NEUQUEN MENDOZA SALTA
Tina and I fly to Argentina and on up to Bariloche.
There we find a Guesthouse run by two Dutch women and we go to them to rent horses. They refer us to a neighbor who has five horses and who, after some hesitation, is willing to rent us two of them for two weeks.
We agree on a horrendous price, 600 USD, but we have 3 good horses and
for the owner, that's a lot of money.
Day 1
When we arrive the next day, he wants the horses shod, but we meet him in his hut and nothing has been done yet. He doesn't want to give us the horses. He's afraid for them.
After 2 hours of coaxing, he agrees to shoe the horses for us after all, and we
watch him as he tries to shoe the horses with sad tools and used irons. We are not allowed to help him. OK. 3 hours later the 3 horses are shod, and we hope that the shoes will at least last for the first few days.
Tina prepares an Asado and we spend the night with the two ladies again, to saddle the horses the next morning and set off for the Dina Huapi trail, which should take us to the 5 lakes. In the afternoon we meet a gaucho who visits the two ladies, and they tell him about our plans. He enthusiastically invites us to visit him on our way north. We can't tell him when we will be there, but we promise to come by.
Day 2
We saddle up early the next morning and ride towards Nahuel Nuapi National Park. The trail is not signposted, but it is otherwise clearly visible in the terrain. I have the way to the start and the trail itself on my Garmin, and it is quite manageable with the three horses. I ride the stronger mare and Tina the smaller gelding. This is what the co-owner wanted. We follow the trail through hilly landscape and on the other side of the valley we can see Mapuche settlements. We spend the night at a small tributary and enjoy a swim and the peaceful atmosphere.
Day 3
The next day brings some obstacles, but nothing that could upset us, and we ride comfortably north. Only I keep having discussions with my mare and we just don't really get along. We cross a pass on the country road and down in the valley we want to fill up our water bottles at a spring, so I dismount to reach the stream in the bushes.
However, my mare decides that she is thirsty and pushes past me into the stream. It is overgrown with meter-high thicket and when I want to send her back from further up so that I can get to the clean water, she pushes past me and climbs further and further up the stream. I can't follow her in the branches and return, frustrated, because I'm still carrying the three empty water bottles. Tina is sitting on her gelding and when I come out of the thicket back into the light, she just says, “If the grizzly chases a mare...” Where is she, I ask, and she points to the other side of the valley, where the mare is grazing contentedly. I fill the water bottles and hand them to Tina to go get my horse, but when she sees me coming, she marches further back the way we came.
30 m ahead of me, she runs back up the pass we just came down. Fortunately, a car is coming towards me, and I ask the driver to turn around so that I can catch my mare again. He agrees and we drive after the mare, up the mountain and halfway to the pass, the driver can grab the reins and stop. I thank him, get out, grab the reins and lead my favorite mare back down the pass. When the driver catches up with me, he asks me why I'm not riding, and contrary to my usual habit of leading downhill, I get on and ride her down the mountain. Punishment must be.
Around noon we come to a small town where it smells deliciously of grilled meat. After we have bought some food, we find the source of the smell down by the river. Corizzos are lying on a grill, but they are not yet cooked, so we let the horses graze, drink a soda and chat with the seller of the sausages, who keeps turning them on the grill.
Soon we have devoured them and now we have to lead the horses one by one over the steel-cable bridge to get to the other side of the river.
We have mastered the bridge and continue along the river. We trot along the road that the gaucho in Bariloche told us about. We should soon reach the estancia he mentioned, and after some searching, we found the entrance to his property. We ride up the driveway and arrive at a gate at the top of the hill. We dismount and draw attention to ourselves. A man of about 40 comes up and asks what we want. Tina explains that Roberto invited us to visit him, whereupon the man explains that he is Roberto's brother and that we are very welcome. They didn't know when we would arrive, so they started the party two days ago and are happy that we are finally here. He would let Roberto know and then he would come too. We unsaddle and let the horses run free when suddenly the smell of rotten eggs hits my nostrils. I bend down and realize that I have stepped on a chicken egg that one of the free-range chickens that spend the night in the trees on the property has laid here in the middle of the pasture.
We are served at a table on which the leftovers from a small pig are spread out in portions on a board and the people greet us as if we were old friends. There is a lot of laughter and Argentine folk music can be heard from the radio. Wine is poured and we enjoy the cheerful atmosphere. There must be about 20 people and children, and we are sitting around a small fire in which tortillas are sizzling in the oil. About two hours later Roberto turns up and greets us happily, but immediately disappears back into his cocina. A little later he reappears with a guitar and sits down at our table. He uses the 25-centimeter blade of the knife he carries in a sheath on his back to trim his fingernails, and then, accompanied by the guitar, he begins to sing. The melodies are melancholy, but we all join in the chorus and laugh when he finishes the verse.
