La Vie Boehm!!

Well,  I know I've been away for awhile, and those of you that communicate with me outside of this blog have started to express everything from concern to excitement that I really did end up in a drunk tank down here.  I assure I have not, My slowing down on the blogging is due to 2 reasons:

1.  I am having experiences and inner learning that goes beyond the pontification promised in the title banner of this post...there are simply things that I am going to have too much difficulty blogging about.  And:

2. I have slipped into the traveling life that calls me to be here and now (I don't mean internet cafes).  ANd so it has been easier to have new experiences than to relate the ones that happened.

HOWEVER!!

I love all of you, and I DO want to share.  Instead of trying to relate everything, I have put together a dozen or so pictures to sort of "montage" the last 2 weeks.  I figured that if I try to tell you all the awesomeness:

1. I will get bogged down and never finish.  ANd:

2. We'll have no new stories to talk about when I get back and show up on your doorstep unexpectedly!

I hitch hiked from Puerto Madryn to Comodoro Rivadavia.

Picked up by a trucker who said my sign was perfect and he dropped me on the outskirts of Trelew.

Then by a family (two young boys) from Italy who had purchased their VW bus and were driving it all over SA.  We went to a paleontological museum (their 3rd - apparently the kids loved dinosaurs!!) and then I decided (given the slowness of their vehicle) that I needed to move on and got picked up by a very nice guy in a Renault, who took me across the great expanse of the Patagonia scrub to C. Rivadavia.  He didn't wnat any sweets but we talked about EVERYTHING!  (my Castellano is getting good!)

This is Kofla.  (not his real name)  A wonderful, and powerful spirit.  He is an artesanal (makes things with his hands - mostly jewelry) and I fixed his flashlight - he is clearly thrilled!

This is my dad (Pancho - no joke, short for Francisco) and sister (Marú) in C. Rivadavia.  NOW GIVE ME THAT MATÉ!!

Artesanal for a day

I have officially gotten good at cartwheels and hand stands! (Beach in Comodoro)

My mom (Laura) in Comodoro.  This is the day that Kofla, myself and Nati (another beautiful soul who got a little bit of the Kofla and ended up traveling around America with him) left the East Coast to hitch our way over to the West Coast.

This is Manchita.  THe dog who helped me through my Pancho withdrawals.  (we slept together - mom, please don't teach Pancho to read, he might never forgive me)

We turned around and walked away from this beautiful home and city.

Our destination was El Bolson, a hippie community here in Argentina.  THere is a famous artesanal fair every other day there, and it is everything great that you might imagine a hippie community would be!

HEY HEY!!  Who's that?!?!  Familiar Faces!!  Sherri and Lane from Alaska and Puerto Madryn!  YAY!!  We have joined forces of good here in El Bolson!

We went hiking up in the mountains around EL Bolson to camp on Rio Azul.  We stopped here to make lunch.

My hair has gotten so long that I pulled this out of it.  I don't know how long it was there, or how it even got there, and yes, it is as big as it looks.

MY BIRTHDAY CAKE!! (3 store-bought pastries stacked up.  ANd yes, that is a lighter I'm blowing out.  BEST BIRTHDAY CAKE EVER!  We had a BBQ with Kofla, Nati, Lane, Sherri, and me.  Beef, sausages, veggies, roast onion and garlic, and cake!

The fun house mirror effect takes away A LOT of the stunning beauty of the vistas available on all sides of my tent!  AWESOME!

Trout Dinner (a specialty in this area).  It's no baby back ribs, but an awesome birthday dinner nonetheless.

A very very very small taste of the beauty and artistry of this town.  (Picture taken just this morning)

Despite my enjoyment here (as evidenced by all the exclamation points) it's almost time for me to move on.  Tomorrow is Chillan, Chile to visit my former Spanish teacher to debate the pros and cons of the Argentinian accent, and then likely I will race on up to Peru to see what it has to offer.

Thank you all for following along.  As I would say (and have been saying) in Castellano

¡Estoy muy agradecido!  Gracias.

