Patagonia part - tres

lago buenos aires
Asodo (barbeque) with firends from france, serbia, sapin and argentina.
logo buenos aires
lago buenos aires - los antigos







parque Los Aleces

Camping in parque Los Aleces


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From el bolson I literally had to force myself out . It was addictive and was hard not to settle down there. The ills of traveling.
From there I headed to Esquel. At the bus stand (fast becoming my favorite place to meet women) I meet zoe. French is every which way we travelled together for the next 10 days. Camping together, sharing wine at the bus stand, kayaking, barbeque – company is always good.
Our first stop was esquel. A sleepy town with many wood and stone chalet-style building. There is not much to do in the town except for getting drunk on cheap argentine wine (less than 150rs) and walking on the streets or rather in our case getting lost on the streets. The only reason backpackers come to esquel is to go to park national los aleces, and that’s where i headed the next day.
One of the best national parks in Argentina, entry inside is steep but where there is a will there is a way. Zoe spoke Spanish and I pretended to be asleep when the park official came inside the bus to sell the entry ticket. She said I was from salta- north part of Argentina hence my dark skin and I saved over 1500rs. Not bad I say.
Camping again but this time the campsite was nothing short of paradise. Next to the lake, bright sunny sky and its beer and barbeque time in Argentina. The park is a collection of spry creeks, verdant mountains and mirror lakes resonates as unadulterated Andes. Inside this Park there are many hikes, as well as some for vehicles, horseback rides and cycling. Don’t miss it if you head to Patagonia. And don’t forget lazing around on the beach.
Two days later we headed to los antigos. An oasis town in the andes overlooking the spectacular spectacular lago Buenos aires. The different hues of water, lagoons around the lake and you fall in love with Patagonia all over again. Zoe and me meet more friends in the municipal camping ground. No the cleanest bathrooms but dirt cheap. Probably the cheapest camping in Patagonia.
Apart from the lake there is not much to see here. The town grows cherries and strawberries so the order of the day was to drink cherry and strawberry wine. Unfortunately the town does not have very good bus connections and we were stuck there for 3 days.
But like always traveling has a surprise and we meet fellow campers from Serbia, Spain and Argentina who were hitchhiking from Buenos aires and the result was three days of barbeque, and wine. Card games, soccer and I even taught them how to play cricket.

Patagonia part - dos

fiesta by night, street party by day. how can you not like argentina


street is where the party is



the philosophy goes - if its not siesta the its fiesta


bosque tashado

on route to bosque tashado - 20kms from el bolson
el bolson - the hippie town

around el bolson



ehhhhh haaaaaaa
lago pheulo
lago pheulo - close to el bolson

festive atmosphere all around the summers
el bolson flee market - artists from around argentina
casa (house) hindu - el bolson. they love us out here


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Hippies rejoice – a must see destination is el bolson. And so far one of my favorite places in Argentina . it’s a liberal town with artists and people who like the alternative lifestyle from all over the country have made it its home.

Not far from bariloche, el bolson in a place where you feel positive and happy vibes from the beginning. My plan was to stay here from 2 days but I ended up staying for 5. There is party and a relaxed atmosphere around every corner. Three time a week there is a flee market in el bolson and I can vouch that its probably the most interesting around the world. During the flee market there is a live music playing in the park – jazz, reggae, fusion. The town also brews a lot of beers and it’s a good way spending the afternoon and soaking in the atmosphere.

There is a lot of smoking going but if it’s not for you, no one bothers you. At times people are quick to label others who opt to choose an alternative lifestyle but its unfair because it isn’t that they are misfits, just regular folks who choose a slightly different path.

Then there is the awesome hiking which attracts people. I went to bosque tashado, a 20km trek which leads to a forest where artists from south America have made sculptures on trees. Again its one of the things you have got to see to appreciate the work. Unique and definitely worth the effort. But on the way back the hunger had taken over and it only takes a few minutes to convince an argentine to drop you on his truck to the town.

Bolson is peaceful and unpretentious surrounded by jagged peaks. Close by there is lago (lake) pheulo where the sun demands you take a swim. Cold for sure the water is but beers can do wonders for your confidence. At the lake you appreciate the sheer power of nature. I must admit there were moments before I left for my trip when I wondered if I’d taken the right step my leaving my job but there are moments and experiences when the beauty which lies in front (this time I don’t mean the gorgeous argentine women) convinces you and it sure did convince me that it was the best decision of my life to leave my job and head to SA. No matter how long you sit time isn’t enough to let the magnificence of nature settle inside you.

Back from lago pheulo and there was a fiesta going on in the town. First a carnival where people were dancing to the beats of drums on the street and all you need to do is join them. Like they say – when in rome……..

The carnival on the streets wasn’t enough and at night there was a traditional Spanish fiesta in the main square. That night I thought I can travel for the rest of my life without ever feeling the need to go back home. The adventure just doesn’t seem to stop in Argentina. There was traditional dances, guitar and of course beer and wine cant be far behind.

