Laguna Blanca

On Monday the 29^th we took a bus from Rosario to La Paz, which is in the Entre Rios province. Really, we could have made the journey by boat (not actually affordable), but both city’s sit on the Rio Paraná. Our bus broke down along the way so we were late, and our ride had to sit around the tiny bus station for over an hour.

Esekel, a super cool Argentinean dude, picked us up from the bus station. He his only 2 years older than Ivan, and is loving life here on the Tompkin’s farm. During the 30 minute drive from the bus station, we talked about the differences and affects of conventional agriculture (aka: intensive inputs, trans-genic crops, and chemicals), versus the Organic agriculture we were going to witness at the Laguna Blanca estancia. Ivan was too involved in his Monsanto rant to notice our incredible speed through the cornfields, but poor Kristin was bouncing around the back seat like a fish on land. It was completely dark when we drove up to the compound, so it had a mystical feel, with the beautiful new buildings framed by the bright stars. Even without light, we were already in awe by the beauty and aesthetics of the place. Also, after so many days on the road, and with so many hostels (good and deplorable), we were so grateful for such a cozy room with soft sheets and firms mattresses, a beautiful tiled shower with a waterfall of fresh well water, and even a ceiling fan to cut the heat! Needless to say, but we felt incredibly spoiled!

Sunrise on the Estancia

The Estancia is owned by Kris and Doug Tompkins, and their partner Eduardo Chorén. It is over 7,400 acres of both beautiful farmland and wild habitat. Not only does it border along the Rio Parana, but it also has its own beautiful lagoon (aka: Laguna Blanca). The farm has over 2000 acres in production, with a focus on organic agriculture, biodiversity, aesthetics, and relationships between people and land. It has really been a treat to get such first-class treatment from the happy employees, as well as a glimpse of a progressive and exemplary large-scale operation. The production is all very new and forthcoming, but we would love to see it 5-10 years from now when it is in full tilt (especially the fruit trees!). In the near future, Eduardo is planning to process wine, beer, dried fruit, olive oil, and other delicious rewards from the land.

KK's cinnamon roll land

Laguna Blanca

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Production includes: the 12 tree varieties, wheat, soy, corn, oats, barley, as well as a few other grains. Of course everything is organic! The difference was very obvious, when compared to the HUGE factory farm next to the Estancia, where there were 2 crops: transgenic corn, and soy. Though its size was impressive, the toll it was taking on the land was depressing. Fortunately we were on the healthy side of the fence!

Both land in production, and corridors for wild animals.

One of several barrancas on the property

Wheat sunset

Trees on the mirador

Kristin by the organic corn - all so pretty!

gusanitos on the Laguna Blanca Organic corn...

Neighbor's trans-genic corn... Kristin says: "Sure, it might look pretty on the outside, but GMO corn is like plastic surgery; it may look good on the exterior, but it sure is ugly on the inside!!"

Waking up on the estancia (6am was a bit of a shocker after city life..!) was a treat. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and the birds were already in full activity. Breakfast, unfortunately for Kristin, isn’t really much in Argentina, so some hard bread and tea was a tough way for her to start the work day. However, the subsequent days we became comfortable in the kitchen and were able to make our own treats (like coffeeee!).

The first morning we split up, with Ivan hopping on a ¾ ton trailer with 22 smiling workers, and Kristin on a Polaris to analyze soil and collect moths from a light-trap. The workers immediately took an interest in Ivan, and he felt right at home with the farm implements, sweat, and jovial manual laborers. Of course, he still talks like a total Mexican, so his accent and farm verbage weren’t totally understood, but since then he has improved quite a bit and has a lot of fun cracking jokes with the guys. Franco, the main foreman of the frutales section, gave Ivan a really in-depth tour of the 12 different fruit and nut trees, and showed him the ropes. Later, Ivan shadowed Maria Teresa, a really nice Senora and inginiera, who is the only woman, but also in charge of watering schedules, pruning, and monitoring of the trees.

