http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Argentina , Rio Negro , El Bolson en-us Fri, 11 Dec 09 12:23:32 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 09 12:23:32 +0000 So today we had a sleep in and got ready for our paragliding excursion. We were told we'd get a phone call in the morning to see whether or not the weather would be suitable for a flight. The wind was too strong in Bariloche so they suggested we drive to El Bolson instead. It was now too late for the morning so we were told to be ready for 2 p.m. In the meantime Leah and I decided to take the cit http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-438167.html El Bolson is a tiny town nestled in the mountains about 2 hours from Bariloche. It has a warmer microclimate so there is lots of farming here and its also famed for its artisan beers cheeses and preserved fruits and handicraft stuff made by the hippy community that live near here. We arrived at our hostel el gaucho and were given a warm welcome by the owners Claudio and Christina. Its quite u http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-393272.html Myself and Pat hit the road at half nine in search of the Salmon of knowledge. Little did we know is that our knowledge wouldnrsquot catch us a thing. We had an adventure to say the least. We arrived at the lake and set out in search of the point where the shop said to fish. The guy said we would need to cross a river the would be barely knee deep. Buit. We arrived at the point to find it wa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-391265.html We have stayed in the coolest hostel so far here in El Bolson. It is called El Pueblito which means little village. That is the feeling the owners wanted to get in there hostel and they have pretty much succeeded. It is a wooden house near a river and away from the road. Our room is a little garden shed out the back of the house and surrounded all sorts of fruit trees. They also make there own b http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-390982.html Lazy days in the sun I'm so glad they exist as well. Lago Puelo gave me the perfect break from trekking in the rain which i do enjoy very much by showering me in sunshine. This national park in the El Bolsn region is very laidback you can go for some treks and small grannyfriendly hikes but you can also just lay on the beach and watch the snowcapped mountains rising out of the azure lake. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-389739.html Hoi hoiWe zitten nog steeds in Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Vuurland. Land waar de indianen vroeger het gehele jaar naakt maar goed ingevet met zeeleeuwen vet rondliepen. Nu is er nog n 80 jarig omaatje die dat doet. Afgelopen 2 wkn flink wat Spaans geleerd in de prive school hier. Nog een paar dagen hier en dan vertrekken we weer naar warmere oorden naar Isla de Chiloe Het eiland Chiloe in http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-377530.html Hi everyoneA very important thing has happened since we have last made contact.Yes i have become a thirty year old. I feel wiser not necessarily as wise as a thirty year old but hey. But i definitely dont feel like i am thirty still feeling like a twenty something year old. Not necessarily looking like a twenty something year old. Oh its difficultRight straight to or back as we have to rewin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-373376.html Hoi allemaalHet is weer een poosje geleden sinds we wat van ons hebben laten horen. We hebben een aantal weken er flink rond getourd en gewandeld. Nu zijn we in Ushuaia op vuurland Tierra del Fuego de zuidelijkste stad van enige grote ter wereld waar we de komende weken ons Spaans bijspijkeren en even op adem komen. Zal niet makkelijk zijn aangezien het hier adembenemend mooi is. Het weer is http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-373059.html A strange title for a blog entry you might think. Especially when I tell you that 5 of my 8 days in El Bolson were spent walking in the foothills of the Andes. But personally I think it's the perfect title and soon you will too.I knew that Murray and Joyce friends of my parents from yesteryear lived around Bolson and after a bit of effort I had managed to get in touch with them. So after http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-370112.html El Bolson is about 2hours south of bariloche and is famous for beeing a hippy settlement where the likes of janice joplin and jimmy hendrix and others liked to escape to after a hectic tour. It was a really charming place and the people were EXTREMLY laid back and friendly. It was also surrounded by many lakes and mountains with great hikes. On the saturday there was an amazing local market with l http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-367502.html Day 646 4.01.09After our relatively short bus ride to El Bolson we walked around to find a place to stay before dumping our stuff and starting an aimless wander around town to get our bearings. After a bit of a search around we found the local artesan market and strolled through to see what was on offer. With a stop at the famous Heladeria Jauja for a superb icecream we can highly recommend t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-363053.html I spent 6 days hiking around El Bolson. Each night sleeping in a different refugio. Refugios are rustic buildings and the surrounding areas that function as combination campsitesdormsrestaurantkitchen facilities and crash pads. Basically they are little communities in the wilderness populated by a couple caretakers and a daily rotation of trekkers. They are located in areas of interest alon http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-361220.html Hi Everyone This is a short note to say i made a booboo with my messages so you have to obviously read the getting to Punto del Diablo first and then Punto del Diablo.I hope you read this first before all of them so you know what to read first but hey no worries i know you are a clever bunch and will figure it outBig LOVE g http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-360778.html Hi everyoneSorry for the delay in putting more news up but been busy and a bit lazy but here i am now and i have alot to got through so sit back and enjoy.Firstly thank you to everyone who has checked out the site and sending your lovely messages. It means alot to us to hear from everyone and we feel not so far away then. Not saying we miss you lot or anything. Ha HaOn to the juicy stuffSo where http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-360041.html Merry Christmas everybody Christmas in South America is not quite so glam as in the US. There are just a few stores with decorations and none of the houses have lights. Even the atmosphere is more relaxed as if Christmas were just a free day to hang with the family. How odd I have covered quite a few miles since the last blog entry. I was excited to travel up Ruta 40 one of Argentinas http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-357582.html A few more days enjoying the mountains http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-352094.html So we finally left our cabaa in Bariloche on Friday arvo with Santiago our landlord for a week there to bid us farewell. After a giant hug like the kind my dad gives me we waved goodbye and wobbled our way down the drive. Panniers on mountain bikes feel different plus it was Phil's maiden voyage with the loaded Bob Beast of Burden Ibex trailer.Our first day was what cycle touring is all a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-351927.html Insgesamt 12 Tage haben wir bei unserem 1. Ausflug in Argentinien verbracht. Geplant waren ja eigentlich nur 5 Tage. Dabei empfing uns das noerdliche Patagonien ganz grausam. Zuerst fanden wir in Bariloche kaum ein Zimmer. Das das wir fanden war extrem teuer und schlecht. Der Ort selbst ist einfach nicht schoen und das Wetter war noch viel schlimmer. Dauerregen Sturm und dann auch noch Schneere http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-344560.html Hi. I thought we would show some pics of what we have been up to... http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-340603.html From La Serena we took a bus to Santiago. In Santiago we changed to an overnight bus headed for Pucon. We arrived there in the morning took a cab to Ruka Rayen a rural hostel about a half hour away. It is run by Peter and Margot. There are actually two separate hostels. The other is on the land of Margotrsquos mother. Margotrsquos family is Mapuche people indigenous to Southern Chile http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/El-Bolson/blog-331948.html