La palabra Castellano del dia:

agradecido - grateful

Learning, Burning, and High Tea

Wow!  What a couple of days!

Yesterday I went to the

Museo Oceanografico

The spiral staircase around which the house is built

What a spectacular place! They had a very nice English translation handbook to take through the place with you that I insisted I didn´t need, but took anyway. I´m very glad that I did. I might not have fully grasped the philosophy behind the place had I not. The museum was an old Welsh house converted into a 3 story exhibit about Humans and our relationship with the Sea. On the first floor they had the flora and fauna of the area, and talked about the indigenous peoples´ relationship with the natural environment.

Yes - a giant frikkin squid...also known as THE KRAKEN!!

The 2nd floor talked about the cataloging and innate destruction of the natural environment. The 3rd floor talked about conservation and a return to the natural methods of producing fiber, harvesting fish, and living sustainably with the environment.

And finally on the very tip top was 4 windows that looked out over Puerto Madryn. Above each window was a picture from the turn of the century out each of the windows, so that we could see the changes. It was really, quite well done, and I was glad that I went back despite me trying it on Sunday, when it was closed.

After that I decided to go down to the water, do a little bit of beach combing as the tide was going out, and work my way around the bay to the other “museum”. A sort of aquarium with a touch pool and exhibits of (alive) sea life; El Centro. I found lots of cool stuff on the beach, including

these very interesting attractions

that are probably both very cool, and absolutely terrifying. What if it popped?!?! Now you´re all wrapped up in heavy duty plastic 50 meters out in the ocean! Ah well, I suppose it´s probably pretty safe.



I bought lunch at a bar on the beach 

the only thing missing was you guys!

I made it all the way out to the point where there is

this large statue of a Tehuelchan Indian gazing out to sea,

only to go a little further and discover that El Centro is open from 10-1 when a cruise was in town (which it was) and then from 5-9. Yeah, I was there at 3. Awesome. I worked my way back around the bay (this time on the road) caught a picture or two of the aforementioned folk heroes:

and made it back to the hostel just in time to discover that I had a rip-roaring sunburn. (C´mon, it was just a stroll on the beach!!)

LOOK!!  Campers!!

I met some more great folks at the hostel here. Linda and Jack from BC are seasoned travelers who have frequented South America, but this is their first time in this neck of the woods. I must say, it is inspiring to meet such great people traveling at their age. They told me about their experiences in Gaiman which only fired me up even more for my upcoming day there.



Something happened in the last couple of days. Lane (from Alaska) said it just right I think. My magnet has finally clicked over. My first couple of weeks here, my sense of direction, which is usually quite good!, was all haywire and I was getting lost quite easily in the cities – even with a map! Here in Puerto Madryn though, all of a sudden, I am finding my way around instinctively again. Except for this morning. Chock full of confidence in my newfound internal compass, I decided to go a different way to the bus station…and got lost. I had a general idea where I needed to go, but was definitely in new neighborhoods. (slightly more run-down neighborhoods) I stopped and asked a gentleman who was loading up his trunk where the terminal was and he pointed and told me 8 blocks that way. (8 blocks?!?! Jeez, I thought I was closer than that) I started walking, and a block and a half later I hear the guy calling to me from his car. I throw caution to the wind, and hopped in. He took me straight to the terminal, and we talked about his daughter who works here in Puerto Madryn, his job at a hotel in Buenos Aires, and then we might have talked about him calling me at the hostel tomorrow to go do…something…maybe something that has to do with penguins?? Maybe. He definitely took down the number of my hostel and my name. Ah well, I will be checked out tomorrow by 10. I hope he isn´t too offended. I was just so grateful for the ride, and kind of in a hurry to catch my 1030 bus.



I hopped an hour bus ride to Nearby Trelew, and then an inter-city bus to Gaiman – the Welsh settlement that was founded in the 1800´s here in Patagonia. I was a little nervous about it, seeing as I didn´t really have a plan beyond maybe having a cup of tea somewhere. All of a sudden when I got off the bus in Gaiman, I was more than a little nervous. There was nearly nobody around in the streets, I had no idea where to even find a tea house and I had to pee SO bad!



