A weekday outing with new friend Niti to Kaimana Beach, a lovely, quiet little stretch of beach just a bit further down from bustling Waikiki Beach.
Waikiki sunset.
Morning hike up Diamond Head — very touristy, but a nice, easy hike to do before my afternoon shift at the smoothie shop.
What I wouldn’t do to have a home on that shore…
View from the top.
Dinner at Spices, a highly recommended Southeast Asian restaurant.
Burmese noodle entree.
A Friday visit to Sandy Beach Park, an awesome, awesome beach with crazy powerful waves that are prime for body surfing. Even Obama does it! We (wisely) decided not to go fully in. Instead, I laid out and played with some dogs while Eaman played soccer.
The Kapiolani Community College farmers market, held every Saturday. Our day consisted of: super delicious pizza (homemade pesto, hand-stretched mozzarella and local tomatoes), Vietnamese iced coffee and cinnamon rolls with a backpack full of asparagus, pineapples and exotic fruits to bike home with.
I can’t remember what this was, but it was fried and apparently, very popular.
We’ve left El Bolson and are now in Bariloche, Argentina — a beautiful, albeit far more touristy, ski resort town in the Rio Negro Province. For the first time, we had a really hard time leaving somewhere when we drove off from the amazing La Casona Odile. It was such a good fit for us, and we felt so at home. At the same time, the world is so big, there’s so much to see, and we had a big bike ride in mind for Bariloche, so off we went.
But before I completely move on, I of course need to close up shop on my other reason for El Bolson — the nature.
A little background first: El Bolson was a hotspot for Buenos Aires hippies in the 1970s and has since come to be known for its artisan crafts, sustainable practices (though all of Patagonia seems to be good at that) and pristine natural wonders just a hop, skip and a jump away.
Every other hike we’ve gone on — Colca Canyon in Peru, glacier trekking in El Calafate and the W in Torres del Paine — involved bus rides of two to five hours to the actual start of the hike. But in El Bolson, nothing took more than 30 minutes to reach.
We had three full days to spend outdoors, so we analyzed it — the way Eaman and I always do — and broke it up like this:
Thursday: Easy to medium hike to Cerro Piltriquitrón and artisan market
Friday: Medium to hard hike to Cajon de Azul
Saturday: Reward ourselves with a day at Lago Puelo, a rocky beach in the next town over.
(And ice cream on all days, duh.)
Here’s how it panned out:
Cerro Piltriquitrón. The hike was fairly easy and the views looking out onto the valley were stunning, but THE HORSEFLIES WERE INCESSANT. We’ve experienced these pests — a larger, noisier and sting-equipped cousin of the housefly — here and there around South America but their headquarters must be El Bolson. They pestered us all the way up the mountain, all the way throuh the Bosque de Tallado (sculptures that hippies carved out of wood in the late 90s) and all the way down the mountain. We sure as hell weren’t about to do the two-hour hike to the summit with them circling us.
They wouldn’t even let us eat our lunch outdoors in peace, so we were forced to eat inside the car. We drove our car to the edge of the mountain to at least have a view for our meal. (p.s. The sculpture garden isn’t really worth your 16 peso entrance fee.)
After a visit to the artisan market (meh), we healed our horsefly wounds with homemade ice cream from Jauja, a popular helado shop with locations in El Bolson, Buenos Aires and Bariloche. Their flavors and colors are unreal. Without a doubt, our favorite ice cream of all time. I mean, we had it every day we were there.
Cajon de Azul. By far, the coolest thing we’ve done not just in El Bolson, but in my whole three months traveling as well. (Machu Picchu was amazing, but not very off-the-beaten path.) This 2+ hour hike was a mix of exasperating uphills and steep downhills, but it also had really pleasant breaks of flatness. I’m all for challenges, but sometimes it’s nice to take in your surroundings without worrying about your racing pulse or rolled ankles.
We crossed two bridges that had a max of one person at a time. Whee!:
We ran into a lovely Canadian couple, Graham and Sarah, from our hostel along the way and joined them for packed lunch and beer — kept cold in the river! — by one of the first refugios. It was a beautiful plot of land, bordered by the freezing Rio Azul.
But the highlight was reaching the cajon de azul, or blue canyon. And it clearly lives up to its name:
And with water that clear, deep and inviting, how could we not cliff dive into the water? Graham jumped in first, and Eaman, though a smidge apprehensive, followed suit. Sarah and I were pretty set on not doing at all; she has a fear of heights and I have a fear of being underwater and not being able to come back up. But then it hit me: Did I really want to walk away from this opportunity?
