El Gaucho Hostel Esquel

... great. Around town rise snow-covered mountains and rolling green hills. The days Iīve been in town, the weather has been great too - sunny and clear almost all day, every day.

Sunday morning, I caught a rickety bus headed to Parque Nacional Los Alerces, the nearby park of lakes and small mountains, the latter of which are still capped with snow (to my disadvantage, I would find) this early in the season. Arriving at Villa Futalaufquen, a small town near the ...

... over a bag, but he doesn't get the hint :( There is also a small museum amongst the handful of timber houses.
What strikes me on the train is that everyone is sipping Marte - Argentinian tea, very strong, which you have in a beaker, along with hot water, and sip through a straw - a true sign that the majority on board the train are Argentinian tourists. None national tourists are not as obvious here as in Chile, as there is a mixture of ethnicities. But no-one outside of ...

In Transit at the moment... Esquel is a nice looking town. A lot of new homes have been built so it seems the town is in expansion mode. Itīs definitely a place where people use as a launching pad for there next adventure... west into chile... south to El Calafate or east to Trelew... a Welsh Town. We ...

... wished our troubled friends the best of luck. The called us their Angels as we shook hands and departed. We found a campsite with the intention of camping for the night, however they had dorm beds available for an extra $1.25 per night and we opted for this option. January 21st Today is the three month anniversary since we've left home. We have traveled a long way and are very near to our goal. The excitement is building with ...

... that when you are in an area of big wide open spaces, that just a few people can make an area feel crowded. But in a city, you would not even think about it because there would likely be many more people in the same area. Anyway, we read, listen to the waves, look at the view, and generally just "be". Harvey walks into the water to get his feet wet and I join him. It's cool at first and then refreshing! So good. We are back at the cabana now. I ...

... around Lago Verde is a convenient base for day trips. This minimized the amount of time spent driving each day, leaving more time to enjoy outdoor activities of our choice. · Definitely be aware of the horse flies in December; we are not sure what other months they are here. Some areas not so bad, but on the Laguna Escondido hike it was really bad. Pack long pants and shirts as well as hats for sun ...

... Los Alerces is worthwhile. There are signs for a circular walk back to the parking lot and the alternatives are also described in the guidebook previously mentioned. The boat excursion is guided, but in Spanish only. We decide to sit on the top decks outside - it's a sunny day and the wind feels glorious! On the 90 minute boat trip we get a beautiful view of Cerro Torrecillas glacier which is receding quickly because of global warming. We ...

... out from suburban Bariloche, feeling more comfortable with a full tank of gas. This is our first fill up and we quickly learn that it is full service in Argentina. Harvey unlocks the gas tank and chats with the attendant while I look around. This station is also a minimarket and at first glance it looks like it could be here in the states. Looking more closely however, I see one can purchase ice cubes with water from the glacier and there is a ...

... Wann machen sie die naechste Tour? Also, in 10 Minuten od** wied** in 5 Tagen. D** gute Ruf war ihnen vorausgeeilt, und tatsaechlich waren sie top (heissen uebrigens Patagonia V**de falls ihr mal in diese Ecke d** Welt reist). 2 Minuten spaet** war jemand mit dem Auto am Bust**minal um uns und uns** Gepaeck abzuholen und zur Agentur zu fahren. Wir zahlen schnell fu** die Tour und steigen in den Minibus zu noch 5 and**en Mitreisenden. Uns** Gepaeck w**den sie waehrend uns**** Tour ...