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After saying goodbye to Klaus and Claudia we only drove 15km south to Lago Puelo to visit Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa. We met them last May on the overnight bus to Santiago de Chile and they invited us to stay with them. We got there just in time for an evening meal German style - wholemeal and black bread, paté, ham, salami and gherkins plus Camembert cheese.
We parked in their drive and had electricity, internet and a water tap. Perfect! Pinki and Willi, their two dogs, were also happy to see us and Willi plays football with his paws. He's really good!!
We'd only planned to stay with them for one or two nights but Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa know the area very well as they've been living here for 7 years so we got some really good tips. There is a very nice walk from the lake up to a Mirador which kept us fit. It's also spring so the flowers are blooming, particularly the yellow gorse bushes that have a very nice smell.
There were nice smells coming from the house aswell - home made pizza, typical German pea soup, and goulash. They really spoiled us! We went to see the Inca Head rock formation, had a picnic along the banks of the Río Azul which is quite blue from the glacial minerals and also visited the Museo de Piedras Patagónicas. It's run by their friends Eduardo and Isabel who are passionate geologists. They have been touring around Patagonia for decades collecting samples of every rock and mineral in the area. The result is quite an impressive collection that is for everyone to see. They even opened up the museum for us on a day when it is normally closed!
Afterwards we sat with them and had tea and cakes. It took a lot of concentration to understand the rapid Spanish. Maria Luisa was born in Argentina to German parents and then lived in Germany for years. She is fluent in both languages. Hans-Uwe has learned Spanish over the last 11 years so he can understand everything. Us two - well we manage surprisingly well but we were there for over an hour so we started getting very tired!
We left for four nights because we got a tip from Hans-Uwe about Piedra Parada. It's a large canyon with rock formations where lots of people go for rock climbing and the two of them did a tour there years ago. It's further south off highway 12 so we decided to head down there to see it. Unfortunately it's off road on gravel and sand which means we'll get lots of dust inside Winnietwo again!
When we left Lago Puelo we filled up with diesel only to find out that our diesel tank is leaking again! We thought we'd fixed it - well it held for about 9 months but now it's leaking again. Probably because we stored it in El Bolsón where they had a harsh winter. Everything froze. So maybe that was the problem. Anyway we'll have to go back to filling up to the three quarter mark again until we get it fixed.
We headed south and stopped once we reached the gravel and sand road so that we could put tape on the back door to try and stop dust coming inside. We had about 60km to drive on sand but the road was quite good and we could even get into fourth gear!!! We stopped to do a short walk along Camino Angosto where there are some hoodoos (sandstone pinnacles).
Then we turned off to get to the rock climbing area and had to drive over a bridge and then through water to get to a government trailer with information. There were a lots of cars there and not enough space for us so we continued up a very bumpy gravel road, following Hans-Uwe's instructions, across more rivers, to get to a caldera of a volcano that is no longer active.
Just before sunset we found a really good area where we could park and stayed there for two nights. Of course we had to go through the cleaning operation shaking out all the seat covers and wiping over all the surfaces to get rid of the dust. At least the tape had worked so there wasn't too much sand and dust inside. But then we could enjoy our spot. There was absolutely no one around, just us and the stars! Beautiful!
Great overnight spot at the Piedra Parada volcano crater - 360° Panorama
(move mouse over panorama and click on the arrows)
We did a 10km walk around the area that had a few hoodoos, one or two arches, a farm (!) and a huge amount of birds. The next day we left our spot and drove back down to the information trailer. We did an 8km walk into the canyon (Cañadon Las Buitrera) to watch all the rock climbers. They weren't going up very high but we still had neck problems just watching them!
The canyon is quite open at the start and gets smaller and narrower as you walk through. There was an international climbing competition here 2 years ago and it is now very well known. A lot of the climbs are marked with pre-drilled hooks and all the climbing groups use a guide book which we could take a look at in the information trailer.
At the far end another narrow canyon goes off to the right and we tried to climb up through a water chute. But it was too slippery to get very far as can be seen from the photos! On the way back we also saw a vizcacha (chinchilla), a white falcon and a lizard with a very short tail.
We stayed for the night and then headed further south on the Ruta 12, which, according to the ranger, was good to drive. But after 10km we turned around - too sandy, too bumpy and with a hefty side wind we were creating a massive dust cloud. Not much fun! So we turned around and drove back to the tarmac. We stopped for coffee but first spent almost an hour trying to get rid of all the dust. Even less fun! It was almost 6pm when we finally sat down for coffee and was too late to get back to Lago Puelo before dark so we decided to stay where we were for the night.
