Day 48: 17/8/12
Today I had a day trip booked to a ranch. There was a bit of confusion in the morning because when I went down to the lobby the receptionist told me the guide was there for me. But then he couldn't find her! He rang someone and she appeared in a while. I think she may have been there and had left when I came. I don't know!!
It was lashing rain all day today, it never stopped! We drove through the city first and the guide spoke a bit about the city- a lot of the same information as yesterday. We passed the silver river, which actually looks like a sea because it is so wide!! The Guide showed us how to make the matte, the horrible green tea type drink they all have! Then she told us a bit about the gauchos. They are cowboys. The balls they use for dancing are made from leather and filled with stone. They were traditionally used to capture animals.
Because of the rain our activities at the ranch were limited. When we got there we had free time. The options are usually horse-riding, a carriage ride or a museum. So we could only do the museum. It was a house really with all the rooms done up with artefacts. There were bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a chapel in another building. I don't think the house was done up the way the gauchos live really- there seemed to be just lots of artefacts in the rooms. I'd say they could be from any culture! There wasn't any information to tell you! There was a gift shop there aswell so I wandered around there for a while before lunch.
I sat opposite an American couple - I'd say they were in their sixties. They were from Louisianna- plenty to say! They had been in Ireland before because their daughter went to UL for a while.
For lunch we got bread and salads at the table. Then they came around without that had been cooked in a big barbecue. First they came with a sausage. It was okay, but quite chewy. Then they came with a blood sausage! I thought I'd try it cos I thought it would be like pudding. It tasted a bit like it but the texture was all wrong! It was like mushy peas with chewy bits- not good when they keep calling it blood! Needless to say I only ate a tiny bit! Then they came with beef and later they came with chicken! I've never eaten so much meat!!
There was a show then with a guy singing and playing the accordion/concertina thing. There were two dancers aswell who did tango and some gaucho dancing. They weren't as good as the show last night but they were still entertaining. There was a waiter that kept pulling people out dancing. Also, a Colombian couple got up and sang a song! It was all good fun.
We should have gotten to see the gauchos out on the horses then but we couldn't cos of the rain. So we were just brought back to the city. It took a while to get back to my hotel.
I skyped home then- Mam and Dad are full of news!!! Then just got some dinner and watched tv. Lazy evening as I have to be up early in the morning for a flight!