Estancia
One of the most touristy things to do is to visit Estancias. Estancias are large private farms and ranges. The cowboys (gauchos) who once roamed freely in the hinterland eventually joined these estancias as workers. Eventually some of the estancias are setup as a living museum for tourists to visit.
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Mate, which Ricardo was drinking, is a
piping hot herbal tea. It was drunk by the gauchos as
their favourite beverage. I was told that mate was also
drunk by the poor people in the countryside to curb the
hunger. Henry sitting on a stool made from the cows' bones. |
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The original mansions of the estancias were restored to illustrate how the people once lived.
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We also checked out the wardrobe of the previous owners at the Estancias. The blue and white outfits here were swimming trunks. As it was cold and windy outdoors, we shivered and hugged together in order to take this group picture outside the mansion. |
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Acres of land at the estancia await visitors to view on the horse drawn carts. We also saw a typical game that gauchos play while riding on horses.
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But
I found many visitors were happy just cozy up in the warm
dining tents where the asado lunch was served. This is a massive grill where hundreds of slabs of chicken, meat and sausages were being grilled. We huddled next to it because it smell delicious and it was the only warm place outdoor. |
There were visitors from all over the world to come to this estancia. First, we feasted on the asado (b.b.q.), which is composed of mainly meat. Spirits were free flowing, food was plentiful. Everyone was having a good time.
The waiters were wearing rastras, which are big belts studded with coins and decoration.
After the feast, there were performances of tango, folk dancing, gaucho dancing and singing. We had our chance to sing and dance too.
Some of the musicians also double-dutied as waiters and bar tenders, such as this bar tender, who played the guitar at the musical performance, turned out to be the "fastest gun in the wild wild west" in mixing his drinks.
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