A Day In La Pampa: Estancia El Ombu De Areco

For the past two years Chase has taken me horseback riding for my birthday!  I grew up riding and always love the opportunity to get back in the saddle.  This year was super special as we took a break from the big city and headed out to the country side.

We traveled about two hours outside of the city to Estancia El Ombu de Areco, a traditional working ranch in la pampa. Our day was filled with horseback riding, Argentine folk music, and a delicious asado aka Argentine BBQ (the best!!!). A day filled with culture and fun!

We took a beautiful, long ride out to the fields to check on the cattle and the other horses on the property.  Lead by two seasoned Gauchos, it was amazing to ride the land with them and breathe in that moment.  **note to self: never tell the guide that you are an experienced rider, the big beauty I'm on was a little less than tame. :s

Now if only every meal could include a sweet Gaucho serenading us... We had been talking about eating a good asado in Argentina for months - this trip has been a looooooong time in the making, but let me tell you - Argentine beef under a grove of trees in the country did not disappoint. 

After lunch the Gauchos showcased a demonstration of trust between man and horse. I honestly was pretty weary of the demonstration beforehand, but it was really neat to see how gentle and loving these men are with the animals they raise. They also let us in on the fun towards the end, which one of us was clearly jazzed about.............

Truly a place I could see myself retiring... See you in 40 years, Estancia El Ombu!

For those interested, we booked this experience through Viator here.  We found out booking through Viator saved us at least $20 a person, so definitely check out their prices before booking any tour.  We typically don't do tours when we travel, but we LOVED this trip because it was so private (only 3 other people in our group), authentic, and educational (Pablo, you rock)! 

Feeling so lucky to have spent my birthday doing some of my most favorite things. Getting out into the countryside added such a neat perspective to our trip thus far - if you are planning a trip to Buenos Aires, I would highly recommend making a visit to la pampa a priority.  

Settling in San Telmo

WE MADE IT!!!

Our first week was filled with free walking tours, weekly city markets, live music, and dozens of empanadas; aka all of our favorite things.

After settling into our apartment, we set out on one of the two free walking tours that Buenos Aires offers.  This tour was with BA Free Tours and was a great way to get acclimated to the city, meet some other travelers, and see the big sites. Although this tour wasn't our favorite, we'll be forever grateful for our sweet tour guide, Vicky (top left photo), she rocks! Unfortunately most "downtown" areas of cities in South America have a reputation for pickpocketing on Saturday - Sunday.  The hustle and bustle of city workers has halted and the tourists come out to see the sites.  We had a close call with one of our bags (the one holding our camera, phone, cash, EVERYTHING), but luckily Vicky saved the day and chewed the bad guys out.  She took us around downtown and told us some amazing stories - maybe you'll meet Vicky one day, I hope you do!

The best part of the tour was a surprise meet-up with one of my old friends from a Peru trip years back (bottom left).  Megan is the definition of adventure and always inspires me when I get a chance to chat with her, so being on the same tour by chance was super neat.

Downtown is truly stunning. Above is my favorite building in the city!  I used to laugh out loud when I would read or hear Buenos Aires called "The Paris of South America," but it's no joke that the architecture here has looked to Europe for inspiration.

SAN TELMO MARKET

This is our neighborhood, San Telmo.  It's one of, if not the most historic neighborhood in Buenos Aires.  With cobblestone streets, candle lit street lamps, and dozens of antique shops; our hood is pretty neat.  Every Sunday afternoon the streets come alive with the famous San Telmo Market.  Vendors, artists, tango dancers, and locals all come out to enjoy the afternoon together.

RECOLETA

Our favorite free walking tour was the one of Recoleta with Buenos Aires Free Walks. Martin, our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the area and told us countless historic stories.  He also offered smart tips about the area and even shared his email at the end of the tour to contact in case we needed any help or recommendations to make our stay memorable.  Definitely take this tour if you ever come to Buenos Aires!  

Recoleta was incredibly charming with floral shops, bookstores, cafes, and full of the stunning architecture that mirrors Paris. 

Our tour included visiting the Recoleta Cemetery, which was incredibly moving to walk through.  So many incredible stories of love, hate, and power fill the rows of the grounds.  The architecture alone made for an incredible visit to one of the top tourist sites in the city.  

After multiple tours, street markets, site seeing, and working, we would typically end the day with a trusty empanada and Coca Cola! Why is Coke so much better outside of the USA?!  Lucky for us, next door to our apartment is an empanada + pizza takeout joint! We became fast friends with the owner and have made a goal to visit his shop less frequently than our current 3x a week schedule . . . wish us luck!