Reality Tour, South America: A Day at the Ranch—Argentine Style

The driveway leading up to the old ranch house is flanked by tall trees and it appears we are one of the first tour buses in the parking lot. It is a warm, sunny day and we are happy to accept a cold drink and empanada (meat pastry) from one of the many gauchos near the entrance to welcome us.  Kevin is able to pull some plastic chairs around a thatched “umbrella” to give us some shade.

Debbie goes off to ride on horseback along with Elizabeth and I wait my turn for a wagon ride around the ranch with Cirilo showcasing the wide, open countryside devoted mainly to cattle and horse breeding.

Maggie with horse

Now Cirilo is a story onto himself. It appears that he is the lead gaucho if you will. Perhaps he owns the place—I’m not quite sure—but it appears he has been here for many years.  Although he speaks no English that I am aware of, flirtation needs no translation. It wasn’t hard to decipher his meaning when he pointed to his ring finger on his right hand and gestured to see if my finger was as bare as his. It was not and I laughed to think how many others he has practiced that crestfallen face on. Before stepping down from the wagon, Cirilo said his good bye though I knew it wouldn’t be the last I would see of him. For now, let’s just say I was kissed by my first cowboy–an Argentine gaucho no less!

Me with a "gaucho!"

Before lunch I toured the historic old ranch house to see first hand the history of the Estancia Santa Susana which has belonged to the Rossiter family since 1860. It was decorated like many western U.S. ranch homes accented with cowhide and other masculine touches save for the dining room which was clearly done for the lady of the house. 

Lunch at the Estancia Santa Susana is a feast! Our group was seated in a large pavilion after entering through a general store. The servers brought steak, chorizo sausage, blood sausage, and tenderloin. Salad, vegetables and wine rounded out the meal followed by dessert and coffee. Next up…a folklore show with live music, dancing and even a tango demonstration.

The emcee started the show with a list of all the nations represented at the Estancia Santa Susana that day. Kevin had already prepared us to hoot and holler the loudest when he announced Estados Unidos (United States). I was amazed at the long list of countries represented from around the world! The most spectacular performance was a dance with boleadoras.

After the show, the gauchos ask women to dance—and yes, Cirilo sought me out immediately.

Cirilo has numerous silver coins attached to his large leather belt. Traditionally, gauchos wore all their money on their belts as a way to show how wealthy they were. Another way that gauchos can show off their worth is in the ring, so to speak. Following lunch and dancing, we wandered over to a small set of bleachers to watch the gauchos and their horses demonstrate their horsemanship skills.

In spite of the dust and dirt caused by the horses galloping past, it was amazing to watch Cirilo and two other gauchos each control ten horses. They could make them as still as statues. In the second part of the demonstration, the three gauchos competed in a game called “la sortija” (the ring). Three rings hang from a horizontal post and the gaucho approaches in a full gallop and attempts to pass a small wooden stick (think popsicle stick) through the ring, no larger than 2 inches in diameter. Cirilo was definitely the most skilled in this demonstration.

The day was great fun, and a cowboy lover’s dream. The sweetest part was that many of the women in the audience (including me) got a kiss on the cheek from a gaucho (who else but Cirilo?) along with a souvenir “silver” ring that had been plucked from the string. If you want to see traditional Argentine countryside, a visit to Estancia Santa Susana is worth a visit.

Tags: Argentina, Arts and Culture, Escorted Tours, Reality Tour, South America