Riding back with the guys for some milanesas and rice

Kristin’s first experience was some one-on-one time with a really nice guy named Gustavo, who spoke only Castellano, and the extent of his English was counting from one to five and expletives he has heard in American movies. Kristin was anxious that her grasp of Spanish (both understanding and speaking) were truly going to be put to the test today. Surprisingly, Kristin was able to understand most of what he said and described (the Italian influence totally helps because they constantly talk with their hands!) and was able to keep up when he fired away questions about California. The first job was to collect bichos (moths) that were caught in a light-trap. The reason being, a particular moth species is really damaging to the organic corn crops. The trap doesn’t control the populations, but it does help to monitor their numbers and determine what organic method would be best to stop their voracious chewing. Later, Kristin convinced Gustavo to let her romp the Polaris to the next destination (she had the need for speed!!): to a soy plot on the opposite side of the estancia where they would collect soil samples. These soil samples are taken at random (20 per plot) which will later be taken to a lab to be analyzed (this made Kristin feel right at home—getting down and dirty!). Basically, we both jumped right into farm life with authentic and incredibly kind Argentineans.

Light trap for the moths

Over the next few days, we were able to get a wide view of everything that happens on the estancia. Ivan’s favorite activity was, of course, beekeeping! His suit was for someone 6 inches shorter and was an absolute oven in the 35+ degree heat, but he still had a blast robbing honey, capturing queens, grafting larvae, and learning a lot of the different techniques used by bee-keepers here. We also harvested some fresh raspberries, which Kristin has put into several delectable desserts from scratch, as well as delicious fresh marmalade. Franco, Ezquel, Flaco, and Ivan were rubbing their bulging tummies with big smiles after kk’s desserts, and Kristin now has a reputation with the other sweet-tooth’s on the estancia. Accordingly, we had to learn how to make Dulce de Leche, which will probably serve us well for a lifetime!! Yummmm. Some other recipes were also taught to us by the friendly cocineras.

Heading out to the bee yard

Changing out the queen

Ivan trying his hand at grafting! An incredible feat considering he forgot his glasses!!

At the mirador, venting the suit!

On the following days, we were able to tail different people who were each an expert in their field of study or practice. One day we followed a stone-fruit expert who demonstrated how to prune the young trees. We got to try our hand at some plum, walnut, and pecan trees, where we cut off unwanted growth from the base of the tree. It definitely proved that pruning is a subjective art!

A real treat was spending a whole day with Don Hector, an organic farmer who truly embodies the agrarian ideal. He rides a bus every other week from Uruguay and stays for a week at a time at Laguna Blanca. His job is very encompassing since he has to analyze soil samples, construct morphological maps, and monitor both beneficial insects as well as pests; and to develop strategies that reduces weeds, retains organic matter in the soil, and prevents erosion during the rain season. During the morning we walked around the fruit trees and looked at the soil to asses its moisture content and organic matter. Kristin was being a smartypants-magu during this section and was able to exchange a whole lot of words that left Ivan feeling like a toothless redneck. He was also very interested in the Van Wingerden avocadoes, and was especially excited to hear about the epic mulching project. After a morning under the intense sun, we gratefully gathered into the cool quincho for some delicious food and stimulating company. After the meal, we spent 2 more hours with Hector as he explained his educational powerpoints that covered the Laguna Blanca Estancia, his own farm in Uruguay, and research from both UC Davis and Berkeley. Kristin was very excited since it showed numerical data of previous soil data, and she was able to discuss and visualize what was taking place on the Estancia over the past couple of years. Ivan was rapt during the section on beneficial insects and progressive IPM techniques, some of which are being used at Ever-Bloom now (but a couple new ideas to bring home!). We have been able to spend some more time with him over the following days, which has been very stimulating, since he is a fountain of agrarian knowledge.

Talking up the soil!

Collecting soil samples!

During a tour of the property with Esekel, Franco, Flaco, and ourselves, we happened across a group of small pigs. We had been hearing about these nefarious “chancho’s,” but had only seen the damage they incurred. Looking at the little porkers, it was hard to imagine such little piglets could incur so much damage. Out came the 357, and we were in hot pursuit into the trees (minus Kristin who wisely avoided a whole lot of cuts and burrs : ). The smart oinkers disappeared into the brush, but that didn’t stop Ivan and Esekel from going out the following night to try our hand again. Amazingly they popped out in almost the same spot we’d seen them before, but the pigs uncannily zigged and zagged across a tilled field and miraculously avoided harm (even though 2 shots were fired at them..!). On Tuesday night (fortunately before a holiday), Ivan went out with 4 other guys as they charged through the night in a Hilux with searchlights scanning for the tricksters. Unfortunately, after 2 hours of getting bounced around in the bed of the truck, we didn’t see even 1 chancho!! However, we did get to see tons of other fauna, like: deer, foxes, armadillos, owls, huge toads, bats, and some other hoofed animals that we don’t have in the states. It was a very fun, manly, ordeal!

