his charming sisters, Pilar and Louisa and nephew, Stevie  (Estephan).

There is a lot more wildlife here, principally in the form of birds: again, the green parrots, but also a number of birds of prey including Hote, Condors, the odd vulture and a plethora of pigeons.

Whilst Max doesn’t allow shooting on the estate, he thought it might be entertaining to take me out one evening with his Grandfather’s shotgun.  What he gave me came as a surprise and was extremely challenging to use!

Make my day!

Yet another class

Jemima's education continues apace (mainly slowly) with Philippa concentrating on Maths (Jemima's worst subject) and Spanish, whilst I attempt to teach History (Romans in Britain and also a bit about Argentina), Geography (Argentina) and Science (the change in state from liquid to gas, or indeed solid (chocolate) to liquid (mess) is easily demonstrated in this heat!)

On our second evening we were taken to the local town, Jesus (pronounced Hezooss) Maria to see the Rodeo.  This is a regional competition with people coming from as far afield as Buenos Aires - 400 miles away.  The town and stadium was heaving.  The air was thick with smoke from grills and many of the men were dressed in their finest Gaucho outfits.  The entertainment however was a little repetitive and Jemima was outraged that horses could be treated in this way, being made physically uncomfortable in order to make them buck and throw off their intrepid rider.  After a few minutes she became very tearful and would no longer look, and so, in short order, we left.  

Half way through our stay at El Puesto, we took 2 days out to visit a cottage in the hills outside La Cumbre – a town of about 15,000, 1.5 hours North of Jesus Maria.  Maxi drove us to La Cumbre, where we met with a delightful couple: Tristan and Antonia, who have just had their first child a week ago.  La Cumbre is a well known town occupied by a fair number of UK expats.   Antonia's great great great great grandparents  had moved there to help build the railways in the 19^th Century.  Her mother, Veronica, moved there from the UK about 40 years ago after a visit to her grandmother when she was 23, and has remained there ever since.  Antonia likewise, after a UK based education (was studying for a Phd in Genetics at Oxford) decided to move there with her boyfriend, now husband, Tristan, 8 years ago.

Tristan and Bongo

The cottage known as "Anto's Cottage" is a 2 hour walk into the hills where there is no other sign of civilisation in sight.  It was built by Veronica – Antonia’s delightfully forthright mother, has no electricity, hot water provided by a log-burning boiler, all cooking done over a gas canister – everything very Heath-Robinson, but all very functional and comfortable, although we felt the beds left a bit to be desired.

First view of Anto's cottage

Our source of hot water  - logs go in the bottom

Pip & Jemima

A thoroughly modern kitchen?

Homework continues! (Please noter Ms P0

Jem and Tristan at breakfast

We had a lovely, back-to-nature style overnight stay , including a sumptuous dinner and full English breakfast.  After that, we needed the walk home!

Philippa in awe of the scenery

On returning to Tristan and Antonias house, we met Max’s beautiful wife Jacqueline who, like both Agustin and Luis’s wives (from La Constancia), is also pregnant again – definitely something in the water around here.  Either that or too many power cuts!

Tea at "the beach"

We are now just about to wrap up at El Puesto.  The weather for the last few days has been baking (33 in the shade), so we ride early and then go to “the beach” – a manmade pool area build on the banks of the river in the shade of the woods.

It is a welcome relief from the heat.  






Tonight we take Max and his sisters for dinner at his restaurant!  We will be sad to go since we have had a truly magical time here, and all come to be extremely fond of Max who is one of life's truly good people who is interesting, intelligent, always happy, and for whom nothing is too much trouble.  However of course we must look forward to the next adventure....  Pampa Grande here we come!