Passing Time in Patagonia

Blue sky! After spending the past 3 months under a thick tropical haze, we were struck by the crisp and clear air of San Martín de los Andes, Argentina. We had come to this mountain city to visit Julia’s family friend Fernando in his home, as well as to follow our passion for hiking and camping in the surrounding mountains. But that would come later. The first thing on our agenda was sleeping, a lot. For days, we were completely exhausted from the journey we had taken to get there from Bangkok: 14 hour plane ride to London... 4 hour layover... 14 hour plane ride to Santiago, Chile... 14 hours sitting in a city park... 12 hour overnight bus ride... and finally a 6 hour bus ride over the mountains into Argentina. After 65 hours in transit we vowed: Never again! 

Although it was not exactly convenient to get to Argentina from Thailand, the country was on both of our bucket lists and we wanted to fit it in before the end of our big trip. Colby had lived in Argentina with his family for eight months in 2007 and was eager to revisit it. Julia had never been there before but wanted to visit Fernando, a musician and flute teacher who stayed with Julia’s family in 2010 for a flute conference (and returned in 2017 when we were already away traveling). Julia’s family had an absolutely wonderful time with him and Julia had been hoping to visit him and his family ever since. Finally, both of us wanted to improve our Spanish and figured an immersion experience would be just the ticket.

San Martín de los Andes  

Well, here we were! Over the next week or so, we enjoyed connecting with Fernando, meeting his family and friends, and getting familiar with San Martín. Downtown San Martín is situated at the end of the long, skinny Lago Lacar, a cold deep lake ringed with forested mountains. The downtown itself reminded us of a Colorado tourist town - trendy bars and restaurants, outdoor gear stores, festivals in the park, ice cream shops. The city has become crazy popular in the past decade or so, causing traffic jams and proliferating housing developments. It used to be a quiet mountain town but now everyone loves it too much. The feel of downtown was definitely not our cup of tea (or mate if we are being locally accurate). Fortunately Fernando lives about 10 minutes up the valley in a quieter neighborhood. 

Unfortunately, for a lot of our visit we remained pretty wiped out from our journey and spent loads of time sleeping comatose 12-hour nights and hiding in the peace and quiet of our room. Although we had trouble summoning enthusiasm, we did accomplish many lovely little outings. One evening, Fernando drove us to some overlooks and to a local pebble beach. As we walked around the beach, the delicious lakey smell beamed us back to Minnesota. More than anywhere else we had been in a long time, the area around San Martín reminded us of home: lakes, trees, fresh wind, wood smoke smells, and starry night skies. 

One afternoon we hiked through the forest up to a magnificent overlook over Lago Lacar, with glorious patterns of ripples on the smooth surface of its celestial blue waters. Another morning we got an early start to beat the sun’s heat and hiked through scrubland past a hidden lake nestled in a quiet valley. The terrain around San Martín was actually much drier than we expected. Some areas were deciduous forest, while others felt more like the Southwestern United States, but in neither case were they similar to the lush pine mountainsides of Switzerland. They were just as beautiful, though! 

Of course, it wasn’t all picturesque forays in nature. Every time we decided to go out we also weighed it against the downsides. One challenge was getting to and from the trail heads. At the end of our hikes we would often end up walking along loud, stinky roads. Argentina has a lot of old cars which are noisy and smelly. At other times, we would have to figure out which bus to take us back from the busy downtown and cross our fingers that another passenger would be willing to let us use their bus card and pay them back. In any case, there was always some unpleasantness bookending our nature time. One morning we walked up to an overlook near our cabin, but the path was a hot gravel road past a bunch of new house constructions. The sun on the gravel was blindingly bright, Julia was scared of the barking dogs, and the constant views of new houses weren’t the most inspiring. Experiences such as these made us grateful for dedicated hiking paths and wilderness areas, which make it much easier to commune with nature. In general, the frequently unpleasant human effects on the landscape often make you want to stay in your house. 

