Travel'n On Radio on Tuesday

Tuesday afternoon, March 31st, at 4pm EST, I'll be on the Travel'n On Radio Show talking to hosts Ian and Tonya Fitzpatrick about Equitrekking on PBS and my adventures horseback riding around the world. Ian and Tonya are travel experts who have traveled to and lived in numerous countries around the world. Tonya also has a special interest in horseback riding travel.

Travel’n On is heard in all 50 states and over 75 countries worldwide. You can listen live @ 4pm EST on the Talk Zone Radio channel.

Valle del Hilo de la Vida, Uruguay

Alicia and I headed to an area called Valle del Hilo de la Vida, the Valley of the Thread of Life, where there are a series of stone cones. The stone cones may have been created by native people over a thousand years ago, but researchers are not sure exactly why. The valley is thought to be sacred and hold a special energy.

Before entering the valley, where we would walk to avoid disrupting the historic stone structures, Alicia and I had to first ask permission. Alicia led me to a stream where we dipped our hands in the cool water and then took a sip to see if we would be able to enter. I wasn’t sure that drinking from the stream was a good idea for a traveler like me, so let my local guide Alicia do that part. This was sufficient to get us the good energy we needed to hike into the valley.

I have been in many places, where the locals believe that the land is special. In remote Kipahulu on the island of Maui, I waited on horseback as Keoni, my guide, chanted, sang and prayed a traditional oli or call to his ancestors before we were able to enter the upper part of a pristine forest. In Ireland on mythical Omey Island, I gave a an offering of my horse’s hair at the holy well. If the locals say it should be done, I am not one to mess with rituals, especially when there are sacred places involved.

We seemed to have passed muster as we hiked into the valley. All around us on the hills, I could see the stone cones. At first you don’t really notice them, but once you see one, you pick out more, sort of like those pieces of artwork made of thousands of dots where you have to look closely for the images to appear.

There are around 100 of these stone formations here in Valle del Hilo de la Vida. Alicia and I hiked to a large cone to see how big it was close up. You can see from the photo that it is quite large and that there are these almost stair like stone appendages that jut out around the formation.

It was quite hot out there under the sun with not many trees around, so we hiked back to the welcome center by the entrance. The stone cone site is owned by a husband and wife team whose family makes amazing pizzas in their wood fired ovens. We enjoyed cold water, coke and a myriad of pizzas as we met the family and learned more about what they know about this interesting archeological site. They certainly have a passion for ensuring its preservation and hiking around those stone cones only made me want to know more.

La Salamora Castle, Uruguay

A castle in Uruguay, you might ask? Well yes. Just over the hill from La Salamora lies a stone castle built in 1928 by an eccentric lottery winner. Why he decided to build a castle amid the rolling grasslands of Uruguay surrounded by cattle is why I am labeling him eccentric. It is really interesting to see it in the distance (it looks like it comes out of nowhere) and ride around it. The castle itself looks far older than the 1920’s to me. It’s still privately owned but at this point in need of some repairs. The views from its high point are stunning and I thought that the castle would make for a very cool boutique hotel- only if it is environmentally friendly though, in keeping with everything else that is around here.

Leaving the castle, we rode through herds of cattle under a beautiful blue sky decorated with puffy white clouds. We did a bit of trotting to make up time and that’s when I realized that my stirrups were a little too long for me, as I felt a little off balance. I told Alicia, I would need to raise them a bit when we stopped. There’s no posting in the saddle here. They ride more like American cowboys, and I have found that how well I ride here does depend on the smoothness of my Criollo horse. I’ve had a couple of bouncy ones and a couple of smooth so far and definitely some that like to go fast!

One of the great things about riding with people when you travel is that you do chit chat as you ride. I was curious to know more about what life was like for people in Uruguay, so as we rode, Alicia filled me in. Uruguay is a small country, with only a little less than 3.5 million people. Many of these people live in Montevideo, the capitol. Alicia explained that one reason that so many people live in Montevideo is because of the schools. If you want to attend high school, many times you have to move to the city because you can’t get that level of education everywhere in the countryside. Another reason is that the university in Montevideo is free to anyone in Uruguay, a definite perk.

