So, now the four of us,
Ingrid, Niklas, Roy and myself have left Buenos Aires on a bus that
took us 20 hours (!) south west to the northern edge of Patagonia and
a town located by the feet of the Andes called Bariloche. The long
trip on the bus was an experience of its own kind. The style was more
like an aircraft and thanks to the “super camas” (super beds)
that we booked we had a lot of space for our legs and our things and
we could actually sleep quite well! The beds had a clever design that
went back almost all the way back to full faltness and they where
even quite conformable. They also fed us OK although the food was
Argentinian (a lot of heavy food and sweets) on Argentinian hours
(late).
As we arrived we where
welcomed by VERY cold wind and some snow flakes dancing in the sun.
We went to buy hats and gloves straight away, put our long john's
(langkalsonger in Swedish) and spent the rest of that day studying
the weather forecast on the internet over and over again and
wondering if we really made a good decision when swapping the nicely
warm Buenos Aires spring for this freezing climate. After we had
explored the little town, had something to eat and found out what
fantastic experiences and adventures could be had in this area, we
decided to give it a day or two to see what it is like.
Today Niklas, Ingrid and I
went on our first adventure. Roy needed some time and space on his
own so he stayed at the hostel. The rest of us rented mountain bikes
and did what the locals call the “small loop”. I don't really
know what they are talking about. We where on these bikes for 4,5
hours, cycling in the Andes, constantly either very up or very down
for nearly 30 km! By the end I could hardly sit on the saddle and my
thigh muscles where aching. But, oh God, was it worth it! It was so
beautiful and the views that came as rewards after climbing the
steepest hills where spectacular! (see pictures). For me this was a
blessed break from the constant noise and traffic of Buenos Aires and
I actually think I got an overdose of clean air and exercise today,
but I was loving it. And the silence! And the nature! And grass! I
have not seen grass for about 6 weeks. Oh dear, I get all
emotional... And we still have a few more days left here. Despite of
the cold, I am really happy we are here.
Love
ania
