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Published: April 26th 2010
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We have waited for Fall here in the lakes area, and it is finally here! As in Bariloche the leaves were not changing colors yet, we went down south for a week, first to revisit El Bolson. In our previous time there the mountains had been bare of snow and there were no Fall colors. This time we were rewarded with snow on top of the mountains around the valley and many beautiful trees, as you can see in the pictures below. The boys rested in our cosy cabin while Ilan,Maytal and me had some nice hikes in the area.
Next, we went to a beautiful place called "Pampa Linda", where we spent 3 days beneath a towering mountain full of glaciers. It was very cold (-6 C., 21 F in the mornings), but wonderful. The boys will tell you about it:
Amit:
"On Tuesday we reached Pampa Linda. Pampa Linda is a very beautiful place close to the Tronador. It is full of yellow and orange trees. In the morning it also has a twinge of snow. We stayed at a hotel there and occasionally went on hikes. Two times we saw a glacier. It was a unique glacier because
it was black from dirt. One of our hikes took us 4 hours because it was really hard. But when we got to the top you could see it was worth it. Now “pampa” means field, and “linda” means beautiful. When we reached it we saw that it was full of trees and I protested it was Bosque Linda not Pampa Linda. But now from the view of the end of the hike, it did look like a Pampa. The trees looked like colored wheat. Now I want to describe the black glacier. When I first saw it I did not recognize it. It looked like a mountain because you could hardly see the whiteness. One of the most exciting things in the sabbatical was seeing it because I only saw it two times in my life. I was so excited my eyes nearly popped out. It was a thrilling experience. See you tomorrow."
Shakked:
"Yesterday we returned from the Pampa Linda, which means “fair plain.” It is a small prarie surrounded by mountains and dotted thickly with small trees. It is fall now, and most of the trees were blazing with bright colors. Sometimes a single tree boasted
yellow, red, green and orange leaves. These vivid bursts of color stood out starkly against the mountain west of us - Cerro Tronador, Mountain of Thunder. The name came from the thunder-like noises heard whenever there was an avalanche. The mountain loomed up in front of us whenever we gazed west. Its jagged crags seemed to blot out the sun and its black and white colors seemed plain in comparison to the bright sea below. The sable rock had been swathed in a powdery blanket of white snow. The Rio Manso (river Manso) flowed down its side and twisted its way through the land below. On our first day we went to see the Ventisquiero Negro, the Black Glacier, which the Manso flowed through. As our rented car drove up, I couldn’t see any Black Glacier. Then I realized that what I had taken to be low cliffs at the base of the surrounding cliffs was actually one tremendous glacier. Its white surface was coated with dirt and grime. I paused for a moment, taken aback by the majesty of this colossal monster of nature. Peeling my eyes away from this magnificent object, I looked below it. There was a
large lagoon punctuated by small islands of ice. The ice had fallen from the original glacier and come to rest in the lagoon, through which the Rio Manso flowed. The next day we set out on a hike. After walking along a wet road for 3 kilometers, we reached a river. Turning back, we returned 2 kilometers to a walk we had seen earlier, to the Mirador del Valle (the Valley Lookout). This was a walk up a tall wooded hill to a lookout. It was much harder than it looked, the “hill” being more of a mountain. We toiled up the steep winding path, panting hard. The trees rising around us were a rainbow of colors. After an hour and 45 minutes of climbing, we reached the top. The view before us was gorgeous. A fiery carpet of trees surrounded the three or four buildings that were the only sign of man on this untamed landscape, playground of the wild. The ring of mountains seemed to cut it off from the world. After descending, we returned to our hotel, 10 kilometers covered that day. The next morning we went to the Black Glacier again. Nothing had changed, except that
the lagoon was as still as glass - frozen. After that we went to a base camp below the Mountain of Thunder. It was completely covered with frost, so it looked like someone had sprinkled powdered sugar on it. The red-gold trees gave it the look of a winter wonderland. The Pampa Linda was extremely beautiful."
We are getting ready now to leave this wonderful area, time is running short - we only have 6 weeks left in Argentina and we want to see the North - Mendoza and Salta areas. We will stay in Bariloche for one last week of Spanish classes and then head up north in night buses - the boys can't wait for that experience again!
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David Evan Jones
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Wow!
Dear Maytal, Liora, Amit, Shakked, Ilan: Hard to imagine a more beautiful place! Classic photo of rainbow and donkey! And the pictures of you all together warmed my heart: what a great choice to travel altogether in such a varied natural environment while the kids learn Spanish! Looking forward to seeing you. Love, David