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Tango on the Great Wall, Summer 2010

So the rest of the Spring and Summer semesters got eaten up in the midst of busyness teaching tango to the 10 visiting students from Hong Kong, studying hard, and sailing 12 hours a week and somehow blogging never really fit back in.  Well, its time to get started again!  We are officially back at it, two weeks in in fact, and I find myself busier than ever.  Class is going as well as a class can for a non-philosophy student, but I must say I truly am enjoying it!  On top of class there has been the arrival of all the new students to significantly improve the days.  The class of 2014 is amazing and I can’t wait for them to outdo everything we have already begun here at Quest.  All the dancers have gotten together this year to form the Dance group under which we are currently offering 9 different styles of dance and clubs for everything from Frisbee to food have gotten up an running.  Stay tuned for more coming soon!

Pampa Linda and Cerro Tronador

Our day began early, leaving my pack behind with all the unnecessary gear and food.  We met up with several others headed in the same direction just outside the Clube Andino Bariloche office, payed our dues and got into the van that would take us to Pampa Linda, our pack swaying with the rest from its perch on the

roof.  The two hour drive, with a beautiful view the whole way, took us along Lago Gutiérrez and Lago Mascardi stopping at the outflow of the second for a break, before continuing on to Pampa Linda.  We got our pack off the roof, checked in with the local rangers, then set out, chatting with a couple of Israelis along the way.  They soon got ahead and we were left to enjoy the beauty of the area, switching the pack every half hour.

We had our lunch break just before the steep climb of switchbacks which we took in stride, trading the backpack every 15 min. to make the going easier.  Finally we reached the top, took off the bag and briefly enjoyed the view before the monster sized horseflies drove us to continue. 

One of the many lizards

Our trail continued in the shortening scrub for a while longer before opening up to bare rock for the last hour or so.  The day was incredible with not a cloud in the sky!  We could see forever in every direction except behind the mammoth Tronador.  It felt so good to be back in the alpine, breathing in the fresh cool air, and enjoying the solitude of the mountains.  Each time I return to the mountains I am reminded of just how small I am, and how powerful nature truly is.  We finished our scramble over the rocks, following the same red dots that had led us off of Cerro Cathedral, filling up our water bottles each time we happened upon a creek running off of the glacier.  The water in the mountains is so incredible, refreshing, and pure.  I wish we hadn’t so blatantly destroyed our own water sources that once contained that same purity.  We finally reached Refugio Otto-Meiling, perched like a miniature cabin on the shoulder of the mountain, embraced by two hanging glaciers.  Ditching our pack and checking in were followed by an hour of just sitting alone and admiring the surrounding beauty.  I watched the flight of a couple condors, and the raw grace of pieces of glacier tumbling to their shattering a thousand meters below.  Eventually we got dinner cooking, and were accompanied by the same two Israelis for a meal beneath the setting sun and the rising moon.  I have never seen such a large moon in my life, rising like a giant orb of light from behind the surrounding peaks.  Its light was more than enough to see by, making headlamps useful but not completely necessary.  After hours of conversation beneath the moon we headed into the Refugio to continue with a beer in hand.  Finally it was off to bed in the loft, curling up on the mattresses provided.

I rose early, well kind of, at 6:30 am to watch the sun rise.  The golden light on the glacier was a beautiful sight and well worth the lost sleep.  having run out of fuel the night before (I forgot to pack the extra canister) we borrowed the Refugio’s kitchen stove to cook our quinoa breakfast, adding apples, dried fruit, and chocolate to the mix.  Thanks Heather for the excellent idea!  That was to be followed by some crazy carpeting on the Israelis sleeping pads down the glacier and over one small crevasse.  On our way back a snowball fight broke out and left us all refreshed and out of breath.  What better way to spend your spring break than in the Andes of Norther Patagonia, with two people from a different culture, having a snowball fight on a glacier in the middle of summer?  I can’t think of any answer better.  We then headed back to collect our gear and head back down to catch our van at 5:00pm.  It was another beautiful day and despite the bugs the hike went well.  We arrived back at Pampa Linda with time to spare and enjoyed it lounging in the shade of some trees.  All too soon we were bumping back along the gravel road to Bariloche, a magical two days in the mountains behind us.

