Blogs from Esquel, Chubut, Argentina, South America

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South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel March 10th 2013

C’est officiel, nous sommes en basse saison (déjà ?!). Un seul bus par jour pour aller au parc national de Los Alerces, partant à 8h et revenant à 22h (avec 3 heures de route pour arriver jusqu’au point de départ)… alors qu’on m’avait dit qu’il y avait un bus qui passait régulièrement et qu’on pouvait visiter le parc et faire des haltes en faisant plusieurs stops. Ils avaient raison, juste tout a changé depuis le 6 mars (zut alors). C’est pas grave, ça laisse beaaauuuucoup de temps pour découvrir la zone choisie, à savoir le Lago Verde, surtout avce des balades dont les durées sont largement surestimées. Après avoir admiré la vue depuis le mirador, passage sur la passerelle (en prenant même un petit pont sur le pont car il manquait des planches !), petite balade ... read more
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South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel March 9th 2013

J’avais lu/entendu que Esquel n’était pas terrible, et bien ma foi elle m’a satisfaite, peut-être sûrement à cause des jours précédents ! C’est une ville de taille moyenne, où il n’y a rien à faire ok, mais elle est plutôt animée, avec des gens qui y vivent vraiment, et pas trop de touristes et est dans une vallée entourée du genre de paysages secs avec de grandes étendues que j’aime ! Dernière ville étape d’Argentine avant de rejoindre le Chili, je fais un petit tour dans le centre à la recherche de quelque chose de particulier. Après plusieurs recommandations, j’atterris dans un magasin vieillot qui me fait tout de suite penser au marché Saint-Pierre à Paris. C’est un magasin à l’ancienne, où on prend son numéro pour qu’un vendeur (tous travaillant là depuis des lustres) s’occupe ... read more
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South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel March 2nd 2013

Hoeveel leegte kan een mens aan? Patagonie is leeg. Overweldigend leeg. Eindeloze steppe, ruige bergen, schapen en verder niets. Door de Zuid Patagonische ijskap is er altijd wind. We merken dat we maar heel kleine pluisjes zijn in dit natuurgeweld. Na 3 weken op een kleine zeilboot, is het heerlijk om lege ruimte om ons heen te hebben. Bergschoenen aan, rugzak om en de bergen in. De eerste tocht maken we net over de grens, in Chili. Het nationaal park Torres' de Paine kent enkele van s werelds moeilijkste klimpieken. Het is een park waar het waait. En als het niet waait, stormt het. Water wordt dan uit het meer weggeblazen, bij een waterval wint de opwaartse wind het van de zwaartekracht. Om ons heen gaat af en toe een tent plat. Of erger, de lucht ... read more
Routes zijn niet overal geplaveid
Wind geeft een gevoel van vrijheid
Het aantal inwoners in Patagonia is op 1 hand te tellen

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel February 19th 2013

In 2011 the Saskatchewan synod of the ELCIC sent a small group to Argentina to help with the building of a parsonage in the town of Esquel. 14 of us went along, all of us brimming with enthusiasm to help out a fellow congregation of Lutherans. Personally, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had fanciful ideas of getting in there with a hammer and nails and actually creating a building. However, as it turned out the building itself was already there, or at least the bones of the building were there. At one point they even had windows and doors installed but vandals had broken them or stolen them and lack of funds prevented them from completing the project. One of the things the SK synod was able to provide was some funds to ... read more
the unfinished parsonage
Ladder safety!
ready to eat!

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel December 8th 2012

It's summer school holidays...again.... We left Bangkok at the end of the school year...direction, Buenos Aires to settle for a full year in Argentina. Leslie and Tiffany joined their new school year at the middle of the year. Top school... many new friends...morning in Castellano, afternoon in English...and two days ago, it was already the end of the official school year. There are not many expats in Argentina. There are many foreigners, but they blend as locals pretty fast. We are no expats here, neither locals...neither really forgeigners...but we moved here for a year....few months ago. This is for those who are joining the band on this entry. We moved for a year here as "perma-toursits". Problem is, none of the top schools, internationally recognized one are downtown...so we had to do our shopping around and ... read more
And after 4 months in Argentina....big smile from Dad!
Lovely place...
This is only the start...of way more to come...

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel March 14th 2012

At about 6:30 we awoke to bitter cold. After breaking down camp, we began our walk to the bus station (probably a mile or so). Despite the freezing hands from the tent poles, I was excited to catch the 8:00 bus to Futaleufu and go rafting. At about 8:00 our dreams were shattered. The bus from Esquel only goes to Futaleufu Monday and Friday. The woman who gave us the information on taking the bus had given us a piece of paper showing the times for Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we asked her specifically about taking the bus Wednesday. I´m not sure if she made a mistake, or perhaps, since it is now off season, the Wednesday bus no longer runs. Either way, we sat at the bus station with no plan. This is a ... read more

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel March 13th 2012

While El Chalten was the smallest town on our trip so far (population 600ish - 2 years ago anyway), Esquel has been the town we had the smallest information on leading up to arrival. We found a map and walked towards the campsite from our book only to find it closed. Our backpacks are rather heavy and uncomfortable to be walking around everywhere, especially with upset stomachs. Disappointedly we walked back to an information building and got information on another campsite and of course it was only a few blocks from where we just were. The campground has turned out great. It is up on a hill overlooking the town and comes well equipped with showers and bathrooms. And other than the barking dogs it is quiet. This is the first place we have been where ... read more
calls

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel March 11th 2012

As Sarah mentioned in the last blog, we took a 2:45 bus from El Chalten back to El Calafate. It was a double decker bus and we got the first row on the second story (floor?) so we had amazing views. At least for 5 minutes until the windows fogged up. It reminded me of riding backwards in the Volvo station wagon when I was a kid. The bus had a group of English/Americans who had trouble with their tickets. They spoke very very little Spanish and had apparently booked the wrong day for the bus so they ended up paying twice. They were quite unhappy. Lesson learned - always double check your tickets (which we knew already and have even caught a mistake on one of our own). Once back to El Calafate we passed ... read more

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel December 14th 2011

From El Bolsón it's another couple of hours to the modest town of Esquel, over the provincial border in Chubut. Esquel's attraction lies in its proximity to the Parque Nacional Los Alerces, home of rare, thousands-of-years-old alerce trees found in only a handful of places in the world. Well, that's the theory anyway. Our plans to visit the park on a two-day hike are scuppered by the inability of either the National Park office or Esquel's tourist information office to tell us if the trail is open. Argentine inefficiency at its frustrating worst. We nevertheless get to see the park on a day visit, albeit through a sky thick with the same bloody volcanic ash that we saw around Bariloche - vagaries of the wind! The slight disappointment (we're still pretty tired from our hike in ... read more
Rafting on the Río Corcovado, Chubut
Rafting on the Río Corcovado, Chubut
Rafting on the Río Corcovado, Chubut

South America » Argentina » Chubut » Esquel November 26th 2011

Good afternoon everyone. I know that I haven't really been to Esquel before, but I honestly couldn't resist having a bit of pun with the title (hehe). Esquel is apparently an indigenous word meaning 'Land of Burrs' which the many holes in my shins and arms will support. This concerns a travel to another national park - I was told the most beautiful one out of all in Patagonia. I do intend to see most of them, so I will give you an update when that happens. This particular one goes by the title of "Los Alerces", referring to the ancient alerce trees that populate its many forests. These trees go very slowly and live for an incredibly long time - I was told there are many in the park over 3000 years old. In what ... read more
Lunchtime
Mirador




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