So after a lot — and I mean a lot — of coaxing, waiting, debating, standing up and sitting down on the edge, I did it. I blacked out between when I stepped off and when I hit the water, but man, what a feeling. Cool, crisp water in a gorgeous canyon unlike anything I had ever seen. That was one for the books. We were so content that we didn’t even bother to do the extra 45-minute hike to a further summit. We sat there the rest of the afternoon.
P.S. There was recent tragic story about an Australian girl who went lost on this very hike. Her friends had dropped her off for on Monday, but when she hadn’t returned, signs began to pop up all over town asking if anyone had seen her. Apparently, she was attacked and abused by a local along the way and was found Friday — the very day we went on the hike — bruised, dehydrated and of course scared. Thank god she’s been found, but wow, scary stuff.
Lago Puelo. A quiet rocky beach with views of the Andes mountains. What could be better?
Pretty much nothing.
We had time to swim (it was cold but not frigid), time to watch the hilarious Argentine families play and time to kayak.
A particularly blue part of the lake:
There is sooo much more to do in El Bolson, like multiple-day camping treks, horseback riding and fishing, that could’ve kept us occupied for much longer, but for our three days of fun, I couldn’t have imagined a better variety.
Though we’ve loved everywhere we’ve visited thus far, El Bolson is the first place we’d actually return to. And I hope it’s soon. I’m experiencing some serious withdrawal!
Of all the places we wanted to visit on this trip, Patagonia was the one place with the most vague itinerary. We knew we wanted to go, but to do what, when and for how long were all questions marks.
But Torres del Paine, the 242,242 hectare-size national park near Puerto Natales, Chile was a destination that constantly popped up in backpacker conversations. After Google-imaging the heck out of the place, we were convinced we had to go there, too. Turquoise-colored lakes, snow-capped mountains, brilliantly vivid wild flowers…yes please!
(Our own pics:)
But how exactly to attack this park was the question. There aren’t really guided tours, so camping (and carrying all your equipment) was the only way to do it. Since we had no camping skills — save for my trip to the Outback when someone else set up my tent and Eaman’s trip to Wisconsin when he didn’t pack enough warm clothes — we thought a few day trips would suffice…until we were told the park was two hours from Puerto Natales and doesn’t suit day trips. Then we thought, OK, we’ll do a few days but stay in refugios (rustic hostels) along the way…until we found out they’d be almost $100/night each. Later we thought maybe one night of camping to get a feel for it… until we talked to the guys working at our hostel.
They mapped out the famous ‘W’ trek as if there were no other option. It would be more than 80 km of hiking, camping every night and fending for ourselves without a guide.
It’s funny because there was never a moment when Eaman and I thought, “Hmm, should we do this?” We just went for it. And that’s how we ended up going on a five day/four day trek through Torres del Paine.
The path we took is certainly well worn, but even though you see other hikers, you’re often on your own. Its course takes the shape of — you guessed it — a ‘W’, with uphill, downhill, rocky terrain and magnificent scenery. But this trip was about way more than a series of beautiful paths.
This was a full-on camping trip (with rented equipment).
The days weren’t over until we pitched our tent, cooked our food, cleaned our pots, got water from the stream for the next day and hung our food so mice couldn’t get to it. This was the real deal.
Our home for four nights:
It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I would think that means a lot considering I’ve run two marathons as well. There were times I felt stronger than a bear, times when I wanted to cry and times when I wondered why the heck I signed up for this damn thing. It taught me a lot about myself and a lot about life. Here, nine lessons I picked up during our five days of fun:
1. I will never, ever, in a millions years be OK with going to the bathroom outside or having dirt under my fingernails. Call me a priss, but both so fully and completely gross me out. Yes, I had to go to the bathroom in the wilderness during this trek, but I’m trying to block it out of my memory. As for the fingernails, it’s just a pet peeve.
2. Camping is the ultimate relationship test. I think all couples should go on a trek like this before committing for the long haul. Most of the time, we were practically giddy thinking of how happy we were to do this together. But there were times — like when we got lost for two hours or when we had to pack up our tent in the freezing rain — that really tested our patience and involved long portions of hiking without speaking to each other. And to top it off, you see your mate at his/her dirtiest and shabbiest while camping. No hiding. Lucky for us, we passed the test.
Beginning of the trek:
End of the trek, still happy:
3. Anger is the best motivation. On day 3, when we got lost for that aforementioned two hours, we were angry. We felt stupid and frustrated for losing our way and wanted redemption. So on day 4, we completed an 8-hour portion of the course in 6 hours. We were beasts on those uphills!
4. A piece of chocolate goes a long way. Chocolate, or any treat for that matter, should be a mandatory part of your packing list. It gives you that extra boost when you’re feeling low and energy-zapped. I think the chocolate donuts — they’re like candy, not real donuts — we purchased at the Los Cuernos campsite played a small part in the speediness of day 4.