My dire physical needs had me frantically taking pictures of gardens as I irrationally walked past tea houses following signs to others.

I finally hit the river, found a little out of the way spot to clear my bladder mind, and walked a couple of yards upstream.  I finally came up the bank right smack in front of a manicured yard, and old-fashioned, authentic teahouse.  I walked up to the front door, saw that it was 45 pesos per person (considered telling them I was 25 since children from 12-25 were only 20 pesos), and almost left, but figured "eh, this is what I came here for"  and oh my gosh, am I ever glad that I did:

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What a place!  I feel so lucky to have found the tea house that I did.  I´m the only one here, and the host; Miguel Owens, is full of knowledge and stories about the place that his great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and now he, are a part of.  The tables are all draped in lace cloth and the cups and place settings all seem to be waiting for an afternoon rush.  I can´t imagine the people rushing in this place though.  I imagine that it would, as it has done to me, slow everyone down as they enter.  The cakes, biscuits, tea, and hospitality demand a bit more mindfulness than that.  The music playing has a transportative, and somewhat soporific effect.  The pipes, strings and accented vocals bring my own heritage into the front of my mind and in some ways, calls me home.  They sumon images of rolling green pastures that give way to rocky hills and dark forests.

There is wheat bread, white bread, and biscuits.  One of the jams is apricot, and the other made from the figs that are growing out back in the garden.  Miguel tell sme that the selection of jams, cheeses and cakes change with the season as to what would be appropriate and satisfying.  There are 6 different kinds of cakes. 

A traditional fruitcake or "Torta Negra"

Applie Pie

Lemon Pie

Chocolate Cake

Cream Tart (which is apparently what everyone wants when they come - like getting a bagel in New York)

& a Framboise Tart (again changing seasonally)

There are slices of cheese as well, and of course - the tea.  A family blend that is, in itself, a little taste of Wales.  It is indeed, an elegant high tea!

Miguel takes me around the tea house and shows me the old furniture and tells me the stories behind them.

He was given pictures of his grandfather as a 9 year old boy this morning that he shows me.  I can see the joy in his strikingly blue eyes and on his face in experiencing his own history and being able to share it with me.

He shows me a book of family trees of the Welsh families in the area that the oldest woman in Gaiman has spent half of her life putting  together.

He tells me about how the Welsh settlers befriended the Tehuelche Indians - who led them to the river and exchanged cultures (and bread for meat) making it possible for them to thrive here in Patagonia.

He encourages me to take my time, step away from the table, and walk through the garden.

I wondered if this had been a good decision - coming to town with no plans - now I see that I have discovered a wonderful gem - its value lying in the generosity, heritage, and calm of the place. 

I finally leave after 2.5 hours with a bag of his family´s tea, a wonderful, locally made, seaweed cream (something I had been looking for for the burn, but did not expect to find here) and a list of places to see in Gaiman before I leave.

-The hand-dug train tunnel

-The new museum which is an old, converted house of a famous poet (Evan Thomas) that has all original furniture (donated by Miguel´s grandfather) and housewares.

-The 1st House of Gaiman (made from white stones taken from the hills nearby)

-The plaza, in which the annual competition of poets and artists is held and apparently draws thousands of Welsh travelers every year - a handmade chair goes to the winner!

Miguel tells me that the Welsh are a people who always have their door open and food on the table.  I have certainly found that here today.  (He even insisted on filling my camelbak before I left!)

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I went to the museum that Miguel had told me about and what a GREAT experience.  It was all old original things just like he told me.  It was just me and the woman who lived across the street.  She showed me everything!  I got to touch and smell and experience the place.  There were pictures of people sitting around the table with the very flatware that was sitting on the table!!  I saw

his old printing press,

a wedding dress,

correspondances from Wales,

and even listened to the old, original record player.  (and so much more!!)

Evan Thomas winning his chair with the carpenter next to him.

