This week, Saturday is our day off, and there is a much needed rain storm outside. It has been really hot (38 - 40) and humid and will hopefully clear now! Over the last week we have been busy building up the stone walls of the bathroom, setting a fire in the well in progress to break through the bed rock, and looking after Paloma the cow and her calf Suki.
On two occasions we have cow sat Paloma and Suki, to let the farm owners Kim and Marcelo go into town. Paloma is a moody cow with horns, but Suki is lovely. After enticing Paloma into her cow shed, we both milked her (4 litres on Thursday), then led her of to graze for the day. We didn't realise how much stronger than us cows are! Pictures to follow soon!
Our spanish has improved lots in the past week, since some Argentinians arrived at the farm a week ago. We get much more practise and our confidence is growing. Rachel´s crocheting has progressed, and this week´s project is some trousers for yoga and general merriment. handsewn, no less!
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Farming - The Mama Roja way
It has been a week and a half but we have been busy, and are thriving! After a day and a half of travelling and a day off around the Jesuit ruins at San Ignacio, we arrived at Mama Roja. It sits deep in a valley in the middle of sub tropical jungle. It is such an amazing place, very hot (35 degrees most days), and there is life absolutely everywhere. We work in the mornings then stop at lunch, and enjoy a siesta or tinker about in the afternoon shade. Although it doesn´t sound like hard work, in the heat it can be! But more than anything it is so enjoyable.
We have a little tent snuck up a jungle track near the yoga platform (in progress). There is no electricity, a compost toilet, and everything is cooked on a wood burning stove. When in San Ignacio, we realised that we would not have another opportunity to have a shower for a while... but who cares when you can bathe in a river whenever you like. Yesterday, after 55 mm of rain in the morning the waterfall was flowing beautifully.
It feels so remote at times, expecially as we are at the bottom of the valley and all around us is jungle. We are learning to live with nature, we work when we can rather than to a schedule, and half our clothes have gone pink from the red soil. The different pace of life really hit us when we arrived, you can't rush things. Ben has even learnt that the snakes (only three sightings so far) are not out to get him, and if you leave them alone, they leave you alone too. Today is our first day in the outside world in 10 days.
We took the opportunity to buy yarn (Rachel is learning to crochet) and buy some meat and nuts, (the farm food is vegetarian, and slightly lacking in protein, so we thought we would stock up). Next stop is the pizza restaurant, the food is great and very healthy, but it is nice to have something different. Mostly we eat, potaotes, eggplants, carrots, squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumber, eggs, and milk from the farm cow - Paloma.
During the mornings we have learned to make adobe bricks, dug a well (partially), laid foundations for a bathroom, gathered and chopped firewood, learned to cook on a wood burning stove, and learned countless little things like how to make good compost, water saving tricks, and how to dig burrowing insects out of our toes.
Still to come while we are at Mama Roja, building the walls for the bathroom, finish the yoga platform, milking Paloma, building a natural damn, experimenting with solar cooking and lots more!
Watch this space!
We have a little tent snuck up a jungle track near the yoga platform (in progress). There is no electricity, a compost toilet, and everything is cooked on a wood burning stove. When in San Ignacio, we realised that we would not have another opportunity to have a shower for a while... but who cares when you can bathe in a river whenever you like. Yesterday, after 55 mm of rain in the morning the waterfall was flowing beautifully.
It feels so remote at times, expecially as we are at the bottom of the valley and all around us is jungle. We are learning to live with nature, we work when we can rather than to a schedule, and half our clothes have gone pink from the red soil. The different pace of life really hit us when we arrived, you can't rush things. Ben has even learnt that the snakes (only three sightings so far) are not out to get him, and if you leave them alone, they leave you alone too. Today is our first day in the outside world in 10 days.
We took the opportunity to buy yarn (Rachel is learning to crochet) and buy some meat and nuts, (the farm food is vegetarian, and slightly lacking in protein, so we thought we would stock up). Next stop is the pizza restaurant, the food is great and very healthy, but it is nice to have something different. Mostly we eat, potaotes, eggplants, carrots, squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumber, eggs, and milk from the farm cow - Paloma.
During the mornings we have learned to make adobe bricks, dug a well (partially), laid foundations for a bathroom, gathered and chopped firewood, learned to cook on a wood burning stove, and learned countless little things like how to make good compost, water saving tricks, and how to dig burrowing insects out of our toes.
Still to come while we are at Mama Roja, building the walls for the bathroom, finish the yoga platform, milking Paloma, building a natural damn, experimenting with solar cooking and lots more!
Watch this space!
Friday, 30 January 2009
Uruguay
We are in Uruguay! Whilst staying in the hostel in BA we met a couple who had just come from here, and we decided it would be an interesting way to get up to Misiones. At the moment we are staying in Colonia del Sacramento. We took a rather hairy one hour ferry ride across the estuary from BA yesterday.
We arrived in the morning and had a relaxing day wandering through the streets of the old town, looking at handicrafts, eating ice cream and empanadas (not all at the same time). We decided to stay here another day, with the beach in mind, but it is raining so we may have to rethink. Either way it will be a slow relaxing day adjusting to the pace of travelling, and enjoying the peace after busy Buenos Aires.