Overlooking the Rio Parana

Some Artsy Pictures:

A follow-up blog of more pictures and our impressions should be up in a few days...

Rosario - The open space city

Our next adventure took place on an overnight bus from Cordoba to Rosario, and arrived in the city at 6 am. The owner of our hostel was a really good sport about being buzzed from bed at such an early hour (he had gone to sleep around 3 that morning...). Kristin took a nap, to recover from the freezing bus ride, and Ivan took a quick stroll around the sleeping city.

The first thing we noticed about the city was how incredibly green it was. Every street had lush trees spaced every few meters, and most of the streets had planters. The city also boasts the most open space and parks--more than any other large city in South America! Also, there was a law passed a few years ago that banned unneeded signage: advertisements, bill-boards, and even road signs that weren't necessary--this gave the city a very clean feel, though made navigating it a bit harder!




After recovering from our bus ride, we walked the city and got our bearings of where our hostel was. Only two blocks away was Che's childhood house where he was born and raised! About 5 blocks from the hostel was the vast Parana river which snaked its way along the eastern side of the city (And all the way up to Brazil). The walk along the river was beautiful, since virtually all along the barranca was open park space. Kids cruised around on bmx bikes or skateboards, moms pushed strollers, people were jogging (even in the oppressive heat!), and numerous people enjoying mate (a wooden or steel gourd filled with the Aquifoliaceae (holly) tea leaves, and sucked out with a bombillo straw). We are definitely catching-on to the wonderful and relaxing habit of passing a guampa between friends and each taking a turn sucking the vegetal grassy tasting tea through the bombillo. Along this public thoroughfare, we encountered a huge flag monument that gave tribute to the revolutionaries who fought off the Spaniards and liberated the country. Supposedly, the location of the monument was the very first place the blue and white flag of Argentina was raised by Miguel Belgrano during those turbulent times. In the center of the monument is a huge torch that has obvious patriotic symbolism. (as an aside: after touring through Bolivia, a country with the most violent coups, uprisings, and convoluted leadership, the sudden focused patriotism of Argentina surprised us. We were impressed by the people's uniformity on many issues, and have heard many patriotic buzz-words that we are already very familiar with in the US. If you want to start a shouting contest, tell an Argentinian that the Falkland Islands.. we mean, Las Islas Malvinas... are indisputably British. The wounded pride over those islands runs very deep. After some research and quite a few conversations, it became quite clear that the island never really belonged to the Argentinians, and the British really do have the longest standing claim to it [don't let my hosts know we said this!]. As an example of their fervor, our hostal owner had it tatooed-not on his left posterior cheek-but over his heart, no less!).




Our second day in the city was a bit of a downer since it was raining buckets all day. However, we put on our rain gear and walked through the wet streets to a bunch of different parks and historical pit-stops. We even got to enjoy and traditional milanesa and fries. After 4 hours of walking in the rain, we found a great theater to enjoy the evening (only 10$ for 2 tickets and a giant bowl of kettle corn with soda!). The new Harry Potter movie was okay (according to Ivan), but entertaining nonetheless!

Nutritious Argentinian cuisine...

