A Trip to the Campo

Over the Columbus Day holiday, we were invited to the campo home of an academic colleague and friend of Husband's. Since we do not have a car, they arranged for a remise to deliver us to their chacra near San Miguel del Monte, about 90 minutes south of BsAs.

The remise picked us up at 9 am and the kids and I settled into the backseat of the driver's older Renault. There were no seat belts, which annoyed me greatly, but there was nothing we could do about it. The driver, Lucio, seemed nice, and Husband enjoyed working on his Spanish by talking with him in the front seat. 

The ride was pleasant as we left the city behind. Lucio played the Beatles and '80s pop music on satellite radio. We were amazed by the motorcycles blowing by us at least twice our speed. We also saw a motorcycle driver with his helmut on the arm that he was using to steer, holding a cigarette in the other so he could smoke as he rolled down the freeway. 

Lucio exited the freeway then pulled over to go through his console and make a couple of phone calls. Only then did we learn that he did not have Lila's address and neither did we. Husband called her a couple of times and left messages. 

With nothing to do but wait for a call, Lucio took us to his humble home in the small town. His wife and sister were in the kitchen when we entered. They graciously offered us food and coffee. We declined the food and asked for water. Boy and Girl wolfed down the alfajores that were handed to them. Lucio's five-year old grandson appeared holding a variety of Pixar/Disney DVDs so they followed him into the bedroom to watch a movie. Lucio's wife slipped out the door and returned from a neighborhood market with a big bottle of Coca Cola. Before I could stop her, she poured a large glass and proudly presented it to me. The whole situation was strange but not uncomfortable.

After about 30 awkward minutes, Husband's phone finally rang. We collected our children and climbed back into the Renault. Our short time in Monte was a microcosm of our time in Argentina: many things do not go as planned, but redemption comes from the generous nature of kind people.

We arrived at Lila and Richard's 15 minutes later. Their beautiful home is in a gated community that was originally one large estancia but was broken into parcels in the last ten or so years. Designed by acclaimed landscape architect Carlos Thays more than 100 years ago, the unpaved roads are lined by tall, shady eucalyptus and sycamore trees. The original mansion is now used as an estancia hotel. Lila and Richard's home is the original guest house, and it is charming and full of character.

We were treated to a typical Argentine asado of bife de chorizo, morcilla, chorizo sausage, chicken, and beef on skewers marinated with Richard's own Indian curry mixture. Served on a teak table under an arbor of jasmine, wisteria, and gardenia, this amazing lunch was complemented by a bottle of 2006 Benegas Lynch meritage from Mendoza and a variety of salads (lettuce, tomatoes, and egg and potato). Husband and I were honored to be at their table.


We spent the afternoon relaxing and strolling about, watching cows and horses grazing the pampas from a distance, and seeing storks, herons, cranes and other water fowl in a marshy area adjacent to the property. We played ping pong, soccer, and volleyball with their teenage son. Boy kept busy on a building project with bricks, sticks, a box, and a pipe. Girl was entertained by their sweet and patient teenage daughter.

Girl discovered some very busy ants on a fallen tree log. When I mentioned the ants to Richard, he led me across the yard and pointed out a path with several branches that extended at least 100 feet through the grass. The path was low and subtle, but once I saw it, I couldn't keep my eyes from following it.

Richard explained that they were parasol or "leaf-cutter" ants. He had been so impressed with their industriousness that he wrote a song about them. There were thousands of ants parading on the path, eastward ones carrying bits of leaf sometimes three or four times their size and the westward ones marching back to the tree to get more. They were enthralling to watch.

The moonrise over the pampas was clear and beautiful that spring evening. Except for the detour to Lucio's house, it was a perfectly lovely day in the campo with good friends, food, and wine.

lunch!

Boy's project

parasol ants 

asado

bife de chorizo