Let's Hear it for the Hippies of El Bolsón!
Gotta give it up to the hippies of El Bolsón! They sure do know how to expertly brew some amazing beer and organically grow the most incredibly juicy varieties of berries!
When I read in my Lonely Planet that the town of El Bolsón was a hippie haven, I knew that I had found the right place to spend my 45th birthday on February 15. Furthermore, when I read the extremely positive reviews online for the delightful "La Casona de Odile", I knew that I had found the perfect spot to rest my tipsy head once my cumpleaños celebrating had concluded. But first! I had to get there...
Travelling to El Bolsón from El Chaltén entailed yet another arduous lengthy bus ride(600 pesos) which was broken up into two tortuous segments by an overnight layover in the creepy Steven Kingesque town of Perito Moreno (Seriously - the town was so deserted at night that I kept glancing nervously over my shoulder as I walked along the street in search of a place to buy edibles, just waiting for a pack of hungry brain-eating zombies or a serial killer searching for his next hapless female victim to jump out and attack me). The first day on the bus was sweltering due to a broken down A/C and the fact that this one incredibly selfish female passenger kept closing the bus' rooftop window because she didn't like the wind mussing up her frizzy hair even though this meant that the rest of the passengers were made to suffer the consequence of being denied fresh air. I seriously contemplated confronting her and yet, like everyone else who was complaining about her window-closing antics, ended up doing/saying nothing. Why oh why do most people avoid confrontations even when their reasons to gripe have serious merit?! Sigh...
The second day on the bus was "mucho mejor" due to the fact that we rode in a different bus with a working A/C system and the presence of a tour guide on board who provided information & assistance with accommodation for those passengers bound for Bariloche. Unfortunately, that wasn't me for I was 1 of the only 2 passengers getting off in El Bolsón, which is a couple of hours south of Bariloche.
We arrived at my grand central hippie destination at around 6 PM and I immediately hightailed it to the tourist information centre nearby where I was plied with a handful of bus schedules and a map of the area (as well as a few suggestions on popular day hikes in the vicinity of town). I then caught a local bus to my accommodation as it was about 5 kilometers north of town and there was no way in hell I could walk it with my cumbersome backpack. And you know what? As soon as I walked into La Casona de Odile, I practically purred in reaction to it's chillin' atmosphere and the soothing sounds of Jack Johnson (plus the presence of 2 loving kittens determined to plop down in the warmth of any one of the willing & warm laps of the guests there, especially yours truly!). Seriously this place had so much going for it - its location is idyllic with a garden, river and trees surrounding it, and there is yummy homemade brown bread, empenadas and pizza available for purchase and onsite consumption as well as organic local beer and wine. My palate was thoroughly satiated throughout my stay there. And the owners/staff?! They were incredibly helpful, friendly and patient with everyone at all times -plus their taste in music was impeccable from the aforementioned Jack Johnson, down to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, and the Beatles to name just a few that I heard during my time there. I fully intend to leave an extremely positive review for them at hostel world.com once I get my lazy ass in gear and finish updating this blog.
So how did I spend my 3 days there? Well Day 1 entailed a 5-hour round trip hike to the Cajon de Azul. It is a beautiful canyon with water such an incandescent blue that it practically required sunglasses to look at it. However, the hike to get there was less impressive for it predominantly followed a rocky road that annoyingly went up, up, UP and then down, down, DOWN and rarely flat-lined. I even fell flat on my derriere while going downhill due to a slippery rock I tread on.
On Day 2 I walked into town as I wished to see El Bolsón's fairly well-known market where I hoped to buy myself a wee birthday prezzy (which I did in fact do- it being a supposedly silver ring for 50 pesos which ended up turning my finger a grotty green color). I also purchased some coconut incense, a bar of handmade soap, some fresh strawberries and raspberries and a honey-nut muffin. Unsurprisingly, the distinctive smell of marijuana wafted in the air as I made my way through the throngs of market shoppers but I didn't actually see anyone toking. Once done shopping, I walked the 5 kilometers back to La Casona and spent the rest of the day relaxing on the grounds.
For Day 3, mi cumpeaños, I had planned on doing a short hike nearby, but when suddenly and unexpectedly invited to join a young Scottish-French girl and an elderly British fellow from Blackpool on a bike ride to Lago Puelo (35k round trip), I jumped at the chance to do something different. So I hired a mountain bike from the hostel (50 pesos for the whole day) and away...we...went! It was pretty much perfect riding weather with partly sunny skies and a light, pleasant breeze. Plus it wasn't all that difficult being predominantly flat most of the way with only a few hills which I managed to ascend without being forced to humiliatingly hop off my bike and walk. In the evening, I feasted on a homemade pizza and a bottle of Patagonian wine and conversed with an assortment of Europeans (the majority of which were Dutch but of course!) about various topics including Obama and the upcoming US Presidential election, health care, and the state of the European Union. I finally laid my woozy boozy head to rest at about 1 AM.
Here's to the next 366 (it IS leap year after all) days of my life wherever and whatever may transpire, I plan to make each and every day count!
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