I’m the type of person who likes to have a future trip planned. A bit restless 🙂 So this week I booked my flight to Jamaica for the end of this month. Going to a special retreat there, and I think it will be amazing. Then my sister and I did a video call and booked our hike for this summer. It will be a 6 day, 5 nights hike on Kungsleden/Kings Trail up in the northern part of Sweden. Takes a bit of planning with trains, busses, flights and making sure you book each overnight hut for the right date. Really looking forward to it, and it’s our 3rd summer we’re doing this 🙂
Apart from booking these trips, it was a pretty mellow week. For some reason going to the gym this week was very hard. Felt lethargic and the work-outs felt hard. But as always, was so good after finishing! See how happy I look hahahaaa…
Then the weekly content producing. I always share the edited pics, but here’s a pic of us checking the light on the spot where we want to shoot. Almost too hot to handle LOL…
And the light was good so it ended up looking like this…
And some more shots… I love my sugar daddy t-shirt I found in a thrift store 🙂
Also a couple of pics from the shoot I did in Puerto Escondido. Made me miss the beach…
I’m not the only model in this family. Just look at Hunter’s pose!
Sorry Hunter. Here’s a couple of more of him. Also my friend came over to help me with some computer stuff, but Hunter thought it was enough work for one night and just planted himself on his computer 🙂
Sunday-funday, you up to something? I think I’m going to paint on a Psychonaut Explorer jacket I’m working on and then go to a cafe and read. Right now I’m reading the 2nd book of Joe Abercombie’s ‘The Age of Madness’ series. I read the previous trilogy before this one too and liked it a lot. It’s nice when reading a series you know the characters and can keep plowing through.
Sooo, whatever you’re up to, I wish you a happy Sunday and a great upcoming week!
this week. First time shooting with Fernando and we had so much fun. Here are some behind the scenes pics…
Then the weekly smut got produced…
Shot this amazing set (if I may say so myself) from Psychonaut Explorer and these patched-up jeans…
I went to the gym too, just forgot to take any pics. So busy trying to get those gains 😉
I went to a foot doctor, or whatever they are called, because I have some pain in a joint by the big toe. I don’t even know how to explain what’s going on there, just that he told me to go get custom made soles for my shoes. The soles are going to take the pressure off in the area that’s hurting. Got measured and they made prints of my big-ass feet.
Then I had a couple of phone calls with a psilocybin retreat in Jamaica. I’m going there in the end of May for about a week. I’m so excited as it’s my first time to Jamaica too. Can’t wait to share the experience. And this upcoming week I have a zoom meeting with some people about visiting more retreats. Fingers crossed. I hope that in the future I can host a retreat myself as I love and believe in the power of psychedelics and nature’s medicine 🙂 Any of you guys ever been to something similar?
Here in Mexico City you always run into cute dogs… And pigs 🙂 The pig apparently looks for chewing gum that she loves the owner told me. Sounds yummy 😉
But the cutest of them all is Hunter of course. In the last pic he’s sitting in the shower waiting for me to finish brushing my teeth so we can go to bed 🙂
I guess tomorrow is a holiday almost everywhere. Glad Valborg to Sweden and Hyvää Vappua to Finland. I don’t know what the holidays is called anywhere else. Something Feliz here in Mexico is my guess 🙂 Take care and catch you next Sunday!
After a vacation I always feel motivated to work. And work out 🙂 It’s crazy how fast your (or at least mine) stamina and endurance declines from taking a week off. But I’m back at it!
Shooting and I love my Mexican flag bikini 🙂 But apparently it’s not OK to use the flag on a bikini. Or it might of been wearing a bikini in public… I’m not sure, but I think I’ll only wear it on the beach in the future 🙂
Working on the Psychonaut Explorer clothes too. I spread it all out in the living room trying patches here, painting a little bit there, and it’s all done under Hunter’s supervision hahhaaaa…
A lot of working in cafes. Perfect to fill up on caffeine while checking off the ‘to-do’ list…
On Friday there was gin tasting at the hair salon. This gin is called Fresco and is produced here in Mexico City. It’s super tasty with a fruity flavor. The night ended singing Spanish songs and I obviously sucked at it, but it was a great night 🙂
And Hunter is doing well 🙂 I get now when people are obsessing over their babies and kids! I love Hunter so much!!!
