March 7, 2009 - March 9, 2009

March 7, 2009

Today was the day we planned to leave Bariloche and head to Esquel. We had planned on kayaking before leaving as the weather is beautiful, but it just did not happen. This morning we woke up in our comfy hostel and Alyssa cooked Rob and me a delicious breakfast of omlettes and beans.

Shortly after breakfast we got on the bus to Esquel. On this bus ride we got to watch the Mummy III dubbed in Spanish, very exciting.

In Esquel we decided to try out our tents a night before going camping for three days. It turns out I´m stuck in Tina the Tiny Tent. I cannot even stretch out fully in this thing. How are Alyssa and I both ever going to fit??

After setting up our tents we headed out to the grocery store to pick up supplies for our camping expedition. I also had my first restaurant dinner of beef at La Luna - steak with roquefort cheese. It was absolutely fabulous. We ate very early for Argentina at 8 when the restaurant was empty, but we sat at the table talking for so long that the restaurant was jam packed by the time we left.

Unfortunately, the camp ground in the middle of the town was not very comfortable. We had two sirens go off during the night and trucks rumbling past. Alyssa has come down with some sort of illness and her and Rob were up all night with nose blowing... I, at least got two hours of sleep. I´m lookin forward to the peace and quiet of the national park.

March 8, 2009

The bus to Parque Nacional los Alerces was at 8 o´clock so we awoke very early to accomodate slow Rob. We are in the park and at our campsite by 10:45. We have discovered the flies at this park. There are two types at our campsite: little gnats that are only out in the morning and the evening and horse flies that are out as long as the sun is shining. Bug spray does not work on these animals, but smacking each other does! We are about to spend three days beating each other to death.

After setting up our campsite we eat lunch and set out on a little hike along the river. This river is absolutely georgeous. It is glacial run off and the brightest color of turquoise I have ever seen. The weather is perfect and after about an hour and a half of hiking Rob decides to jump in the river, followed shortly by the girls. This water is COLD. Colder than the water at Lake Titicaca. While our clothes dried we ate lunch. During the hike back we swam again and I got a little sun burned. You would think I would learn to put on sun screen the first time in the sun after winter.

Alyssa and Amy by the river

More views of the river

After our hike we took a nap, Alyssa seems to be getting sicker instead of better. That night we cooked our dinner over a campfire. It was pasta with vegie soup thickened to make sauce and CHEESE... yummy. The trouble with the campfire was not getting our water to boil as some may think, but keeping it from boiling over. We had fun acting like cavemen.

Rob with caveman stick

March 9, 2009

I have found that I´m not yet completely off my work schedule and cannot sleep as late as my two laze about traveling mates. So as Alyssa says I awake at dawn (10 AM) and wander around the campsite until I make an Argie friend... got to do my Spanish practice for the day, while Rob and Alyssa hide in the tent from the bugs.

We begin our hike to Laguna Escondida before having breakfast. On the way up we stop for apples and peanut butter. My apple attempts to make a fast get away down the hill and Alyssa and Rob laugh as I chase after it. I of course won the battle - the apple was all the sweeter for it.

View from hike

We reach the laguna after a strenuous hike up hill and Rob and Alyssa swim and bathe. I could not bring myself to enter the fridged water again. People arrive when Alyssa is still sunning in her underwear and she awkwardly tries to play it off... unsuccessfully.

From the laguna we hike to the Mirador (over look). On the way we take a wrong turn into an unfriendly bamboo forest, what an adventure. On the way down we stop in the shade of a beautiful tree to eat a tuna lunch.

Rob and Alyssa crossing the stick bridge

Pretty tree we ate lunch under

Back at our campsite we head to the river to relax. And by relax I mean beat each other relentlessly to continue our genicide on the flies.

Turquoise river

We build another campfire to cook our dinner and add even more cheese this time. We have found this is the magic ingredient to make all campfire meals delicious. I turn into the purple sock ninja and use my special powers of Ninja wind to blow the smoke away from our relaxation place. I then break into song and dance as is usual; for those that know my repitoire: the chicken patty song, the sloppy joe song, and the scoliosis song were featured. After Rob atempts to burn an entire tree in the fire we retire to bed.

March 4, 2009 - March 6, 2009

I have finally returned to Buenos Aires from my travels to the far south and am going to take a couple of blog posts detailing the trip. Hopefully my blog posts will catch up to current time, but for now they will be in the past.

March 4, 2009

I arrived in Buenos Aires from a 12 hour flight! So long, thank God for CVS all natural sleep aid. Alyssa picked me up from the airport and took me back to the apartment we will be living in when we return to Buenos. It is in the Recoletta neighborhood. She made me an excellent breakfast of omlettes and beans. Then of course I took a three hour nap, after which we at empanadas... yummy. A lot of this trip is spent eating or planning for the next meal... my favorite activity.

Originally we were thinking of spending the first night in Buenos, but it was raining and gross so we trumped the original plan and decided to jump on the next 20 hour bus to Bariloche. Our bags are super heavy: clearly it is our lifetime supply of peanut butter... we must start eating!

March 5, 2009

So due to previously stated 20 hour bus ride we awoke on the bus. To Alyssa shagrin last night they started showing Batman: The Dark Knight at like 11:30. And then they turned it off at 1 in the morning about 15 minutes before the end... whoopsies. We have started to lighten our load by eating peanut butter. Later in the day we got to enjoy an excellent film with the Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock, dubbed in Spanish.

Me, Alyssa, and Rob in Bariloche

Just outside Bariloche we had a drug raid on our bus. Turns out to be nothing, but they pulled a guy off and looked through all his baggage. In Bariloche we met up with Rob, a friend Alyssa had met in Mar de Plata (the beach). We stayed at this very cool hostel. All the people there and one of the employees decided to have an Asado (Argentine barbeque) that night.

Before the asado (since argentines eat between 10 and 11 at night) we had a first dinner of pizza. The asado was amazing. There were a couple of Swedes, some Aussies, and a Welshman, plus the Argentine hostel employee - Christian. We had sausage on rolls (called choripan) and beef. The beef here is absolutely amazing. The asado ended with lots of Bon Jovi dancing and singing. I am loving this country.

March 6, 2009

Today Alyssa and I decided to do a hike up a mountain called Cerro Campario (or something like that). It was a VERY steep hike straight up the side. Very hard. At the top there were amazing views of the surrounding area of mountains and lakes. One of the most beautiful views I have seen to date.

After lunch, Alyssa, Rob and I took a bus to Lago Gutierrez where we hiked to a small waterfall and were joined by three friendly dogs. The entire hike we lollygaged (or as the British say faffed) around. (This blog is going to be full of new Britishisms that Rob is going to teach me as he is from London.) After the hike we went to a geologic and palentologic museum. We saw a fossil that was 90 million years old, which is almost the same age as Rob (ages older than us at 32). Also a really awesome Saber Tooth Tiger skull. On our way back to Bariloche we missed our bus stop and had to walk a bajillion meters through the suburban area of the town.

Rob on Lago Gutierrez

Alyssa and I faffing

We went out to dinner and a bar with Christian from the hostel. I tried a beer with hot pepper in it, which was very tasty. Ate waaaaay too much mexican food. Back at the hostel Christian had me try two Argentine mixed drinks. Fernet, which I think tastes like medicine, and Gancia, which is very light, lemony, and delicious.