With me were friends from Greece, brazil, England, Canada but my favorite was gerrard from Germany. In his sixties and he has been travelling for the last 15 years. Alone mind you.

Camping was the order of the day again in el bolson but the hostel guys were nice enugh t let me use the kitchen and pass out on the sofa. Muchas gracias Sophia.

Guess which is the favorite which could be the favorite song of Canadian dj. Dam maro dam….mit jaye gum…bolo subha shyam….hare Krishna hare ram...and when i told her the meaning of the song she said it suddenly became loads more cooler.

Patagonia - part uno

night stay at the refugee.

Awsome- isnt it

Hiking around Bariloche

lago (lake) chico

Mountian biking around bariloche

Around bariloche

heard to be believed

Bariloche - Patagonia's biggest town

on an average an argentine eats 7kgs of meat a year

camping in san martin de los andes

Switzerland in latin america - san martin de andes

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BUENOS Aires is a big metropolis and I loved it. But the reason coming to Argentina was to see Patagonia. From the movies I have seen, read about it in magazines, it seemed to be a slice of heaven.
From Cordoba the bus to San Martin De Los Andes ( pronunciation is nowhere close to how it is spelt) takes about 22 hours and that was going to be my first town in Patagonia. It’s a long drive but here you realize the magic nature holds.

Most of the passengers on the bus were backpackers and nearly everyone was up to see the sunrise in Patagonia. Sometimes things don’t turnout how you’d imagine them or hoped for them to be. Luckily this wasn’t one of them and Patagonia wasn’t going to disappoint.
The unique landscapes of touching colors get deep into you and make you sense true freedom. Words won’t do justice to it but there is a sense of elation of pure ecstasy seeing the sunrise in Patagonia. I feel in love with the place immediately. Everything had a relaxes feel to it in Patagonia. No one seemed to be in a hurry and thought I have never been to Switzerland, Patagonia is how I have imagined Switzerland to be. Normally you'd like bus rides to get over but not here. With every passing by kilometer there is sight more magnificent that the previous.
Patagonia is sparsely populated and when you imagine that India is the seventh biggest country with a population over well over a billion and then you take into context that Argentina is the eight biggest country with a population of only 40 million you can get the picture.
Everything was new for me in Patagonia. Bus stands which had no scenes of frantic activity, the landscape, food. It’s a different world. One you cant help but loving. When you wish time slows down and from where you never need to go back.
San Martin de los Andes, my first stop, is you postcard town. It’s actually a pretty expensive place because a lot of rich argentines head to the town in summers to escape the heat. This was also where I did my first camping. Cheaper than to stay in an hostel, camp sites can be found just about everywhere in Patagonia. The have hot showers, facility for barbecue – and the argentines are suckers for asados (barbecue).
Argentines love camping. Families head out in caravans, students out on holidays, people on cycles, riding around the world. The campsite usually has a great mix of people. At night there is always a fiesta. You need to remember that the party will never come to you so all you need to do is great them and sooner than later you are one of them.
After two night in the campsite I headed to Bariloche, the biggest town in Patagonia. This was also the first time I tried hitchhiking. The two towns are only 90kms apart and there is a lot of traffic between them. Two lonely hours later a trucker picked me up and for company were two guys from Israel. I thought what I was going was pretty cool but these guys hitchhiking from Buenos Aires.
Bariloche again a postcard perfect town set next to a lake and snow covered mountains. No camping for me here because it was just to windy. Its not called windy Patagonia for nothing.
Bariloche is also the adventure suckers town. Be it trekking, scuba diving, helicopter snowboarding, fly fishing, horseback riding or skiing, Patagonia is a dream come real for all those people craving for adventure, sports, strong emotions and new senses.
Mountain biking was what I did first. 40kms on gravel and paved roads with view after view. Bariloche is also a party town, but then every town in Argentina is a party town. The hostel too had something on every night…there was Mexican night with tequilas, barbeque night which lead to sleepless nights and bad hangovers.
In Bariloche I also meet some friends from the hostel in Buenos aires and went trekking with them. There are a lot of trails around and after a 3-4 hour trek you find yourself in a refugee where you can get a bed and food for the night. Nothing luxurious but great fun when you add people from all over the world, loads of wine and music.
One of the best things about travelling is the people you meet. Like this hot hot Dutch girl who was traveling was coming from Antarctica. There is something about blonde Dutch girls traveling to Antarctica, I hear the maximum number of single girls traveling to Antarctica are from the Netherlands. Then there were these two Canadian guys traveling from the north pole to the south pole. There were people from hongkong, Singapore but I am yet to meet an Indian.
I am already in love with Patagonia and luckily for me this is only the beginning of my trip. What lies ahead is an adventure I can’t wait to unfold. I guess that’s the secret why travelling is so addictive.