So what brought us here? What would make me dare to ride a horse again after being thrown from one when I was about 12, where I landed face first into a thorny bush? Meet T.A. and Laura,
my good friends who come to Patagonia each year to work on the ranch, Estancia Ranquilco, owned by T.A.´s father, Ashley. I´ve been hearing about this place for years, and when Allan and I were going to be in Buenos Aires, I asked Allan what he thought of riding a horse to the middle of nowhere and spending some time at a ranch. Without an ounce of hesitation he said, "Sounds great. Let´s do it!"Our journey started on a bus from BA, and not just any bus, but a luxury bus with fold down seats, TV screens, and served meals. If you´re going to be on a bus for the 15 hours it takes to reach Zapala, it´s the only way to go.
Zapala is the nearest small town to the ranch, and TA was at the station waiting for us with Laura, who had arrived on an earlier bus. We picked up some supplies and loaded them into our "rig",
and drove another 5 hours to Buta Mallin--that is where the road ends and the horse trail begins.
It's also where a few Gauchos live, and they help Ashley take care of the horses and other things at the ranch. Ashley gave us a brief lesson on how to steer a horse,
and before I knew it, we were following Ashley, Laura and TA into the wilderness of Patagonia. It was early evening, and we were hoping to make the 3 hour ride before sunset. Three hours on my horse, Louisa, gave me lots of time to figure out how to ride her. T.A. assured me that the horses at Ranquilco know what they're doing, and are used to clueless riders like me. (My words. He was a lot more polite!) At first, I was trying to fight the uncontrollable "out of control" feeling of being on a powerful horse, but that immediately made my lower back hurt. Then I realized that the movement of horse riding was somewhat like dancing--my hips, back, and shoulders were moving to Louisa's rhythm, and if I relaxed to it, riding became fun. This adjustment in approach made riding effortless, and the discomfort I felt in my back immediately disappeared. This allowed me to focus less on me and Louisa, and to finally look around and take in the spectacular surroundings, made even more beautiful and captivating by the setting sun.
It may not be Brokeback Mountain, but I did start to feel like I was in some sort of western movie. Where else and how else can one see miles and miles of untouched land? I even felt a teeny bit macho, and I started to understand why some gay men go all "Village People" and dress up in chaps. Hmmm. Maybe Allan's fantasy of my next costume purchase would come true after all...GEORGIE
It was nearly dark when we arrived at Ranquilco, at around 9:00pm.
We were greeted by Georgina, or Georgie as she is called, who is the ranch cook and gardener. Georgie is in her 30's and looks like she just stepped out of a western movie herself. She's pretty and down to earth--the type of gal that looks like she can wrestle a new born calf by day, but also look smashing in a dress and high heels at night. She's from Chicago, and has lived at Ranquilco for the past three years. (She found out about the job here via the Internet.) We dismounted our horses, and as we hobbled along bull-legged, Georgie led us past the main house to a charming cabin on the edge of "the shelf" of Ranquilco's landscape, which looks out to the expansive valley. The cabin is called The Castle, and as we were led inside, I felt like I was on the movie set that Georgie just stepped out of. It was rustic yet elegant, immediately comfortable and homey. (Pictures taken the next morning...)
Antiques decorated the space, and as I looked at the sofa, chairs, and table--even the mattress--I wondered how they all made it here? It took us 3 hours by horse! How do you transport a sofa??Georgie showed us the water heater, which heats water by a small wood "fireplace" below the water tank. She had it lit, and said that we were all set for a nice hot shower. Dinner would be served at around 11:00pm. (11:00pm?? Wow, we really are on Argentinian time!) Georgie left us to get settled, and we noticed that on the table were two gorgeous cheese biscuits she had baked that day. They were delicious, and the hot shower felt divine. I had a feeling that I was really going to like this Georgie...
We later found out that when Georgie first arrived here, she had never cooked that much, had never gardened, and had no experience with horses. In the 6 days we were here, she marveled Allan and me with her Martha-Stewart-Perfect baked goods that were so rustically gorgeous they could have graced a cookbook cover. One day she taught me how to bake bread--something I have wanted to learn for many many years but had just been waiting for someone to teach me. She measured all the ingredients with her hands, and I was surprised to learn how forgiving bread is.
My three loaves all turned out nicely, and with one loaf I made Peach and Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding, which wasn't half bad.During the winter when there wasn't much for Georgie to do, she read books on Organic Gardening, and in the spring she was tiling the earth, sprouting seeds, and planting a garden. She even learned how to make compost, and proudly showed us her huge, thriving garden.
