seeth07
Well-known member
"No entiendo lo que estas diciendo. ¿Hablas inglés?"
In english: "I don't understand what you are saying. Do you speak english?" As with any translation, I'm not 100 percent positive that the english to spanish translation from google is exactly correct but we were understood when we said this phrase upon meeting someone. I learned to say this phrase quickly because it became immediately evident that after deboarding into Ezeiza International Airport that we had left the comfort of home into a world where written and spoken lauguage was going to be completley foreign to us. It was the first phrase I entered into my google translator and certainly would not be the last. What was the typical response we would receive? How about a slight smirk and a hand pointed out tilting back and forth. A gesture that universally means "a little" but obviously they didnt know how to say "a little". The fun begins.
My goal is going to be to take you all on a large series of posts in which some will include a lot of photos and some will include a lot of writting. There is a lot to tell and a lot of cool experiences that I hope to capture in storytelling for both my own record keeping and the readers enjoyment. It will not be quick. I've been gone for 11 days now and there is a lot to catch up on and many chores and things to do at home. So bare with me as I take you along on what was an incredible 10 days in Argentina.
But first I need to start with something that easily sums up the entire reason and goal why my wife and I traveled halfway across the world to go hunting when we could simply just hunt out our back door. If all you do is read this first post, I feel its important that you get to read this so rather than wait until the end, I want to share it now.
On our 2nd night at the big game "Mencota" estate, our 5th night overall there, my wife had decided to go take a shower and head to bed after dinner rather than sit and sip drinks and talk. I was not ready to call it a night so I sat at the dinner table sipping on some fine scotch with the rancher owner, his nephew and our outfitter. They were talking in spanish and I didnt understand really most of it but I did pick up on some words and when I heard the word "general" and "conquistador" I became intrigued and asked the outfitter to explain to me what they were talking about. He explained to me that the owner was talking about his great grandfather who was a general in the army and about how he built and formed this ranch back in 1886 by fighting off the natives. Their family began farming sheep and ships from India would show up for the wool and in trade they brought all kinds of goods. Among those goods were axis deer, blackbucks and water buffalo since the natives and conquistidors over the prior years had killed off a lot of the native wildlife and they were starving due to lack of meat. His great grandfather wanted the wild life as a means to provide a food source for the years to come beyond just lamb.
Very intrigued by this wildlife to land to rancher relationship, I asked the outfitter if he could help me translate some questions I have for the owner. He obligued and the main question I had to ask him was "Why is it important to you to open your home for me to come and experience this. Is it just to make money off what you have or is it something more than that?"
I did not record the conversation, answer was in spanish and then translated for me through the outfitter so all I can do is paraphrase and get it close. I was blown away.
He said that he is very rich, has more money than he knows what to do with so it has nothing to do with money. He enjoys being able to share what he has with others that will appreciate it just as much as he does. The locals don't and most have fallen away from their heritage and their ancestors way of life. Americans come and are always grateful and thankful to be here. But above all else, its about conservation and preserving these wild animals even though they aren't a native species. These animals only live on my large estate because I pay the police to keep the poachers out. They are smart animals and know to not be near the edges of my ranch, within range of the road. If I dont have people coming here, I will die off and maybe my nephew here decides its not worth paying the police anymore. The animals will all go away, it has happened to other estates. I value these animals as part of my heritage and part of our lives here on the ranch.
Yes, there were a lot of animals on this ranch. It was massive, absolutely free range, just fences for the different cattle grazing areas but easily crossed by wildlife under and over them. The hunting was truly not crazy difficult. Numerous, constant sightings of wildlife and oppurtunities. However, it was at that dinner table that I found what I came to Argentina for. To embrace the experience for what it is and not compare or expect it to be what we are used to in the States. Turns out, hunting is exactly the same afterall, a love for animals, food, heritage, people and life.
If you have never visited a country outside of the US (I'm going to toss in Canada with the US as well since from my one experience there it was very similar) you absolutely have to do it as a bucket list item. Pick someplace and just go. Don't wait either, do it now and you won't regret it. It will open your mind to what hunting really is and until you take such a trip, I don't think you can truly understand what I mean.
