Eldorado, Argentina – March 29, 2011 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… We had an early morning today (28th) to get a transfer to the bus station in San Ignacio to catch the 8:30 bus to Eldorado. From there it is another transfer to the Estancia where we are spending the day prior to reaching Iguassu Falls. The bus is another very comfortable double decker and not very busy so we have lots of room to spread out. That’s why I’m trying to at least get some blogging done. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………. This area is very hot and humid. Actually the temperature is only in the 20’s but with the humidity at about 97% it seems really muggy. The roads and everything are wet and if you stand reading a paper while you’re waiting for your bus to arrive the paper gets wet even though it is not raining. Of course the rain makes the area very green. When there are forest areas they are very thick with vegetation. Palm trees are mixed with pine trees and ferns and it’s a wonderful but dense mix of shades of green. There are also tree farms, either that or the trees here definitely know how to space themselves out evenly and in straight lines. I believe our guide yesterday told us that lumber was one of their big industries so I’m betting on tree farms. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………. We are passing through many villages and towns and they all seem very quiet. Perhaps the main business areas are further off of the highway. We are on the main highway but there are often lovely tree-lined streets. They look very cool and inviting but I know it’s anything but cool out there. The bus is air conditioned so it’s quite nice. The buildings in the towns are only a few storeys high and most are made of cement bricks. Most are just brick coloured so none of the bright colours we saw in other places. Instead they are rather dull and boring looking. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Some of the farm homes along the highway seem small but reasonably modern and nice looking. Many have beautiful gardens with lots of colour. Other homes are much smaller and less modern and on smaller plots of land. They all have dirt driveways and in fact many of the roads are only dirt. It is a very red clay and makes everything look red and muddy. The poor guy back at the San Ignacio bus station was continually washing the floors of the station. We all thought it was a losing battle but he never gave up and he seemed happy enough to be doing his job, which was nice to see. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. There are cows in the fields and there are now some crops planted in small fields but I have no idea what they are. I’m sure someone mentioned cassava at one point and some of it looks like sorghum to me. Other than that I have no idea. Everyone seems to have chickens as they appear everywhere around the homes. As you look out over the countryside you see rolling hills now and trees everywhere. It is hard to see any farmed land at this stage but I assume it is still in among the forests. The vegetation is so thick that I certainly would not want to be walking in it. I always wonder how the early explorers or natives made their way through such vegetation for the first time. I’m afraid not much of the world would have been discovered if I’d been in charge of exploration. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Okay, that was all written on the way from San Ignacio to Eldorado, Argentina. From the bus station we headed to Las Mercedes Estancia. We took two trucks (four wheel drive from the ranch) and two taxis. I was in one of the taxis. This is only important to know because the two trucks made it just fine but the two taxis didn’t exactly get there on their first attempt. The roads are dirt roads and very bumpy and there had been a lot of rain so they were very wet. We did a lot of sliding around and we went through some very large potholes that covered the whole road and you really couldn’t tell how deep they were. However, we really got bogged down when we had to go up a small hill. We made it a ways before our driver had to stop. He let some air out of the front tires and tried again but eventually gave up and backed down the hill, still sliding all over the place, until he hit a corner. We then took an alternate and longer route but finally reached the Estancia. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………… Las Mercedes Estancia us a large ranch or station that now breeds and raises cattle and also does some forestry work. The brother and sister in charge were very friendly and they obviously are quite used to people coming by for the day. They also run and B&B so they keep busy. There are several farm houses and the one we were in was the original one that had been added on to many times so I t was a maze of rooms but now very large and also very comfortable. Because of the delay in arrival we just barely got through introductions before they announced that lunch was ready. We ate in a screened-in room that sat 12 very comfortably and we ate well. The salads were on the table and the meat was served. It was grilled over a large BBQ built right into the room. We had at least six different meats from sausage to chicken to beef steak and it was all delicious. It was certainly more than we needed for lunch but we didn’t complain too much. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. In the afternoon we really only had two option: horse riding or a truck tour around the ranch. Most chose to go by horse even though it was very wet and rainy outside. My Peruvian rain poncho came in very handy yet again as I chose to go for the horse ride. My horse was Tango and he was very nice but he really just wanted to stop and eat the luscious grass all the time. These were big horses, not the kind like little Pedro on the Lares Trek. The saddles were not exactly western ones but we did all survive. One horse reared up and took off as soon as the rider got on his back and we thought he was going right through the gate but he came to a sliding halt in the mud and the rider stayed on. He definitely got applause for that one. Luckily it wasn’t me or I would have ended up in the mud. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. The ride was about 1.5 hours long through the fields and across small streams on the estancia and through many fields with cows in them. They didn’t seem to like our trespassing but we did it anyway. We would have gone across the river apparently but it was way too high because of the rains. Some of the fields were high with grass and I had to admit that if I were a horse I’d want to be eating too. We went through some light forests and weaved our way on a path out and back from the Estancia. It was a good ride but my knees, especially the left one, were certainly hurting by the time I got off so I needed help to dismount. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. The home has been in the family for many generations and was obtained when the government of the time wanted homesteaders to come to the area. The great grandfather bought a large parcel of land, actually many parcels of land, purely from a land map that was being used during presentations in Europe. He hadn’t actually seen the land and I’m not sure he ever did. He sent his son over a year later to work the land and the rest, as they say, is history. They did have sheep and cattle but now just do cattle and forestry. There have four kilometers of land along the river and six hundred and fifty hectares and it all appears to be very beautiful and fertile land. Of course it is rainy season so perhaps it doesn’t look so green all year. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. They had a cook helping them during our visit and two ladies who served as waitresses. The cook also doubled as the canoe/kayak guide if that tour was available. It wasn’t because of the high river level. We had one other guide with us on the horse riding journey and I assume they have more people helping out when they have larger groups in and probably more people helping with the actual running of the farm. It was certainly an enjoyable day and the ranch would be a great B&B for a few days of relaxation and outdoor activity in a truly rural setting. We had a tour of the house after lunch and it certainly looked cleaner and more comfortable than most of our trip accommodation. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Either before or after lunch, not sure any more, we had a mate ceremony and went through a lot of mate (pronounced matte like latte). This is a traditional drink and people are always walking around with a thermos of hot water and a cup of mate with a metal spoon/straw in it. Throughout the day they add hot water and sip it through the straw. We had not tried it so this was a good opportunity. Because there were 11 of us we had two cups going and we each took our turn drinking the mate. When the cup is passed to you, you are supposed to drink the whole cup and then pass it back to the server to be filled again for the next person. It’s not the greatest drink but it’s okay. It’s not the most sanitary process but no one has keeled over yet. Everyone shares with everyone on the street and bus drivers or tour guides will even offer you a sip. Anyway, we can now say that we tasted mate and shared a cup with friends. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. At the end of our visit we had afternoon tea in another dining area and then got back into taxis for a ride back to the bus station where we got on our bus to Puerto Iguassu on the Argentinean side.