Trip Comments by;

Cathy Mainardi , Northfield, NJ.                                                                                                    March 2007’
Catmain52@comcast.net

“My week at La Paloma River Lodge was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The memories of this trip have become my quiet refuge. When I want to retreat from the everyday hustle and bustle of life around me I close my eyes and remember the PEOPLE, my wonderful new friends, the delectable food, the beautiful mountains, the incredible river and the many fish it yielded to us for a moment of time and then returned to give others the pleasure of catching. This truly is a little piece of heaven on earth. The country is breathtaking; the people are friendly and can not do enough to make your stay comfortable and pleasurable.

 The lodge is plain, simple and clean. And did I mention the FOOD. It was every bit as good as some of the expensive restaurants I've eaten at in Philadelphia. And the desserts were absolutely mouth watering and exquisitely presented. And all this in an area that is so remote that I only saw one other group of fisherman on the river during the week I was there. The hospitality of Alfredo (the local gaucho who took us on horseback up into the mountains to fish for a day) and his wife who, together with her husband, hosted an incredible lamb dinner for us was truly astounding.

 The peace, quiet, solitude and simplicity of life in this place were priceless. One of the best things for me was no phones (especially those dreaded cell phones from which there seems to be no escape these days)and no TV - only very cool music. It was also a learning experience. As a relatively new fly fisherman who has mostly fished saltwater and only once or twice in fresh water for trout, the patience of the guides and Marla and their willingness to spend the time to explain and show us how to cast better, what flies to use and where the fish could be found was amazing and much appreciated. I would look at the river and see a fast moving body of water - they (especially Felipe, guide and part owner of the lodge) would see places where the trout would be sitting waiting for food. Their knowledge and ability to share it with us was incredible. I caught beautiful brown and rainbow trout everyday and had several chances to catch even more and bigger fish had I been a little more experienced (in other words - I lost almost as many as I caught). And did I mention our rugged, handsome guide, Holden, who hails from Montana. His patience with my tangled fly line was remarkable. I am already dreaming of going back!!!!

 Thanks Marla (our cheerleader), Felipe (our exceptional guide and host), Alfredo and Patricia (our very, special gaucho and his wife), Holden (our "Marlboro Man"), Johanna (Felipe's lovely wife) and Yvonne (our Five-Star chef).”

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