Bariloche
Wow. It is so beautiful here. I took the 19 hour bus ride from Mendoza a couple of days ago, and arrived in Bariloche in the late afternoon. I met an English fellow in my dorm and we went for a lovely, if brisk (in both senses of the word!) walk along the shores of the lake here. It is the largest lake in the Lake District of Patagonia, and is over 100 kms long. Wow. Evergreen forests, snow-capped mountains, chill early spring air, wood and stone architecture... quite the shift from the upper 20s to low 30s temperatures, vineyards and desert climate around Mendoza! I have dug out my winter layers from my pack again in response.
Today I took a local bus about half an hour out of town and then hiked for about four kilometres to Lago Morena. I had the place to myself and sat on a rock cliff with the crystal clear water, the mountains and the forests all laid out in front of me like a postcard. I bought some smoked trout for lunch and had it and some good bread for lunch with a mandarin orange for dessert. I sat in the warm sun and meditated for a while too -- the setting was too perfect not to spend some time in contemplation and appreciation!
I hiked to another part of the municipal park, and visited a lookout spot as well as Lago Esconocido, which is part of a preserve as it is one of the only water systems in the area with the original native fish population still intact. Lovely. I walked back along the Circuito Chico route for about seven kilometres and then caught the bus back to town. Even though my feet kind of hurt now, it was totally worth it!
Tomorrow I head to El Bolsón, which is a bit of a hippy eco-town about two hours from here. I´ll stay there for a few days, and then on Thursday night I start my marathon trip to El Calafate (30 hours is the estimate!!). I couldn´t get a cama seat, so I´m on the semi-cama for the duration. Hopefully it won´t be too uncomfortable!!
I haven´t uploaded the Mendoza or Bariloche pics yet, but here are a few from earlier moments... The first is of the river valley in the Quebrada de Cafayate. The second is of me on the road on the way to Capilla del Monte. The last is of Nico and Bernardo at the farm (being silly, obviously) as they dig the new laguna.
Today I took a local bus about half an hour out of town and then hiked for about four kilometres to Lago Morena. I had the place to myself and sat on a rock cliff with the crystal clear water, the mountains and the forests all laid out in front of me like a postcard. I bought some smoked trout for lunch and had it and some good bread for lunch with a mandarin orange for dessert. I sat in the warm sun and meditated for a while too -- the setting was too perfect not to spend some time in contemplation and appreciation!
I hiked to another part of the municipal park, and visited a lookout spot as well as Lago Esconocido, which is part of a preserve as it is one of the only water systems in the area with the original native fish population still intact. Lovely. I walked back along the Circuito Chico route for about seven kilometres and then caught the bus back to town. Even though my feet kind of hurt now, it was totally worth it!
Tomorrow I head to El Bolsón, which is a bit of a hippy eco-town about two hours from here. I´ll stay there for a few days, and then on Thursday night I start my marathon trip to El Calafate (30 hours is the estimate!!). I couldn´t get a cama seat, so I´m on the semi-cama for the duration. Hopefully it won´t be too uncomfortable!!
I haven´t uploaded the Mendoza or Bariloche pics yet, but here are a few from earlier moments... The first is of the river valley in the Quebrada de Cafayate. The second is of me on the road on the way to Capilla del Monte. The last is of Nico and Bernardo at the farm (being silly, obviously) as they dig the new laguna.
Comments
Love you tonnes!
Catherine
Fancy that you have made it all the way from Ecuador to Patagonia! You have been over some amazing territory on this journey.
Love you and miss you,
Nicola