(and oh yes, the chair in the picture was just below the picture)

What a great day!  On my way back from the museum I finally stopped and asked these punky looking kids if I could play one song on their guitar - they said yes!  While I was playing they apparently poured me a beer and insisted I drink it when I was done.  Right as I was feeling like it was time to move on, my bus pulle dup across the street.  I told them I had to go, they wished me luck, and I made it back to Puerto Madryn and my hostel in time to enjoy Linda and Jack´s hospitality once again, this time with a piece of chocolate cake!

I head south tomorrow to Comodoro Rivadavia to stay with a couchsurfing family, and I will soon after that continue south to Ushuaia.  For now though I must go which only leaves one last thing:

La Palabra Tehuelchen del dia:

Gaiman:  Tip of a sharp rock

Ask the children to leave the room for this one *moonlit stroll on beach*

I left the comfort of my well established hostel and the 4 high-speed comuters there for the peace and quiet of a moonlit Atlantic Ocean last night.  I even slipped my harmonica into my pocket in the hopes that I´d find an amorous couple to serenade (what?!, harmonicas can be romantic and sultry in their singing-your-woes-to-the-coyotes-and-moon sorta way), or at least a comfy spot to practice.

Indeed, despite the boardwalk being 50 or so meters away, it was quite a peaceful experience.

Until...


I heard some particularly loud something going on at the boardwalk.  People were screaming - or were they cheering.  One person was yelling at everybody - or was he announcing things?  I drew closer in confusion and hesitant curiosity.  I saw that there were families and kids running around, and so I knew at least that I was coming upon wasn´t anything terribly violent or X-rated.  No, what the boardwalk in Puerto Madryn had to offer at Midnight on Sunday, January 31st was only R-rated.

That´s right - A bikini show.  I took some pictures (for the blog people, for the blog) and watched in amazement as entire families oohed and awed and cameras flashed.

I stopped just short of getting my picture taken with the ladies (there was a line of teenage boys who needed wanted it a lot more than I did) and besides, I don´t agree with this sort of thing.  It objectifies women and is tantamount to mysogyny.  (See ladies, I´m sexy AND sensitive)*

I tore myself away and moved on down the beach (South this time) and did indeed find a tree under which to sit and play my woes to the moon.  I kept walking - enjoying walking alone at night without my back pack, simply listening to the city.  I did also find a nice little hollow of sand that I laid down in to watch the stars and might have fallen asleep for a couple of minutes (when I opened my eyes it was cloudy all of a sudden).  It was comfy but not nearly as comfy as the last time I fell asleep on the beach. 

I almost asked a kid riding by on his bicycle if I could play just one song on his guitar! (I have the question all ready in my head and I won´t pass up another opportunity - I do miss playing so), and admired a group of statues depicting Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, and their 2 dogs, and then worked my way back to my hostel.

The next day will find me enjoying the sites of Puerto Madryn, more quiet beach time, and trying to go to those museums that were closed yesterday.

Now get those kids back in the room and give them a hug so they don´t end up falling asleep on a beach in a bikini somewhere.

*apparently funny also

Right near the beach! BOYEE!!

Well, I have officially left Villa Ventana - my home for the past week, and moved on to Puerto Madryn.  As soon as I was alone, I felt the need to bust out my pocket book and take some notes.  (Again, eat the cheese up folks, it´s nice and soft, and not too sharp!)

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I stand here on the windy highway and wave goodbye to Fernando as he and Nacho drive away.  I´m glad to be moving on, but sad to be leaving.

It was perfect though I think.  1 week.  I got to know the place a bit, and made some friends.  I´m leaving the place with water in my bottle, food in my stomach, and lots of good memories of Villa Ventana.  Thank you Ferd!!  You, your friends and your family make the world a better place!

It feels satisfying though, to put all of my belongings on my back and to leave one place for another.  I can understand the appeal of the open road, sin destino y los posibilidades allí.  I double-check my passport and ticket, put my notebook in my pocket and stand calmly - waiting for the bus to take me away.  I´m just so happy that this shirt is windproof!

