Long Break, Part I: Family Invasion & Bariloche

There is something truly special about having family and friends visit our world abroad and given the distances in between, we have been lucky to have had Jonah's parents spend time with us in India (and Nepal), and my sister take time off for a mad dash to Delhi. Being together in our space helps everyone connect the dots between our life in far off places and the experiences we wish to share when we are together in the USA. We have much - so much - gratitude for each and every visitor, and this year we got a double dose with grandparents and cousins making their first trip to our overseas home.

The grandparents from Florida arrived first, and we had a few days to explore Buenos Aires before everything shut down for the Christmas holiday.

Lunch on their first day in Argentina, at Pan et Vin in Palermo:

Followed by ice cream, por supeusto:

Last stop of our city center walking tour, in front of Casa Rosada:

Second walking tour in the gritty, colorful neighborhood of La Boca:

A statue of fútbol celebrity Carlos Tevez, whose kids attended our school until he was recently signed to a team in Shanghai for a gazillion dollars:

Also, wearing a "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt in Argentina starts interesting conversations.

Outside La Bombonera, home of the Boca Juniors:

Closer to home, a wander through our favorite wine shop in Martinez:

Christmas Day cribbage with the master:

On the day after Christmas, the six of us flew to Barlioche and checked into the house we rented through Airbnb.

We had the following day to get the fridge stocked and take the scenic drive along Circuito Chico before the rest of our crew arrived:

They really had no idea what this thing was:

Once everyone was settled into the nest, we enjoyed a full week of perfect weather for outdoor activities, big meals, and plenty of lounging around time.

The best seat in the house, perfect for four cousins (and their devices):

A contemplative space:

Kitchen with a dreamy view:

Hanging out in the back yard:

Am I getting shorter?

Cousins, ages 11, 8, 10 & 10:

Sisters and their offspring:

Crazy kids, frigid water, no fear:

Stop along the road for another cool dip:

Swimming again in glacial waters:

Just so happy the kids can swim on their own while we rest in the shade:

Three generations spend a day white water rafting:

 Katie - "la princesa" - was kidnapped by the photographer for a little while:

On New Years Eve Day, we took a boat ride to Puerto Blest, very near the border with Chile:

A short hike to check out some waterfalls:

  

Sisters!

Last supper in Patagonia, complete with lamb roasting on the open fire:

Back in Buenos Aires, just one more day all together and we spent it north of the city, taking a boat ride out to El Gato Blanco for lunch on the Tigre Delta:

For my nieces, this visit was momentous as it was their very first journey outside the USA on their spanking new passports. They were rock stars. They jumped right into the entire adventure, and I'm fairly certain that these girlie-whirlies have been bitten by the travel bug. We look forward to many more adventures together, and so how about meeting up somewhere in Africa in, say.....2019?

Long Break, Part IV: Return to El Chaltén

It has been many, many years since we traveled without pre-booking lodging, mapping out all transportation logistics between two points. But after our time in Chile, and a planned meetup with Delhi friends (who now work in Lima) on our las night in Puerto Natales, we had a few days of unstructured time before our flight back north. We debated about what to do for only a short time and then decided to return to El Chaltén to complete some unfinished hiking. It was a bit of gamble given the washout weather we had there the first time around. But we got lucky. Even though it had been less than two weeks since we were there, the unsettled weather had cleared out and second time around proved to be the charm. And even though it was peak season, we booked rooms at a modest hotel which ended up being one of the highlights of the trip; super nice and helpful people working the front desk and a great breakfast included. That is all we need!

We started with the longest hike on the first day back in town, the Laguna Torre trail which is 20km round trip, and takes about 8 hours to complete. A bit of an uphill at the start but mostly flat after that with a nice place to rest and picnic lakeside while taking in the view of a glacier on the other side. This was the longest hike we have done and the boys did great. Zero complaints all day!

Such a treat to be able to drink straight from the river and refill water bottles along the way.

 

Winding our way back toward town. The boys were way ahead of us, dots in the distance!

We had fair weather the second day and started with a short hike up behind the visitor center and got a nice look at town below.

A cute couple enjoying the morning and sharing mate. They looked so content, Jonah asked to take their photo:

For our third and final hike, we headed to the north side of town to get on the Lago Capri trail. It rained for part of the day so not many photos - except for the start, the finish and the rainbow after the storm passed.

Boys on a rock:

This was me, sort of mad at the boys after they had hid on the side of the trail until we walked past. When Jonah and I got to the end and asked the rangers if they had seen any boys, we might have been worried. We backtracked a bit, only to find our giggling pranksters running toward us. #funnynotfunny

Asa warming up with a cup of mate. It's an acquired taste that we have not yet acquired.

Bussing it to the airport and bidding farewell to Patagonia. Three weeks on the road comes to an end.