Hello there, its Philippa here. We are staying at such a phenomenal place, I really do not want to leave tomorrow. What is amazing is that it really is like staying in someone's private house. Well, its not that amazing really, as we ARE staying in someone's private house. Agustin (32) and Luis (37) are two of 6 Dorado kids, whose maternal grandparents had this as a holiday house. It was pretty much abandoned on their divorce, but about twelve years ago Agustin's parents quit their life in the city and took on the huge job of renovating it to a standard to receive visitors. Tragically they were both killed in a carbon monoxide accident while away on holiday in Bolivia two years ago, not long after they had finished the renovation. Luis and Agustin, both with jobs in Buenos Aires, bravely took it on, not able to bear the thought of turning their backs on their mother's dream. They run it together, coping incredibly with everything that goes with running an old property (including generating their own electricity from a hydroelectric turbine), while running a business, entertaining the guests and doing all the cooking!
On top of that they both have young wives and tiny children to fit in, so its a pretty demanding life. Having said that, there is absolutely no sense of stress around these two young guys. They are always happy to stop and chat, discuss your activities, plan a ride or a hike, take you fishing, or just sit down with a beer.
 |
| Jemima and Agustin |
Agustin is the one we know better as he is more front of house. He takes us riding, leads the hikes, manages the staff, and does most of the cooking. He is the nicest person on this earth, (
and - sorry James - drop-dead gorgeous to boot). On top of that, his cooking is truly excellent; although overstretched, it has been hard for him to recruit a cook as no-one can produce home cooking like he can! His puddings are to die for, which is a right pain, as I have indulged myself lunch and dinner, and I have put on at least two kilos this week as a result.
 |
| Agustin whipping up one of his deadly concoctions |
 |
| My favourite lunch terrace |
The place has a wonderfully lazy atmosphere about it - 'make-yourselves-at-home', 'there's-time-for-everything', 'what-ever-you-want-is-no-trouble' kind of place. The setting is idyllic - miles from any road or any other form of habitation, the only sounds are the birds and running water from the river.
The house is higgledy-piggledy in layout, which gives rise to an interesting array of small terraces in different corners - they have managed to create an outside, semi-private area with a couple of sun-loungers for almost every single bedroom. Many of the features are as they were in their grandparents day - all the windows, shutters and doors are original, and much of the furniture and nicknacks date from that era. All over the walls there are photographs of those early days, when Agustin's & Luis' mother was a kid, dressed to the nines in her Victorian era clothes.
The living rooms have a wonderfully musty smell, that no doubt emanates from the quantities of antique books that line the walls. You couldn't recreate an atmosphere like this if you tried. It is special because it is real, and the boys are doing everything in their power to respect it's history and modernise as little as possible.
 |
| Gaby, Jemima and Nadia |
The second half of our time at La Constancia was characterized by much camaraderie between us as a family, and two girls working at La Constancia for their summer vacations: Nadia and Gabriela. Nadia is a student, (and she is the one who taught me Spanish for an hour every day), and Gabriela is a drama teacher. The two of them added much to our experience of the place partly because they always fixed us up with wine or coffee on demand, and partly because they were just so much fun. Even though Gabriela spoke virtually no English, we managed to strike up a great relationship. Just shows…..
Emails have of course had to be fitted in but have been manageable, and my constant feeling that I have too much to do has definitely begun to dissipate in this most accommodating of environments.
On our last day, Agustin took us on a memorable ride - down to a farm 2 km away, that is part of their ranch, to see all the baby animals (baby goats, foals, piglets, ducklings, pups and kittens!)
 |
| Baby goat finds J irresistible |
We had planned to go a longer way back, taking us through stunning scenery, across the stream and through a mountain pass, but time had run short as Agus needed to get back to drive his wife into town to catch the Chevalier bus to BA. We hesitated for a few moments over whether to ditch the original plan and go back via the direct route by which we had come, but Agostin said that if we really pushed the pace, we would just be able to make it in time. Jemima was ecstatic. 'Yee hah', she yelled as we set off at a fast canter, rotating her arm in the air as if wielding a lasso. It was 6.30pm and the temperature was cooling nicely. The mountain scenery was dreamy and worthy of a screen set in a Western. Aromatic smells wafted in the air as the scorched bushes were crushed by the horses’ hooves. What a plethora of stimuli for the senses; we were in heaven.
If asked what was the highlight, it would be hard to say, but I think the 4.5 hour jungle walk we did up to the waterfall has to win the prize. It was definitely the most exciting and most beautiful walk I have ever done in my life.
 |
| Hacking our way through grass |
 |
| Jemima with lichen hair |
We like to think that the barbecue Friday (the second of our week) was in our honour - to placate James’ insatiable desire for their barbecued meat. And they certainly know how to do it! They light the fire in their home-made brick and clay oven first thing in the morning, fuel it with wood from the mountain for 3 hours till the oven becomes white hot, then they remove all the wood and ash and insert the pig. In the stored heat of the oven (the walls are about 9” thick), the pig cooks for the next 3 hours. It ends up perfectly cooked, succulent, crispy and delicious. We pigged out.
No comments:
Post a Comment