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So I played a game of pick-up futbol the day before I left.  That was pretty darn cool!  The guys kept inviting me along, and I was convinced that I would just make a fool of myself.  So I rode my bike over there wearing only my bathing suit and flip-flops.  ONLY my bathing suit and flip flops.  I thought "this´ll give me a perfectly good reason to say no when they insist that I play".  Sure enough, when I got there, there were disappointed "awwww"s at the sight of my flip flops, and besides, like I told them, there were 6 of them and I would just screw up the numbers.

But then a 7th showed up.  So I played.  And you know what?!  We had a damn good time, and I did alright!  I scored a couple of goals, had some fncy assists, and there was this one play where Alessio was running it down the line and I was open for the cross.  He saw me, booted it over everybody right to me, and I slammed it home!  GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!  Yes, it was just like that!  There were many hand slappings and high fives exchanged, and then I walked home with two of the guys talking about my favorite sports teams.  Those of you who know might say...but McLean, you don´t really follow any sports.  And to that I would answer "well that doesn´t really make for good conversation now does it."  I will say though, that in my time spent at Fernando´s house I have become a fan of Los Estudiantes.  I also like Manchester United, but who doesn´t these days??  I mean, c´mon they´re just the popular team that everybody´s heard of...psh.

I took some notes in the Bahia Blanca bus station as well.

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This is only my 2nd time in my memory that I have been on a double-decker bus, and I must say, it´s a crazy (and comfortable) experience to be on this vehicle at the 2nd story level weaving through the city streets; the trees constantly scraping the top of the bus.  There are correspondingly loud and animated mutterings from the passengers every time we hear the scraping and banging on the roof.  Something up there is breaking, I can only hope that it´s the trees!

The Bahia Blanca bus station is clean, brightly lit, and wide open.  Stray dogs sleep in the corners and stroll through the station.  Some are looking for love, but all are looking for food.  Invariably the end up sauntering over to me, as if they know that I can´t resist giving them both - mangy or no.  There is one sleek female in particular that reminds me of Maisie who continually comes back and rolls over on her back and paws at my bag of pastries.  I can tell she´s the smart one, because in between visits to McLean I see her appearing out of nowhere with a plastic bag full of food and trotting outside with it in her mouth - 4-5 dogs trailing her.

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I arrived in Puerto Madryn at 8:15 this morning.  It´s a very nice, small beach city.  So small that I felt comfortable just walking away from the bus station to my hostel.  I´m glad that I had a place to go though I saw this place on my way there:

and it struck me as a likely trap for travelers who would walk by thinking they had just passed a mirror.

I found my hostel without too much trouble at all, and was shocked to see the extreme level of posh that I found there.  I spoke with the woman behind the desk, dropped off my back pack in their storage room, grabbed my free breakfast, and then decided to head out to my first beach of South America.

There it is folks! - The Atlantic Ocean!  I was there very early in the day and so it was mostly empty and very windy.  There are two big piers here in Golfo Nuevo.

I had hiking boots on at the time, so instead of the straight-down-at-my-bare-feet-in-the-sand shot I opted for the down-the-underside-of-a-long-pier shot as my artisitic one of the morning.  I walked down the beach without any real plan of where I was going.  I chose to go North since I was eventually going to see South and just went.  I looked down, and to my delight I saw beach glass everywhere.  Now, my only previous exposure to the search for beach glass taught me that it was a.) hard to find and b.) really cool scattered throughout a house.  I strolled for awhile, letting the wind hit me in the face as I searched for particularly cool pieces of glass.  Once I had an aesthetically pleasing handful, I found a concrete wall to sit on and stopped for awhile to read my book.  (that link goes to Amazon.com and an opportunity to buy the book)  I only mention it and link it because after my failed attempt to go the Oceanographic museum (closed on Sundays) I went back to the hostel, and something very cool happened because of this book.  (there is even a very cool story about how I got this book in the first place!)

