colourful world

My life (at least last month or so) through a lens of my camera


I've been rather lazy lately and haven't put anything new on the blog. Now I don't really want to write what I've done in the last month, so will just put some pictures and describe some of them a bit more thoroughly. So, off we go.

Carretera Austral in its central part - the only section with tarmac; I was pretty lucky with the weather - it was only raining for a few days in Chile on Carretera Austral (and before it had been raining for almost a month - pretty much whole February - as I was told)

one of the houses/farms by Carretera Austral, quite far from any real village

Then I had a few rainy days in Queulat National Park when my camera stayed all the time in its case. It was a great section of the Patagonian temperate rain forest which in a way resembles a proper jungle. There even are humming birds there, quite a lot of them actually.

Lago Yelcho on the way to the border Chile-Argentina (already off Carretera Austral but only around 15km from it)

Rio Futaleufu in Puerto Ramirez, still Chile

on the way to Futaleufu; dead forest in some sort of a lake; not far from Futaleufu

ripio road to Futaleufu - great views included free of charge

a farm by the road to Futaleufu

I'm back in Argentina but still pretty close to the border; the day was cloudy, windy and dark, I felt a bit strange and lonely

on the way from Trevelin to Los Alerces National Park

entrance to Parque Nacional Los Alerces

cementerio historico close to Futaleufquen, Los Alerces

late afternoon view from the beach where I was wild* camping in Los Alerces National Park (* - the camping site was designated but there was nothing there apart from flies - no toilets, no water); Lago Futaleufquen

my tent and my mess; this is a night spent on the beach by Lago Futaleufquen, the campsite was just above the beach; this was the day when I clocked 2000km on my bike so I did a fire, warmed up/baked empanadas on the fire and drank a local cherry liqueur I bought to celebrate this special occasion; at first it felt weird to camp alone on the beach by a lake but it was one of my best nights

breakfast (porridge exactly) by the Lago Futaleufquen; I'm almost ready to jump on my bike and cycle 30km to another lake where I will spend the next night

the same lake, the same morning, the same model (quite hot actually)

Lago Rivadavia; next 'lago' in the area and my next campsite, still in Parque Nacional Los Alerces

El Bolson, a town known for its chilled-out atmosphere; loads of trekking in the area but in the end I just rested there as my body was shouting for it; the mountains at the background are some 2000m above the town

I was camping in El Bolson and my bike was just standing next to my tent. One morning I noticed it had a flat rear tyre (though I had not used it the previous day). What happened was as it was standing the whole day in the sun a patch on the inner tube (which I patched in London and left for the trip) simply unglued itself because of the heat. I don't count it as a puncture but in the end I had to change a tube.

main square in Bariloche, school kids gathering and protesting against something; Argentinean flag perfectly blending in the background

Bariloche, hostel, lounge, view from a sofa - Lago Nahuel Huapi; I had the same view from my dorm room

Circuito Chico in Bariloche - a bike tour around 60km long around the lakes close to Bariloche; view from the Llao Llao hotel to the South-East 

Llao Llao - view to the North; Hotel Llao Llao is one of the poshest in Argentina; great views but hotel itself far from my dreams

Bahia Lopez on Curcuito Chico; the water was crystal clear

my bike getting some suntan by the Bahia Lopez

Bahia Lopez and a remote hotel

Bahia Lopez

Colonia Suiza (a tiny settlement of Swiss origin close to Bariloche on Curcuito Chico); I had lunch there - quite possibly the best trout in my life

chocolate mousse for dessert - taking picture of food in OKish light is actually pretty cool

lakes around Bariloche - somewhere at the very far end of this photo starts the Route of the Seven Lakes which I will start in a few days

the same lakes

Bariloche (well, to be honest the town has its uglier face too but who cares now)

Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes - located on a tiny Quetrihue Peninsula one of the smallest parks in Argentina; I took my bike and visited it in a few hours; this is the very tip of the peninsula; this is also Lago Nahuel Huapi but I am now in Villa La Angosture some 100km away from Bariloche, on the other side of the lake

Bosque Los Arrayanes (the arrayanes forest) in the national park; arrayan trees (Chilean Myrtle) are really cool; its bark peels a bit like of a plane tree (platanus) and has an orange/cinnamon colour

los arrayanes

the tip of the Quetrihue Peninsula

sheer beauty of Los Arrayanes NP simply overwhelmed me and I needed to sit down

Lago Nahuel Huapi seen from the Quetrihue Peninsula

the world seen from the upper part of Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes; white stuff on top of the mountains is not snow but volcanic ash from the eruption of Puyehue volcano in Chile that started almost a year ago; the area is still covered in a layer of ash up to 20cm thick (on the side of the local roads etc); the volcano is still producing some ash and sending across the border

la Ruta de los Siete Lagos (the route of the seven lakes) starts close to Villa La Angostura and finishes some 100km further north in San Martin de los Andes; this is one of the rivers on this route; the water was so clear that I could see trouts in the river from the bridge

