On my third morning in Misiones, I packed my belongings and drove in my sturdy little red rental car to the town of Apóstoles (again, about an hour’s drive from Posadas). My first destination was the Museo Histórico Juan Szychowski (WEBLINK) on the grounds of La Cachuera, a company that produces Amanda brand yerba mate. Amanda is one of the top 5 Argentine brands of yerba mate, so I was surprised that I had to drive 6 kilometers on deserted road (but this time the road wider and in better condition than the road to Fundación Alberto Roth). The drive was remote but beautiful. It is nice to get out of the cities and towns.
The Museo Histórico Juan Szychowski is on the grounds of La Cachuera, but the company does not provide tours of its yerba mate operations.
The Museo Histórico Juan Szychowski is in memory of the founder of La Cachuera. Szychowski arrived in Argentina with his family in 1900 from Poland at the age of 11. Along with most immigrants to the region, Szychowski and his family planted yerba mate. Szychowski was a tinkerer and he built a variety of machines, including a lathe that he used to build a machine for grinding yerba mate and other products. He needed an energy source for the machinery, so he built a dam. In 1958, Szychowski was highlighted for his innovations in National Geographic.
The museum (also parts of the Ruta de la Yerba Mate) is in a beautiful setting. There is lots of greenery and the stream that Szychowski used for the dam. It was especially nice because I was the only tourist. There weren’t any crowds. I was able to explore the museum and environment by myself. For anyone contemplating the Ruta de la Yerba Mate, I highly recommend a visit to the Museo Histórico Juan Szychowski.
One of the highlights of the tour was that immediately upon arrival, the guide gave me a thermos and yerba mate, which I drank as I toured the museum. What a treat! I’m sorry that I don’t have a photo.
From La Cachuera, I drove back to the town of Apóstoles and went to the National Yerba Mate Festival, which I describe on the “Yerba Mate” page of this blog.
Apóstoles is a cute, quaint town. I plan to spend a week there in January/February with my dad and the boys (John will be working in the United States). During my day in Apóstoles, I had a little time to explore the town.
From La Cachuera, I drove back to the town of Apóstoles and went to the National Yerba Mate Festival, which I describe on the “Yerba Mate” page of this blog.
Apóstoles is a cute, quaint town. I plan to spend a week there in January/February with my dad and the boys (John will be working in the United States). During my day in Apóstoles, I had a little time to explore the town.
After spending some time in the Casa de Yerba Mate, the woman on staff helped me identify a great place for my dad and the boys to stay in January/February – Hostería Apóstoles. It is not luxurious but it has large grounds and a pool. She also found me a place to stay for the night. All of the hotels were booked because of the festival, so she found me a room in a woman’s house. The woman was renting rooms to various individuals and families.
Staying with a random woman was an experience. The room was very basic and lived-in, and I shared it with a stranger. The woman initially wanted to charge me a high price (300 pesos), but fortunately when I returned later in the day, she agreed to lower the price to what she was charging my Argentine roommate. I had a great home-cooked meal – vegetable pie, empanadas, and a fruit shake – for dinner and an ample breakfast with at least 5 different kinds of cakes. I went to bed early (around 9:00pm), well before everyone else who stayed up watching television or attending the concert and concluding ceremony at the yerba mate festival. At around 1:30AM, I woke up to the fireworks at the closing ceremony and it took me a long time to go back to sleep.
Staying with a random woman was an experience. The room was very basic and lived-in, and I shared it with a stranger. The woman initially wanted to charge me a high price (300 pesos), but fortunately when I returned later in the day, she agreed to lower the price to what she was charging my Argentine roommate. I had a great home-cooked meal – vegetable pie, empanadas, and a fruit shake – for dinner and an ample breakfast with at least 5 different kinds of cakes. I went to bed early (around 9:00pm), well before everyone else who stayed up watching television or attending the concert and concluding ceremony at the yerba mate festival. At around 1:30AM, I woke up to the fireworks at the closing ceremony and it took me a long time to go back to sleep.
The owner had stayed up all night cooking and watching over her guests (I also think she didn’t trust us, and indeed, she told me the next day that one of the guests – an Argentine from Buenos Aires – had left after 5 nights without paying anything). I ended up leaving with less cash than I had expected. When I had arrived, the owner had told me that she gave all of her guests yerba mate flavored alfajores (cookies) and asked me how many I would like. I told her two, one for each of my kids. Well, the 2 alfajores ended up being 2 dozen and cost me 120 pesos each (more than the price at the yerba mate festival). At least the alfajores were fresh, homemade, and tasty. We ate a dozen at home and John took the other dozen to share with his family in New Jersey.