When we drove back into El Bolsón the next day to do some shopping we went to a place that sells lots of herbs and spices that you can't really get in many places. I had a long list of things to buy from a book that I had been reading and wanted us to change our eating habits.
Over the last few days I had been reading a book recommended to me in England - "How Not To Die" by Dr. Michael Greger. He's a doctor in America who has looked at all the studies on food and nutrition and put the results into a book for lay people to understand. It is really interesting and I wanted us to try out some of the suggestions.
Kirsten didn't need to read the book because I was reading out various passages that were particularly important, interesting, or astonishing. It seemed that we didn't have to change our eating habits much and we could live a great deal healthier. Here are just a few of the things I found out:
1. Cruciferous vegetables (one portion a day). These include broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cabbage, bok choy. After chopping them up for cooking wait 40 minutes before using them to allow the sulfuraphanes to activate. These are anti cancer, defend against pathogens, prevent lymphoma, boost liver detox enzymes, manage type 2 diabetes and help protect the brain and eyesight. If you can't wait then just sprinkle some mustard powder over them and then you can cook them right away. Frozen veg are chopped and blanched immediately so sprinkle mustard powder on them to get the sulfuraphanes.
2. Ginger (fresh or ground). One eighth of a teaspoon has the same effects as 400mg Ibuprofen i.e. anti inflammatory and pain reducing. I noted this down for Kirsten as she gets migraines but she hasn't had one yet to test it on!!
3. Berries. The top five are blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries, in that order. Anti cancer, boost immune system, guard liver and brain and full of anti oxidants.
4. Oregano protects against radiation, is anti cancer and anti inflammatory. Coriander helps reduce gout and cinnamon reduces blood sugar.
5. Turmeric is a powerful all rounder and we should take a quarter of a teaspoon per day. Anti cancer, anti inflammatory, helps arthritis, prevents bone density loss (osteoporosis). Also helps with diabetes and Alzheimers and lowers cholesterol. But don't take too much! It works better if you add black pepper but if you have gall stones - don't use it because it will exacerbate them and cause pain!
6. Nuts are very healthy - prolong life, anti cancer and lower risk for heart problems. Walnuts are very good - 3 portions a week lower cancer risk by 50%. Pistachios lower cholesterol.
7. Tomatoes - the healthiest part is the yellow substance surrounding the seeds so if buying tins then choose whole, crushed or diced.
8. The top cancer reducers are cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green onion or spring onions, leek and garlic followed by orange paprika, English cucumber, radishes, potato and beetroot. Radishes are 100% effective against stomach cancer in a petri dish! Paprika is best eaten raw as the cooked version loses 70% of its nutrients. Carrots and green beans are better eaten cooked rather than raw.
9. Greens protect against chronic disease and prolong life - kale, collard greens, spinach, arugula.
So according to Dr Breese (and Dr Greger!) we need the following per day:
- One tablespoon of ground flaxseed (another wonder substance that helps against most of the common health disorders. It's also anti cancer, reduces high blood pressure and helps digestion.)
- one quarter teaspoon turmeric (see 5 above)
- 1.5 cups of beans or lentils (approx 90 grams or 3 ounces)
- 1 piece of fresh fruit
- half a cup of fresh or frozen berries (includes raisins)
- half a cup of greens
- half a cup of cruciferous vegetables (see 1 above)
- half a cup of other vegetables
- one quarter cup of nuts or seeds (approx 30 grams or one ounce)
- 3 portions of whole grains. One portion = half a cup of hot cereal or cooked grains, pasta or corn; one cup of cold cereal; one tortilla or slice of bread; 3 cups of popcorn (well the author is American!)
- 5 glasses of beverages a day
- 90 minutes of moderate exercise or 40 minutes of vigorous exercise per day.
Well, that's quite a list and we probably won't turn vegetarian or vegan overnight! But the book does warn about meat, particularly poultry. Years ago we were always told that red meat was worse than white meat but apparently the mass production of poultry means that white meat is now so full of fat, growth hormones and antibiotics that it should be avoided. Red meat is slightly better but not much and should still be avoided.
We enjoy our milky coffee too much to turn vegan and we're probably not going to give up eggs but we could at least try to eat more fruit and veg and we definitely want to try out the flax and turmeric wonder products!