For dinner she would pick fresh lettuce and make a large, lovely salad. Have you ever eaten a fresh picked green salad? It's beyond excellent!Amazingly enough, Georgie turns out all these great dinners without any refrigeration. Ranquilco is "off the grid" and generates electricity from the stream. It's enough power to run lights and such--and will soon power a freezer--but refrigerators just eat up too much electricity. The only fridge they have at Ranquilco is the water fountain at the outside entrance. Allan and I didn't know about the lack of refrigeration, and we had brought 5 cartons of soymilk with us. So soon we had our soymilk in the fountain, right next to Ashley's beer.
At first, I was totally freaked out by eating unrefrigerated food. Leftovers from dinner sat on the counter, covered with a cloth, and then were eaten for lunch the next day. Back when I managed a restaurant, any food that sat out for 4 hours or more was immediately considered Food Poisoning Waiting to Happen, and was promptly thrown out. But after 6 days of eating room temperature, day old foods (even cheese!) I can say with some bewilderment that I never got sick, and that the food tasted great. Even the day old salads still looked crisp and fresh the next day. I cannot for the life of me figure out how. It defies everything I learned in Food Handling Class, and even from my own experience. It must be the magic of the great outdoors...life as it used to be before cars, subdivisions, and high-rise buildings...and refrigerators.RANCH HANDS
Working on a ranch is hard work, and there is an endless supply of it. Ranquilco has a volunteer program where you can pay to volunteer here--yes, you pay to come here and work. Amazingly enough, they have several volunteers at any given time, and many of them come back to do it all again. The reason? Well for one, the location and scenery are unbeatable. And many volunteers like the ability to ride horses whenever they feel like it. Plus, Ashley and T.A. are great people to work for. Paying "guests" also stay at the ranch, but they pay considerably more and don't do any work. Allan and I got a sweet "friends and family rate", so we did some volunteer work, mostly gardening and pruning of trees and bushes--things we like to do. But unfortunately I had horrible allergies the entire time I was there (grass pollen most likely) so I eventually found jobs inside, like cleaning the kitchen or cooking meals. Besides, after a few days outside my hands and lips were chapped beyond repair. Clearly, I was just not meant to be a rough and tough cowboy! But it's not all work and horses at the ranch. On most evenings there were volleyball games, and one day there was a treasure hunt. It's a huge playground here!
TWIGGYA day or so after arriving, I was walking to the main house when I saw something move on the dirt.
It turned out to be a skinny, beat-up greyhound dog. Some of you may not know this, but I LOVE greyhounds and whippets, so I immediately went right over to this dog and threw myself at her. Now most greyhounds will politely ignore you when you stop to say hello (they are like big cats, I'm told) but this greyhound rolled on her back and let me pet, hug, and kiss her to my hearts content. I was immediately in love. One of the other guests (a very bright young girl named Laura) had named her Twiggy because she was so thin. I found out later that Twiggy is owned by a gaucho that used to work for Ashley. It was assumed that this gaucho recently rode past the ranch, and Twiggy either automatically came here, or got lost and found her way here. She had a sore on her cheek, and a gash on her leg, and it is possible that she was abused--gauchos can treat dogs like, well, like they are nothing. Over the next few days, I would seek Twiggy out for some loving and sneak her some food. (We were advised not to feed her so that she wouldn't consider this home...) Oh how I wanted to take her home! But bringing a pet from Argentina to USA is a 6 month deal, and very expensive...and where would I keep a greyhound anyway? On our last day at Ranquilco, I went to find her to say goodbye, but she was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she made it back to her owner...I do not know. She added such sweetness to my stay at the ranch, I feel like it was a gift from God for her to be there when I was...
KINCAIDLaura and T.A. have a seven year old son, Kade. But he's more like a wise old man trapped in a seven year olds body. I have always been a bit intimidated by Kade, and this visit to Ranquilco gave me a chance to relax around him, and see that occasionally, he can be just like any other seven year old. Kade has zero shyness, and can hold a conversation with anyone of any age. He played volleyball with us adults, and when one guy tried to give him advise on how to play, Kade shrugged and said, "You can play however you like to. I'm playing the way I like to." When Kade was about three, a friend of mine was holding him and said, "You are so precious!" To which Kade looked up at her and said, matter of factly, "No more precious than you are." Kade can teach you how to do anything, even if he doesn't know how to do it himself. One day he asked if I could help him make a dessert, and he was very specific about what he wanted to make, and how he wanted it done. "Our" walnut tarts turned out to be extremely delicious.