Bariloche and Nahuel Huapi National Park

El Vegetariano!

Upon our return from Cerro Cathedral, Heather and I used our handy Lonely planet guide to find a hostel in Bariloche where we could nurse our blisters and take a shower.  We found on, Bariloche Backpacker’s Hostel, right near the downtown core of the town next to a kiosko with both internet and phone services.  We went in, got our beds, ditched our packs, and went in search of lunch.  Thanks to our guidebook, we found a great vegetarian restaurant called El Vegetariano, which offered a variety of dishes on their menu as well as the menu del dia which was a platter of five different dishes of the day.

Gull's flight following our boat

The food was excellent, if a bit pricey for Argentine standards, and by the time we had finished our complimentary cups of spiced chai we were both ready for a nap.  We headed back to the hostel, slept for a bit then went out on the town, finding dinner and heading to the old theater to watch Avatar.  The theater was great, the slightly decrepit seats with stuffing sticking out adding to the somewhat eerrie feeling of the place.  Couldn’t go wrong though, the price was right… cheaper than a rental in Canada.

One of the Myrtle trees

The next day we spent some time around town then decided to check out Isla Victoria and the Bosque Arrayanes (Myrtle forest).  To get to either of them we had to join a boat tour that stops at both.  Our first stop was at the Bosque, the only one with it’s species of trees in the world.  The trees were incredible, the rich cinnamon colour of their bark vivid in contrast to the surrounding foliage and undergrowth.  There was a short boardwalk that takes you through the forest, giving a variety of different aspects to the park.  Part way along a crackling in the forest turned out to be a group of cows, browsing on the scarce grass found in between the trees. After a few hundred photos we hopped back on the boat to our next stop, Isla Victoria.  I’m still not to sure what all the excitement about the island is referring to,

The... locals?

but we were able to go on an enjoyable stroll through a botanical forest containing trees from around the world and also slip through one of the small villages on the island past monkey puzzle trees and a few locals.  From there it was back on the boat to return to Llao Llao and finally our Hostel.  We grabbed some dinner, walked around town, and finally headed to bed with the plan of getting up early to catch the 8:30am bus to Pampa Linda to start the next leg of our adventure.

next installment soon to come!

El Bosque Arrayanes

The water of Lago Nahuel Huapi

Walk of the Giants- Isla Victoria

Isla Victoria and Lago Nahuel Huapi

Hiking in Patagonia- Spring Break 2010 (Refugio Frey and Cerro Cathedral)

With our final exam out of the way, both written and aural, it was time to relax from the classroom.

The foothills of the Andes in Northern Patagonia

Heather and I caught a bus the following day, leaving Buenos Aires behind, and traveling the 20 hours to the town of Bariloche in northern Patagonia.  We arrived, 50lbs packs on our backs, to a bluebird day midweek in Argentina’s little Switzerland.  Our fist stop was the grocery store and Montagne equipment to stock up on 7 days of groceries and my last minute missing items (gloves and a toque) which would come in handy in the days to come.  From there we made a quick stop at the local mountain club office for a bit of info, packed the food into our bags (now nearing 60lbs each) and finally caught a bus out to the base of Cerro Cathedral.

Heather, our fearless navigator.