After it's one day vacation, the sun came back to the city with such renewed force, our sandals felt squishy under our feet. As a way of coping with the heat, we decided to take a short boat ride across the river and hang out on the beach. Fortunatley for Ivan, and unfortunately for Kristin (she obviously didn't get the memo to pack her thong bikini), all the women were sporting thong-bikini's, which they openly flaunted down the beach. It was truly uncomfortable seeing this festive butt-floss on mother's who were playing with their children--nothing against liberated moms, but imagine the family pictures!! Also on the river beach was a large group of kite surfers who were jetting all through the windy channel. Ivan is definitely excited to give it a try when he gets home! Some added drama: a large pit-bull attacked a group of the kite surfers and their dog, but was beaten with some drift-wood.... pretty intense!! After some fun in the sun, we returned back to our hostel to escape the heat and hang out with our goofy hostal owner. We gave in and bought a few Chilean Avos to make some fresh guac and share with our fellow hostel friends. To our surprise we weren't disappointed, but maybe we weren't expecting much from the small sunburnt avos. We truly miss the high quality Van Weenie Avos! Later we enjoyed refreshing cold shower, where Ivan discovered that his virginal feet were lobster red (though Kristin repeatedly told him to apply sunblock!!) and now he has a fantastic sandal tan line...



Later that evening we went to a street market where Kristin bought some new romping clothes for next to nothing--most important, though, were her "work" overalls that have already received some pretty hilarious comments (to be shared in next blog! :).

Another reason why we love Argentina!

On Monday the 29th, we caught a bus to La Paz, Entre Rios, to start our stay at the Laguna Blanca Farm -- owned by Doug and Kristine Tompkins.

Tafi del Valle and Cordoba

Tafi Del Valle

This was a super small tourist town for the affluent Argentinians of the neighboring city of Tucuman, where they come in droves on the weekend to cool off and enjoy the amazing local cheese, salami, restaurants, artwork, and charm. A bit of a downer though, the travel agencies insisted tour-guided everything, so it was very difficult to get to any trails to the surrounding mountains, but after asking a handful of locals (very hard to find one who wasn't friend or family of the covetous tour agencies!), we found a great hike up a ridgeline outside of town. Dominic, a fellow tourist we met in Cafayate, joined us for the hike, and later that day we went out for some local wine with him.

Lovin' the Quartz

The views from the mountain tops were fantastic, and we had a great vantage point of the entire valley (very dry, but finally got some rain the day we left--wish we could see it all green now!). Along the hike we were able to see some goats, sheep, and horses munching on the pampa grass that dotted the side of the mountain. Kristin was thrilled about the different rock formations, but especially the intact quartz veins that criss-crossed the mountain side (in the States people tend to pick them apart for souvenirs). Ivan was visualizing, or more like a form of self-torment, all of the amazing obstacles he could attempt on his bike, if only it were here 7,000 miles away from home.... All in all though, it was really great to finally get a solid hike in, especially after so many days of sheer gluttony: empanadas, steak, etc...

Fire!!

Walking off the empanadas

The city itself was super small, but a really great walk. We loved having a strong cup of espresso and media lunas (small croissants covered in a yummy egg-wash and sugar), while reading the local paper or chatting with Dominic. After breakfast we would usually walk the town (invariably find some empanadas, or 12, to eat) and talk to the friendly artists that displayed their work on every corner. During the hot afternoon we would siesta with our books and some fresh fruit, and then venture out later for another walk. After a few nights in this sleepy town we hopped on the bus and drove along Argentina's windiest road towards Tucuman (Ivan pulled through!!). A quick connection and we were in Cordoba -student utopia- by late evening.

Cordoba

The Argentinian version of San Francisco: a ton of students, bustling streets, insane taxi drivers, tall buildings, museums/galleries, and some really interesting local exercise routines in beautiful parks. Our first night was pretty rough since we were convinced our taxi driver was going to careen us into a store window or another vehicle - he must have taken Fast and Furious too heart.... we actually remained incredibly composed, since near-death taxi rides were all too common in Peru and Bolivia... At first, the city was very overwhelming, with exuberant students, incredible heat, and noisy bars (it was Sunday, so partying was only till 3:00 am-- a relatively short night) right at our hostel doorstep.


