The guys were out early this morning trying to get in a hunt ahead of a huge storm heading our way.

The fireplace at the estancia is fireplace goals. They put giant tree stumps in it, and it just burns slowly all day. Woke up this am and things were quiet, so sat down and read my book beside the fire.

Spa Day

It’s spa day for the ladies today – mimosas and skincare. I brought skincare facial masks from our trip to Korea. I have no idea what these masks are or do. There is no way to wear one of these sheet masks and look anything other than terrifying. We looked like a gathering of Jasons from Halloween (and absolutely zero pictures of this will ever be published). But I am now both lifted and firmed.

Protein & Siestas

More protein for lunch. A steak the size of my plate. My entire plate. Small portions do not exist here. There is no amount of pushing food around on my plate that will make it look like I made a dent in this beast.

Happy to discover that Argentina is a siesta country. Siesta countries are my favorite. Well, unless I’m trying to shop and everything is closed. We all indulged in a thunderstorm siesta this afternoon and it was wonderful.

Music Break

Max’s girlfriend, Amanda, can SING (and she plays the piano)! The estancia’s piano is wildly out of tune, but her voice is amazing.

Mate Tasting

Ewan prepared traditional Argentine mate (pronounced “MAH-tay”) for us to try this afternoon. Mate is the national drink of Argentina – it’s a hot, tea-adjacent drink made from dried and crushed leaves of the yerba mate plant. It’s basically stewed lawn.

You drink mate out of a hollowed out gourd (because hot beverages taste better when you drink them out of vegetables), with a metal straw that has a filter on the end. This is so you don’t get lawn stuck in your teeth.

A New Allergy, Discovered

Meinque was excited for us to try kumquats from a tree on the property. The skin of the kumquat is quite sweet, but the inside is aggressively sour. And, I’m pretty sure I’m allergic: they immediately made my lips and tongue all tingly and itchy. Got to use my emergency Benadryl.

Nothing caps off a trip abroad like discovering a new food allergy.

Salud!