That was about it for this past week. I think this upcoming week will be about the same. Got a shoot with a great photographer planned, an interview for a documentary on Swedish radio, and then just working and busting my ass at the gym 🙂
How’s the weather where you’re at? A girl told me that it’s so funny that the Scandinavians are so obsessed with the weather and go nuts when the sun comes out. Yup, I remember living in Sweden. The stress to be outdoors when the sun was out. You don’t know when you’ll get it next. Plus after like 4-5 months of cold & darkness you get a bit crazy for the sun 🙂 Here in Mexico it’s pretty much sunny and warm all the time so I forget about it…
Puerto Escondido was way better than I had expected. Such a chill and relaxed place. I guess it wasn’t always as people used to party there a lot, being loud, and staying up late. But they have changed the rules and most places now close at 11. Suited me just fine 🙂
It was also a lot hotter than I expected. First thing after checking in was jumping in my private plunge pool and cooling off 🙂
I stayed at Villa Lunaya by Zicatela beach. Someone had written in the reviews that they spent most of the time in the plunge pool. I did the same. It was the best part of staying there 🙂 But the place is really great and I’d stay there on my next trip as well. Only 4 rooms and nice design. Oh, and they have AC!!!
The location is great too. It’s on a quiet side street, but the beach is around the corner. Literally 2 mins away 🙂 So after cooling off in the pool I headed to the beach and watched the surfers in the sunset.
Decided to get sushi for dinner at Sommo. Charming place, but unfortunately the sashimi was expensive with not a lot of flavor. The seaweed salad and some special with truffle and foie gras was great though.
I was still hungry after and found these two guys flipping burgers on the street. My type of dinner and the burger was delicious.
Sometimes (a lot of times) I’m a bit restless. Or if I don’t burn off some of my energy I get antsy… What’s better than a barefoot walk on the beach?
And after that, guess what? COFFEE! As if the location couldn’t get any better, there is an awesome coffee/breakfast place just around the corner as well – Ojitos Abiertos. I was there every morning 🙂
Checked out the town after. Mostly one main street with shops, restaurants, and cafes.
There was a lot to choose from when it came to eating. There is this popular and tasty fish shack tucked away in an alley. You sweated your ass off, but the food was worth it!
Another great spot was a place right next to the cafe – La casa del surfer. Freshly caught fish for the huge fish tacos! Go early because they sell out of the fish later…
Everyone recommended the Thai restaurant called Lychee. I love Thai food and the food here tasted pretty authentic. And I spotted this beautiful red cat there that reminded me of Hunter. He was not so interested in me though 🙁
No trip is complete without some work! I found a local photographer on Instagram and we booked a shoot. Even though we were out at 8am, my makeup was melting off faster than you can say caliente! I’m waiting for the final pictures. Touched up so I look non-sweaty and flawless like a true IG model 😉 Here’s some BTS pics though…
I had a feeling after that I might have a UTI. Since I had booked a tour for the next day, I didn’t want to risk not being able to go so I decided to call a doctor over. I love how simple doctors visits are over here. I just WhatsApp’ed him, filled out a form and questionnaire and an hour later he was over. Turns out it false alarm, but better safe than sorry 🙂
So next day it was time to check out some crocodiles. Had a private tour guide and we drove about 1.5h south. He told me this place is run by the neighborhood community here.
I try to be aware of places with animals and make sure they’re not in cages or used for performing tricks etc. Since they had these deers in an enclosure I asked why. He told me that they used to hunt and eat them (and turtles) and they almost became extinct. They now realized that they can’t continue like this and these are ‘preserved’ and bred so they can have more of them in the wild in the future…
On the way to the boats there were a few stands that advertised magic mushrooms, mezcal with Peyote, and other fun stuff. Had to check it out and I asked how it was possible for them to just sell it like this in the open. If I understood him right, it’s legal there. I bought a mezcal with a magic shroom in it 🙂
After sweating so much on the tour I said we have to go to the beach next. I was dropped off at Zipolite Beach. After looking around a bit and deciding where I wanted to plant myself down, I spot a group of naked guys. I asked the guide if this was the nude beach all excited.
-“Didn’t you say you wanted to come here” he asked confused.
– “Siii”! I just though he would’ve said something, but whatever, I was happy! He left me there and said he’ll be back in 2 hours to collect me 🙂
Apparently this is the only fully legal nudist beach in all of Mexico.
Afterwards he took me to the little hippie town Mazunte. Wow, what a cool place. Even more chill than Zicatela. I would like to stay here a couple of days next time too.
Another beach I saw while we were out… I guess there was not that many people on this beach so the lifeguard had time to do some fishing too 🙂
Great day. Finished it up with dinner at this restaurant SHA with Oaxacan food. Ate here twice and my favorite dish was the seafood tlayudita. It’s something local, but damn how tasty!!!
