Undescribable Beauty

It is December 15th and I have 1 and a half more days in Buenos Aires. I truly can't comprehend the fact that as of Sunday morning I will be back in the US after 5 months abroad. It hasn't hit me yet, but more on that in another post.

View with the ashes

Over the weekend 2 friends, Genevieve and Erin, and I took a 22 hour bus to the northern door to Argentine Patagonia, Barlioche. Located in the Andes near Chile, Barlioche is know for its mountains, beautiful lakes, and delicious chocolate! It was also the inspiration for Walt Disney's Bambi.
When we arrived, the ashes from the volcano in Chile cover the air and I didn't know at that moment that I was going to see one of the most beautiful places in the world (in my opinion). Not only was the location amazing, I loved the feel of the town. In many ways in reminded me of Breckenridge with the German/Swiss influenced architecture, the quaint taverns, and the buzz of vacationers and locals enjoying mountain life.

Climbing up!

That afternoon we went on a hike around Lake Gutierrez to the Casacada del Duende (the Elf's waterfall). During our walk we made a new puppy friend who accompanied us all the way down the road until we entered in the national park. One characteristic of our trip that seemed to repeat itself throughout was the three of us breaking out into song during our hikes (and sometimes on the streets of Bariloche). Some of our top hits include "The lion sleeps tonight," "Build me up buttercup," and "Colors of the wind." :D Before reaching the falls, we took a few pit stops along the lake front. The reflection of golden flowers sprinkled throughout mountain range was the perfect scenery for relaxing and enjoying God's creation. When we reached the fall, although it was miniature in comparison to Iguasú Falls, it was so beautiful hidden away in the temperate forest of the Andes. Being me I couldn't restrain myself and I climbed to the middle portion of the falls :)
Then, after a long day of traveling and exploring the lake we made taco salads, played cards in the hostel, and drank mate. During our game we became friends with some Colombian girls who were visiting for the week. They were intrigued by our violent hand slapping card game :) and the fact that 3 American girls were drinking mate and speaking Spanish! haha! Que porteña!

On our second day we took a gondola up to the peak of Cerro Otto. Once we reached the top, I began to realized the magnitude of the mountains and the lakes that we were surrounded by. With the cold front that came in, most of the ashes traveled east and we finally got to see the beauty of Bariloche! At the top, we enjoyed the view from the rotating café which gave us a chance to see all of the area from one of the highest points in the town. We then continued our adventures by hiking over to the mirroring peak. I was shocked at how much the view changed during such a small hike. We were able to see the other sides of the islands in the lake and an even more stunning view of the mountains.

In the early evening we headed into town to check out the chocolate stores and for me, the sorbet :D In Patagonia there are a number of berries that cannot be found anywhere else in the world; one of which is the calafate berry which resembles a blueberry in form and a blackberry in taste. At a chocolate store called Rapa Nui I tried the best sorbet I have ever had in my life that was made with calafate berries! It was such a rich dark color that it tinted both my tongue and my teeth purple. As we walked down the main street, my friends enjoyed the free samples of chocolate from every store we stopped in. On every block where was at least 4 chocolate stores! Lucky for them, too bad for me ;)

BIG PUPPY!

Cerro Otto and the rotating café on top

The dark purple one is Calafate berry

Llao Llao National Park

On Saturday we took a bus to the Llao Llao National Park and went on another musical hike! After about 30 minutes of trekking through the woods, we came upon a field filled with vibrant flowers with rays of sun shining down on them. I felt like I walked into a Disney scene; The yellow flowers cascaded down as the purple bulbs burst from the ground.

As we came to the end of the trail, we found ourselves slightly disappointed with the view. We had been hoping to finish at one of the lakes and eat our lunches on the shore, but we came to a rode full of privately owned homes. So we continued down the road hoping to find a public entrance to the lake and right as we began to loose hope a car came driving up the rode. Not knowing where we were even going, we decided to ask the driver where the closest public access point was to the lake and he responded by inviting us to see it from his lawn which was 2 houses down from where we currently were. Walking up to his home we were speechless. Not only did Martín, our new friend, have a breathtaking view of the lake and the surrounding mountains he also owned a beautifully landscaped mansion (which later we found out is soon to be a lodge for renting)! The girls and I enjoyed our cheap peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the lawn of his million dollar home wondering how we got so lucky to run into such a generous man and his wife. Here is a just a sample of the scenery during our unexpected adventure.

Martín's mansion

Our lunch background

On our last day in Bariloche, prior to heading home on the bus at 4pm, we walked around town, buying gifts for friends and family, and eating a deliciously filling lunch at a quaint tavern. I was sad that I had to leave and that I don't get to live in beautiful Bariloche, yet I was also grateful that I live in Colorado which I think is the "Bariloche of the United States" :)

I think I'll be able to fit in one more blog in before I go back to the US! Be anticipating a description of my last week in Buenos Aires and my thoughts about my time here and about returning to home sweet home!
Chau amigos,

Abbey