Back at the ranch the sun was setting. We set our horses free for the night and Alicia and I walked back towards the ranch. As we climbed over one of her fences to avoid having to walk anymore than we had to, we encountered an armadillo. Armadillos are so random. I have seen them in the most unlikely places, like Cumberland Island, Georgia, so I was both surprised and not to see one slinking across Alicia’s fields. There are also ostrich’s on the farm.

After taking a shower in my wind powered shower with surprisingly good water pressure, we all settled down at Alicia’s table for a dinner of abundant grilled meats. Life in Uruguay is good.

Morning Mate, Uruguay

This morning I enjoyed a drinking a morning mate with Alicia at La Salamora. No, not latte, mate, the national drink of Uruguay. Mate (pronounced mah- tay) is like a tea and to me it tasted like an oolong or green tea, if you have ever had that. It is strong and is said to keep you alert and awake. Many people in Uruguay drink it all day long. It is sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla. The straw has a sieve at the end and the cup is filled with leaves and then hot water is poured in. Because so many people drink mate, you can fill up your mate thermos at the gas station, where they have hot water dispensers that are made to fit thermoses.

Drinking mate is a social thing and it’s meant to be shared. That means that Alicia made a mate and passed it to me. We would be drinking the mate, passing it back and forth, out of the same straw. This was a little strange to me at first, because I am very American when it comes to thinking about germs. I asked Alicia about this and she said that people in Uruguay are very healthy and then laughed. I took a sip from her straw.

I was feeling the caffeine as Alicia and I rode out from La Salamora with Daniel to visit a nearby castle. A castle in Uruguay, you might ask? Well yes.... more to come

Finca Piedra Horse Riding, Uruguay

Jason, the owner of Finca Piedra, Pedro, Finca Piedra’s gaucho, and I took off on our Criollo horses. I have never ridden a Criollo horse before and never in Uruguay, so had to adjust to the way of riding and the tack.

The traditional style saddles here are flat and wide and covered with sheepskin, making them comfortable to sit on, but since they are so wide I also felt a bit unstable at first. I am used to American English and Western saddles that have a more rounded seat. You really have to find your balance on the sheepskin saddles. They ride with longer stirrups here in Uruguay, and I opted to have mine brought up a bit, but still had some trouble gripping with my legs at first. My horse Manteca, a ten-year-old white Criollo horse was well seasoned and fast. Jason rode Indio, a 15-year-old Criollo, and Pedro rode Torrito, an eight-year-old Criollo.

We left the farm and headed towards Sierra de Mahoma, a rocky hill that stands out amid the rolling farmland of the area. I watched Pedro ride as we trotted through the cornfields. He rode what I thought was a bouncy trot with total ease, while I posted to avoid bruising my bum too much on day one of my riding. Pedro laughed at me, as I tried to sit Manteca’s trot.

The gauchos are still alive and very important in Uruguay. Like our American cowboys, they are there to work with and protect the cows, sheep and horses on the farm, lassoing sick cattle, moving the animals from pasture to pasture and more. In Uruguay, I have seen people all over riding horses that they are using for their work and for transportation. It is an agricultural society where horses still have a vital role.

We reached Sierra de Mahoma and rode up the rocky trails amid huge granite rock formations to a high point where Jason said it looked like a sea of stones. It certainly did. From there, we galloped part of the way back to the ranch for a quick lunch, before riding to the vineyard, where I learned more about tannat, a red wine grape that grows very well here in Uruguay. It came from southwest France.

Next it was time to help Pedro herd some cattle, which was not an easy task. The three of us had a good time, working the cattle and moving them in various directions so that we could film it and I could attempt to learn the art of moving cattle in Uruguay.

I was very glad to take a nice hot shower at the end of today. There’s a party at the ranch with a band, so we’ll be enjoying some good food and music before we rest.

