Estancia El Venado, Argentina

I arrived at my first stop, Estancia El Venado, yesterday lunchtime, after nearly 18 hours of travelling. After moving last week, I was exhausted when I finally got on the plane and slept most of the way. Thankfully, I might add, because the only good thing about British Airways these days is that they serve Malbec. 

El Venado is in the Pampas, 160km from Buenos Aires. It is 2,500 acre working ranch that has been in polo player Federico Cendoya’s family for generations. After driving on dead-straight roads for nearly two hours, the last 15km on dirt tracks — "a rally drive" according to taxi driver Oscar. And the "driveway" to the estancia just tyre tracks through two fields, over cattle grids. 

I met Federico — “Fede” — a few years ago when I joined a polo clinic he was running in Gloucestershire. He’s a good friend of Yolanda’s, and as a result I’ve received a very warm welcome. There are two other guests here — a chap from Nairobi whose name I won't try to spell, and a girl called Judith from Amsterdam. Working out here is Stephanie from London taking a break from international property PR, and Alex from Calgary on a gap year before starting at vet school. Lots of Fede's family, too, and gauchos/polo grooms etc etc. 

There are 200 horses here, a few of which we used for yesterday afternoon's polo — I had a lesson while the others had a game. My lesson consisted of an hour and a half of stick and balling — toiling up and down the polo field trying to hit a ball perfectly at walk, trot and canter. As most people know I am (a) a perfectionist and (b) very competitive so as I grew more and more tired I became increasingly frustrated at my increasing lack of hand-eye coordination. Didn’t quite throw the stick on the ground but I wouldn’t rule that out later in the week.

It gave us a good appetite for supper anyway (as if I ever need help) — a traditional gaucho BBQ of huge hunks of meat cooked on an open fire (by the man that kills the animals here) washed down with more lovely Malbec. 

It's raining this morning so I'm deciding my next few steps. I have to confess that I feel a bit of a fraud having called this blog “Around the world in 90 days”. I discovered on Monday when I bought my travel insurance that I’m away for 76 days. And for everyone who has asked, yes of course I'm going back to my job at Horse & Hound - if they'll have me!!