The Slower Road

Remember the first photo Jill sent from the CAA group’s visit to Argentina, the view from the back of Estancia Bella Vista?

Here’s a view of the house itself:

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(photo by Jill Ryder)

Earlier in the week, the CAA group went to Estancia La Invernada, owned by the Gibelli family. Jill had already sent a few photos from that visit and then sent a few more on Friday:

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the main house at La Invernada (photo by Jill Ryder)

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a Hackney horse being shown to the group (photo by Jill Ryder)

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getting ready to go for a drive (photo by Jill Ryder)

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(photo by Jill Ryder)

Jill’s managed to connect to the Internet once again, and has sent the following report:

“For the last two days, we’ve stayed in the delightful town of Pejuaho. We have had the chance to enjoy the town’s many shops, and we’ve become something of celebrities, with people coming up to us in the street or shops and asking where we’re from, how we like Argentina, etc.!

“Yesterday, we drove a hundred kilometers northwest of town to La Adela, the estancia belonging to Carolitits Lattuada, a young man who inherited the large estancia about four years ago following his father’s death. The weather was PERFECT and once we arrived and were warmly greeted, we loaded up three pickups and were taken around the estancia to see the llamas, the cattle, the crops and, of course, the Hackney horses. This estancia was at one time (and still may be) the largest breeder of Hackney horses in the world.

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part of the llama herd at La Adela (photo by Jill Ryder)

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some of the Lattuadas' Hackney horses at Estancia La Adela (photo by Jill Ryder)

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“Following the fascinating tour, we enjoyed a lunch and then a walkabout in the thirty-hectare Park (or garden). Fantastic. This estancia still has its own chapel and school and other outbuildings.

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Milagro Lattuada (third from right) and her son, Carolitis (second from right), pose with the dancers & musicians who entertained the group during lunch (photo by Jill Ryder)

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enjoying a walk in La Adela's extensive park (photo by Jill Ryder)

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“Then two pairs of horses were produced so that people could drive or ride in the carriage, after which it was time for tea in the main house.

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getting ready to go for a drive with a pair of Hackney horses (photo by Jill Ryder)

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in the harness room at La Adela (photo by Jill Ryder)

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“We had a full and wonderful day with the Lattuadas and returned happy to our hotel after a twelve-hour visit!

“Today, the town of Pejuaho continues the celebration of Tradition Day with a carriage display in the town square. We have the morning free to explore, as the estancia we were to stop at today for lunch was too badly damaged in the strong thunderstorms of this week. We are making our way today to Areco and the Gaucho Festival.”

a portion of the carriage collection at Dr. & Mrs. Gibelli's estancia (photo by Jill Ryder)

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during the CAA group's visit to the Gibellis' estancia, Elizabeth Ashbridge (on the left) chatted with Dr. Gibelli (second from right) and two of his children, Delfina and Mathais (photo by Jill Ryder)

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one of the Gibellis' Hackney horses that was shown to the visitors in the CAA group (photo by Jill Ryder)

Jill sent this second report on the CAA group’s visit to Argentina:

“On Sunday, after a relaxed morning of riding or walking at will through the spectacular park at Estancia Bella Vista and enjoying lunch, we packed up our van again and departed for Tandil, to the south / southwest.

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the view from the back of Estancia Bella Vista (photo by Jill Ryder)

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“Tandil is a hilly area (the only hills in Buenos Aires province), and we drove four hours before climbing a steep dirt road and arriving at Amaike, our home for the night. This new hotel overlooks a valley and is spectacular. We enjoyed a group dinner (empanadas, sausage, salads, beef and finally lamb, all prepared on an open fire outside) and all went to bed early.

“On Tuesday, we visited what can only be described as the finest carriage and appointments collection to be seen anywhere. Years ago my father, Tom Ryder, had visited Argentina and was enthralled with what he found here. He took photos and notes of all the wonderful vehicles, and two years after he passed away and my sister and I sorted out his house, we found these photos and notes. When I last visited Argentina two years ago, I brought the appropriate photos/notes to the Fox family. They were so delighted that they made a DVD of all the information, and we enjoyed the “premiere” of the film today. I was presented with a copy for the CAA library. Wonderful.

“At the end of our fabulous visit, we loaded up, made the somewhat hazardous drive across the field again and found the main road, drove two hours and arrived in the small town of General La Madrid and the Hotel Europa. We arrived wet and muddy, but happy. It turns out this delightful hotel is owned by an Argentine couple who had lived for two years in England and spoke perfect English. They had a small but super restaurant, and we all enjoyed a great evening, topped off by a bottle of champagne provided by the owner, Antonio, at 11:00 p.m.!
 
“Today (Wednesday), the rain has changed our plans. Although the weather this morning was wonderful, with the sun shining and a great temperature, there was so much rain yesterday that the thirty kilometers of dirt roads to the estancias we were to visit today are now impassable. So we will stay here most of the morning and slowly make our way north to Pehuajo. We are working on finding another local bus to take us tomorrow to our estancia,  which is miles and miles on dirt roads. Fingers crossed.”