In english: "I don't understand what you are saying. Do you speak english?" As with any translation, I'm not 100 percent positive that the english to spanish translation from google is exactly correct but we were understood when we said this phrase upon meeting someone. I learned to say this phrase quickly because it became immediately evident that after deboarding into Ezeiza International Airport that we had left the comfort of home into a world where written and spoken lauguage was going to be completley foreign to us. It was the first phrase I entered into my google translator and certainly would not be the last. What was the typical response we would receive? How about a slight smirk and a hand pointed out tilting back and forth. A gesture that universally means "a little" but obviously they didnt know how to say "a little". The fun begins.
My goal is going to be to take you all on a large series of posts in which some will include a lot of photos and some will include a lot of writting. There is a lot to tell and a lot of cool experiences that I hope to capture in storytelling for both my own record keeping and the readers enjoyment. It will not be quick. I've been gone for 11 days now and there is a lot to catch up on and many chores and things to do at home. So bare with me as I take you along on what was an incredible 10 days in Argentina.
But first I need to start with something that easily sums up the entire reason and goal why my wife and I traveled halfway across the world to go hunting when we could simply just hunt out our back door. If all you do is read this first post, I feel its important that you get to read this so rather than wait until the end, I want to share it now.
On our 2nd night at the big game "Mencota" estate, our 5th night overall there, my wife had decided to go take a shower and head to bed after dinner rather than sit and sip drinks and talk. I was not ready to call it a night so I sat at the dinner table sipping on some fine scotch with the rancher owner, his nephew and our outfitter. They were talking in spanish and I didnt understand really most of it but I did pick up on some words and when I heard the word "general" and "conquistador" I became intrigued and asked the outfitter to explain to me what they were talking about. He explained to me that the owner was talking about his great grandfather who was a general in the army and about how he built and formed this ranch back in 1886 by fighting off the natives. Their family began farming sheep and ships from India would show up for the wool and in trade they brought all kinds of goods. Among those goods were axis deer, blackbucks and water buffalo since the natives and conquistidors over the prior years had killed off a lot of the native wildlife and they were starving due to lack of meat. His great grandfather wanted the wild life as a means to provide a food source for the years to come beyond just lamb.
Very intrigued by this wildlife to land to rancher relationship, I asked the outfitter if he could help me translate some questions I have for the owner. He obligued and the main question I had to ask him was "Why is it important to you to open your home for me to come and experience this. Is it just to make money off what you have or is it something more than that?"
I did not record the conversation, answer was in spanish and then translated for me through the outfitter so all I can do is paraphrase and get it close. I was blown away.
He said that he is very rich, has more money than he knows what to do with so it has nothing to do with money. He enjoys being able to share what he has with others that will appreciate it just as much as he does. The locals don't and most have fallen away from their heritage and their ancestors way of life. Americans come and are always grateful and thankful to be here. But above all else, its about conservation and preserving these wild animals even though they aren't a native species. These animals only live on my large estate because I pay the police to keep the poachers out. They are smart animals and know to not be near the edges of my ranch, within range of the road. If I dont have people coming here, I will die off and maybe my nephew here decides its not worth paying the police anymore. The animals will all go away, it has happened to other estates. I value these animals as part of my heritage and part of our lives here on the ranch.
Yes, there were a lot of animals on this ranch. It was massive, absolutely free range, just fences for the different cattle grazing areas but easily crossed by wildlife under and over them. The hunting was truly not crazy difficult. Numerous, constant sightings of wildlife and oppurtunities. However, it was at that dinner table that I found what I came to Argentina for. To embrace the experience for what it is and not compare or expect it to be what we are used to in the States. Turns out, hunting is exactly the same afterall, a love for animals, food, heritage, people and life.
If you have never visited a country outside of the US (I'm going to toss in Canada with the US as well since from my one experience there it was very similar) you absolutely have to do it as a bucket list item. Pick someplace and just go. Don't wait either, do it now and you won't regret it. It will open your mind to what hunting really is and until you take such a trip, I don't think you can truly understand what I mean.
