Chile ~ Exploring the Lake District

                   

      

It’s the happy surprises in travel that make it so fun. Having the freedom of our own wheels (aka rental car) we were able to explore roads less traveled and find not only stunningly beautiful scenery but unique places to stay and explore that are known only to the locals! Down a gravel road we encountered ‘Don Orlando’s Fundo’ a 144 acre farm that was open to guests. 

          

          

We were greeted by his 12 dogs and wandered the land full of pigs, sheep, cows and real Chilean Huasos (cowboys)! I don’t know why but ‘milking a cow’ has always been on my bucket list and I finally got to experience it here. 

                

Don’t think I need to repeat that one! Don’t get me wrong it was fun but somehow the romance got lost with the flies, the smell of the coral, the cow pies, etc, etc. Fresh milk next to all that other stuff lost its luster; but then again we just ate larvae in Ecuador so what’s a little dung next to our cream?!  

         

         

Onward to beautiful wildflowers and the joy of being accompanied by 8 to 10 of the dogs while hiking the hills and rivers. 

                               

                                                                                        

           

Another happy surprise was stumbling upon a Chilean Rodeo. We loved the hats, ponchos and stirrups that the Huasos wore and of course we loved watching the beautiful horses.

             

                                              

We are not sure what the event was that we watched but it was quite different than any rodeo we have ever seen in the states. There were no ropes, whips, barrels or bulls, it was only the horse and rider and a steer.  We watched as each team of two Huasos would sandwich a steer between them using only horse-steer-horse contact. The amazing part to watch was that the horses would run sideways at full speed, an incredible feat. They would run halfway around the ring then stop, slam the steer against a padded wall and then turn the steer back to do the same thing in the opposite direction.  

                                      

Slam and turn. Yes, unfortunately the steer was first slammed against a padded wall before it got turned.  Punto Malo or Punto Bueno for the skilled 'Huaso' team and bummer for the poor steer.