The road to Tacuarembo, the first town we would cross in Uruguay after leaving Rivera, was long but beautiful. It was a 100 km trek over 4 days, sleeping in old barns with no bed or shower.
On our third day on the road Mario found a stunning ranch for us to cook lunch in. I rode the horses up to an open barn with sheep skin hanging all over the place to find the owner and his son with wide smiles on their faces.
“Thank you for allowing us to eat lunch here,” I said stepping off Andariega.
We shook hands and I untacked the girls. They dropped their heads and began munching away on the green grass. While Mario finished the pasta we chatted with the rancher and his son about life in the pampas.
“My grandfather raised cattle here and now I’m working alongside my sons, I wouldn’t trade this life for anything,” the elderly man said.
Before chowing down on the pasta with Mario and my new friends I placed my SpotGPS on the ground in order to let outwildtv see my coordinate that day. Whenever I have a clear sky i check in, so we have an exact route of the journey when I finish.
I don’t know if Mario is a tremendous cook or if I was starving, but I scarfed down two plates of the warm pasta. Our hosts ate with us and after brought out dessert for everyone. Like the rest of the houses we stayed in near the border, the matriarch never came out to say hello.
When I went to get the girls to saddle them for the afternoon they were fast asleep. Cautiva was standing but Andariega was laying down on the soft grass. I walked up to her slowly and when she finally heard my presence, tilted her head up unworried. I scratched her head for a little bit while she came back to life and when she was ready she spread out her front legs and stood up.
The afternoon brought with it heavy winds. After saying thank you to our hosts Mario and I continued south.
After about an hour on the road, I stepped off the horse to stretch. While swinging my leg off the saddle, I saw a horse galloping over a hill from where we had just come from. When the horse got closer I recognized the rider. It was the son of the rancher. I wondered what he was doing galloping my way. Maybe he wanted to continue on to Patagonia with us…
“You forgot this behind,” he said when he finally arrived, handing me the orange GPS.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, you didn’t have to bring it all the way here,” I said turning red in embarrassment. I felt so bad!
“No worries, can I take a selfie with you before I head back,” he asked.
We took the photo and I continued on. Feeling horrible that the young boy had to gallop 5 kms to find me.
That night Mario made camp in an old barn at a ranch that hosted cattle sales. There were large pens set up all over the place and a beautiful pasture next to the barn we would call home. we turned out the mares and played soccer with a little boy while the sun made its way down.
Wearing boots and spurs, I played keep ups with the 9-year-old for an hour. It was amazing! I love kids because it takes all but 10 seconds to become their best friend. Especially if you take the time to play with them.
After our game, his father, a worker at the ranch, invited us to eat dinner in their home. We entered the simple home and the smell of BBQ almost punched me in the face. Like all of the homes in Uruguayan ranches, there was a fireplace in the kitchen where he had placed a large amount of lamb.
Before we ate dinner, the young boy let two baby sheep in the house to give them milk. Their mother died and he was now in charge of giving them milk every morning and night. They walked around the kitchen like two puppies while the boy prepared the warm milk formula.
“Relax, your turn is coming,” he said while one of the sheep tried to steal the bottle from his brother’s mouth.
After the sheep had dinner it was our turn. We cut into the succulent meat and placed it into small pieces of soft bread. It tasted so good! And to be with this lovely family was an amazing opportunity.
They shared the little meat they had with us that night!