Finca Piedra, Uruguay

We arrived to Finca Piedra at sunset, the perfect time to see Pedro the gaucho gathering the horses and taking them to another pasture. This is an estancia (ranch), where you’ll enjoy eating many of the products produced right on the farm. There’s wine from their vineyard, honey from their bee hives, fresh vegetables and fruits which they preserve to make jams and limoncello. They also raise sheep, cows, and horses. Run by a French and South African couple, Sandrine and Jason, the ranch sits among the rolling grasslands of Uruguay’s countryside.

On our first night, we prepared for the filming the following day by talking out by a big bonfire, eating cheese and chorizo and trying some of the wine from the vineyard. For dinner, we moved into the new, big dining area of the main lodge to feast on lamb filled ravioli.

Sandrine and Jason told us about their decision to leave their lives in London and move to Uruguay, a bold move for the young couple. The two are very hands on and have worked hard at building their estancia and guest business. I would imagine that it would be very hard work to run a farm that produces so many things, but also very rewarding to sit down at the end of the day and literally eat the fruits of my labor.

Learn more about Finca Piedra and other estancias in Uruguay and riding opportunities around the world in Equitrekking's online travel guide.

Montevideo, Uruguay

We just arrived to the small South American country of Uruguay, after flying about three hours from DC to Miami and then 9 hours from Miami to Montevideo. I slept on the plan, thankfully, which I almost never do. Alicia, a guide to owns La Salamora, an estancia that we are visiting in Uruguay, met us at the airport. Alicia is a native Uruguayan woman with a magnetic smile and sure demeanor. She would be our guide for most of the trip and a great one, as she loves her country and knows a lot about its history and culture.

Every time we fly somewhere internationally, there is some baggage incident and this trip was no exception. Greg, our cinematographer’s, bag didn’t make it, so we got creative and rigged the equipment that we had to make things work for our first shoot in Montevideo.

We left the airport and drove into Montevideo, a port city, and headed to the Mercado del Puerto for lunch. This market is a real meat market with lots of restaurants that serve grilled meats cooked on these massive, wood burning grills. Barbeque or asado is eaten all over the country, and Alicia told me that many people don’t consider it a meal unless there’s meat. All around travelers and local Montevideans were enjoying meat and medio y medio, a refreshing combination of sparkling and white wine. Alicia and I walked around a bit and then sat down to enjoy a variety of meats. I was getting hungry just walking through the market because of the smells.

Cattle ranching is huge in Uruguay, making meat abundant and relatively inexpensive. People here don’t let any parts of the cow go to waste. Alicia and I tried a lot of different things. We had sweet and salty black sausage and many bits of different grilled cow organs. I boldly tasted cow stomach, which was pretty good, cow intestine, which was chewy and also good, the throat (which was kind of mealy or something-hard to describe the consistency, except to say that I didn’t like it). I did like the atmosphere of the market, where a man dressed as a gaucho was playing guitar and the locals were drinking and singing.

We then drove up to an old Spanish fort overlooking the city to see all of Montevideo. There are lots of beaches in the city and many people can walk right out of their apartment building and be on the beach, which I would love. We drove through many different neighborhoods before heading to Finca Piedra, the first ranch where we are filming.

Equitrekking Awarded First Place for Best Travel Broadcast in NATJA Competition

I am pleased to announce that Equitrekking's Costa Rica episode has been selected as the First Place Prize Winner for the Best Travel Broadcast for the 2008 North American Travel Journalist Awards (NATJA) Competition. The Best Travel Broadcast category covers radio, television and podcasts.

The Equitrekking Travel Adventures on Horseback book has won the Merit Award for Best Travel Book. First prize in the Travel Book category went to Travel & Leisure Magazine’s '100 Greatest Trips: Third Edition.'

NATJA is a premier professional association of writers, photographers, editors, and tourism professionals. The NATJA competition, which had over 400 entrants, is in its 17th year.