We also continued to get weighed down by all the little struggles of travel. The ATMs in Argentina were uncooperative. There were long lines for everything. We had trouble finding things we liked in the grocery store. The vegetables were ancient, there was no good quality chocolate, and worst of all, Argentina’s narrow selection of goopy soft cheeses would make any Swiss person cry. We ended up eating loads of lentils (our favorite go-to meal), but had trouble finding good spices for them. All these details don’t really matter on the big scheme of things, but they are a significant part of the day-to-day experience of travel, and they definitely influenced our dreams of home. 

Despite our low energy, we did have lots of good times with Fernando and his family. One night, Fernando fired up the grill for a classic Argentine asado. While we waited an hour or two for the meats and vegetables to roast, Fernando and his 12 year old daughter Luisina pulled out their musical instruments. We laid in the yard and looked up at the stars while the two played Argentine melodies in the cool night air – Luisina on the flute accompanied by Fernando on guitar. A feeling of peace washed over us. Colby was filled with fond memories of good times at summer camp. 

Trekking 

After a week in San Martin, we were eager to get out of the city and refresh our spirits with a longer immersion in nature. We decided on a 7 day trek in the national park near San Martín. Since we had sent most of our hiking gear home before going to India, we faced the task of piecing together a makeshift kit from whatever we could borrow from friends. Fortunately, Fernando helped us gather together a wee 1.5-person tent, two extremely thin foam pads, and one good sleeping bag to drape over both of us. Our kit was workable but did not inspire particular confidence. On top of that, we only had one large trekking backpack. So we crammed everything into it and traded off whenever the person-on-duty’s legs turned to jelly (approximately every half hour). 

Lago Escondido

Fortunately the weather was marvelous for the majority of our seven day trek. We spent the first two nights at a mountain homestead campground (aka field) called Casanova. We enjoyed the peace of having the whole place to ourselves for both nights. Here we got a taste of authentic Argentine Spanish: the owner was a lovely man but he talked so fast and with so little lip movement we could hardly understand him: “Todo bien, todo bien?” He managed to issue in a fraction of a second while hardly opening his mouth. He and several generations of his family lived there, and it was interesting to imagine such a rustic and self sufficient existence tucked high up in the mountains. During our layover day at this camp, we walked through the arid mountain valley to Lago Escondido. Its name means “Hidden Lake” and this was a very apt description. Ringed by mountains and accessible only by hiking trail, the lake was a perfect place to soak in some solitude. 

Our next stop was wild camping on the beach of Lago Lacar for two nights. But first, we had to hike 18 kilometers over a steep pass from Casanova. As we ascended the pass, the vegetation changed rapidly into a lush forest, and our path wound through dense thickets of a local cane plant that looked like bamboo. We even picked up some dead canes as some makeshift but extremely helpful hiking poles. We were pleasantly surprised how uncrowded the trails were. We only encountered one group of three students right at the end of the day. As we pitched our tent on the beach, we also spotted another young couple camping down the shoreline from us who had come by kayak. But besides that, there was nobody else for miles. We love having places mostly to ourselves. It is always a gift to have a respite from the noise, crowds, and culture of modern society. (However, there was the occasional motorboat that would buzz by on Lago Lacar. Why should one person have the right to make so much noise and bother dozens of people who might be enjoying the peace and quiet?) 

During our layover day on the beach, we went out to explore the point and passed the other young couple at their campsite along the way. We introduced ourselves to them, and learned that their names were Santiago and María. Later in the evening, Santiago appeared at our campsite to invite us over for dinner. Why not? It would be fun to meet some new people. We were also concerned about whether we had brought enough food and fuel for our trek, so that was another draw. 

Over at their camp, we sat down and began to chat. We learned that Santiago was from San Martín, while María was from Buenos Aires. Figuring it was a long shot in a city of 30,000, Julia asked Santiago if he knew Fernando Formigo. Guess what? “Yes, he’s my flute teacher!” responded Santiago. We all shared a good laugh at this coincidence. 

