We’ve moved our few belongings into a spacious two-story apartment at kilometro 7 on Pioneros, we’ve befriended the local transportation system, I’ve started my job training at a hostel downtown, we frequent the verdurería down the block, and are starting to fall into the swing of things.
This is the view from our bedroom window!
The sun is hot. Very hot. Please remember, dear readers, that the days here are sunny and summery. It’s my first real December summer. No matter how much sunscreen I put on, I inevitably get burned. It’s unfortunate, but with the sky so crystal blue, who can complain?
About a week ago, we put on our hiking shoes (both of us sport sneakers with gaping holes in them) and made our way to Cerro Catedral. From the lower parking lot, we followed the signs to Frey. The sign said that it would take us 4 hours. We heard from fellow backpackers that without packs, it would take us 3 hours. Nate wanted to do it in 2 hours.
We hike. The sun scorches. The flies circle. The view takes breaths. The dusty path winds.
We pass the dead forest and look over Lago Gutierez. We’re making good time when we get to the edge of the forest. We jog and make up silly songs to pass the time.
After the 2nd hour, the path heads up. Up! The going is a little tougher, but we’re still passing people. We reach the snow line and keep moving. All of a sudden, the view opens up! It’s incredible! A serene blue lake sits within a chain of snow capped mountains. We munch pb&js as we take it all in.
Nate tries his hands (and climbing shoes) at a boulder or two.
After a brief rest and a tour of the refugio, we start heading down. We didn’t have a tent or sleeping bags, so we had to catch the last bus into down. GO!
We jog past families until my knees can take no more. Then a fast walk will suffice. We make it down in under 2 hours.
Here are some more pictures from Cerro Otto (only a few km from our house) where we spent a few hours of Nate's 24th birthday! Feliz Cumple!
In other news, after a couple of weeks of job searching, I got an offer from a hostel chain, TangoInn hostels. I started receptionist training a week ago and I love it. It’s fast-paced, energetic and sociable. Perfect! I’ll use my English, practice my Spanish, and probably learn some Hebrew through osmosis. It feels good to be working; too much idle time drives me loca. Meanwhile, I haven’t given up my relentless search for an English-teaching job.
And the Conroys and Larner-Lewis descend on Bariloche in T-3 days. Bienvenidos!
No comments:
Post a Comment