Day 4
It is getting late when we finally spread our mattresses on the grass and go to sleep.
In the morning Roberto makes breakfast for us and insists on accompanying us for a while, since he has the keys to some gates that we would have to open on the way to be able to continue riding. It takes a while for him to get ready for the journey, and so it is almost noon when we say goodbye and he returns. We ride further up the mountain and past a herd of goats, coming to a fence on the other side that consists of the typical Argentinean seven strands, with the top strand being barbed wire. The strands are held in place by posts sunk into the ground with drill holes every 14 meters and by slats with drill holes every 2 meters.
If you find a post that is no longer well anchored, you can pull it out, lay the whole 28 meters on the ground, and the horses just walk over it.
We did just that and came to the next valley of the Lagos Melinquina.
We set up camp on the banks of the tributary. We try to find hay so that our horses don't have to nibble on the sparse grass up by the road, but we have no luck because the place consists of only one guesthouse and it's closed. When I return from my exploration, I see a small truck loaded with hay coming down the road and I stop him to ask if we could buy some hay from him. He agrees and we get 2 bales of hay from him, and invite him to mate tea. Since he is a farrier and our shoes need to be replaced urgently, we agree that he will come back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. and shoe our horses. We pay him handsomely for the hay and promise even more money when he shows up tomorrow.
Day 5
We catch up on the missed sleep from the night before and are wide awake at 6:00 a.m. We make breakfast, coffee and mate and wait, but it is 10 o'clock and he is still not there. Since we knew that a blacksmith would shoe horses at the next estancia that day, we decided that Tina would hitchhike to this estancia and I would wait another hour to see if our friend from yesterday might come after all. It is half past eleven when I decide to ride to the estancia where the farrier should be doing his work. It's not that easy, since I'm riding two hand horses on a mare that is annoying me the whole time because she stops as soon as one of the lead ropes touches her hindquarters. Then
the gelding turns in circles and I have to dismount to sort out the lines again. At some point I've had enough and decide to lead the three of them, tying the bridle of the stubborn mare around my waist while I lead the other two.
Nevertheless, she keeps stopping to snatch at grass, which means that I don't really make much progress. On one such occasion, she once again snatches at the pack horse, which bucks and shoots away, scattering its load. I tie the mare to some bushes, the gelding next to her and go and collect the packhorse and its load. I repack and then get the other two and continue, this time with the packhorse by the belly and the mare tied to the saddle horn of the gelding.
I still have to pull every now and then, but it's much easier to move forward. And after a while it seems to be going really well. Almost too well. When I look, the mare is no longer at the saddle horn, but standing 500 meters further back on a piece of grass.
So I tie her up again and go back for the mare. I'm feeling pretty fed up, because it's oppressively hot and I still have about 15 km to go. We're just the four of us again when I come to a gate that's locked. There's a fence that I can open to get to the other side. No sooner said than done, and it works quite well to maneuver the three through the gate, but barely 20 meters further on there is a cow grate that cannot be passed. To the left, there is a steep descent over rocks down to the river and to the right, there is a rock wall. No chance. The horses can't just get over it like that. I tie the three of them up and start dragging the large stones that are lying against the rock face and use them to fill the
spaces between the bars of the grate. After what feels like hours, I have created a 50 cm wide bridge over the grate, on which the horses can cross the grate. When the horses are on the other side and I'm just about to move on, I see cattle on the other side. Shit, so I have to build it back after all. But just then a car pulls up and the driver helps me carry the stones back. Muchas Gracias and on I go. I follow the increasingly narrow road, which slowly mutates into a double track in the grass, and see a fork in the distance.
When I arrive there, I find Tina's water bottle at the signpost and decide to leave the lane and follow the path that turns left here.
About 20 minutes later I am standing again at the fence of a puesto and children come to the fence to talk to me. They are Mapuche and I hardly understand them, but they get the dad and he explains that I am not allowed to go in with the horses, he has to ask the woman first, but yes, Tina is here, has been here for a few hours, but he doesn't know where. I ask the children to find Tina, who has gone for a walk, and about 30 minutes later she turns up. When she asks about the horses and whether we can stay here until tomorrow, the gaucho has meanwhile asked the owner and she has given her consent. We are allowed to take the horses to the countryside and let them graze, and we can stay at the Puesto. But she has not yet spoken to the farrier, but he has to go through here when he goes home and he is still at the estanzia. We make ourselves comfortable, the children are very interested in our things and we are invited to the Puesto. It is almost 9 o'clock in the evening when a truck comes to the Puesto and stops at the gate. It is our blacksmith and he promises to be there tomorrow at 9 o'clock to shoe the horses. Now he is too tired, he has shoed 16 horses today. We hope and go to sleep. We'll see if it will be tomorrow.
