Northern Patagonia - Bariloche and Paso de las Nubes

After an exceptional introduction to Argentina with Carlos, we flew back to Buenos Aires in order to take a 23-hour bus ride south to Bariloche, one of the largest cities in Patagonia.  On the journey, the country gradually began to resemble that of the American Midwest--completely flat with huge swaths of monoculture.  As night fell, we found ourselves in the middle of an intense lightning storm--below are a few images captured via Mark's GoPro.

We arrived--exhausted--in Bariloche and settled into the closest thing to a routine that we will have on this trip.  Mark and I each moved in with different host families and began filling our days with Spanish lessons and volunteering at a community center with local kids (read: we build sculptures with them and then they destroy us in "football").  

Bariloche is like the Switzerland of Argentina.

Here a crowd gathers to watch a clown show in the central square

Mark's house has a view of the stunning Lake Nahuel Huapi.

With a free weekend to spare and only "egg yokes" in the forecast, we decided to head deep into the Parque Nacional Naheul Huapi and backpack the Paso de las Nubes, or Pass of the Clouds.

We threw on our packs...

...found a hidden waterfall

...often felt all alone in the mountains

...nearly stepped on a wild caterpillar

...and saw one cloud the whole day, despite what the name of the hike promised.

The top of the pass looked down all the way to a deep blue lagoon...

...which actually did become cloudy the next morning

...but cleared up in time for Mark to see his first glacier!

So far so good, Bariloche!

Salinas Grandes

One of the places we visited in the North was a place called Salinas Grandes, which translates to Big Salt Flats. There were so many amazing photos that we decided it deserved its own post.

The drive from Purmamanca to Las Salinas Grandes was long and winding full of beautiful vistas of canyons and valleys.

4170 meters is roughly 13,000 feet! Las Salinas are very high up!

A recent rainfall provided a unique perspective.

Reppin that Camp Pendy Gear!

Visitors can enjoy a nice meal on some picnic tables made of salt.

Carlos told us that the popular thing to do at Las Salinas Grandes is to take jumping photos. Ray opted to show off his handstand abilities.

There were several trenches throughout the flats where salt had been collected.

Different reactions to getting their picture taken.

Even though there were other tourists there, one could walk 25 meters and feel very isolated.

At times, it seemed like we were at the edge of the world.

The reflections were awesome. Two sets of clouds. Two sets of Mountains. Two sets of Ray.

 Many more photos to come!

Northern Argentina with Carlos

The morning after our delicious steak dinner, Mark, Carlos and I piled into the car and headed north to the wine country of Salta and the rugged mountain province of Jujuy (pronounced Hoo-Hooey).  We climbed and climbed, watching as dense forests gave way to rolling green valleys which in turn morphed into barren mountainsides spiked with cactus.  We were in the heart of the Calchaquies Valleys, an area we never would have visited (or probably even heard of) without Carlos.  Finally we made it to the town of Cafayate, a major producer of Argentina’s famous Torrontés wine.  

Deep into the Las Sosa nature reserve

Mark checks the temperature outside

We continue to skip for joy because of the warm weather.

The final rays of a summer sunset

Carlos picked a hotel at the base of a mountain overlooking a vineyard

From Cafayate, we kept heading north towards Jujuy province.  Once again the scenery changed dramatically.  We found ourselves in a true desert dominated by red stone with only scattered splashes of green.

Our fearless leader - Carlos

See the face?  Nice pic, Mark.

Dwarfed by a canyon

The geologist in me had a field day

If you know my brother, you probably know he's obsessed with mate, an herbal tea that is consumed ubiquitously here.  Even though I've never liked the sips Dave has forced upon me, I am now committed to developing a taste.  And who better to teach us about the mate customs and culture than my former teacher Carlos?

Mate class!

So bitter.  There is much mate to drink before I start enjoying it. 

Hola from Argentina!

Hey Everybody!

The name is Mark. I've been tasked with making the initial blogpost of the trip. Ray wants me to introduce myself to all of his loyal blog followers who don't know me. So I'll start with that.

I hail from Oak Park, IL and am a marketer and fundraiser at a small YMCA Camp in Montague, MI, where I live now. I love my job and am so lucky to have this opportunity to take a 6 week leave of absence and still return to a great gig after this adventure. It took a lot of effort (planning, working ahead, negotiating, etc) to get to this point and I am so excited it is finally all happening.

I met Ray my freshman year at Carleton College on my 2nd full day in Minnesota.  I had signed up for a backpacking pre-frosh trip and was excited to get to know some people in a great outdoor environment before starting our New Student Orientation Week. The first full day of the pre-frosh trip was meeting your group and getting all your supplies ready. The 2nd day, all the different backpacking groups got on buses and headed to the trail head. Each backpacking group had two non-freshman student leaders and about 6 to 8 freshman.

The plan was for all the groups to spend the night at the trail head and then go our separate ways in the morning. After setting up camp, we had some time before getting dinner ready. Many of us made the short walk to Lake Superior and sat on the rocks and waded ankle deep in the water. There were a group of us talking and someone suggested going taking the plunge and running into the water and getting our whole body wet. If you don't know, Lake Superior is VERY COLD, even at the end of August. Ray and I were the only ones who went in to the astonishment and cheers of our future classmates.

That would have been a good enough friendship origin story, but it doesn't end there. After our little daring Third Coast dip, we went back to camp and got dinner ready with our respective groups. That´s when I noticed something was amiss. As I went to change out of my soaking wet clothes, I realized I had no replacement underwear. I had gone into Lake Superior in my only pair of boxers. This did not bode well for the three days ahead.

I shared this information with my new friend Ray and he graciously offered me a pair of his boxers. We've been buds ever since!

Fun Fact: Ray and I co-hosted a radio show all four years of college!

Halloween 2008: A boy in a onesie won't let go of Fred from the Scooby-Doo Mystery Gang.

From humble Lake Superior beginnings to respectable college graduates! (June 2011)

Fast-forward six and a half years and here we are in Argentina! The flight wasn't all that bad, although neither of us got decent sleep. When going through customs in Buenos Aires, we befriended Mekkin, a Canadian traveler who goes to Carleton University (a cosmic coincidence). She's moving to Buenos Aires for a the next year to study and she offered to let take advantage of her hostel services and to hang out with her until we left for our flight later that evening to Tucuman.

Mekkin and me in Plaza Congreso

We spent the day exploring the area around her hostel and the Congreso neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It was HOT, but nice to get at least an initial idea of the city! Ray and I then parted ways to catch our flight to Tucuman, where we rendezvoused with Carlos, his Spanish teacher from high school. Carlos picked us up from their airport and we went out to a wonderful steak dinner.

Argentinian Wine, Steaks and Conversation!

After a good night's sleep, we're ready to embark on our tour of the northern provinces. We are so lucky to have Carlos as a guide, he's already shared so much local knowledge and provided a unique perspective to us.

Hasta luego!