By Alyssa Maunders
We made it to the promise land. Where the glacial lakes are as plentiful as the whole wheat bakeries and smoked trout; Bariloche and El Bolsón.
The main tourist season begins in the first few weeks of December when tourists flock to the south of Argentina from around the world to hike the peaks and fish the rivers of Patagonia. By chance, we have arrived at what I think could be the best time of the year.
It’s spring here and an invasive species of yellow flower is spread throughout the landscape; crowding fences and lining roads.
The sky is blue, the people are nice and the snow on the mountains is melting!
I am writing from a cozy chair next to a stove in the hostel that we stayed at for our last night in El Bolsón. We will return to Bariloche, 2 hrs north, to spend thanksgiving with Gustavo, a friend we met through Workaway.
We were helping him to prepare some apartments that his family wants to rent. He has a dog and cat that live with him and he is quite possibly the nicest vegetarian,yoga teaching, flannel wearing, nutritional yeast eating man I have ever met.
Lake Town
Bariloche is a lake town. Situated on the southern coast of Lago Nahuel Huapi, this town is a hub for the outdoor type. It is a tourist town for sure , with several streets dedicated to outdoor gear, cervecerias with the magic phrase of “happy hour” written on their doors and more places to buy the famous maté cup and bombilla (the metal straw for straining the tea) than you can shake a stick at. However, mid-November seems to be a lovely time here.
After about a week working and helping Gustavo, Leigh and I left our big bags and headed for El Bolsón for a few days of couch surfing near the town and weekend of hiking.
If you find yourself in El Bolsón on a Sunday, go to the Fería. It’s the weekly artists market near the center. All of the crafty, Argentinian goods come out and are displayed for your purchasing pleasure! There is jewelry, clothing, intricately carved maté cups, food
stands, you can by artisanal beer, chocolate, paintings, toys, and the list goes on. It’s not an overwhelming amount of vendors and the crowd of locals and tourists mingle to the beat of the drum circle playing near the pond. It’s a good way to spend the morning.
This region is famous for it’s trekking and laid back vibes. The mountains surrounding el Bolsón are dotted with Refugíos, or lodges, nestled in the peaks where weary hikers pay for a mattress and a warm fire for the night. The people running these lodges often serve homemade bread and beer by the liter. It’s incredible.
We chose to do a several day circuit and visit our three favorite sounding Refugíos, staying the night at each one and enjoying the trails in between.
“Blue River”
We were greeted at each place with a hot wood stove and a steaming calabaza of maté before we could put our bags down. The hike on the first day was the hardest; an hour and a half by a crystal clear river followed by 5 hours of incline. No joke, straight up the mountain. To arrive at Refugío Hieli Azul and see the curl of smoke coming from its chimney set against the backdrop of snowy mountains and rushing streams was like coming home.
From then on, each days hike was a little easier. The families and friends running these lodges are committed to a simpler way of life. They live with very little electricity and some grow their own food. They do not have internet up there in the mountains and the lodges communicate with each other via radio when they want to check weather , etc. The people running the lodges that we met were incredibly kind and happy. The sort of whistle-while-you-work happy that can only accompany the chopping of wood in the chilly morning air.
My entry visa lasts in Argentina for ten years. I want to return to this place in November again, when spring is just starting to clear it’s throat, and smell the flowers and kayak in the lakes before the crowds get crazy. Then, I will head further south where winds rip through Tierra del Fuego and the orcas arrive to hunt baby seals on the southernmost beaches of the Americas.
Alyssa Maunders
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