Retrospective blog – this particular week in October was too good not to share!
Los Potreros
We spent a fabulous week in late October at a working cattle/horse Estancia north of Cordoba for a change of scenery and some different riding experiences. We didn’t actually get to see that beautiful scenery until 6 days in because there was an unprecedented bout of freak fog and storms. This resulted in some ‘atmospheric’ (damp!) rides, cosy nights toasting our toes in front of blazing log fires, and the occasional torrential leak to mop up in the middle of the night. No bad weather could spoil our fun at Los Potreros though. It was like stepping back in time with minimal digital connectivity, maximum nature, and wonderful guides/staff/hosts.
I would normally begin with a eulogy about the horses (which would be well deserved, and I will get to it), but this time the dogs might have to take precedence. There was a hoard of ramshackle cosy canines to cuddle and throw pine cones for, but Masai the greyhound found a special place in all our hearts. She showed up last year after having her puppies recently removed and been abandoned, and there at Los Potreros she found the loving home that she needed. Bel n’Em would entreat Masai to the ‘schoolroom’ in our cottage with them, and she would cosy up between them on the sofa enjoying cuddles and heat from the wood burner. Such was Masai’s magic that she was actually a concentration enhancer (or it might just be that Rob has a super soft spot for greyhounds and whippets). If we could have snuck her away and home with us we would have!
The Masai pampering went to extreme lengths!
A quick homage to the other fabulous dogs so Bella and Emily don’t revolt:
Boomerang
Clyde
Noodles, Clyde, Trumpet
Fannie
Gillie
Bella has mutinied because I didn’t manage to get a shot of Haggis (head honcho collie), so I will appease with a shot of her with ‘I chase the fir-cones thrown for me but don’t return them’ Clyde:
The horses were beautiful and beautifully kept. Los Potreros have 2 large herds, one of Criollos and the other Peruvian Pasos. The criollos are the main working horses of South America, contrived of a mix of Arab, Barb and Andalusian. They are sturdy, compact, and muscular, with incredible endurance over rough terrain. The Pasos are much leaner, but still strong. The unique thing about the Pasos is that they have a 5th gait. It is genetic rather than learned, and is a lateral four beat gait. It can look as though both legs on one side are moving forwards together, although in reality there should be a slight difference in timing of the hoof hitting the ground. The horses seem to ‘flick’ their front legs up and out, so its quite a poncy pace, but its a helluva lot more comfortable than trotting (or cantering for that matter), and incredibly they can keep it up over super long distances.
When the sun eventually came out we were treated to spectacular views. The hills were liberally sprinkled with tiny red and lilac verbena flowers that sparkled in the grass. We stopped at waterfalls and ‘top-of-the-world’ viewpoints for elevenses and a chance to rest the horses and take it all in.
The girls surprised me with Argentinian Mothers day (bonus – 2 in a year!), and I was lavished with champagne and a huge chocolate cake.
Chef’s night was a highlight when we (the guests) took over the kitchen and cooked our own dinner. Emily was on bread, Bella on pasta, and all of us learned the correct way to ‘fold’ empanadas. Somehow we managed steak and cheese on top of all of that, and the wine pairing was lavish and delicious.
We were also treated to a fabulous night of live traditional songs by talented a local musician.
Due to the weather we didn’t get a chance to play polo or do cattle herding, but we got to watch the gauchos lassoing young cows in the mist (to check them over for infected / fly-ridden belly buttons), and to herd the young horses into the corals each night to keep them safe from the pumas.
And we visited the piglets………twice!
Kevin our gracious, humorous and generous host, the wonderful guides, the incredible gauchos, talented chefs, and other guests all contributed to a very special week, and we hope to get back to Los Potreros someday (not least to dognap Masai – watch out Louise!)
And before I sign out, a few highlights from our 7 hour drive up to ‘Los Pots’:
Bunk hammocks for the ‘friends’
A night in the ‘road-view’ Armstrong hotel
And the most revolting dinner EVER!
(about an hour north of BA) for the entirety of October and November. The house is a wonderful mixture of modern and traditional (think huge glass walls looking out onto a blazingly green garden, with tall beamed ceilings and roaring log fires for the cold nights). There are about 150 large plots of land here where wealthy Argentinians ‘weekend’. The compound is fenced, and consists of nothing but horses (everywhere – literally), houses, a communal tennis court, and the clubhouse (which warrants a blog post of its own). It backs onto the reserve (direct access) which makes for great hacking and picnics by the river. There is tonnes of security so the girls can cycle around and enjoy some yet unknown freedom.
around for the last 10 years. We pick grapefruits and lemons from trees in the garden for breakfast / G&Ts respectively (actually the grapefruits go quite well in the G&Ts too….).
