Argentina Weblog - part four

By the time we started the 35 km drive through the Bahia Bustamante “estancia” to its original seaweed-collecting “Town” on the beach, it had been an important part of our lives for about 6 months.  I already felt as though I knew it quite well from what our daughter had told us and from the website.

Bahia Bustamante was originally set up in the 1950s by Lorenzo Soriano, a Spanish businessman manufacturing hair gel products.    The Argentine Government then banned the importation of a vital coagulant ingredient, so he had to search for a local replacement.  Bahia Bustamante provided all the seaweed he needed, plus there was an added essential element on the land: a fresh water spring.  Within a short time, a town housing some 700 people was established.  In the 1980s, disaster struck.  Two massive oil spills contaminated the seaweed so badly that it could no longer be used.  Then a freak flooding of the estancia, washing masses of top soil down to the beach, damaged the seaweed further and what had once been known as “Bahia Podrida” (Rotten Bay) due to the smell of rotting seaweed no longer had any at all.  The town emptied out as workers were made redundant, leaving only a few to harvest seaweed varieties by diving, and the gauchos for looking after the sheep on the rest of the 80,000 hectares of the ranch. 

Four years ago, Matias Soriano, one of the grandsons, began developing the tourism side of the business and converted some of the derelect cottages into up-market, very comfortable guest houses, all with views over the deep blue water of the bay.

A visit to Bahia Bustamante is the ultimate escape from the hustle and bustle of modern living: there is no mobile phone signal, no local shop for your daily paper, no TV (except in Matias´s house!!) and no electricity during the day.  Because electricity is supplied by their own diesel generator, and the main phone is a radio phone, the land is unspoilt by ugly electricity and telephone pylons.

When we arrived after our 1710 km journey from BsAs, Matias, with his charming and gentle manner, was there to greet us.  For the next three days, we were given V.I.P. treatment.  Chania´s work on the estancia had been as a volunteer tour and activities guide so the next morning, she took us to explore an area of petrified forest where tree trunks dating back some 65 million years lie exposed and scattered among the sedimentary rock.  She drove me as far into the area as she could because the ground was too rough for me to walk on ( the official guide, Luciano, had previously taken a disabled guest on this route.) 

In the early evening, Matias took us all on  a 21/2  hour horse ride along the beach and across a peninsular covered with tufted grass that turned to gold in the evening sun.  The horse that was chosen for me, La Tordilla (pronounced La Tordeesha) was a beautiful and gentle grey mare.  Matias assured me she had an easy and comfortable canter, so for the first time since my spinal cord damage 91/2  year ago, I dared to canter.  What a great feeling it was and what a great place to do it: a desserted beach in Patagonia with the sun setting and with my family all there to share my excitement.

On another afternoon, Matias and Luciano took us and the other guests on a three hour boat cruise around several islands to see the cormorant, Magellanic penguin, and sealion colonies.  As this is the only boat that ever comes to these islands, the animals aren´t disturbed at all and we must’ve spent at least an hour among 2,500 sealions and their young flopping, frollicking, playing, growling, roaring and squealing on the beach and in the water.  The following day, Chania and Dusko went back with Matias in kayaks and the inquisitive baby sealions swam around them within touching distance.

It is bizarre to be on a sea front location and not eat fish, but at Bustamante there are no fisherman!  If you want to eat fish, you have to go out and catch it yourself – and if that is what you would really like to do, it can be arranged.  The food, however, is very good and most of it is organic and grown on the estancia, whether it is the home grown lamb or guanaco (rather like a Lama) or vegetables, or fruit.  By British standards, dinner is served late, usually at 9.30 pm.

I mentioned to Matias that I am writing this blog and asked him about accommodation for wheelchair guests.  The rooms available at the moment are not suitable for anyone who is completely dependant on their wheelchair (by the way, in Stellenbosch, I liked the way they called my wheelchair a “roadster”!) but as he is planning to refurbish one of the large cottages in the near future, he would like to know about measurements and what would be required to make the accommodation as wheelchair friendly as possible.  Please could anyone reading this send me any information that would help and I can forward this to Matias.

Thanks to the new female President of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, they now have Summer Time and it is light until about 10.00 pm.  After another evening ride around the Peninsular, we had a surprise in store for our last evening.  Luciano´s girlfriend, Marina, used to work in a circus and as we were sitting enjoying a beer, she unexpectedly appeared dressed as her circus elfin character, “Charcarita”, complete with the classic white faced make-up of the mime artist.  In mime, she requested a torch from my husband and another guest, and then with Luciano picking a tune on his guitar, she led us in the full moonlight to the huge warehouse where the seaweed is packed.  She had hung two wide blue ribbons from the roof girders, and by the light of two torches, she effortlessly climbed the ribbons.   With the sound of Luciano´s guitar in the background, we watched as she twisted and turned and stretched her acrobatic body, subtly winding and unwinding the ribbons to support her movements.

Meanwhile, an “asado” was being prepared for us and a lamb from the estancia was being slowly barbequed in the huge fireplace for us in the “quincho” (indoor barbeque room).  It was midnight by the time about 12 of us sat down at the long, wide table to eat the perfectly cooked meat.  Afterwards, we all went to the “Town” chapel, a simple building which has extraordinary acoustics, for Luciano and me to play the guitar and sing.  With the electricity off, the only light in the Chapel was the moonlight coming in through the tall and slim arched windows.  It was a rare experience to sing in an environment like that. Reluctantly, we finally called it a night at 2.30 am; we had to be up at 5 am to get Dusko to Comodoro Rivadavia to catch his flight to Buenos Aires.

Our journey then continues around Patagonia with Chania, with our next night stop at Monte Leon, about 800 south of Bustamante.

Bahia Bustamante details:  www.bahiabustamante.com

Cottages for 4 people: if only two staying, cost is US$135 per person.  For 4 people, US$110 per person, per night.  This includes 3 meals a day, plus all activities.  Walking is free – and there are miles of empty beach to explore, as well as hidden coves for swimming.

Also available are “Refugios” at US$20 per person, per night.  Food and activities not included.  Kitchen facilities available for self catering, or meals available on request.  Activites around US$20 per activity.

Activities: Boat Ride around the islands to see bird & sealion colonies. (including penguins & cormorants, giant petrel – and many others).  Horse riding, mountain bike rides around Peninsular Gravina, visit to the Petrified forest, walking trip to penguin island.  In certain seasons, visits to see sheep shearing and branding.