Being in Argentina meant that Santiago and Maria waited until it was fully dark to start cooking. Argentinians eat dinner really late - 10 or 11 pm is common for many families. As our stomachs rumbled, Maria put together an enormous vegetable-bean-noodle stew in their wok over the wood fire. Of course, being in Argentina also meant that our new friends shared many rounds of mate with us. Drinking mate (a type of green tea) is a social event deeply incorporated into Argentine culture. Everyone drinks mate all the time, kind of like the English fascination with black tea. It seemed like every time we would get together with someone, there would be mate involved! To make mate, the loose leaf tea leaves are poured into a little gourd-shaped cup until it is almost full. Then the cup is filled with hot water, and the first person drinks their mate, sipping from a metal straw with a filter on the end to catch the leaves. Once it’s empty, the hot water is refilled and the gourd is passed to the next friend. Around the circle it goes, usually for many rounds. (Yes, everyone shares the same straw…). Mate is almost always a social event, a time to relax together and chat with friends. Santiago and María also taught us the social etiquette of mate - always pass the gourd with the straw facing the recipient. 

Fortunately Santiago and María both spoke excellent English and we had lots in common to talk about. It was easy to chat for hours as we had dinner and sat around the fire in the cool night. The night was jet black, the dark water of the lake as smooth as glass. The stars and the Milky Way came out in glittering force. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, Orion was upside down, and we didn’t see the Big Dipper but instead the Southern Cross. Finally, five hours after we arrived at their campsite, we pulled out our headlamps and made our way back to our tent with full tummies and happy hearts. 

We went to sleep full of pleasant feelings, but the next day’s hike snapped us out of dreamland. It was WAY too long. We hiked about 25 kilometers to a campground at Lago Queñi, which was beautiful but left us absolutely exhausted. On top of that, we had been getting more and more sore after every night sleeping on the thin pads which were barely better than the ground. All night we would rotate like rotisserie chickens trying to find a new angle or patch of body that had not yet become sore and achy. Fortunately the next day provided just the ticket: hot springs! This area of Argentina and Chile has lots of volcanic activity, so there are lots of hot springs. We trekked up to the little river, which people had terraced to provide pools to sit in. The water was a perfect temperature, and we lingered there for hours in complete dreamy relaxation. This experience reminded us of the hot river in Iceland we had visited at the beginning of our trip. It felt like we were now coming full circle. 

Unfortunately the bliss of the hot springs was soon followed by some utter misery. It began to rain just as we got back to our tent from the hot springs, and kept raining and raining all night long. So far, we had lucked out with beautiful weather but we knew we were in trouble with the crappy tent we had borrowed. Indeed, as the hours passed the rain soaked through the tent, soaked our sleeping bags, soaked everything. All our sleeping gear was dripping wet and our whole bodies felt bruised from sleeping pretty much on the ground for 6 nights. Colby couldn’t fall asleep all night. We vowed to always appreciate a warm dry bed for the rest of our lives! The cherry on top was the death by water of Colby’s phone (sound familiar?). Two dead phones in one trip. At first light, we gave up on trying to sleep, packed up our soaking gear in a crabby hurry, and said “good riddance” as we tromped out of the campground. 

Although the trek ended on a sour note, we still felt wonderfully fulfilled by our week in the wilds. Our trek had left us physically exhausted but spiritually refreshed. Feeling so emotionally animated reminded us yet again that we belong in places like these! 

General Roca 

After a couple days drying out in San Martin we moved on to our next stop in Argentina. In the city of General Roca, we would stay for a week with the family of Agustina, an Argentinian acquaintance of Julia’s family who lives in Minnesota. When we announced our plans to go to Roca to Fernando’s friends, we were always met with good natured chuckles… Roca? Really? Apparently Roca has a reputation for being extremely boring...

We said our goodbyes to Fernando and hopped on the bus for the 7 hour ride to Roca. We left the mountains behind as the landscape became a vast, arid, and desolate-looking expanse. As expected, Roca itself ended up having none of the touristy feel of San Martin. 