It just so happens that El Bolsón has a great shop selling natural products so we made a list and Kirsten had to hold me back from buying the whole shop! Anyway we spent less than $20 on dried beans, oats, nuts, seeds, flax, turmeric, raisins, quinoa, dried fruit and prunes, ground ginger and mustard.
When we got back to Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa I told them about the book aswell and they ordered it straight away online! They also phoned up their vet who sells walnuts and we bought a kilo of shelled walnuts for 200 pesos (about $11). They also took us to a local bakery in El Bolsón (Almacén de Panes, Av. San Martin 2231, Galeria "El Patio") who sells very good German style bread. The owners are using Hans-Uwe's own bread recipes!
We stayed in Lago Puelo for another 8 nights. We went along a very steep walk up to La Virgen where there is a statue of Mary and a viewpoint above the town. We invited our hosts out for coffee and cake at a local café and then they asked us to go on a day trip to Cajón Del Azul. It was a walk that Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa had wanted to do for a long time.
So we made salads the night before and drove north of El Bolsón along a gravel track to get to the start of the walk. It was only supposed to be around 10 miles return and didn't look very steep on Google.
It turned out to be quite a tough walk with several long ascents and descents. The first 2km was downhill which would be hard on the return as it would mean climbing right at the end. There were a total of seven long and steep uphills/downhills. Oh, Oh! Is this going to be too much for them?
It was very cold when we set out and we crossed the Río Azul twice on bridges. Maria Luisa was struggling after 90 minutes so we sat down and took a break. We ate the salads that had been prepared - Kirsten's quinoa, kidney beans, carrots and onions and Maria Luisa's was green beans, egg and tomato. They tasted really good together! There were also Frikadellen (meat balls) and bread.
We set off again 35 minutes later and continued up and downhill past two lookout points. When we got to La Playita, a campground and picnic area on a bend in the river where there is a sandy beach, Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa decided they wouldn't be going any further.
It was difficult to say how far we had already walked and how far there was left to walk. There were no mile markers or signs but I could work out roughly that we had around 1.8km to 2km left to do, based on the time it had taken us so far and the length of the walk as per Google. But they still decided that it was too much and they wanted to concentrate on getting back.
Kirsten and I set off to walk to the end. Hans-Uwe said he would write in the sand on the path, letting us know what time they had left the Playita to walk back. It only took us another 35 minutes and Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa could have made it. They were so close.
The Cajón Del Azul turned out to be a very narrow part of the canyon where the river is 40 metres below a wooden bridge made from tree trunks that spans across the gap. We explored the area and went further up the river to see waterfalls before returning to the bridge for more photos.
We set off on the return journey and got back to the Playita at 4pm. Hans-Uwe had written 2-30pm in the sand so they were 1.5 hours ahead of us. The return walk seemed to have more uphill stretches and we were getting pretty tired so we didn't think we would catch them up but when we got back up to the car park at 6pm we saw Hans-Uwe and Maria Luisa - they had just got back themselves!! They were completely exhausted and vowed never to go hiking again!!! It was definitely a tough walk and we were very tired ourselves, and we're used to hiking!
Cajón Del Azul
The hike had already been recommended to us by Klaus and Claudia and we were really happy that we had had the chance to do it. Good job it wasn't too hot though because doing it in the heat would have been really difficult.
The next few days were relaxing. We watched the German Bundesliga and Hans-Uwe helped us attach a new switch for our water pumps as the old one had given up the ghost, making it difficult to get to the water in our two large 35 litre cannisters. He also repaired the slats in our metal heater cover which rattled a lot when we drove, particularly on gravel.
What had originally been planned as a short stay ended up being a lot longer - 11 nights plus 4 nights at Piedra Parada. If we hadn't needed to leave Argentina because our vehicle permit was running out, we would probably have stayed a lot longer because we get on so well!
On our last morning there we were enjoying our breakfast together when someone came to look at their house. It's just been put up for sale as they want to move to Tenerife. The person who came to see the house ended up buying it and all the papers were signed within a week! We had already said we would be coming over to Tenerife to house sit for them when they needed to go off on holiday somewhere!
We finally left on the 22nd November and said our fond farewells. We'll definitely see them again sometime somewhere. We have a few thousand kilometres to drive to get up to Paraguay and our vehicle permit runs out on the 14th December. So we needed to get going.
Our original plan was for me to climb Aconcagua in December but because I have a slipped disc in my back that had to be postponed until my back is better. I was doing exercises diligently which seemed to be working. So our new plan was to go to Paraguay and then into Brazil. Our new diet is also causing some differences - we now have to empty the toilet every second day instead of every third - a real shitty job!!
