Touristy Chocolate City to Tranquil Hippie Town

Happy 2008! Yes, it's been 2008 for a few weeks now, but we haven't talked since 2007! I hope the new year is treating you well.

After spending a few days in Puerto Varas I crossed back over into the motherland to Bariloche. Upon arrival, I walked around for more than an hour looking for a hostel, all of which were full. Unwillingly (only because of the name), I went to one of the few options left: Hostel Freedom. Although it too was full, the owner took pity on me and "created" a room for me by putting a mattress in an empty attic room. And who should I run into upon my arrival but my camp friend Lior from Israel! That makes for two Israeli camp friend sightings.

The city of Bariloche was incredibly touristy, both with international tourists and Argentinians, who are almost all on vacation now. It also happens to be the prime destination of high school graduates. I found the city to be overwhelming in terms of the number of people and the number of stores/companies dedicated to tourism (almost all of them). In fact, I only met one or two people who were actually from Bariloche. The advantage of traveling during Argentina's vacation, though, is that about half the people in my hostel were from Buenos Aires, so I got to hang out with many Argentinians and hear the great BsAs accent. On my third day there I ran into Adam, another Israeli camp friend. That makes for three and counting!

Apparently Argentina changed the hour while I was in Chile, so the sun didn't set until 11pm in Bariloche. It was incredible! The city is located on Lake Nahuel Huapi, which is beautiful from every angle. Between trying as many flavors of chocolate as possible (which the city is famous for), I spent my time in the great outdoors. Even the great outdoors felt crowded until my last day, when I bicycled the Circuito Chico. It's a 30K route (approx. 20 miles) that crosses through many lakes and forests. I got beat by some of the uphills, but it felt good to be on a bike again. At the end of the route, I dropped my bike and did a short hike along a creek, finally finding my moment of solitude and quiet in nature.

My last night in Bariloche I went to see the band Mailoc play Irish music at a pub. This wasn't just any band but the group my friend Pablo from Mendoza used to play with! (he's from Bariloche). It was a great coincidence that they were playing the weekend I was there, and I ended up dancing for the last song. I had a fine time in Bariloche, but I was very ready to travel the 2 hours south to the hippie town of El Bolsón.

El Bolsón was a welcome change from Bariloche in that it was much calmer and more down-to-earth. Hippies from around the country flocked there in the 1970's, and it was the first place in South America to be declared a non-nuclear zone. It's also known for its rich agricultural climate, artisan beer, and enormous crafts & food market (a big box of raspberries for less than $1!). All the people in my hostel were from Argentina, and it was nice to only speak Spanish during the week. I must say that almost all the Argentinians I have met have been extremely friendly and very inclusive. They are quick to engage in conversation with you (and other Argentinians) and quick to invite you out with them. We should all be more like that!

I alternated between taking day trips to go hiking (Cerro Amigo Mirador, Lago Puelo, Cascada Escondida, etc.) and just relaxing in the park. I also tried to eat as much ice cream from Jauja as I could. Not only is it the best ice cream ever (better than Izzy's and Sebastian Joe's if you can imagine that!), but it also makes a great pre-dinner snack at 9pm (and ice cream places in Argentina give you two flavors!).

On my last day in El Bolsón I treated myself to a massage. It turned out to also involve acupuncture and magnetotherapy, which I don't think actually helped my knee or headaches but was interesting anyway. I left with tiny dried seeds taped to my ears and instructions to relax my shoulders and to leave the seeds on until they fell off. Outside the office, I promptly removed them. El Bolsón is liberal and all, but who really wants to walk around with seeds taped to her ears?! Not me. That night we went to hear some great flamenco music at a nearby bar.

Next stop was San Martín de los Andes for two nights. Met many more people from Buenos Aires, one of whom told me I speak Argentino well (a great compliment!). I hiked 4 hours to a gorgeous look-out point, read at the lake at the edge of town, and left Thurs afternoon for what would be a much longer trip north than planned.

On my journey from San Martín de los Andes to San Rafael (which should have been 14 hours), I had to transfer buses in Neuquén. Not only were there not tickets available when I got there but none of the buses had arrived because farmers had organized a massive protest about fruit prices and were blocking off major routes. It's ironic because on the way to Neuquén I had been thinking about how easy it is to travel by bus in Argentina and how there aren't complications like I experienced in Ecuador. I guess I jinxed it! I rushed to a nearby town hoping to catch a bus there but no luck. My body also chose that day to get sick, although I'm feeling better now. After 22 hours, I kid you not, of waiting in the bus terminal and 40 hours without sleeping, I managed to make it to San Rafael in one (exhausted and hungry) piece. I arrived at 5am yesterday morning and sat in a chair for 5 hours waiting for my room to be ready. Fun fun. My day consisted of visiting a canyon in the morning and going to an international folk-fair type festival at night (where, funnily enough, the Argentina booth had the longest line for food).

I have had a really wonderful last 5 weeks, seeing amazing landscapes and meeting interesting people. I know these 8 months are a huge privilege, and I am constantly grateful for this time and experience. I head back to Mendoza this afternoon, and it does feel like I've been gone for awhile. I'm eager to see friends again and to move in with the family I met (a woman and her 18-yr-old son and 16-yr-old daughter), which I'm hoping will be a good living situation. I know it might take a bit to adapt to being back, especially since I have to restart the process of looking for something to do. But this time around I already know people and know the city. Come what may...