Entering Patagonia

Happy New Year to all of you! May 2020 be one of those remarkable years for all, may the joys be many and the sorrows few, and may you all be blessed with an abundance of love.

I reluctantly came back from Peru, a dramatic country with contrasting landscapes and lively people, to a hot and steamy Córdoba. I had stupidly booked a flight back with a stop-over in Santiago (Chile), and even more stupidly at 20:20, so a flight of 4hrs took me 11hrs, in the dark, with no views. In my defence, LATAM had advertised the time as 08:20pm, and I obviously hadn’t see the ‘pm’…Travelling down south from Córdoba the landscape seemed so ‘ordinary’, as in ‘familiar’. After the starkness of the desert and the lushness of the jungle, worked fields of various kind of crops reminded me of food production and fuctionality. Fields and farms to the left, mountains to the right. Slowly the landscape changed as we left the fertile valley,  and suddenly it was like my beloved Karoo, koppies and all, even poplar-lined farmhouses.

We had this one crazy police stop, where quite a few youngsters were asked to step out of the bus and line up with their bags. A police dog then sniffed at all of the bags and yanked one out. The poor guy had to stand in public view while the police unpacked his whole bag, just to reveal nothing. I have no idea what thát was about. After a night bus I spent the following day in Neuquen, the ‘capital’ of Patagonia (I was told). An impressive city, after so many miles of nothingness. It is in a river valley where mostly apples are grown, and seems to be expanding rapidly, judging by the malls and high-rise blocks of apartments going up.I was intrigued by this following sculpture, a homage to whoever built the railway line (that is no longer functional):The following day I was on my way to San Carlos de Bariloche, or Bariloche, as it is popularly known, with a very friendly and talkative Spanish lady (and grandmother) next to me in the bus. She had me practicing my Spanish for quite a few hours. We exchanged phone numbers and have been in contact since. Inis – she lives in Playas Doradas on the East coast and I might visit her there (see the strain of speaking Spanish on my face.Bariloche, a little Switserland in the northwest of Patagonia, and gateway to the south. The most beautiful lakes, forests and mountains, with zilions of trails, overnight camping spots, cycling, horseriding, sailing, kayaking, paragliding and many more activities.  I was persistant in the finding of volunteer work here, and was accepted at Hostel Punto Sur, right in the heart of town, with friendly and supportive owners, Martin and Marina. The work is scheduled in 8hr shifts for 4 days, and then 3 days off, which gives me time to explore towns close by, or do one of the overnight stays in a cabin in the mountains. In winter the mountains are snow-covered and skiing is a great attraction. According to Marina, the Argentinias come here in winter mostly to see and enjoy the snow. The Europeans are the ones who come to ski.  I’ve climbed several hills with great views of the lake, Lago Hauma Haupi, and wildflowers along the way, much to my delight.

Martin and Marina presented us with an asado (braai/barbeque) on Christmas eve. Two kinds of sausages and three kinds of beef, with lettuce and tomato salad and bread. Martin had made a delicious chimichurri that we draped over the meat and bread. Here’s a recipe I found on the internet, but according to Martin, common vinegar and sunflower oil work best:

INGREDIENTS