San Carlos Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina.

Snow. Penguins. Glaciers. Overpriced Puffy Jackets. All are expectations of Patagonia.

How about the world's largest chocolate easter egg? A toboggan? Two perfectly placed Refugios? Hippie Mecca?

Patagonia. The end of the world. It sounds so impressive. Patagonia is massive. There is both a Chilean and an Argentinean Patagonia, the latter encompassing just over one third of the country's land mass. Ecosystems from pampas to glaciers are represented. Where within this expanse did I end up? The small Swiss inspired town of Bariloche. Located on the far west side of the country, Bariloche is close to the Chilean border, nestled in a little mountain range known as the Andes. Geography lesson over.

It was with this much knowledge (probably less) that seven, underprepared students from UB, bus tickets in hand started our journey with a 24 hour bus ride. Seven days of freedom from the city, from traffic, from homework, from dog poop. We were ready. As much as I would like to sit you down and force you to look at all 1,300+ photos, I think I'll just give you the highlights.

Hostel Pudu, a hostel in the form of a hippie commune run by three brothers

The streets of Bariloche

Down by the lake

Cooking a stir fry dinner for seven is no small task

The following day we tackled the day hike Frey at Catedral Cero

Made it. 

The Refugio Frey at the top of Catedral Cero surrounded by backpackers. 

Lake beside the hostel. It was so beautiful we stayed a little too long.

As beautiful as the sunset was, it also meant we were hiking in the dark. We were able to make it back down the mountain with just enough time to light the way, we did not however make it back in time for our bus. One long (expensive) taxi ride later we were back at our hostel getting ready for the next day.

After a visit to the Fenoglio Chocolate factory, we took a chairlift to a hilltop viewpoint.

I'd say it was worth it.

The whole group left to right

Zoe, Tiffany, Me, Monae, Linette, Andrea, Preston

And this is how we got down the hill. Yep.

Being ambitious young things, the next day, we decided a leisurely bike ride around one of the nearby lakes. What we failed to realize was that we would be tackling a road, not a trail and mile long hills on steel mountain bikes.  

Luckily this view was right around the first bend, because thats as far as we got. 

Instead, we opted for a short hike to another hilltop that offered some spectacular 360 views. We enjoyed some hot chocolate and coconut cake before descending. 

The following day brought Preston, Tiffany and Me to the trailhead of Laguna Negra, a two day hike that we had decided on Midnight the night before. There was a slight drizzle, and fog, and we were quite underprepared, but the views were well worth it. 

The first third of the trail meandered along this river. 

An Argentine answer to muddy trails

A very damp Fall in the Andes

"This can not be real life" -Tiffany

Hiking in the snow in our tennis shoes and leggings

After rain, sleet, 0 degree weather and 85 mph winds we finally came across our home for the night: Refugio Italia

The sleeping situation

This is what everyone else was wearing.

Trust me when I say that I am rarely without words, but these views rendered me speechless.

Victory Beer

Back in Bariloche for the final day

While we were there, they had their annual Chocolate Festival, and built the biggest chocolate easter egg in the world. No big deal. (It says Happy Easter on it)

Arboles Arrenyas 

Overall it was not only a worthwhile but a breathtaking experience. It felt like home. The mountains, the air, the smiles. The people even stopped for you at the crosswalk (what's up Moscow!). All the vistas even made me nostalgic for all eleven of those Glacier National Park trips. I've only been back in the city a few days and I still can't encompass in words the beauty of this part of the world. 

Usually for a trip I make a video, this time, I'm making two. But because my mother keeps reminding me (thanks mom!) that I am also down here to study, I need to prioritize some much neglected reading before I can play around with the video footage. I will try to have them up by Friday. Also many (read: most) of these photos were "donated" by other members of my traveling group, so a huge thank you to Preston, Tiffany, and Andrea for their natural photography skills. Now where was I? Ah... homework. 

Nos Vemos

Besos, 

Hil

Hunger Games

It came. It went. It rocked. The phonomena that is the Hunger Games hit Buenos Aires last Thursday. "Buy your tickets early," everyone told us. Make sure you get a seat. Well kids, let me tell you, when we showed up to buy our tickets at the Belgrano Theatre the only thing that was packed was the McDonalds next door. So at 4:30 pm, Linette, Bry, Tif and I sat down with nine 14 year old school girls, one old couple and three teenage boys (slouched in the corner) to watch Los Juegos del Hambre. Two and a half hours later, I walked out of that theatre feeling like quite the badass. It was a phenominal movie, well filmed and loyal to the book. The intreguing plotline carrys the book through youthful writing, but the movie carried itself. Disecting the movie afterwards was almost as enjoyable as the film itself. It made me reminice of those days contemplating upcoming Harry Potter films. It's amazing what can create a community. The influence one thing can have on entire demographics of people. And It makes me wonder, can a community trap us?

Today in my gender history class (which contrary to popular belief is not Feminism 101) we discussed colonial Latin America and the role the Catholic church played in both dictating women's roles in society and allowing them to trancend set standards. Communities were built around femininity, saints, families, wealth, and race. Women of these factions created communities based on their acceptence of a book of a different kind. While it may seem a far cry from Harry Potter fandom, The Twilight idioma, or the recent Hunger Games craze, the modern day following of popular secular crazes, creates within its comunity an understanding, much like that of the Colonial Catholic church. It was, at the time, the duty of the church to 'protect the virtue' of it's women and this was done through enclosure. Women were kept from all parts of social connection save those deemed acceptable by the Church. Within those gatherings, women were safe, free of sinful opportunities and for all intensive purposes, free.

While today this seems outrageous and archaic, we are again centering ourselves around safety. Hollywood spoonfeeds us more than enough fictional calories to keep us satisfied. And we happily and willingly continue to sit at our highchair playing 'here comes the airplane.' Books are a magical thing. I have had an intimate relationship with them for most of my life, and it has been through this that I have come to understand the fascinating danger with continual complacence. The longer we sit in the high chair, the harder it will be to walk, and though wonderful as temporary companions, books don't make very helpful crutches.

Thus ends my time on the soapbox. I'm too clumsy to stay up here long anyway. How about some pictures?

Gearing Up with some posters. 

Even the spanish adds are awesome.

The gang: Tif, Me Bry, Netty

I'm not sure Bry was as excited as the rest of us...

Besos as always, 

Hil