So it´s been a while since I last updated. Where do I begin?
I went on a tour of the Perito Moreno glaciar in El Calafate and got to trek on the glacier! It´s mind-blowingly massive and standing next to it hearing the pieces fall like thunder is amazing. Very cool. Then some really beautiful hikes in El Chalten, which was a really small and cute little town nestled inside the national park of glaciers. All the hikes are easily accessed by walking right from town. I thought this was my favorite place so far, but I had not stopped in El Bolson yet. The 2 day bus from El Chalten to El Bolson, stopping overnight in Perito Moreno or the worse option if you don´t plan to go to Chile (which I didn´t realize) Los Antiguos. Day 1, our bus broke down on the dirt road making our 12 hour bus ride 15 hours! It was also raining a lot so what was supposed to be a very scenic drive was spent staring at a muddy window instead. Good times! Anyway we made it and I spent about 7 hours in Los Antiguos not really sleeping and panicking about catching my 6:45am bus (which was of course unnecessary). The next day was much more relaxed, the bus didn´t break down and I ended up at the sweetest little hippie town, El Bolson.
What have I done here? I booked 3 nights and stayed 8. The hostel is by far the best place I have stayed so far. There is a great community vibe here but it´s also the perfect place to do absolutely nothing, which is what I did the first 3 days, and then once you feel rejuvenated again, it´s the perfect place to do some great hiking without seeing hundreds of people on the trail. There is also a great artisanal market 3 days a week, where I spent more money than I should have, an organic health food store with great produce and lots of really laid back, friendly hippies, happy to talk with you as you sip their homemade brew. Sweet! So I have been cooking and eating delicious food, relaxing like I never have before and meeting some really interesting people as they come and go. I did my first solo overnight hike to a refugio in the mountains, which was a beautiful hike. I met some Argentinians who were so nice and easy-going. One girl gave me the warmest hug I´ve ever recieved in my life and made me feel connected to the love that connects us all. And I swear I was not high. It was real. I learned a lot in those 2 days. It was epic and life changing and well needed.
So now I am prying myself away from this wonderfully magical place to go to Bariloche. But...I have a feeling I may be back here again. There are more trails to be hiked, more epically life-transforming conversations to be had and more homemade beer to be tried! Alas, the road is long and winding and only time will tell...
