The Seven Lakes District

And so we write to you from Salta. Yes, we have finally made it out of that beautiful yet money pit of a vortex known to travelers as Patagonia. Due to a shoddy internet connection at our hostel I have had great difficulty uploading photos but I´m doing what I can. The photos are also going where ever they want to so sorry about the look of the post! The five days we spent driving around the seven lake district around Bariloche with our knew buddies Chris and Adam was amazing. As previously mentioned, we met them through a twist of fate that landed us on a wild ride. Chris is a chef from Boston who works on Martha´s Vinyard and who enjoys traveling half the year and working the other half. Adam was the editor for web content for the green page at MSN online until the page was cut and he had to say goodbye to his Borg and Chewbaka costumed co-workers and headed to South America to learn some Spanish and see some more of the world. We drove on crazy gravel road where the gravel was more like small bolders that the three boys galliently swearved around and we swam in three of the seven lakes. After the aformentioned mapuche community we stayed at a nice campsite with tree eating cows and a freezing cold river and then at a third campsite in Villa La Angostura with hot free showers and nice parillas.

campsite with the tree eating cows and camp fire that made palenta

bosque arrayades

josh driving master and fire master

josh the fire master and adam the fire master´s helper

I was only the wee fire master´s apprentice...

Josh diving directly in front of the boat he so wanted to share his picture with

We did a great day hike and finished about half of the never ending steep hill that was covered in bamboo and beautiful flowers, and on our last day in Villa La Angostura we did a 24 K hike to a dock and the Arrayades woods where the trees are very in fashion with their animal print like bark and they also have a highly evolved repoduction technicque. Their fallen branches can become new trees! Also they are orange and very beautifu.. At the dock there were signs everywhere that said no bathing or swimming, but none that said no diving!! With my ingrained fear of authority I was terrified when Chris stripped down and took a three meter dive into the water. I was sure someone would come yell at us! But before I knew it I was the last one who had yet to try it and I was once again stripping down to my undies (Melissa will remember the last time) to go swimming. I only did one dive but it was enough to get my adreline pumping and refresh myself after the 12 K we had already comlepted.

We also ate really well the entire time. We made fires and poked them, we grilled meat, made polenta, and grilled pizza. We also played lots of our new favorite game, cribbage. Josh and I weren´t such a hot team at first but we held our own and kicked a little ass in the end.

We sadly parted ways when we got back to Bariloche and played one last game of cribbage and drank two last beers together before Josh and I made our way on foot to the bus station for the begining of a very long journey.

Chris shows off for the camera

the bulls that blocked our way back to Villa La Angostura were hearded off the path for us by our fathful escort, a bearded old lady dog who walked with us and protected us from all kinds of danger

my flawless form makes for a boring photo

funny translations!!!

There are many more photos I´d like to post but the internet here is driving me crazy, it goes in and out and uploading photos is a nightmare, I´ll head to a locotorio to get some more photos up in the future!