We arrived in the morning and had a relaxing day wandering through the streets of the old town, looking at handicrafts, eating ice cream and empanadas (not all at the same time). We decided to stay here another day, with the beach in mind, but it is raining so we may have to rethink. Either way it will be a slow relaxing day adjusting to the pace of travelling, and enjoying the peace after busy Buenos Aires.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Buenos Aires
We have arrived! yesterday was our first day in South America, and it was a great place to begin. It is hot and sticky here, and very different from what we are used to, especially this tiem of year! We visited the famous Recoleta cemetary yesterday, which was an insight into Argentinian culture. Each mausoleum was like a small architectural marvel, and there were stray cats everywhere, eating cat food. Someone must have left it there for them, perhaps they are the guardians of this maze like city of the dead. Evita´s grave was anticlimactic (no fanfare or fireworks, just tourists), but the rest of it was fascinating.
We spent the rest of the day basking, wandering, and pootling, it way a joy after the rushing we have been doing recently in preparation to get here.
Today is a day for exploratrion of some of the other districts in BA, San Telmo and La Boca, and for a big juicy Aregentinian steak!
Computrer is acting up a bit, so we will add the pictures later,
Have a great day everyone, (we certainly will)!
We spent the rest of the day basking, wandering, and pootling, it way a joy after the rushing we have been doing recently in preparation to get here.
Today is a day for exploratrion of some of the other districts in BA, San Telmo and La Boca, and for a big juicy Aregentinian steak!
Computrer is acting up a bit, so we will add the pictures later,
Have a great day everyone, (we certainly will)!
Sunday, 25 January 2009
El Plan
Tomorrow evening we board our plane Buenos Aires, Argentina, and begin 6 months of adventure and discovery. What lies ahead, even what tomorrow will entail, feels beyond the horizons we know today. It is amazing to think that in 6 months we shall be looking back with familiarity, understanding, and fresh outlooks. So here we'll put down the plans we have now, with the details to be sketched in over the months to come.
We will spend 2 days in Buenos Aires, exploring the streets and sampling the steak. It may be a shock to the system, the new language, the foreign smells, not to mention the hot summer weather of the southern hemisphere.
Following this we plan to make or way by bus up to the province of Misiones, we have already ear-marked a few national parks to stop by on the way (one boasts anaconda and wonderful bird life)!
As long as we aren't eaten by the anaconda we will then make our way further north to the small town of Campo Ramon, and to the farm where we will spend 8 weeks(http://mamaroja.blogspot.com/). By this time it will be the 2nd of February, and the suntan will be well underway.
Following this, and with advice and stories to guide us, we will head south again, through the gaucho country known as the Pampas, and into Patagonia. We will have 2 months to explore Patagonia and head up towards Peru.
Once in Peru we will ascend into the Andes, were our base will be the 'gateway' to the Inca heartland, the Gringo capital of the continent, Cusco. It is here that we hope to purchase our first ponchos, and perhaps some mountain alpaca yarn. We will be working for a small, locally based charity whilst in Cusco, helping children prepare for the public school system in the mornings, and teaching adults English in the afternoons.
After 6 weeks in Cusco, we have 2 weeks to make our way back to Buenos Aires. We are not sure how, but Rachel would love to see the rainforest & Ben wants to see Lake Titicaca, other options include Uruguay, which is a short ferry ride from Buenos Aires, hopefully we will be able to agree! or, failing that, toss a coin.
Our last day on the continent, will be Rachel's first wintry birthday, and then we will head back to London and a fanfare of adoring family and friends who have missed us...a bit like you miss a migraine!
We will spend 2 days in Buenos Aires, exploring the streets and sampling the steak. It may be a shock to the system, the new language, the foreign smells, not to mention the hot summer weather of the southern hemisphere.
Following this we plan to make or way by bus up to the province of Misiones, we have already ear-marked a few national parks to stop by on the way (one boasts anaconda and wonderful bird life)!
As long as we aren't eaten by the anaconda we will then make our way further north to the small town of Campo Ramon, and to the farm where we will spend 8 weeks(http://mamaroja.blogspot.com/). By this time it will be the 2nd of February, and the suntan will be well underway.
Following this, and with advice and stories to guide us, we will head south again, through the gaucho country known as the Pampas, and into Patagonia. We will have 2 months to explore Patagonia and head up towards Peru.
Once in Peru we will ascend into the Andes, were our base will be the 'gateway' to the Inca heartland, the Gringo capital of the continent, Cusco. It is here that we hope to purchase our first ponchos, and perhaps some mountain alpaca yarn. We will be working for a small, locally based charity whilst in Cusco, helping children prepare for the public school system in the mornings, and teaching adults English in the afternoons.
After 6 weeks in Cusco, we have 2 weeks to make our way back to Buenos Aires. We are not sure how, but Rachel would love to see the rainforest & Ben wants to see Lake Titicaca, other options include Uruguay, which is a short ferry ride from Buenos Aires, hopefully we will be able to agree! or, failing that, toss a coin.
Our last day on the continent, will be Rachel's first wintry birthday, and then we will head back to London and a fanfare of adoring family and friends who have missed us...a bit like you miss a migraine!
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