Lago Traful and Villa Traful - a detour from the 7 lakes route; 26km that was definitely worth backtracking the next day; the town is so tranquil that your heart rate slows down automatically; plus in the town there is a tiny bakery and its owner can read in my mind - when I entered panaderia she straight away asked me if I was looking for facturas and of course I was; wait 10 minutes, she said, they are in the oven now; so I waited outside on a bench and watched a man mowing the grass in front of la panaderia

another picture of un hombre y su bici - this time in Villa Traful

a feast in Villa Traful; I cooked dinner for two but it was just me alone; it's nice to be able to eat two plates of pasta and drink 1l of beer!

5 o'clock tea by Lago Falkner; my last night on the route of 7 lakes

the sun is about to set by Lago Falkner 

my little green house by the lake (Lago Falkner) and my long dark legs

a tent with a view

Then there came a few frustrating days. But first I reached San Martin de los Andes, next day Junin de los Andes (a day with very strong tail wind pushing me almost 50km/h; I then had to turn 90 degrees and go for some 13km and was nearly blown away from the road). Then 30km to reach the Ruta 40 and the pain started. I was over 1000km away from Mendoza and wanted to get there by hitchhiking. I did it in the end but got pretty depressed at times (waiting for hours in strong wind, with drizzle about to start and very limited traffic). In the end after 4 days, 1000km covered in trucks (5 different rides) and almost 250km riding my bike I reached Mendoza and was super happy. Then...

I went for a wine tour around wineries of Maipu with 4 other tourists I met in hostel and on that day I clocked 3000km. 5km further I got a puncture - my first and only so far (a thorn)! Luckily I was almost in the centre of Maipu and there was a bike shop on the main square and they fixed it in 15 minutes (that was one of the very few days when I travelled light - my bags stayed in the hostel and I didn't have any repair kit on me)

here grows a bottle of malbec

immortal liquid soul of the grapes is already in tanks fermenting or even maturing in oak barrels and this is what's left of the earthly existence of the grapes - dry and lifeless (though it still has a variety of uses)

delivery of fresh grapes

wine tasting in bodega La Rural

wine tasting in bodega Tempus Alba (amazing for many reasons) - in front of me Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Malbec

Tempus Alba, delicious malbec

However sadly but I had to leave Mendoza. I wanted to reach La Rioja or Catamarca by hitchhiking so waited for a day on the outskirts of Mendoza but had absolutely no luck. I got very frustrated and then I met a Czech cyclist going the other direction who told me he had just cycled from La Rioja. I turned back to the hostel, spend an extra night in Mendoza and the next day fresh and happy headed north on the bike.

the longest day on my trip - 169km from Mendoza to Caucete (close to San Juan); luckily it was flat (but also hot and dry)

I set my mind for cycling but then did some calculations and noticed that if I cycle all the way I will have little time for the very north of Argentina so I tried again asking for a lift, this time not standing by the road but talking to truck drivers. I was lucky! I covered some 450km in one day with two nice truckers (told them some stories, heard some stories from them, drank mate, spoke Polish on the phone to a wife of one of them). Eventually I reached Chilecito, slightly off my original planned route but only because it was too far to cycle to. I was back on la Ruta 40!

riding north from Chilecito, Ruta 40; the road was pretty flat but all around me there were mountains

my bike wanted some rest

Salicas, an old-school room in a 'hostel'. golden rule: your girlfriend in your bed, bike never more than 2m from it

mountains, thorny shrubs, sand, rocks - simply the north of Argentina

on the way to Belen; on that day I passed through Londres (London), actually the only town I passed during the whole day and 98km

my last (I suppose) 30km of ripio road 

some sort of chili getting dried in Santa Maria

the ruins of Quilmes (around 800AD); somehow I failed to be impressed but...

... a llama (or a goat, or a chair) was amazing

Then finally I arrived at Cafayate and submerged myself yet again in the world of wine (this time mainly white torrontes).

Cafayate and its wineries - wine maturing in oak in Finca Las Nubes (Bodega Jose L Mounier)

wine tasting in Finca Las Nubes (Bodega Jose L Mounier)

Bodega Yacochuya at just over 2000m asl

Bodega Domingo Molina overlooking the valley (it is located at 2000m, some 300m above Cafayate)

I'm now about to visit yet another bodega and will leave Cafayate tomorrow and head towards Salta through Quebrada de las Conchas (it will take me 2 days to get there).