Donning our packs we began the four hour (700m vertical) hike to Refugio Frey, a mountain hut dwarfed by Cerro Cathedral and Cerro Cathedral Sur.   The landscape that had looked so similar to Kamloops from a distance proved to be remarkable unique once in it.  The first part of our hike took us through the dead forest on one of the mountain sides, a graveyard of gray, brittle, branches and scarcely foliaged scrub.  Adorning the graves were mountain flowers of all sorts, adding a stark yet beautiful contrast to the barren trees.  Once we finished our traverse around the first hillside we began a gentle climb following the creek away from the lake below us.  When we had the chance we filled our water bottles, savoring the snow-chilled water.  The trail took us through a moister environment, through lush trees and fields of flowers then finally to the last steep climb up to the Refugio. The climb was… well lets just say it had been a while since either of us had seen a hill over 10m let alone climbed up one.  We took it slow and steady, stopping to enjoy the increasingly beautiful view with growing frequency.

Leaving Lago Gutirrez behind

We watched the hills golden and the line of light slowly climb.  The moon rose and added a beautiful counter point to the last light of the day.  Finally,  we arrived with the last ray of light around 9:00pm, set up our tent in the dark, cooked a quick dinner and went to sleep.

Excited about the day?

After a chilly night (we were definitely in the mountains) we awoke to the warmth of the sun heating up our tent.  Stepping outside we were greeted by blue skies, crisp air, and the feel of muscles wondering what on earth we were doing.  Soreness couldn’t dampen our spirits however and after a tasty breakfast we packed up and headed out.

Our break spot

Our path took us through a beautiful hanging valley along the shores of Laguna Tonchek to the base of its feeder creek.  We were both on cloud nine, and to be honest anyone would have been on such an incredible day.  We were finally free of the city, away from homework, and at long last back in the mountains.  Even the next 500m that took us practically strait up scrambling over rocks couldn’t put a dint in our elation.  Part way up we stopped for a snack (we had slept in quite a bit), and were caught up to by and Israeli couple.  After a quick singing of each of our national anthems, we continued the rest of the 200m up to the next hanging valley and Laguna Schmoll.  After a few hundred more photos from that viewpoint we started our last climb (another 200m) scrambling over rocks following the red circles.  Cresting the saddle we found ourselves in a world of the muted earth tones of rock which finally gave way to a view of the valley below and the peaks beyond.  We settled down in a patch of sun to eat some lunch, chatting with a couple other hikers, before deciding on our next leg.

The... trail?

We had two options, continue on to Refugio Jacob as we had originally planned (another 6ish hours) or head around the backside of Cerro Cathedral towards the ski hill and return to town to rethink our strategy.  After careful consideration and finally assessing our bodies’ conditions we decided to head back to town since the day was wasting and we would have to hike in the dark if we wanted to reach Jacob.  We set out, still following the red circles, on a pathless 5km traverse along a talus slope.  Partway along we began to realize that we were running low on water, hadn’t put on sunscreen, and were carrying heavy bags that the elation of the day had caused us to forget.

The ridge and the end of the traverse

With sore burnt faces we took a break, finally got out our hats, and drank a couple of sips of water before setting out again.  The traverse took the rest of the afternoon and by the time we finally crested the ridge that gave us a view back to Bariloche 6:00 had come and past and the chairlift down was closed.  We took a break to assess our now very interesting situation and decided to hike down the mountain, hopefully to reach the base that night.  By then we were out of water, suffering a bit of heat exhaustion, and just wanting to stop.  Our downward climb involved some roads, some skree skiing, a tumble or two, a bit of blood, full darkness, and a few hours of protesting feet before we finally decided to stop and set up camp.  We cooked another quick dinner in the dark then crawled into bed, resigned for another night of shivering cold.

Sunrise in the Andes

I got up early the next morning, tired of trying to stay warm and found a comfy piece of ground to watch the sun rise.  Heater joined me a little while later for a cold breakfast and a planning session for the days to come.  As we were talking a vehicle pulled up at the chairlift just below us but despite our fears of camping illegally they didn’t bother us.  A second vehicle joined them as we were packing up the tent and we were finally off to finish our descent of the mountain.  Not too much later we found ourselves walking through the ski village which we had left only a few days before and managed to time our arrival just right to catch the bus back to Bariloche.

Buenos Aires, Birds, and Butterflies.

