I wake up before dawn and go for a walk down the road to see what I can find. There isn’t much of a sunrise today due to the cloud cover and the mist is sweeping over the hilltops. The sheep and cattle scatter as soon as I near until three yearlings decide to start following me. As soon as I turn around, they stop and stare. I take a few steps ahead and they inch forward. This continues until I get near the ranch and then they move on.
Back at the estancia I join Juan in the kitchen in companionable silence while he checks the news and I edit photos. We chat when a subject comes to mind but don’t feel the need to talk. The way Juan’s mind works fascinates me. Some of the questions that he asks are thoughtful and in depth. We chat about my work, my love life, my childhood, where I’ve travelled, etc. Juan met his Swiss wife in Tibet while traveling but at the time she was involved with someone else so he had to bide his time for two years. He visited her in Switzerland and then when she came to Uruguay he gave her several options regarding their future together: they would be together or they would not and if together, they would live in Switzerland or at the estancia in Uruguay. She chose Juan and the estancia. Unfortunately, that year was economically terrible for Uruguay and Argentina and they had to sell all their cattle to be able to keep the property. This is when the idea of inviting travellers to experience gaucho life came into being. They’ve managed to build a large clientele over the years that’s by word of mouth. Juan seems to enjoy it as much as the guests do. His wife and two daughters live in the town during the week so the girls can attend school and then return to the ranch on the weekends.
Today’s task is to move a herd of yearlings to a small paddock near the ranch in order to douse them for ticks. We head out with Juan and Bilinga to locate the cattle and are instructed to move slowly so we don’t startle the herd. They’ll start running and then we’ll never catch them. Bilinga goes on ahead with the two dogs and brings some of the herd towards us. I ride ahead with Juan and we manage to keep the left side of the herd together. The others come from behind in a line and keep the cattle moving ahead. All of a sudden a couple of the yearlings decide they’ve had enough and escape the group with a high kick of their rear legs. Juan takes off after them and I try to keep the others contained. We bring them around to the open gate where they funnel into a separate fenced area. I’m so proud of us! It’s like we’re real gauchos and Juan gives us a nine out of ten due to the difficulty factor.
Now that we have the yearlings corralled in the pen it’s time to move a few of them into the “circle of death” and down the chute to the canal containing the tick medication. Some of the yearlings jump right into the canal and swim to the end. Others are stubborn or scared and attempt to leave the chute the way they entered. Bilinga, Helen and Dave are prodding them in their rears to get them moving with some success. Some of the yearlings end up entering the the canal backwards with the rest of the herd falling on top of them so Juan has to use a large metal hook to grab them around the neck to turn them around. We get half done before we take a lunch and siesta break.
After siesta we finish off our work, herd the cattle back to their pasture and unsaddle our mounts before setting them free for the rest of the day. Juan is takes us on a short hike to a dilapidated stone inn built in the 1800’s that I saw from afar this morning. We take rubber boots with us in order to cross the creek and after crossing, hide them in the bushes. We explore the area around the inn and then head back to the ranch. The only issue is the rubber boots are gone! I instantly think that Juan has hid them as a practical joke but he assures us he hasn’t. Where have the boots gone?! We haven’t seen another human the last two days and no cars have driven past. Was someone hiding in the bushes and waiting for us to leave the boots? Something is very fishy. After we give up trying to figure out the mystery of the boots, we have to figure out how to cross. Melany and Audrey have their boots with them and Juan is wearing sandals so they can cross. Melany takes my camera bag and Juan tells me to hop on his back. He picks his way across the slippery rocks and deposits me safely on the other side. Boots are transported across the creek to Helen, George and Dave so they can cross.
I watch yet another glorious sunset and then head in for dinner which is a delicious, hearty lentil stew. It’s an early night as we leave tomorrow afternoon and then have a twelve hour overnight bus trip to Igazu Falls. I’m going to be sad to leave this place. It reminds me of my time in the Snowy Mountains at the Higgins family hut and riding in the mountains everyday. Owning a farm is hard work, but it’s a simple and rewarding life. I’ll miss Juan’s in depth chats and sense of humour. He’s been a pleasure to get to know.
