Sunday: Day number 3 of the excursion was the best way to end a weekend full of amazing activities. We ate an early breakfast in the hotel at 6:30 am, and checked-out by 7:00. The hotel breakfast was great again; a notable food choice was the "Chipá"; Chipá are small, baked, cheese flavored rolls, which are very local and popular to that region of Argentina and Paraguay.
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| Chipá |
We then had a 3 hour bus ride to the San Ignacio Ruins. The San Ignacio was a Jesuit mission built in 1610 that served to convert the indigenous people of the area. San Ignacio also protected the indigious people from slave trading and wars that were common during the time. The ruins were abandoned in the mid 1700s and were not discovered until the early 1900s. Today the ruins still stand, one of the best preserved original missions in the area. The San Ignacio Ruins are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Overall, it was amazing to see the place where the Spanish colonists tried to convert and cilivize the native population. The ruins were beautiful, even though it rained during our visit.
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| San Ignacio Ruins: Group Photo!
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After the ruins, we got back on the bus and headed to the
estancia "La Chacara". An
estanica is the Argentinian equivalent of a ranch; a large rural estate, which typically have cattle or agriculture. Although it was a cloudy and rainy day, the estancia was the perfect way to end the weekend! Everything was so relaxed and laid back; a real difference from the hustle in Buenos Aires. Even just the fresh air and green plants were a treat. The
big treat of the estancia however was the
asado! Asado is a traditional Argentinian barbeque, which is hugely popular on Sundays. Asados typically contain a variety of meats, cooked either over coals on a grill, or over an open fire pit- our asado meats were cooked both ways.
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| Sunday Asado in Argentina! |
This meal was another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! It was a never ending feast of the world's most delicious foods- It was all so good, but soon I became worried that I would physically explode because it kept coming! We started with
Choripan, a chorizo (seasoned sauasage) cut down the middle, served on a roll, and topped with chimichurri (a salsa made of various vegetables and spices, such as peppers, tomatoes, onions, and vinegar). Next was the lettuce and tomato salad, barely salad, and yuca root. The Yuca was really good- kind of like a potato, but a little more dense. Then came the big entree: the asado meats! Servers brought around platters of every every cut of beef from the cow. I had no idea what cuts I was eating half the time, but it was incredible! Then came the lamb asado, which was my favorite. Seasoned with chimichurri and lemon, it was extremely flavorful and tender. Although I was about to explode from all the food, it was impossible not to at least try everything served!
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| Choripán |
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| Yuca, Salad, and Barley |
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| Just one of the many steak cuts I ate |
After the marathon of a meal, we walked down the road and got to see a
maté planation. Maté is a very popular and traditional beverage in South America, prepared from steeping mate leaves in hot water. It is a type of tea, but has a special way of preparing and drinking it. During the visit to the mate farm, it began to pour rain like crazy. We waited the storm out for a little, and headed back once it cleared up. But as we were halfway back to the estanica, it began to pour again. Welcome to the rainforest, right?! When we got back to the estancia, we were served
mate cocido (mate from teabags), orange cake, and
sopaipilla (fried dough that puffs up to form a hollow pocket of air in the center). I thought I wouldn't like the mate, but I actually did! It was not as bitter as I thought it would be, but rather light and like a green tea. It was so relaxing to be sitting out in the countryside of Argentina, listening to traditional guitar and accordion music, surrounded by friends and hospitable locals.
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| Sopaipillas |
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| Las Chacras: The Estancia
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Unfourtunalty, the weekend had to end, and it was back to the big city. We had an hour long flight back to Buenos Aires, but of course, no flight is complete without some sort of problem! After the plane had actually boarded and taken-off on schedule, I thought maybe I had escaped my bad luck of flight delays. But once in the air and almost to Buenos Aires, the captain announced we would have an hour and half delay, due to the fact we couldn't land. I think there was a lineup at the airport and no space for us, or there was a storm over the city we had to clear. So we ended up flying in circles around Buenos Aires for over an hour before we actually landed. At this point, I am determined that I have some sort of airplane curse placed over me. We landed at midnight, and I didn't get back to my host house until 1:00, but even with the flight dilemmas, this was a weekend I would live over and over again if I could! Perfecto!!!
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