Hi everyone,
We know, we know....this blog update comes a little bit overdue! It has been awhile since we left San Pedro Viejo estancia (http://www.sanpedroviejo.com.ar) and are now in a backlog of entries! Suffice to say it will probably annoy you too much if we say we have been busy having fun....so I won´t! :)

So where were we?...oh yes, we left you in Córdoba. We caught a mini bus to a smaller town called Deán Funes which is about 2 hours north of Córdoba. The scenery became very green as we left the city and somewhat drier as we got closer to Deán Funes. We were met by Agus, the manger of San Pedro Viejo and commeced the 40 minute journey to the ranch. We all chatted away happily and asked Agus lots of questions. This would prove to be a theme for the next 6 days!

When we arrived we were relieved to discover that it exceeded our expectations and that was only on first glance. Having been so excited about arriving we had the slight, but niggling, thought that it might not be all we were hoping for. These thoughts quickly dissipated once Agus showed us our room and took us on a tour of the place. It was clear that we would have no trouble relaxing here or having fun! We were keen to met Ceci, Agus´ wife, as her and Mark had shared many emails before we arrived and we felt like we already knew her. It was great to put a face to a name. We also met their adorable son, Faustino ¨Tati¨and their boisterous labrador, Frodo, who would very quickly become Mark´s new play mate.

As you will see from our pictures, the estancia is beautiful and the horses even more so. When Agus told us we could ride the horses as many times as we wanted I was sure I would never leave them! It didn´t take us long to unpack, eat a fantastic lunch and get changed ready for a ride. The only thing that delayed the ride was waiting for a cooler temperature. We met our horses and Franco, the horse whisperer, at 5.30pm. My horse was called Engañera and was the female leader. Agus described her name to mean ´tricky lady´ and I wondered if he had sized me up quickly and thought these two will do nicely together!! A battled of wills ensued for the next 6 days but I wouldn´t have had any other horse as she truly was beautiful, with amazing colouring, and a personality that could only make me smile (and become more determined!). Mark´s horse was another female called Picassa. She was much taller and darker with a beautiful temperament.

We set off with Agus and Franco and had a fantastic first ride. It was already clear that we were hooked and eager for more. The horses were very responsive and we were even able to run. I say run instead of gallop because these horses are Peruvian Paso horses which are known for their smooth riding.

They are different from other breeds of horses in that their natural gait has both legs on each side step forward at the same time. This leads to there always being 3 legs on the ground. When they walk properly it is almost like a dressage prance. Very beautiful to watch. Agus, I hope I explained this properly!

There was only one other couple staying with us on the first night and we enjoyed a very quiet evening. Agus took us into the chapel that is on the property and dates back hundreds of years. Historically, the property used to have the main road running through it and travelling gaucho´s would stop and stay, as well as pray in the chapel. A proper pit stop! Now the chapel is privately owned and on these grounds. It is in great condition and has some beautiful artwork from a local artist.

The next day we were awoken by the rooster (not at dawn!) and for the first time in awhile felt properly rested. We had planned a longer ride today to a neighbouring estancia called San Carlos. Here we would enjoy a BBQ lunch and rest before riding back again. The weather was still warm but not too hot. Mark and I decided to swap horses today to mix things up a bit. The ride immediately felt different from the previous day. Picassa is noticably taller and tripped a lot and Mark found Engañera incredibly stubborn! When we got to San Carlos Ceci and Franco´s dad, Miguel, were there preparing our lunch. The house was very rustic with a lovely and calm atmosphere. We rested for a bit with full bellies whilst we chatted with Ceci, Agus and Faustino before heading back. The landscape is quite barren and dry but with many harsh palm like trees that seem sturdy in the conditions. There are massive boulders everywhere making it look like a roadrunner cartoon! We loved how different it was to anywhere we had been.

When we got back to the estancia it was late afternoon so we decided not to ride again that day and go for a swim in the stunning horizon pool. We hadn´t seen this on the website and so were like fat kids with smarties when we discovered it! After our swim we decided to take the carriage out with a horse called Moro that is not a Paso horse. Mark took to the reins with much enthusiasm and I wasn´t sure I would get him off. We didn´t venture that far but enjoyed the peacefulness of the ride as the sun was setting across the soya fields.

That evening was our gala (welcome) dinner which had deliberately been postponed a night so we were the only guests. The dining room was set with full candelabra and the meal was spectacular. We both looked at each and said we could get used to this!! Its always nice to dream isn´t it! When we walked back to our room the chapel was all lit up and lanterns lined the path along the lake. It was just heavenly...see photos. We swear we saw some sort of animal run past us which we thought was a fox but couldn´t really be sure. I was keen to see a puma but was fairly certain this wasn´t going to happen!