Some more pics of whatever else that caught my eye. This little local cat family for example 🙂
The flight back to Mexico City was at 10:30pm. Luckily I was able to pay for a check-out at 6pm so I spent the day in the plunge pool and on the beach…
Last dinner before heading back to the airport at Atarraya. Very nice place and the spicy pineapple mezcal drink was muy bueno! Had to have 2 🙂
And before I say bye I want to give recommendation for all the fellow travellers out there. I travelled with only a carry on. I have had this bag for about 7 years and it has travelled the world with me and it is still in perfect condition. There are so many pockets and compartments so everything stays organised. I’m not getting paid for this, but truly just love this bag for travel and want to recommend it 🙂 (www.ebags.com)
Flight home was delayed an hour, but the flight between Puerto Escondido to CDMX is only an hour and 15 min so no stress… Really great vacation and I’m pretty sure I will visit again 🙂
Happy Easter to you all! I miss the påskägg, aka the Easter Eggs I used to get in Sweden. Like a colorful paper egg filled with candy. I always used to tell my mom not to go cheap on the candy. Made sure she went to a place with the highest quality candy. Since I always hated buying socks, my mom always put socks in my Easter egg too hahahaaa. Anyways, what do do you think of my Happy Easter cards? Hunter wanted his own one…
Also got bored of my hair so went and got it changed up. Someone told me that only crazy girls and strippers have pink or blue hair. Well, sounds like I’m somewhere right in between hahahaaa…
Got the camera out right away and made the most of the styled hair…
Since I’m hitting the beach tomorrow I dragged my butt to the gym so I can show off my soon-to-be-6-pack 😉
I watched a lot of great movies this week. I got 2 new movie services – Arrow Player and Criterion. I really recommend them! Cool and different movies on both. I also saw the new John Wick film. Lots of action but I kind of got annoyed people were getting shot/punched etc like 50 times without dying. I got to say I prefer the 1st and 2nd one better. But action-wise it delivered.
Then on Arrow I saw ‘Millionaires Express’ (1986). It is a martial arts, western, comedy movie from Hong Kong, written and directed by Sammo Hung. It’s funny, exaggerated, and with a lot of ‘kung fu’ fighting. I’d give it 3.75 out of 5.
Then watched ‘Before Sunrise’ (1995) & ‘Before Sunset’ (2004) with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Just have to re watch the 3rd movie in the ‘series’ next Before Midnight (2014). I love these movies. I love the story and that it spans over 19 years with the same main characters. I really recommend these if you’re in the mood for some romance stuff. I rate them strong 4’s out of 5.
Then watched ‘The Executioner’ (1974). A Japanese martial arts movie where three street toughs are hired to take down a Tokyo drug dealer. A lot of action, fighting, and with great sound effects. I laughed a lot as it’s funny as well. I rate it 3.9 out of 5.
Finally watched ‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001). I like David Lynch and this was a great movie. A mystery/thriller that is a bit twisted with some weirdness in it. I really liked it. I give it 4 out of 5.
I’m also almost finished with the series ‘Better Call Saul’ and ‘The Last of Us’. I love Saul and might have to rewatch Breaking Bad after this. ‘The Last of Us’ has gotten better and more exciting the further in the series you get.
OK, going to finish my coffee and then go eat somewhere. Then packing for Puerto Escondido. Limiting myself to a carry on since I’m guessing I’ll be in a bikini most of the time 🙂 Unless I locate the nude beach hehehee… Leaving tomorrow until Friday.
I feel like I got a lot of good work done these 2 weeks. I’m still working on this site, but a little stuck right now. Shot some Psychonaut Explorer stuff. Recruited the beautiful Elisa to model too 🙂
Trying to cut out my own text from these rhinestone sheets. Not the smoothest thing, but I like the result…
And then showed off my modeling skills. Hello America’s Next Top model…
And then the stuff that’s been making (most) people happy since 19XX …
I was invited to a party called Bresh on Friday with Dyana. Can’t believe I used to party and after party until the next day. Now I was happy eating tacos at 3am before going to sleep not being totally f*cked up . I think it’s called getting old 🙁
Also feels good to be back at the gym. I didn’t work out while in LA, and then I was kind of sick for a week after. Damn it’s hard to get started again… ugh!
And not to forget Hunter S Thompson. I call him King of the Castle and he pretty much gets whatever he wants 🙂
Since he was living in the woods before I got him, I think he might of hurt his back legs at some point. He kind of just leaves them ‘hanging’ and the just plays with the front legs. Sometimes I also suspect he just might be a little lazy…
I found an awesome doctor here in Mexico City. He treats my shallow spider-veins on the legs with laser and injections. Tiny bit painful, but as we say in Swedish – vill man vara får man lida pin!