Wildlife abounds, my favourites so far being the burrowing owls, lagarto lizards, white-eared possum, fireflies, and the hares that race around in search of a better blade of grass…… I have resumed my early morning runs. Its deliciously flat going, but still throws out spectacular nature and sunrises to tickle the endorphin highs.
the terrace in case there are carrots involved. Whilst we like the familiarity and proximity, it does result in a fair whack of poo-picking, but the girls negotiated a rate of 30c per poo (it was supposed to be 25p per poo, but Em pointed out that the pound is weak against the dollar, and we pay in dollars, so it should be 30c………… so i capitulated on the condition they do their own maths). 
cunningly converted into steps by setting plastic drink-bottle crates deep into the mud, and splashing along tinkling streams. The vistas, were vast and ubiquitously spectacular. We discovered untold medicine trees, the Mashpi Magnolia (unique to this nature reserve), and so many fabulous birds. Butterflies abounded. While the rare Spectacled Bear managed cunningly to elude us, we did have a rather memorable encounter with some black howler monkeys. Bella and I were out for a sunset hike, and we spotted a troop in the trees directly above us and tried to track them as they leisurely swung from branch to branch towards their sleeping spot. It was a rare siting, and just as we were starting to feel rather smug, they weed on us. A LOT. Turns out monkey wee REALLY stinks! But the real question is, is it more lucky than bird poo?
not only looked the part, but was incredibly knowledgeable, and had a passion for tiny frogs that turned out to be rather infectious (the passion not the frogs!). He was locally born, and totally self-made (taught himself great English from scratch in 3 months using Duo Lingo which renders our reciprocal Spanish efforts using the same app rather pathetic). In one of his past lives he was a climbing guide hence ninja with ropes, which made for some fun tarzan swinging: 
a great view of the bay), took a gentle hike that afternoon to the local Mirador, then stopped on our way home to snorkel at a recommended spot. Despite double wetsuitage, entering the freezing water elicited much shrieking, only surpassed in decibels when a playful sea lion skimmed past and then stuck around to duck and dive all around us. Emily managed to get a great photo (whilst screaming!), and this might take centre stage for her next blog post.
We took a private fishing tour. None of us are remotely into fishing, but it turns out that it can be really quite exciting when both lines kept ‘catching’ simultaneously, and we got to ‘fight’ the fish from belt harnesses. We landed one pretty quickly – a spectacular yellowfin tuna (which we enjoyed for the next few dinners!), but all the others got away (because they were sooooo big that they broke the lines/swallowed the lures – most likely sharks – obvs!). And then the next unexpected treat – the sun came out (we haven’t seen it since Quito!), so we swam to a pristine white beach, and lounged around with the sea lions and built sandcastles.
hot chocolate and presents in bed. Our biggest hit was a blue candy ‘thumb’which came with a dipping pot full of mega-tangy sherbert. Who knew such gastronomic delights existed and could be savoured at such an uncivilised hour? The Safari Camp where we are staying served cupcakes for breakfast, and decorated both the table and us with various lurid masks, sprinkles and streamers. We headed out for a tour of Plazas Island 
where we got very close to various nesting birds, handled some gruesome skeletons, and a observed a colony of bachelor sea lions (they go here to hangout when they’ve been ostracised, or when they are building strength to win the hearts of sea-lionesses!). The boat crew had been duly tipped off, and served cake number 2 at lunch. It’s an Ecuadorian tradition to make your birthday wish as you (literally) take a bite of cake, and Bella dived in without hesitation! 
and ended up in a lagoon where lots of black tipped sharks were taking their afternoon snoozes under some rocks round the edge. During the snorkelling trip Emily lost a tooth! There was a dramatic amount of blood, so Em got out of the water to avoid attracting even more sharks. 
have a rather dubious butter knife to add to our lean travel kit!). But, apparently it also rains in the rainforest – duh!!! And when the rain came it was the kind that drenches you before you even get the chance to zip up your back pack, and pull the packaway hood out of your dodgy mac. We hunkered down in pairs using mildewed life vests for insulation (and yes, if you look closely at the picture you I AM wearing a binbag!). It usually only lasted for 30 – 40 minutes, but it was the uncertainty of the duration which was probably the toughest feature of each downpour. The girls were amazing. We never even got a whimper out of them, rather beaming smiles when the sun re-appeared (along with a radioactive bubble gum lollipop from Jasmana).