I plopped myself down on a beanbag and started talking to a guy who was also plopped on a bean bag.  I looked across to another couple in the common area, and I could have sworn I saw her holding the same book.  I held mine up for her to see with a questioning look on my face.  Recognition dawned on hers, and a friendship was born.

Her name is Sherri, and his name is Lane.  They spend their summers working touristy up in Alaska and spend the rest of the year doing any one of a number of things.  This winter they chose South America.  We quickly discovered that we had a lot in common in how we looked at the world and relationships.  It truly was a serendipitous (ha, 3rd time I´ve sued that word today) meeting; they had missed their bus last night, and so had to stay here 1 extra day.  We decided to spend the afternoon together before their bus left this evening, and we went to the store to buy our do-it-yourself empanadas.  And we did it ourselves!  Ground beef, peppers, onions, garlic, cheese and tomatoes stuffed into tapas and then baked in the oven - we even drew the interest of Linda; a woman traveling from B.C. with her husband. 

Sherri, McLean and Lane making empanadas

(see, we´re having fun!)*

I must say, that my sense of efficacy was high today!  I enjoyed the sublimity of finding similar souls traveling, and the wonderful coincidence of meeting them here.  I thoroughly enjoyed sharing something with them that I had learned here, and then somewhat enjoyed getting positively trounced by them at Scrabble:

Yes, that´s right, that´s their travel scrabble kit with which they hone their skills to outwit even a master of words such as myself.

And YES! that is the inaugural use of my brand new bombilla!  It worked quite well, and was the first of many shared cups of loose leaf tea.  A good day.  I was sad to see my new friends go, but am sure that I will see them again, either in Él Bolson; the city they were going to, or in Alaska this next summer.

For now, I am off to the beach for a moonlit stroll before coming back for an early night.  I think I will try and wake up early and go have an authentic cup of Welsh tea. 

Oh wait!  mmmm...leftover empanadas......

La Palabra Español del dia:

Ballena: Whale  (apparently there are lots of them here at certain times of the year)



*picture possibly posed

Up and Running Again!

Well, not running so much as wandering...

I know I´ve been gone for awhile and I hope I didn´t lose too many of ya, but I figured there´s only so many times I can post about hanging out and relaxing with friends.  I do have lots of pictures however.

From L: Fernando, Maga, Mariano, Yo, y Alessio

This has been my group of friends for the past week.  This is a picture of us at Karaoke the other night.  When I find a computer that has the processing and bandwidth capability, I will upload the videos of me singing, but for now I can tell you that I wowed the residents of Villa Ventana with: 

Johnny B Good

Bohemian Rhapsody

Pride (In The Name of Love)

Yesterday

&

Jammin

yep, that´s me throwin´the hand up!

We, (the guys who were singing with me and I) kinda fizzled on Jammin - truly it can only be sung by the man himself, but the rest were giant hits!  It was a lot of fun, but I can confirm that the stereotype of latin american women just falling all over a foreigner who tries to speak their language is just that, an unfair stereotype - not true.  SIGH

But enough of that...we had plenty of fun back at Fernando's house

This was one of the two legs of lamb that we had while I was here.  There really is something about the structure of eating in Argentina that appeals to me.  I'm definitely going to try and bring some of this back with me.

On that note, I have had great opportunities to pick up cultural nuances, typical sayings, and a few new meal possibilities in my time here in Villa Ventana.  After so much time passing, I hardly know where to start and must admit that I'm going to leave some of it to story-telling when I get home, but I did take some notes about what a typical day has been for me in the past week.