On another day, he asked me if I knew anything about being a spy. I said, "Not really." So he showed me the ropes, and before long we were spying on Allan. Later at dinner, I told Kade that I had mentioned to Allan that we had been spying on him earlier in the day. Kade froze for a moment, slowly looked up at me with such an expression of disgust and horror and said, "You NEVER tell someone that you have been spying on them!" Sheesh, what an idiot I am! But he forgave me, and before long we were having a conversation with a telephone he made with some string and two cans. (It was the only telephone available at Ranquilco.) One day as we were walking to his house to get Laura, Kade turned to me and said, "Are you gay, or is Allan just your friend?" "Um......well...yes, I am gay and Allan is my partner." (I am totally freaked out at this point. Kade seems completely disinterested in my response, and we continue on as if nothing happened.) I find that most kids mimic how their parents feel about homosexuality...If parents could care less, then kids could care less. If parents say, "Ew, gross! Sick!", then their kids say, "Ew gross! Sick!" Thank you Laura and T.A. for teaching your son Kade to be loving, accepting, and respectful...NEW YEARS
I was excited to experience the ringing in of a new year in the middle of nowhere. New Years is probably my least favorite holiday...everyone gets drunk, makes vague promises about living better, and then acts like a ball dropping at midnight is such a big deal. I am usually at home on New Years Eve, and asleep before all the craziness reaches its peak. Sure, I do appreciate the opportunity that a new year provides, just like I appreciate the opportunity that a new day provides...I just don't like the celebration hype. At Ranquilco, the staff and the gauchos arranged for an Asado, a social celebration which includes the fire-roasting of a goat killed that day. This made me think that perhaps celebrations in the wilderness weren't all that great either, but hey, as long as I didn't have to eat any of the goat, I assumed it would be okay.
"Gaucho" was the dress code of the evening, and everyone was supposed to sport a mustache--even the women. (Laura was too classy for such nonsense!)
So Allan and I used instant coffee grounds to give us that Gaucho look...and it was a clever way to get a bit of caffeine just by liking my lips. In addition to a roasted goat, Georgie made lots of other foods for us veg-heads, and a fantastic chocolate cake decorated with wild flowers.
There was dancing and drinking outside on the patio, and I was actually having a good time...It even appears as if Georgie and I disappeared!
but by 11:30, Allan and I were exhausted, and the last thing I remember at 11:50 was my head hitting the pillow...I was asleep before midnight. Some things never change.One thing I do fondly remember about New Years Eve was looking at the stars. Oh my God, the STARS! We forget how many of them are in the sky when we live in cities....Then there was the full moon--I love the full moon! It rose from the mountain ridge, and peeked out from behind the clouds. The vast landscape below was softly illuminated, and the river shimmered like a silver ribbon. I reflected back on 2009, tracing our steps from New Zealand to Japan to India to Scandinavia. I thought of the Danube in Budapest and the Medina of Fez. It has been an amazing year, unbelievable and unforgettable...a journey like no other. As I looked at the moonlight reflecting in the river, I thought of an old song, Moon River, that seemed to speak so eloquently to what 2009 has been about...
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend.....
It's been a year of seeing a lot of the world, and of seeing many of my dreams come true. I humbly recognize how blessed I am to be experiencing this trip with Allan. I have no idea what 2010 will bring...but it is my heartfelt wish that it will bring us all--everyone in this huge, crazy world--closer to our greatest potential as human beings. That we learn how to live together in peace, with love and respect, and to work together to heal old wounds and build new bridges. As Americans, we have so much...and it is my goal to find new ways to give to those that have so much less.It is also my wish that we love the earth for all the bounty she brings, and we protect her health--and therefore the health of future generations--more than we protect "bottom lines" and profit margins. When you live at a place like Ranquilco, you can't escape how connected you are to the earth. It is everything. It gives you everything. It grounds you, humbles you, uplifts you, and centers you. It actually makes asphalt and concrete city life seem rather...crazy. Take some time to sit with the earth this year. It's waiting for you...
With peace and love from the Great Outdoors of Patagonia,
David
To see many more great photos of Patagonia, and Buenos Aires, click here.P.S. We will not have email or internet from January 24 to January 30 as we head to Lapa Rios to spend a week in the rainforest....Blog posts on Cusco and Machupicchi are coming soon!
David your stellar dancing abilities came from our Salsa lessons! :) I love the story of Kade.
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