A bit deeper in Patagonia
12/01/2006 - We are now leaving Bariloche to head 300 kilometers south of the lakes area. We say goodbye to Cecilia and Horacio with whom we had a very nice feeling. The landscapes makes me think of Wyoming. Nothing but endless views, yellow grass, small hills. Very relaxing. I had prepared a special CD for this kind of road trip. Music and gorgeous views, what a great combination. We stop for a couple of hours in El Bolson. Less crowded and less fashionable than Bariloche. It’s a Hippie town. Everyone is cool and takes it easy. Long beards, dirty nails, it’s definitely not a cliche. We enjoy the sun for a while and we continue our trip south. On our to Esquel, our final destination, we take 2 locals hitchiking in the middle of nowhere. I guess they can’t afford to take the bus. We get to Esquel. Our 2 hitchhikers greet us with a smile. We have got the Piue Mapu Patagonia hostel booked for 2 nights. And what a very pleasant surprise. It’s a small, cosy and very friendly place. We head to a lake nearby to take a walk. No wonder they got good meat in Argentina. I’m sure that cows and sheeps are a lot less stressed than in Europe. We have dinner at La Espagnola which is supposed to be the best Restaurant in town. We are not disappointed. My beef is so tender. Vegetables are as fresh as you can get. We head back to the hostel and we spend the evening talking to a couple from Buenos Aires. Quile, the guy, gives me some tips on using my new Nikon D70s and we spend a few hours talking about our experience here in Argentina so far. We plan to meet them in El Bolson again, in 2 days. It just feels great.
