It’s difficult to believe that only a week ago we were in the frozen Antarctic. In Montevideo the temperature is a very nice 23 deg.
Roughly translated, Montevideo means “hill view”. Below is the only hill in sight so I presume that’s it:
I was to spend the day on a cattle ranch about an hour’s drive from the city. The barbeque for lunch was already cooking:
Our host, the ranch owner welcomed us.
His ancestors started by rearing cattle in the hilly Western areas and driving them across Argentina to Bonos Aires. The family eventually managed to acquire the ranch land, closer to the markets, so the cattle arrives in better condition (and value).
His daughter, our guide for the day, gave an interesting introductory talk, but her father couldn’t resist interrupting:
They specialise in two cattle breeds: Hereford and Angus
A gaucho showed off the horses. A few signals and they all fell into line:
We were taken for a tour of the ranch. Some people had a nice comfortable buggy:
Others used a more modern form of transport:
I was on a straw bale on a trailer behind a tractor!
The ranch was adjacent to the estuary of the river Plate (Rio de la Plata), so this beautiful beach ran along one edge:
If you drank too much wine, your punishment was to be dragged around a field very fast on a cow-hide:
A One-Handed Finish Earned You a Reprieve:
The visit to Montevideo was very good. Lots of good food, beer and wine, good company and actually quite relaxing. But tonight the ship sails for Buenos Aires.
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