After the last three months back at the campo Rukapiwel I am moving on to Argentina to spend some quality time with my mom. We are visiting the National Park Iguazu at the border to Argentina and Paraguay and will then visit Uruguay to sunbath and relax on the atlantic beaches.
After 9 days hiking and trekking near and around Bariloche, I took the bus south to El Bolson. The bus leaves the main terminal every hour or so and costs 250 argentine pesos. The bus ride takes approximatley 2h 15min. Arriving at the small town, I booked a hostel for one night, left my things there and took a look around. There are many camp sites to choose from and as the weather was sunny and hot, I thought it best to look for an ideal location before setting up camp.
After a night at the Hotel Tronador on the shore of Lago Mascardi, I walked back to Puente Colgate to continue onwards to Pampa Linda. Thanks to a tip from the receptionist I found an easy three day route via Laguna Azul (Calvu), Laguna Creton and Laguna Ilon instead of walking the road up to the isolated town. The trek consists of three half day hikes with the opportunity to camp at the two lagoons and take some time reading and enjoying the scenary.
After having recuperated from my New Year Illness I was ready to do some trekking in the National Park Nahuel Huapi. On account of strong wind and snow the 5 Laguna trek didn't work out. I found a different route hiking up to Cerro Catedral and from there onward to Refugio Frey. This first part was a rather easy but steady upward hike. From the ski center Cerro Catedral it's a four hour hike to the Regufio. When I arrived there, the weather turned and I was hit by fears wind and snow. This was an opportunity to test my tent, the MSR Access 2.
After spending new year at the camping Huenei Ruca in Colonia Suiza near Bariloche and partying on Cerro Catedral with locals I got sick. My stomache twisting and turning and all my joints aching, I spent a whole day in my tent, hoping it wouldn't turn out to be a longterm malheur. On the morning of the second of January I then made my way back to Bariloche as my condition didn't seem to get any better. I rented an appartment in the center of town and spent the next days on a strict soup diet with lots of sleep. Eventually my joint pains stopped and my stomache is feeling better again.
This morning I took the bus with Andesmar from Osorno to Bariloche. The trip was supposed to take 5h 30min so that I would arrive in the town at 4pm giving me two hours to sort out my things and buy supplies for my trek. Instead it took us over 7h to get there. When I finally arrived in the town center the supermarkets and tourist offices had already closed up. A pleasant surprise was the hostel I booked in advance. It's a cosy building near the center and has a great view to Lago Nahuel Huapi.
I spent Christmas at campo Rukapiwel, celebrating with the family. We ate a late dinner on the 24th of December and at 11 pm we hid the presents while young Juanito was searching the forest for Papanoel. When he found the presents, missing Santa only by a few seconds we went inside to seprate them. The game of secret Santa was quite amusing, although I kind of messed up the surprise as it was obvious which presents I wrapped. I got more presents than I expected, everyone being really generous.
It's Monday morning after my first week at the campus Rukapiwel and I'm feeling great. The sun is shining and it looks like there will be a clear sky all day.
These past seven days were packed with new experiences. The life here is simple and without much protocol. We live every day as it comes and enjoy the benefits of nature and human company. Fresh water from the stream, eggs from the chickens and ducks and this weekend we butchered a sheep for Catalina's Birthday asado.
On Monday 12.11.2018 I got my first opportunity to work for accomodation in Chile to gather experience and improve my Spanish. I couldn't have found a better host than Nico and his family. They live on a nice hacienda near Osorno and are building a tourist project on the island Fresia on Lago Puyehue.
Osorno is a city and central point to get around in the Region de Los Lagos. The prices for accommodation and groceries are immensly high but typical for this region of Chile. I'd compare them to prices in Europe. It will be hard to find a place to stay under 20$ but is worth it when travelling through the otherwise remote region. You'll find everything you need here and cheap mini-buses leave in every direction. They call Osorno the "City of 100km" because you can reach almost every distinct territory of Chile within 100km. Here is some advice for staying in the city.
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