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Published: December 19th 2007
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We have been in El Bolson for about a week and a half now and are loving it! The town is beautiful, surrounded by huge, glacier cap mountian, rivers and lakes. We really couldn´t ask for more!
However, we did have a first big disappointment of the trip. . . the camera with all our pictures was lost/stolen. I don´t want to get into the long complicated story but it looks like it is gone. Luckily we have posted a lot of pictures of the trip online. . . now we are just hoping we can email some of the people we met through Peru, Bolivia, and early Argentina to get some of the pictures back. We still have a camera so we can continue to provide pitures for ourselves and all you lucky viewers. Oh well, just part of what is expected on a long vaction. We have actually be surprised by how many people have similar stories. . . . we met one couple who lost thier camera after 3 months of traveling. . . . we only lost one month so we can´t complain too much. . . . life will go on, our trip is not
ruined!
Ok. . . . now back to to the good stuff! The first couple days we were in town we rented mountian bikes to explore the surrounding area. It was really amazing and we are going to try it again soon. The first afternoon we rode about 18km to Lago Puelo. The ride was really beautiful. The ride was on a beautiful, lightly trraveled highway that runs between a great valley. We rode by multiple hop fields and cabins on the way there. The lake itself borders Chile and you can take a boat across this border. We didn´t do this however. Matt got to fish in the river that runs into the lake, and I got to explore the surrounding area on bike for a few hours. The next day we decided to split up and explore the area on our own. . . . this actually means I needed a day off from watching Matt fish. . . I can only take so much 😊 However, we have come to an understanding. Matt can go fishing as much as he wants, he just knows that he better come home with fish for dinner, or at least
Quemquemtrue River
This river runs right through town. . . amazing! steak from the store and beer. . . sometimes we get both! Oh, and steak is sooooo cheap here. 2 decent steaks usually cost under $2! It´s hard to pass up BBQ steak every night!
Matt to the bike down the Quemquemtrue River and found some great fishing holes that have provided several dinners and one breakfast for us! I rode/walked my bike over the mountain west of town to the Rio Azul. The river is absolutely beautiful and the views make the hike over the mountain worth it! It made for an amazing afternoon of hiking and exploring.
The rest of our days have been spent in a similar manner. Matt has been fishing almost every day. . . . which he is obviously loving. He is also loving the fact that people keep tracking him down in town to talk about fishing. He is starting be known as “The fishing guy”. I think it´s starting to go to his head 😊
The town it self is very relaxed, and far less touristy that most of the places we have been. It has been so nice to finally have a place to relax for a while
instead of always waiting to catch the next bus. We are staying a great little campground just north of town. The couple who run the campground are great! Matt loves it because the guy speaks pretty good English and loves to fish. . . he couldn´t ask for more!
The market it town is also quite an experience. Market Day has come to be known as Waffle Day! The market is open every Tues, Thurs and Sat. There are a ton of local artists that come to sell jewelry, wooden bowels, cutting boards, clothing and other crafty things. There is also a huge selection of local jams, honey, beer, and chocolate that is really inexpensive! But I think the best part is the waffles! You can buy Belgium Waffles with fresh strawberries and cream for $2.60! They are sooooo good! Matt calls it waffle day, but most of the time he gets the huge chicken sandwich (about 8 in by 5 in) for $1.60. There also have really cheap empanadas, French fries, fresh produce, and juices to fill our stomachs with on Waffle Day. Oh. . . and you can buy a liter of microwbrew beer (which is decent
by Portland beer standards) for $3. . . . We love Waffle Day!
Oh. . . there was one day where Matt didn´t go fishing. Instead we had a supper exciting laundry day! Yes, we hand washed our laundry in order to save $8. Now $8 doesn´t sound like a lot, but when you don’t have a job washing your own laundry starts to look like a pretty good option. That, and last time we took our laundry to the Laundromat, the lady picked up Matt´s sock and said he stinks! I thought it was pretty funny. . . .
Oh, and more signs that Matt is buying into the hippie lifestyle. . . 1) he still hasn´t cut his hair or beard 2) he determined that he had walked about 40 miles in the last pair of socks before he changed them 3) The other night he suggested we just eat vegetables for dinner. . . no meat 4) When the laundry lady in the self proclaimed hippie town tells you that your clothes stink, you know that´s a problem 5) hitchhiking has become his main form of transportation . . . . I´m sure there are
more I will think of later.
Not much else to report! We are having a great time soaking up the sun and relaxing outdoors (it´s been about 80-85 degrees and sunny every day!) I think the rest of the day will be spent floating down the river, maybe some fishing, who knows!
And no, we don´t know when we are coming home yet. . . . I know you are all anxiously awaiting our return to the states. We will have to evaluate our situation after the holiday/birthday season and we will let you all know. . . . we are enjoying ourselves too much at this time to worry about silly things like coming home!
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Danno
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Matt, you stinky, smelly hippie! Thanks for the updates, that sucks to hear about your camera! Waffle day sounds awesome, i can't wait for tomorrow (thursday) to celebrate it with you guys in spirit! And if you happen to have conflicting schedules that won't allow you to get back to N.O. by March 11th, I've been looking for an excuse to quit my job as well!