I can see Chile from my hostel!

It was freezing on the bus to Esquel. Although we didn’t leave until almost midnight and didn’t arrive until around 8, I hardly slept at all. Once we arrived, they told us we would be served breakfast. At this hostel, breakfast consisted of small pieces of bread toasted until they were croutons with some marmalade. I ate four of them and was not satiated. Emily, Lauren, Victoria, Bryan, and I decided we wanted to go hiking around Esquel. Esquel is a small town with a Colorado feel. There are beautiful gardens and you can see the Andes Mountains from every point in town. Even though it isn’t Russia, and hostel doesn’t have the same ring as house, I think it’s nice to look out my window and announce to the world: “I can see Chile from my hostel!” We wandered around Esquel for a while and hiked. We saw a little waterfall and the train tracks of La Tronchita which we were to take the next day. It was beautiful. More than anything in Esquel, however, I loved walking down the uneven streets and feeling like a part of the town. For lunch, we ordered empanadas from a local pizza place and ate in a park close to the Hostel. At first I thought that the empanadas tasted like perfection because I was famished, but after the fourth one I decided they really were just that good. That evening, the group went to Trevelin, a small Welsh town. We went to probably the smallest museum I have ever been to in my life, then we had delicious ice cream.

The next day, we went to ride La Tronchita. It was a really nice train ride and the view was wonderful. There was a little Patagonian town we stopped at near the top of the mountain, which was really nice. The ride back on the train was just as terrific. After the train, we headed together to the Parque Nacional Los Alceres. The Andes Mountains are absolutely breathtaking. There is no way else you can describe how epic it is to be surrounded by those mountains and lakes. The beauty of the water made the water in El Dique seem muddy. I love how mountains can simultaneously make you feel so physically small and your worries so miniscule and make you feel incredibly complex, importamt and carefully created. We crossed a suspension bridge, which I thought was fine, but many members of our group did not enjoy it very much. We walked around the hiking trails and I was surrounded by view after view of amazing sights. I know what Belle meant when she talked about “adventure in the great wide somewhere.” This was it. Once we returned our bus drivers made us asado for dinner (after midnight) which was delicious! The bus ride back to Rawson was lovely; Patagonia is filled with such beauty. From sandy canyons to glaciers to rocky beaches, it never fails to fill me with wonder.