Vacas!

Driving back from Chillan to the airport at Concepcion, we encountered a stampede: a LOT of cows, running hard, straight at us. They were hemmed in by the fences on both sides. Eugenio came pretty close, then backed up, and then backed up hard. Those cows would come up on the hood, because there was no room.

By the time I got the camera out, the vaquero had appeared, a big pissed off guy on a big pissed off horse. One vaquero for a LOT of vacas. He managed to get the gate open.

The vacas, who prefer grass and familiar surroundings, were very happy to go through the gate, except for one calf that simply would not go.  We left without knowing how that story ended.  Mr. Vaquero was almost ready to make some veal, I think, because the calf was not cooperating.   Note the big, flat Chilean vaquero hat (chupalla), straight flat brim, very wide.