19th December

First things first

I would like to thank you for keeping an eye on us. It is so nice to receive comments and emails. You all know how much I am missing family and friends and it makes a big difference to know you are with us, virtually anyway.

Occassionally over the years I have questioned my career choice. What difference has my hard work really made to the world? Very little, many would say :-) However, we are witnessing first hand how the internet is changing life in the most remote places. We have seen school kids chatting over MSN in tiny, rural villages and teachers hosting long-distance lectures in internet cafes. So, keep working hard all you Juniper kids and anything you can do to improve the internet speed in Patagonia would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, enough of that, please keep watching our blogs!!

Home on the Farm, La China

If you were a taxi driver and the size of Hagrid and giant, would a VW Golf be your vehicle of choice? Apparantly so for the charming driver that transported us from Buenos Aires to the calm of Magdelana in The Pampas region. For nearly 3 hours we sweated, as Hagrid swerved, over took lorries at high speed, shouted into his mobile, in between asking for directions at every service station on route. I was crushed with 2 inches of leg room and feared that every time we braked my rucksack would fly from the make shift parcel shelf and crush my skull. Adam, clutched his tennis ball sized elbow, and we tried to concentrate on the lovely view from the window of cattle pastures and endless sky.

We were collected from a very remote petrol station by our hostess from La China, the lovely Cecilia. On arrival at the estancia (farm / ranch) we met Cecilia´s daughter, 13 year old Julia and the friendly dog, Hucka. Set in eucalyptus woods, the farm house, adobe built in the 1930´s, has been lovingly restored by Cecilia and family. We were showed to our gorgeous room and had a great evening chatting with Cecilia and Julia whilst enjoying a fabulous dinner.

Cecilia, Marcelo, Julia and Hucka the dog

Relaxation, gastranomic delights and wonderful company is the best way to summarise our few days on the farm.

The countryside is very flat in the Pampas but quite beautiful. Adam and I were invited to take a horse for a ride around the farm. Once Cecilia spotted us in paddock (completely out of control on ponies she described as statue horses as they are so placid and well behaved), she thought it were best that Cocqui, the very cool ´gaucho´of the farm accompanied us. We enjoyed our ride, even when half way around the farm, Manso my 25 year old horse, decided it was time to head home and cantered back to the stable with me clinging to his mane. Adam was trotting close behind, his family jewels getting a violent bashing. Cocqui was highly amused. All very well for him. He does not actually require a saddle or stirrups :-) Adam and I discussed over dinner the merits of investing in horse riding lessons!

Delicious food consumed, included:

For dinner, home made ravioli, empandanas (Argentinean pasties) and mondongo (stew with beans, beef, bacon and corn).

For lunch, fresh from the barbeque; steak (many different cuts of beef), chicken, chirizo.

To satisfy my sweet tooth; lemon cake, black cakes (sugary buns), tart, fruit, jams and honey all fresh from the farm.

All washed down by a fine selection of Argentian wine (Malbecs from Mendoza region) and liquors.

Above: We rode a horse and trap which was great fun. Cocqui, the farm manager in very typical dress. Click here to learn more about Gauchos (cowboys). La China, meaning cow girl, is Cecilia´s nick name and the name of the farm.

We visited the nearby El Destino, a UNESCO reserve in the grounds of the now uninhabited Santa Rosa estancia. Here we enjoyed a stroll, the beautiful views of the river and the tradition of taking mate (pronounced mah-tey), with Cecilia and her husband, Marcelo. By the way, Antony Hopkins (+ Director James Ivory) will be filming a new movie at El Destino during the coming weeks.

Above: At El Destino Nature Reserve

Mate is a very common custom in Argentina and surrouding countries. You drink mate with friends, from a shared cup with a metal straw. The drink is an infusion of yerba mate, a species of holly. Hot water is added to the yerba leaves. The cup is passed to the right, when finished is passed back, water is topped up again and passed to the next person. If you have had enough, you say, thank you. If you would like another helping, you simply pass back and await your turn. The drink tastes like a very grassy tea and is quite bitter. It is very good for the digestion and I can´t help but think the Argentine custom and their high consumption of meat must be linked. It is very common to see people carrying thermos flasks of hot water and the mate cups filled with yerba leaves.

Senor Tarantula

During my stay at La China, I had another run in with a very large and hairy spider. He made his first appearance whilst we were enjoying dinner on evening one, suspended on the ceiling of the sitting room. I was reassured that the chicken spider of the tarantula family (which I assume meant it ate a dozen chickens a day) was completley harmless. I felt slightly unsettled, and again on evening two, Senor Tarantula hovered above. On evening three I glanced upwards and commented that my new friend was missing. Aparantly he wanted to say goodbye personally, as soon after I noticed his front two giant hairy legs resting gently on my thigh. I am sure my screech disturbed the cattle, Cecilia lept up screaming and Marcelo came running with a broom. Poor Senor Tarantula was crushed and swept into the fire. I am no closer to cracking this phopia!

Other highlights included watching the cup final between La Boca of Buenos Aires and Estudiantes of La Plata. Cecilia and family live in La Plata and are life long fans of Estudiantes, the underdogs of the game. Tension was high, Estudiantes were leading 2-1 with 3 minutes to go, and then we had a power cut. Julia and Cecilia were nervous wrecks and we ran to the car to listen to the final minutes on the radio. Estudiantes won the championship for the first time in 23 years, Cecilia and Julia cried, Adam and I joined the group hugs. Can you believe it - me getting emotional over football, Argentinian football. I can see Jim my brother-in-law shaking his head in disgust!! Talking of footy, Maradonna is no longer a real Argentine hero. People here also consider him a fat, junky who is a bad example to kids!! The town of La Plata, including all of Cecilia´s family celebrated all night long.

From the The Pampas to Puerto Madryn and the Pennisular Valdes

18 hours by bus. Entertainment included a game of bingo. Adam and I were most impressed with our grasp of Spanish numbers. The buses in Argentina are very comfy, seats that recline generously, movies etc. The journey flew by (believe it or not) and we arrived in Puerto Madryn, in time for brekky. Nobody seemed to be bothered that there were gail force winds blowing.