7 March 2008
On Friday morning, Brett and I checked out of the Hostería Bella Vista and headed for Estancia Tepi, an historic sheep farm a few hours’ bus ride northeast of Ushuaia. Unfortunately, a serious lack of cash discovered upon our arrival at the farm forced us to shorten our stay by an entire day and forego a horseback ride. We still were able to enjoy a long, leisurely walk through a valley, see (and hear) a herd of wild guanacos (they sound like a car engine trying to turn over), and eat several scrumptious home-cooked meals. Lentil stew greeted us for our first lunch, followed by raisin tea cake for snack, and fresh killed and cooked lamb ribs for dinner.
We also received a detailed description of the history of the farm, its original owners, and its current operation as tourist lodging. Even more intriguing was the impassioned political discussion that followed, in which the lady of the house elaborated her deep-seated discontent with the inadequacy and hypocrisy of past and present Buenos Aires politicians.