What a block January was! I can’t believe that February, along with our second block in Buenos Aires, has started. The first block was a great overview of many of the verb tenses for me, 8 of them in fact, and an especially challenging chunk of knowledge for a non-speaker to chew. I managed, though not without some difficulty.

The sleeping arrangements on our bus to Iguazu.

I didn’t quite luck out with my host family unfortunately, though both my host parents are very kind people they seldom speak with me, leaving me without the greatest tool for learning a new language.  I guess its long past time that I take the initiative and find someone else to speak with that isn’t a Quester and doesn’t want to speak English.

Posada La Sorgente in Pto. do Iguazu.

On the bright side I am still able to communicate fairly readily thanks to my Portuguese.  Argentinians are particularly accustomed to hearing Portañol spoken as many Brasilians visit B.A.  What tends to confuse them is the part where they find out that I am in fact Canadian, not Brasilian.

For our block break I joined Heather at Cataratas do Iguazu in the north east corner of Argentina.  It was amazing!  I cannot do the falls justice in words, photos, or video.  All I can highly recommend is visiting them for yourselves.  Though I missed out on the wild animal center on the Argentinian side and the bird park on the Brasilian I still saw some of the local fauna.  Hundreds of butterflies surround you as you stroll along the metal boardwalks, Coaties search out unwary visitors lunch baskets, and various birds circle over head.  On one of the trails in the park we found countless large spiders, more butterflies, a snake, a couple types of woodpecker, and the highlight- monkeys.  The National park surrounding the falls provided the perfect natural break from the large city but all too soon it was time to return to the capital.

Block two is going well so far, I’m busy trying to learn the dreaded Subjunctive and continuing to greatly enjoy our history lectures that tell the tale of this unique and sometimes rather sketchy country.  Off to tango this afternoon!

One of the many birds of Iguazu National Park

Sunrise from the bus

1 of the 500 plus species of butterflies inhabiting the area.

One if the 275 falls at Iguazu National Park

Sunset on the bus ride back to Buenos Aires.

Another of the many butterflies.

One of the locals.

Coaties, the raccoon of the jungle.

Simply beauty.

Soaked by the falls, but oh so happy!

Brasil to Buenos Aires

Greetings everyone!  I apologize for the delay in finally updating my blog.  I have needed to find a chunk of time to do it and only managed to find one today.  I am currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina staying with a host family in the neighbourhood of Palermo but thats skipping a fair bit of the adventure.

So, from the beginning, and in as few words as possible.  Allan (my dad) and I headed out the day after class ended at Quest for the Christmas break.  After several adventures along the way, including missing baggage for both of us, we found ourselves being greeted by Sandrine, a Brasilian who had lived with us a few years ago while on exchange.  With her family we visited a few towns in Minas Gerais and eventually ended up in Belo Hoizante to attend her brothers graduation ceremony from a Government internship.  The following morning we headed to the airport, finally found the last missing bag, then flew to São Paulo where we caught a bus to Pinda.  By some streak of luck my third host dad called my old Brasilian cell phone while we were on the bus and we were able to coordinate a ride to his house upon our arrival in Pinda.  We spent Christmas and new years visiting with both my second and third host families.  In that time we also managed to fit in a visit to the “mountains” near by, and to the beach.  All too soon it was Jan 1st and time to catch our flight to Buenos Aires.

Sandrine’s family in Sete Lagos

We arrived a couple of days before I had to and were able to explore a bit of B.A. before the rest of the Questers arrived.  Once they did it was so long to my dad who was headed to Bariloche for a couple of weeks and hello host family.  From there on in we found ourselves immersed in the language as our Spanish classes and afternoon lectures began.  I have had the weekends to explore the city a bit more and despite feeling a bit trapped in so large a city I have managed to enjoy myself quite thoroughly.  There is a never-ending supply of things to do here, and endless opportunities to learn and grow.

Update from Rio de Janeiro