Day 6
The farrier is there right on time at 9 and asks us if the horses are used to blacksmiths. We say yes, but he takes a halter from the car to replace a noseband as a precaution. He explains to us in detail how the part works and it looks dramatically more humane than a noseband. He puts it on the gelding, but he stands like a 1 ob with or without the part. The farrier, trained by Huf-Balance, does a great job cutting and nailing the shoes. Absolutely perfect. We are thrilled. The other two get the same treatment and stand exceptionally well. He is happy and making good progress and when it comes to paying, he says that since we are guests in Argentina, he will give us a special price.
We paid 120 dollars for all three horses. Muchas Gracias.
We continue our journey, and after yesterday's adventures, I ride the gelding and Tina rides the mare. Lo and behold. It works without a hitch. Tina has the mare under control and my gelding is super calm anyway. We ride back the way we came to the turnoff and follow the main road to Lago Hermoso. After about 9 hours in the saddle, we decide to stop at a place with good grass and set up camp.
Day 7
The next day we arrive at Lake Villarino and the path is great to ride on. We make good progress and I enjoy having a horse with a good sprint under me again. We find an idyllic spot on the shore and pen the horses in. Laundry is done and we take a dip in the lake.
Day 8
We get up at 6 o'clock in the morning, have breakfast and pack our 7 things on the horses. At half past seven we are on our way and cross the land bridge to the next lake,
Lago Corentoso. On the way, we find a kiosk where we can buy tapas and beer, which we enjoy while the horses graze. We come to a campsite, and right next to it an Argentinean fiesta with a rodeo and dancing is taking place. We have trouble navigating our horses through all the trucks and tents and find a place to tie them up at the bottom of the lake. We can't leave our stuff unguarded, so we take turns visiting the exhibitors' stands and stalls.
Tina meets a woman with whom she gets to talking and who invites us to visit her in the evening. A time and a meeting place are agreed. In the meantime, a whole group of people have gathered where the horses are tied up, and they have also tethered their horses there and are preparing asado on a fire. When Tina returns, we are invited by the Mapuche, who are camping here, to eat with them in the evening. We watch the rodeo, which is different from the rodeos in the US. A horse is tied to a pole in the middle of the arena, two riders to the left and right of the horse help a gaucho to mount the tied horse, and as soon as he is seated, the horse is released and it rushes off bucking and trying to stay on its feet. The horse rears up and takes a few steps on its hind legs, while the gaucho hangs from the horse in a horizontal position. Just before the horse falls over backwards, it comes up again and the horse lands on its front hooves, only to bolt again, rearing up.
The two riders flank the horse and hold it by the bridle so that the gaucho can dismount. The candidate has 99 points. Or ends up in hospital.
There is dancing and folklore groups perform in between, while we walk up to the meeting point that was agreed. Unfortunately, our hostess has changed her mind and leaves us hanging. We return to the Mapuche and are invited by them to spend the night and tomorrow with them. It will be an enjoyable evening, entertained by the Mapuche and tired from the day.
Day 9
We are invited to visit the Mapuche family at their estancia in the Cuy In Manzano Nature Park. They give us the exact coordinates and we set off on horseback while the family packs their things and loads the horses. We meet them again on the road to their ranch and the head of the family saddles his horse and rides with us
home. We ride through a hilly landscape with trees and shrubs, and soon we come to an area that has obviously been affected by fire.
We see the ruins of a truck and stables, and when we ask about it, he explains that a volcanic eruption in the region x-years ago started a fire that also devastated this part of the park. It rained ash and the cows were covered in 20 cm of dust. Thanks to his wife's persistence in asking a rich white neighbor for help, despite the men's objections, the cows survived.
We arrive at the house and Manual, the boss, proudly shows us the furniture he made out of tree trunks. We visit the stables, feed the animals, and help out wherever we can.
The Mapuche family moved here to this valley a long time ago, and unfortunately they no longer know exactly when and also have no papers for it. They cleared the land and built the house. Now, about 80 years later, this part of the country has been declared a nature park and they are confronted with the government's demand that they leave the region precisely because it is a nature park. They are fighting against it.
Day 10
Manuel takes us on a day ride in the mountains and the horses are happy to be on the road without luggage. It is a harsh landscape with lots of rock and bushes and great views. Manuel and his wife are incredibly hospitable and invite us to visit them again next year.
Day 11
We spend one last night in the mountains and then return to Bariloche the next morning. The gaucho, whose horse we borrowed, is incredibly happy to see us and his horses again and is very pleased that they are even shod properly. He thanks us effusively and says that he already knew he could rely on us. However, his words and actions were not quite congruent, and since he has already offered such a good price for the rental, we decide that there will be no additional tip. We do another load of laundry for the two Dutch women and the next day they take us to the bus station, where we board the bus to Mendoza.
We spend another 2 weeks with Tina's tour group in Mendoza and Salta and enjoy the Argentine gaucho life. On the way, we happen to meet Roland Berg, who is regularly traveling here in Argentina, and meet his travel companion with the horses.
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