8/18/11 Leaving Mar Del Plata

The day I left Mar Del Plata, I suddenly remembered that I could not remember what my rented car looked like, and the valet guy had parked it for me, so I would not be able to just go back to where I parked. Add that to the fact that my car did not have a "clicker" so I could not push a button and expect my car to light up and honk at me.
Luckily there were only 3 cars in the parking lot, which helped a lot. Not wanting to make that mistake again, I took a picture of the car and license plate for future reference. Then I headed off for my Estancia. It was a 4 hour drive on the freeway, and another 1/2 hour of dirt roads before I came to this:
Estancia not to be seen, but I imagined it was back there somewhere, which it was, and no sooner than I was parked, I was invited to come for the afternoon ride, which I was very obliged to do! A quick change into jeans and running shoes and I was on a horse within 10 minutes!


I was told the horses were "neck trained" which I quickly learned meant that they did not speak english or spanish, and did not do anything with the bit.
The pampas were stunning, and I had the feeling that time stood still. I have no idea how long I was out there in the pampas, but it will certainly be one of those memories I will go back to and re-live well into old age.

When we arrived back at the farm in one piece (my horse, "the black one" was not as broken in, and when they asked me if I wanted to gallop I stupidly said "sure!" with a little too much enthusiasm. The horse took this as an opportunity to show off, and gallop I did! I was so impressed with myself, that is until the stirrup came loose, and I suddenly had no footing. Not wanting to spend the rest of the trip with any broken arms or legs, I hung on, and did my best to not fall off. Admittedly, I was also a bit more concerned about my camera, not wanting it to be broken so soon into the trip!!! I did end up getting the horse to stop, and we got the stirrup back into appropriate place, and off we went again!!)...as I was saying, when we arrived at the farm in one piece, we were invited to help with the milking of the cows. This guy was much better than me, although I did get milk on the first try!
The rest of the evening before dinner was spent strolling around the grounds, taking in every second of bliss.

I had been told the sunsets were incredible, and they were right.

After the sun was down, and color retreated safely for the night, I made my way back to my room with the fireplace already crackling to take a shower and a quick rest before dinner.
The floor reminded me of my grandparents floor, which was comforting. More to come....

5/17/11 continued

Walking back I turned inland to go into the city area. This descriptor was part of the central park, although I did not catch the name of the park. Nearby was the shopping center, where I did buy an Argentina jersey so I will be ready for the 2014 World Cup!!!!! (yes, I plan ahead.)

There were interesting bits of art tucked here and there.
I could imagine having this be my house, with this in my garden. It was so peaceful and inspiring, despite being tucked into the city.
There was a bit of political influence as well.
The most interesting parts of any city, I find, are the grocery stores. For example, I had not ever seen yogurt in bags before!!!
Not suprisingly, they had Argentinian wine!!! Lots of it. I bought 3 bottles back, although regretted buying them so soon into my trip, as I had to carry them all the way back to the hotel, and then on for the rest of the trip. I would say it was worth it!
The churches of the region were impressive to me, as were the squares with thier statues to whoever they happened to be of.
I giggled to see the bird perched on this elegant man's cape.

At the end of the day, I was ready for bed again, and looking forward to another day!

5/17/11 walking back

Walking back I ran into this guy, and his mirror image buddy guarding the steps down to the beach. I could almost hear them silently barking to each other. For perspective, I came up to his flipper! For lunch, I stopped in my "famous" restaurant and ordered a calamari dish, which was unfortunately aweful! Luckily, the water (without gas), coca-cola and wine with the bread, oh the bread! left me completely satisfied.
The view, too, certainly made up for the taste. I was later told to never, ever order the seafood, despite being at the beach. The nation was known for its beef, and I was instructed to stick with what they do well.
I kept on my path back to the hotel as the sky blued up for a bit.
Many of the homes looked like they had been boarded up and abandoned. I was clued in that, no, these metal window coverings were to protect against storms and were also for safety, although most used them to block the sun since air conditioning was not common.
I was delighted by the contstantly changing view. Ocean to one side, city to the other.

I had promised my friends and family that I would be careful, and this was a moment to prove that. I really wanted to shimmy between these 2 rocks to peer out the other side, but could just imaging getting mugged or robbed on the other side, and so kept safely on the path. You are welcome everyone! :)
I was not sure if this was condos or a hotel, but whoever got to stay there had an awesome view!
In front of some of the hotels were pools quite close to the beach, like this one. I can imagine that having a choice of where to swim would appeal to a lot of people. I think I would stick with the ocean.
I enjoyed the smell of salty air as I walked.
The walk continues....