Overshooting Summer

December 3, 2010

The view in Bariloche, Argentina is amazing. Sitting in our hostel we are able to see the waves of a beautiful lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountain Range, that is, we can see them beyond the roofs of our neighbors and one very large, ugly building regrettably placed right in front of the hostel. The Andes’ peaks jut out into the sky blocking some of the wind that pounds this area. We arrived in Bariloche after a fourteen hour bus ride from Pucon, Chile.

While in Pucon we joked that in our quest for chasing summer, we had somehow missed our mark: we’ve overshot summer and re-entered winter. In reality the season is spring and the temperatures are warm for the area, but we’re so far south that it’s chilly even at this time of year. We donned our “foul weather gear” last used for sailing, and resigned ourselves to the cold for the two weeks we will spend in Patagonia.  

Bariloche, Argentina

Pucon, Chile

The ride from Pucon to Bariloche was very interesting; it took us on miles of dirt roads and literally over the mountain range, swiftly curving around the lakes that sit near the top of these beautiful peaks. And now we are in Argentina awaiting the arrival of our friend Claire.

Once Claire arrives we will travel one thousand miles to one of the most southern cities in the world, El Calafate. The fauna and flora that exist in the region between these two cities include: Magellan Penguins (named for the first European that saw them), dolphins, whales, sea lions, seals and dozens of birds that have adapted and evolved to tolerate and excel in extremely cold and dry conditions.

Yesterday we hiked a local park outside the city with beautiful views of the mountains.  We saw woodpeckers, ducks, “cancerous” fungus on trees, and walked under a canopy of indigenous bamboo.  No monkeys, for those of you who keep asking!  Hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll get to climb a glacier or two…we’ll keep you posted.