The next day we relaxed for the most part and took a late evening ride into the closest village, San Pedro Norte. This is where Franco and his family live with approximately 600 others, not together obviously! The village is very quaint with a main square, church, police station and pub etc. We tied up the horses and and stopped at the pub for a beer or 2. Agus translated our conversation to Franco and this is where we really began putting the world to rights! When we got back a trio of Germans had arrived. They were very friendly and took great joy in practicing their spanish. It turns out the couple owned a farm in Argentina and liked to travel around a lot. Sounds good to me. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and Agus came to join us for a drink after. Unfortunately, Ceci had hurt her back the previous day and was in considerable pain. Agus joining us became a nightly ritual until we left which we thoroughly enjoyed. I would head to bed at a reasonable hour leaving the two gents reaching for more beer and in lively discussion!

Further relaxation started the next day. I had discovered the cable TV and could often be found giggling to Will & Grace or deeply engrossed in re-runs of Melrose Place. And yes, I can hear you all groan from here! An Australian couple, Leroy and Janina, arrived after lunch and it was nice to expand the group and go on an evening ride with them. This made the horses more competitive and great for running when we were homeward bound and they spotted the ranch! Mark is a natural rider and also rides with confidence. At any opportunity he is encouraging his horse to run! No one could wipe the smile from his face. When we got back I took great joy in washing all the horses as I just love being around them.

Unfortunately at dinner that night we discovered Janina had become ill and so Leroy joined us. It was nice to talk about home and even though he is currently living in Sydney he is originally from Melbourne and his family live in Montrose, about 20 mins further up the road from Casa Cook. He and Janina plan on moving back to Melbourne shortly. Agus came to join us again and the conversation very quickly turned to football, all codes, boys! I am pretty sure I left once the hot topic of Maradona and his ´hand of god´goal came up. A topic Mark had been told not to broach with any Argentine!! haha....Agus loved it though!

We went for a longer ride in the morning the next day and Mark changed horses. He got to ride Agus´ favourite horse, Armonia. As much as he liked Picassa he was even happier on Armonia, which means Harmony. It was a great ride and we enjoyed many runs. We came back for lunch and a rest before venturing out again in the evening. Agus was unable to accompany us this time as he had ´real´ work to do! Franco took us to a river where the water was so clean and pure and the horses could enjoy a leisurely rest. We followed their lead and enjoyed our rest lying on boulders with beer!

That evening was our last dinner and it felt quite sad. We enjoyed a great meal as usual and Agus came to join us after. Janina and Leroy retired to bed but I could see Mark and Agus were up for a session. We shared another bottle of wine before they moved onto the beers. Over the course of 5 nights I am pretty sure there wasn´t a topic of conversation not discussed and we never ran out of things to say. I made an exit as soon as I saw the bottle of whisky come out.....I was also unconvinced that our plan to rise early for a final ride was really going to take shape....unsurprisingly I was right!

I woke at 7.30am to the heavy sound of Mark´s snoring and the pungent smell of whisky. Mark was, of course, dead to the world. I couldn´t wake him so decided to grab breakfast and try again after. I went into the dining room only to discover their carnage. The whisky bottle was empty, don´t worry it didn´t start off full, and an unlit cigar was on the table. It gave me hope they had the sense not to light it! The staff seemed surprised to see me up so early (!) and quickly set about cleaning up the mess as well as getting breakfast. I ate on my own and went to see the horses but discovered they weren´t out of the paddock yet. Mmmm, I really was the only one serious about this plan! Mark was very resistant to getting up so I went to watch another episode of Melrose Place while I waited for them (so it really wasn´t that bad). Agus came rushing in a bit before 9am apologising profusely as he had overslept! I told him not to worry because Mark wasn´t even awake to which he seemed quite pleased, if not envious too! We eventually got going at 9.30am and enjoyed a fantastic 4 hour ride the long way to San Carlos that went up steep hills. Franco joined us too and the scenery was breathtaking. Mark made the infamous comment that he believed horse riding would be as good a hangover cure as diving into the sea. It didn´t take him long to retract that comment as he clutched his bottle of water! It was a fantastic final ride to end an amazing 6 days.

We had lunch and packed before resting in the afternoon. Mark took to the pool and I organised our photo´s etc. We were due to catch an 8pm bus to Jesús Maria where we would catch a night bus to Salta. After saying goodbye to Ceci, Franco and Frodo, Agus and Faustino drove us into Deán Funes and we made our mini-bus with plenty of time. It was sad to wave goodbye as we headed off and I´m not too proud to say I had a little cry!

Our time at San Pedro Viejo has definitely been the highlight of the trip. This wasn´t just due to the amazing property, beautiful horses and abundance of activities. Our hosts, Agus and Ceci, truly went above and beyond to make our stay as comfortable and memorable as possible. We would not have enjoyed the stay half as much had they not been there. It is nice to think that we can now think of them as our friends and we will never forget their hospitality. So, Agus and Ceci, I know you will be reading this and I thank you for the hundreth time from both of us! We are already planning how and when we might be able to visit you again. You are very welcome to come and see us in Melbourne, or wherever we may be, should you ever wish to.

We left for Salta keen to see the northern provinces and with renewed energy. We will try to update the blog with these adventures shortly. Thanks to everyone for your message board posts. Sending lots of love....Marco and Jacquelina xoxox