It was a big sprawling grid lined with commercial districts, light industry, and straight concrete canals carrying water. With the bright sun, few trees, and soulless-looking buildings with metal grates covering the windows, it had kind of a desolate feel. It was the kind of place that makes you want to hide in a cool, dark, indoor cave and transport yourself somewhere else with TV or Internet. Although its population has actually doubled to 120,000 in the past six or seven years, it still had the look and feel of a depopulated and depressed Midwestern town, only it went on and on. We wouldn’t have been surprised if we were the only tourists in the city. But our focus here was the homestay, not sightseeing. 

We stayed in the home of Mirta and her son Facundo, who was our age. Their home was modest but full of warmth and welcome: “No hay mucha riqueza pero hay corazón” said Mirta. Throughout our stay she showered us with nurturing kindness. Besides our hosts, we had an endless procession of friends, family, and neighbors to meet and socialize with, often under the grape arbor in the back courtyard. Since the family didn’t speak any English, that meant we had lots of opportunity to practice Spanish! And there were always lots of people coming and going to practice with. In Argentina, people seemed to spend a lot of time hanging out, chatting, sipping mate, and passing the time together. It was thought provoking to notice the contrast with the frenzied pace of life in the United States. Also, despite being a fairly large city, everyone seemed to know everyone within the neighborhood. 

Asado

In Argentina we also noticed was how common multigenerational households were. Similarly to India, siblings, parents, and grandchildren all live together. Surely some of this comes from economic necessity, but we also imagine it would enrich life in many ways. At least among the people we met, it seemed like families were closely linked, with children settling in the same city where they grew up. We also noticed how many small family businesses there are compared to the United States. In Roca there were loads of independent shops specializing in produce, meats, or breads. We preferred this to the chain supermarkets that have become so common in other places. 

However, we did really struggle with the food in Argentina. Argentina specializes in meat, white bread, and soda. Most people’s diets are endless variations on these items with a couple vegetables thrown in for good measure. Obesity was really common throughout the country. In terms of food, of all the countries we visited Argentina reminded us most closely of mainstream United States food culture, and not in a good way. 

Throughout our time in Argentina, we noticed many similarities with the United States. Like the United States, Argentina is a vast and diverse country made up of many immigrants from the past few hundred years. Also like the United States, Argentina is a country of recent colonial occupation in which indigenous people’s land was stolen and their way of life drastically changed. Like the United States, the mainstream culture felt artificially superimposed upon the landscape as opposed to a natural product of interacting with the land for hundreds of years. The towns and cities (as well as irrigated desert fruit farms) felt disconnected from the natural world. 

However, the slightly depressing feel of Roca didn’t dampen our appreciation for all the absolutely wonderful people we met. Besides Mirta and Facundo, we spent loads of time with Agustina’s delightful best friend Romi and her boyfriend Maxi. We enjoyed taking part in their daily lives. We relaxed in the park by the canal with them and met both of their families (over mate of course). We spent an afternoon with them on the bank of the Río Negro, by far our favorite part of Roca. Maxi is a geology student and described the layers of the landscape for us. Another day, he guided us around the local natural history museum. Romi is studying gastronomy and we sampled her perfect alfajores cookies. Through it all, we spent a lot of time just chatting and getting to know them. Yet again, we had a delightful time making friends with random tenuous connections on the other side of the world! 

In Roca we enjoyed getting a glimpse into the everyday life of yet another family (several, actually!) and neighborhood. We were reminded of how many different ways there are to exist in the world. It inspired us to consider the aspects we clicked with and the aspects we would do differently in our own lives.  Now it was time to venture on to Buenos Aires for a one night stay before our flight home. We enjoyed Argentina’s top notch bus quality for the final time, sipping complementary wine and champagne as we lounged in massive recliner seats and glided across the country in style. 

Although we spent only one month in Argentina as opposed to the approximately three months we had originally intended, we felt content with the trip and ready to head home. After 310 days of traipsing around the globe, we were eager to sleep on an excellent mattress, cook in a well equipped kitchen, and see our family and friends again. On March 7 we packed up our bags for the final time and set off to the Buenos Aires airport. Next stop, Minneapolis! 

P.S. we are planning one more blog post about our general reflections on the ten month journey and our new perspective as we settle back into making a life in the USA. It might be awhile until we get that one written, but stay tuned :)