There was rain throughout our first day, but we put our rain gear on and tromped through the empty city. Fortunately an all-you-can-eat chinese buffet was open! After, we snuggled up to some books and then cooked a great homemade pizza with a much-needed gigantic salad (don't worry there were many hours in between gorging). The next day we were ready to do some exploring, so we met up with Laura and Mark (who had just come up from Mendoza) and explored an archeology museum and city centers. Later that day we got some fancy new haircuts. Kristin (finally!) cut off her distasteful split ends :) and Ivan almost ended up with a mullet... Kristin asked for a small 3cm trim with small layering, but instead got close to 6 inches taken off and layers up to her chin (possibly a girl version of the mullet! YUK!)... Fortunately her long and luscious locks could handle the chopping, and she still looks like an angel shaped by the gods themselves (according to Ivan, at least {but that's all that matters, right?!}). Ivan's hair, on the other hand, was verifiably hacked to bits. His super hip hippie-do was reduced to an overly thinned out business cut--with a rat tail. Ivan was in disbelief, but was noticeably upset when the hysterically uncontrollable laughing Kristin told him to turn in the mirror to see the back of his head... Instead of keeping the dangling party-in-the-back extension (to blend in with the other hideous heads in town), he decided to cut it and look like a 14 year old man. Later, we met-up with our British pals for some of Mark's home-cookin' (polenta, and marinara cod, followed by Laura's hand-selected fruit salad. Yum!). They were polite about the haircuts... A super plus that night was the great bottle of Malbec wine they shared. Don Arturo is only sold in Argentina, unfortunately, but the small family winery will be sought out by us later in our travels!!

Pretty medicore quality... ;)

On our third day we woke up early and caught a bus out to La Quebrada de los Condoritos, one of the country's smallest national parks. On our way to the park we stopped off at a small rest-stop that had a condor museum, churros, and most surprising of all - a man dangling a 1.5 kg raw steak at the end of a pole. We got there just in time for front row seats of a condor swooping down from a mountain top and grabbing the steak from the outstretched pole. The force that came off of the grab was incredible, and the large guy holding the stick almost lost his balance. Unfortunately, we were so stoked on our churros, we missed our bus, which drove the remaining 7 km up the mountain without us. After imploring a couple other bus drivers to take us up the hill, we gave up and started walking. Fortunately, a meat-schlepping deity swooped in with his refrigerated truck and brought us up the hill (Ivan was hoping there was only room for Kristin up front, so he would be 'forced' to sit in back with the mountains of salami and queso--his version of paradiso!).

Juvenile Condor - but still so big!

La Quebrada de los Condoritos

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The 11km walk through the park was breathtaking. The wind caressed the swaying pampa grass, but stunning rock formations held their ground (the large igneous rocks, contained lots of quartz, feldspar, and orthoclase -- so cool!). Walking along the paths, we made our way to the condor look-out. Unlike Colca Canyon, where the giant condors seemed to elude us, here they were flying everywhere! The young condors (still with their juvenile, white, plumage) were rocketing through the canyon in search of food. The view from the Norte Balcon (see SPOT check-in) had a view of their many nesting sites, as well as their circling flight patterns. It was really amazing when they swooped close, a loud swishing sound could be heard from their giant wingspan ('small' compared to the full-grown adults!).

Swaying like the Pampa

Feeling small, but in the best way!

Look, Argentine ants!!

Condor look-out

Ivan found the only bee, on the only flower in the park!!

After picnicking and hiking for many hours, we waited by the road for our bus, which zoomed by us with the driver giving us a half-hearted apologetic shrug... We tried our thumbs at hitch-hiking (We blame it on our luckless-ness on the haircuts), but fortunately another bus came within an hour--another driver who had fashioned himself as Vin Diesel: evading police and burning some nitrous and oversized dually tire-rubber... What a day!

Hitch-hiking is lame...

Today we bought 2 bus tickets for an overnight ride to the city of Rosario. For lunch today, we celebrated Thanksgiving, and a goodbye, with our friends Mark and Laura. Like previous dinners, Ivan and Mark shared a large parilla platter with all the typical cuts: tripa, corazon, blood sausage, pork sausage, ribs, liver, and a platter of fries. Kristin enjoyed a bife de chorizo (not a sausage, but more like a gigantic rib-eye), which was super juicy and still moo-ing in the center. After some ice-cream and heart-felt goodbyes we parted our ways-- Hasta California!

Parilla Pals!

The Aftermath...

Time for some new adventures in Rosario!
On another exciting note:: We made our Christmas plans! On December 19th we cross into Uruguay to La Paloma and spend a few days sunbathing, surfing and fishing on the white sand beach. Then we will head to Colonial de Sacramento for a few days of wine tasting and riding mopeds! Looking forward to our Holiday aboard.