La Rural

Before I left for Australia (I use "left," though Erin uses "abandoned the family") we went with our landlady's family to an annual event held a few blocks from us, La Rural. My first inclination is to describe it as a farm fair on steroids. But then again, I've never been to a true farm fair and I've never done steroids, so I'll let me try again.

La Rural is an event that primarily features the showing of a huge variety of farm animals - horses, cattle, sheep, ducks etc. - as well as other smaller furry four-legged creatures we didn't even have time to see (I peeked into one tent while searching for a toilet for Jack and saw what looked like hundreds of chinchillas, but I've never really seen a chinchilla either so I can't swear to it).

Actually, I'm not sure it's correct to say "primarily features," because in addition to all the livestock etc. were many large farming vehicles manufactured by companies such as John Deere; and cars, motorcycles and ATVs made by companies ranging from Toyota to Peugeot, including an area where one could actually pay to ride with a driver who took passengers in 4WD vehicles through a CRAZY obstacle course with high dirt hills at 45º angles, rails that tipped the cars almost on their sides and see-saw ramps that wouldn't be legal at Six Flags parks!

The last thing we watched was a polo horse competition/exhibition (for sales purposes, I think). We saw the finals, which included roughly eight horses being put through their paces by some very talented riders. I've never seen horses do what they got those to do: make sharp 90º turns, dance backward, come to sudden stops, and generally do tricks not even Jack or Quinn can recreate. When people say that Argentina is a polo power, I will now know exactly why and what they mean. It was really impressive.

There was also a lot of stuff to buy that we could afford, mostly food. I loved some of the John Deere tractors, but for now I think I'll continue clearing our St. Louis Heights backyard with my hands and forgo the urge to purchase a monster to ride over the side. When I finally stopped ferrying the boys (why can't kids ever have to pee at the same time?) through the crowds back to the only bathrooms I knew about - over the Toyota car "stage," through the livestock and mass of porteños, to soiled toilets we went - I gorged myself on choripanes and bottled water. Then I got my usual afternoon cortado doble (double espresso shot with a tiny bit of milk) and felt satisfied. My other purchase of note was a warm wool beanie made by someone in Mendoza. There was a whole line of tents where local-ish artisans sold crafts, and I felt like a needed something authentic from the experience as well as a way to "represent" when I was freezing in Canberra. It's not a look I think will take off in Hawaii...