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The back porch of Fernando´s house, From L: Foosball, bikes, big table for eating, stairs up to terrace, entrance to pool, Mud oven, BBQ

 

Wake up at around 9 or 10, and grab a small bite to eat - a piece of fruit or a cup of yogurt (ummm, drinkable yogurt ... yes please!!), or maybe a small matè with Fernando.  THen if there were odd jobs to do, Fernando would do them then and sometimes I would help.  I would get in the pool at around 10 or 11 before all the kids showed up.  Don't get me wrong, as much as I love kids, it's nice to have a quiet pool all to yourself to swim around in.  We would usually start to make lunch around 12 or 1 and be eating it by around 2 or 3.  I discussed the different levels of meal improtance with my hosts, and we agreed that people from the United States think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but here in Argentina, Lunch is the most important meal.  This meant that the lunches could be as extravagant as home'made pizzas, or wonderfully huge pasta dishes, or an assortment of fresh vegetables and salad (like we had today).  After lunch though, inevitably, we would take a siesta.  The first couple of days I disregarded the importance of this part of the day and chose instead to play with the kids who would never go to bed in the middle of the day - something for the weak adults to do.  I quickly learned though, that taking an hour or two in the middle of the day was preferable to struggling to stay awake at midnight when dinner is being served.

After the siesta, I would go play some ping-pong, we would sit quietly inside...maybe watch some tv.  At around 4 or 5, everybody would usually be awake and then we sit around and drink matè while we planned the evening and got in and out of the pool to stay cool.  After that we would go out into town to do something, or start to make dinner (which we would eat no earlier than 10 or 11)  And after that, it was poker or just hanging out until 2-5 in the morning.   

Plaza Salerno ( I attended a town gathering with Fernando here to talk about water issues in town.  A politician was supposed to show up, but he didn´t) 

List of things that I can remember us doing at night:

Hanging out around the house

Played poker until 5 am

BBQ with friends and family

Set up a projection screen in the street and watched Sherlock Homes (yes the new one) with the neighbors

Went to the library and listened to a jazz show and ate hamburgers

Sang Karaoke

Watched Zombieland

Went and watched a cover band in town, then went into the bigger town and played pool and arcade games

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All in all, a spectacular visit!  It has been very very hot here though.  I keep seeing on the news (which I can understand quite a bit of) that a heat wave is hitting Argentina right now, and that Buenos Aires is somewhat unbearable at the moment.  As for us here in Villa Ventana, the most we've had to endure is brownouts (another reason why I haven't been osting regularly), and a closed surrounding wilderness due to health concerns and now fire concerns.  Unfortunately it doesn't look as though I'll get to see the natural arch at the top of Sierra de la Ventana which is the natural formation that gives it's name to these cities. (Ventana means window), but we did manage to get up early this morning and went for a hike to the top of Bahia Blanca.  Yes that's the name of a city nearby, but it is also the name of a mountain.  Here's the proof:

oh yeah!  1 down!

boy oh boy it was windy up there, I can´t imagine what Patagonia is gonna be like

not sure why some of these are going all circuis mirror

From L:  Me, Alessio, Ferd, Nacho (Ignacio) y Mariano

I also bought a BEAUTIFUL bombilla from a local artist here in Villa Ventana.  I wish I had taken a picture of some of her work, or her workshop/showroom, or that she had a website, but none of that happened, for now you'll all have to settle for a picture of my new bombilla:

It was the first thing I bought here in South America besides food, lodging, or water, so it was very exciting for me especially because I was able to talk to the woman who made it about how she made it and the thought that goes into her work.

I purchased my bus ticket out of town, and I leave tomorrow night on another night bus to Puerto Madryn. And even though I understand that this isn't the best time of year to see whales, I hear that there is a delightfully time-warped Welsh neighborhood with genuine tea houses.  I promise to take lots of pictures and mental descriptions, especially for my one reader for whom it might bring back wonderful childhood memories. 

For now I will say Goodbye until Puerto Madryn, big THANKS to new commenters!, and thank you to all who are interested.  I'm pretty sure I've said it once before, but I'll say it again: I may have left to do things on my own, but you all know me, I love having you guys along for the ride!!

La palabra español del dia  (courtesy of Fernando):

Empanada - Totally yummy food that is super common down here - almost like pizza, in fact you can call a pizza place and order them from there.  Or you can make your own.  and you can put meats or cheeses, or vegetables, whatever you want in there.  Oh yeah, and we´re eating them tonight!  BOOYAH!