5. I don’t love camping. I feel like people automatically write you off as a wuss for a statement like that, but that’s not fair. You can’t be built for everything in life, right? This trip has been a good way to figure out exactly what makes me tick. What I now know is I don’t hate camping; it’s just not my kind of thing. I have a huge problem with germs, I detest spiders, and I hate the idea of finishing a good workout only to fill myself up with sodium-filled instant pasta. And in the case of hiking the W, I was so cold at night in the tent, I wanted to cry. That being said, camping does make you appreciate little things like hot showers and good food. But just so we’re clear, I love hiking. I could hike for 8, 9, maybe 10 hours a day and be fulfilled. I’d just like to come home, shower and eat a healthy meal after. (FYI Eaman took to camping much better than me and really likes it.)
6. Always prepare for rain. Before the trek, a rental shop worker told me the weather would be beautiful and not to bother renting waterproof pants. I trusted him. Why would he lie if he could’ve made a quick buck? Well, it rained the last day and that hike uphill in my yoga pants to the final viewpoint of the torres (towers) was pretty miserable. Lucky for me, I was still half-asleep at that early morning hour that it didn’t hit me that much.
7. Bring ankle boots for a strenuous hike like this. In our low-cut hiking shoes, our poor ankles were going every which way. It slowed us down quite a bit on the slippery downhills.
8. Walking sticks are a godsend. Not only did they alleviate stress on our joints and help us maintan a rhythm, they also gave us a nice upper body workout. Get two; they’re a must!
9. It’s really refreshing not to look at yourself in the mirror for a few days. I had no idea what a mess I was and the only way I had the slightest clue of my personal filth was thanks to a facial wipe I used on day 3… and it wasn’t pretty. But who cared? All us campers were dirty, but in a way, it was a badge of pride.
Check out a few more snaps from the hike:
Someone’s funny work:
You can refill your Nalgene straight from the stream:
I will never eat ramen noodles or instant pasta again:
Breaking to take off our hiking shoes and stretch our feet was a highlight:
The color of the water, totally un-Photoshopped here, was more blue than the waters of the Caribbean:
Drinking mate on day 4 when we got to our campsite early:
We hoped to get up in time to catch the sunrise at the towers on day 5 — a one hour hike uphill from our campsite — but clouds and rain made an early wakeup call pointless since we wouldn’t be able to see the towers. Instead, we got up a little later (at 5:30 am) and saw whatever we could. Sure, it was hailing, snowing and raining in every direction, and we couldn’t see the top of the towers, but we caught an incredible double rainbow. Very Skittles-esque.
We’re now in Buenos Aires, enjoying the comforts of a big, cosmopolitan city and our very own apartment (details on that in the next post). But we would be remiss to move on from Peru without a little reflection.
I think Peru will always hold a special place in our wanderlust hearts because it was the first stop on this big, crazy adventure. We didn’t know much about the country beyond Machu Picchu, but we’ve learned so much.
The people are some of the warmest, most generous you’ll find. And the country itself is huge and varied with so much to do–whether it’s hitting the beach, going for a hike, soaking in hot springs, trekking through the jungle or tasting food in the rising gastronomic capital of Lima. (We sadly missed a major food festial by one week!!)
A friend in Buenos Aires told us that we did good by starting in
Peru because you expect and almost crave a big culture shock at the beginning of this kind of trip. Starting in Buenos Aires would’ve felt like going from one New York to the next. Peru was indeed a culture shock, but in the best way possible. No skyscrapers, no herds of people in a rush, no taking things for granted.
Peru was a quick lesson in appreciating the small things in life (i.e. hot water, electricity and something to eat after a long day hiking), not to mention natural beauty at its finest.
We didn’t get to share all the pictures we would’ve liked to with each post, so here, the stuff you didn’t see:
Yarn at a market in Cusco:
Dinner with new friends at organic restaurant Greens in Cusco:
Hiking in the ancient Inca town of Pisaq:
Amazing vegetarian lunch at Govinda in Lima. I haven’t seen tofu in a while 
Abuela warming up empanadas in Pisaq:
Inca Kola, apparently made of lemongrass but tastes like bubblegum. The novelty wore off quickly:
Cusco by night:
Hike to Ollyantaytambo, another ancient Inca town:
We randomly saw a performance by The National Ballet of Georgia in Cusco…and it was awesome:
The nicest clothes we had (that also worked with the cold weather) to wear to the ballet:
There were always tiny puppies and kittens at the small basic hostels we stayed at during our treks:
Break during our jungle trek:
Riding on an abandoned Peru Rail train in the jungle:
Making good on a major craving in Arequipa:
Next up, a tour of our Buenos Aires digs!