El Ombu

Last weekend we experienced another part of the Argentine culture. We went to an "estancia' (aka: ranch) in San Antonio de Areco which is 2 hours from Buenos Aires by bus. We rode in a "coche cama"—which, literally translated means sleeping car. The seats are further apart providing more legroom and they recline almost completely--similar to first class seats on an airplane or your dad’s Lazyboy recliner.

Jeff and I woke up early Saturday morning to catch our bus and arrived in SA de Areco to enjoy some great weather. The coche cama dropped us off at a small bus terminal just off the main interstate. Jeff pulled out a piece of paper he scribbled some information on the night before and called the only taxi service referenced in The Lonely Planet book. Our taxi driver, “Remis”, was an older gentleman with a very thick Argentine accent. Even Jeff seemed to have trouble understanding him. Because of this, we weren’t sure if Remis knew where to take us. Jeff clearly said “El Ombu” and Remis would repeat, “Asi, ahl Obbus”. “Mrre..arhh..mffes…” (That’s what it sounded like to me.) Our drive to the estancia was only 4 miles or so, but it seemed longer for some reason. We turned off the main highway onto a long stretch of dirt road. It made sense we would have to travel along one in order to reach a place fit for a gaucho to call home. The road was bumpy and it reminded us of our trip to the NaPali coast where we had to ride back to the resort in a van full of tired, dirty tourists but that’s a story for another time. When we reached the estancia we were greeted by one of the staff. Jeff and I were expecting to check in, but instead, we were taken directly to see our room and received a tour of the premises. Let me say that the estancia was every bit as charming in person, if not more than the images we saw online. The staff was absolutely wonderful. According to the Lonely Planet book, it’s the best estancia in SA de Areco. In case you’re curious to see what it looks like, click on the link to visit their website:

http://www.estanciaelombu.com/


As you can see from the pictures, it’s very beautiful.

All of the guests were treated to “almuerzo” or lunch, which happened to be parillada (BBQ). They had the best cuts of lomo (some kind of tender steak), chorizo (sausage), and ribs, potato salad (ie. potatoes, onions, and eggs), a house salad (ie. lettuce, tomatoes, olive oil and salt), and pan (bread). Dessert was helado (ice cream). During the time they were serving helados, Oscar, the main gaucho on the estancia, told tales of the gaucho life by singing and playing his guitar. Very much like tango music, he sang about sad times and lost love.

After almuerzo, we walked around the farm a little while and waited for our food to settle. There were quite a few activities to choose from--horseback riding, biking, swimming, billiards, foosball, ping-pong, or relaxing in the shade on the veranda. We opted to go for a ride on horseback and enjoyed it so much that we ended up riding horses three times during our 24hr stay. Jeff is a pro on horseback and managed to get the horses to gallop, trot, turn, stop, and go. My horses only obeyed two of my commands—stop. That’s only one command. On occasion, I was able to get them to trot so that makes two. For the most part, I had to wait for my horse to decide if it felt like moving which usually only happened when other horses nearby decided to charge forward. I just watched Jeff ride off ahead hoping my horse would follow suit. Jeff had to ask one of the gauchos to help spur on my horse so it would catch up with the pack. It was so much fun when I finally felt the horse gallop. Later, we took a walk along the border of the neighboring estancia and continued to enjoy the fresh air and amazing scenery. It felt like being home.

As it became time for “la cena” (dinner), Jeff wasn’t feeling well so he opted to forego his meal and decided lay down. He didn’t miss much. They served boiled chicken and mashed potatoes. The next morning, we went on one last horseback ride and took a taxi back to the bus terminal. We took one backpack with our valuables and left our other bags with the guy who works at the terminal. As I understand from Jeff, that’s not something you can or should do in just any part of South America, however SA de Areco is a lot like the town of Mayberry--nobody locks the doors and it’s common to see bikes unchained.

We walked around town and followed the map to a park and the Rio Areco (Areco River). Situated about a ½ mile past the river, you can find the Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Guiraldes. The museum features gauchesco art, literature, a wall full of branding iron symbols, gaucho attire, etc. One room housed all of the gear a gaucho used everyday to function on the estancia. (ie. knives, lasso, a longer blade knife, bolero.) In the paintings we saw on the wall of the museum, gauchos looked half pirate, half cowboy. One thing that added to my experience at the gaucho museum and El Ombu was listening to Jeff share some insight with me about the history of the world during the time of the gaucho and how their views and way of life differed from other Argentines who lived in Buenos Aires. I love having my own personal historian. It’s a great perk! Poor picked on Jeff was a trooper and made it through the weekend despite having to deal with the traveling bug in his system. The bug decided to calm down about 20 minutes before we made it back to BA. If you ever take a trip to South America and need to get away from the city life, I suggest you check it out. You won’t be disappointed.