Other than this stuff I got a hair treatment, chilled in the park, and enjoyed some morning coffee in bed 🙂
Tonight I’m going to see the new John Wick movie. Also looking to plan a trip to Puerto Escondido. Everyone here says it is beautiful there and I miss the beach! And if anyone here has done overnight and multi day hiking in Switzerland, Slovakia, Norway or Finland, hit me up with recommendations please 🙂
It was a busy couple of weeks after coming back from Argentina and before going to LA. One of my favorite things after travelling is going back to the gym and getting a good sweat. Somehow I haven’t been dragging my a*s to a gym on my recent trips. For me working out is as much for my mental well being as physical health. I need to get the energy out or I’ll get feisty hahahaaa… Yeah, and I spilled coffee on me before the gym so it looks like I’m lactating something semi white 😉
Then the hair needed fixing, claws sharpened, and put some lashes on…
The weekly pics and vids were made 🙂
And catching up on cuddles with Hunter. Not really hard since when I say it’s nap time he comes and curls up on the couch with me. Or sleeps in the bed and with his back legs on the pillow hahahaaaa…
Then it was time to pack for LA. I usually don’t bring that much, because I end up shopping and bringing back an overweight suitcase 🙂 Some stuff I can’t get here in Mexico and other things are expensive here so I stock up in LA 🙂
Rented a car at LAX and I can really recommend this company called Kyte to rent from. Supersmooth. They pay for an Uber black from outside the terminal to their pickup location 10 min away. You don’t need to go to the Uber/Lyft location. Returned the car so early so no one was there, but no problem. Just take a picture of the car and jump into a paid Uber again.
Drove straight out to Palm Desert. The next day a friend of mine got married. Obviously I had scouted out a coffee spot to hit first thing in the morning. Priorities! The place is called Varraco and the coffee was superb!
That day they had some kind of Porsche meet-up at the coffee shop. I like Porches and it was great to see so many cool ones. If I’d get a Porsche it would be a GT of some kind 🙂
The wedding started at 3pm. It was a beautiful ceremony and event. They’ve asked for guests to refrain from posting on social media. I only snapped a couple of myself because I thought my dress was awesome 🙂
I stayed at a friends RV when in Palm Springs. I love RV’s and campers. I hope one day to make a longer trip in an RV and just drive, park in beautiful spots, and hike around. Maybe in Iceland? (just a little side note)
The day after the wedding I hit Varraco coffee again. Then went to check out this art installation… I wanted to hike a bit, but it was hot and decided to pack up and head out to LA… I really liked Palm Desert and will most likely come back!
It was great to see my sister, Sandy and her family. Always a lot of catching up. And now Sandy has a cat too and we decided it must be a relative to Hunter because they’re both soooo cute 🙂
My sister and I spent Monday hitting the stores. I buy a lot of my patches, feathers, rhinestones etc in Downtown LA. My sister and I have similar taste and we had an all day spree… I had to sit down while my sister tries on the fifty-eleventh hoodie LOL…
The next day I hit a location with Sandy and took advantage of her makeup skills 🙂
We hit some coffee spots too. One of my favorites is Dinosaur Coffee in Silver Lake where I used to live. Another one is Laidrey in the Valley.
Some more content being produced 🙂
And when Sandy is not around to doll me up it looks like this hahahaaa…
It sucks that the week went by way too fast!!! But hopefully it’s not too long before I get to see everyone again. My sister brought me some chocolate from Sweden. A few missing because they’ve already been devoured 🙂
Didn’t remember to take any pics, but if in LA and. you want delicious food, go to Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica. It was our last dinner with some friends and everything we ate was perfect. Super fresh and flavourful.
And then it was an 8am flight back to Mexico. I like having a whole day when I get back even though I took a 2h nap hahahaaa… My friend stayed here and watched Hunter while I was gone. I hope he still was happy to see me. He looks more confused staring at me?!?
Been very tired this weekend, but hope I’ll be good tomorrow, hit the gym, and be back on track 🙂
I planned to write this post earlier, but time flew by. So here’s the last of Argentina. What I loved about Bariloche was that it’s always close to the water and there are many beaches. This beach, and I believe all beaches in Bariloche, are with stones. Beautiful to walk along the water and I’m obviously repping my Psychonaut Explorer attire. This beach is called Playa Las Bombas and is just outside the main town.
There is a huge national park called Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi by lake Gutiérrez. From there, there are several shorter hikes you can also hike to. Refugio Frey is a popular hut nearby. One day we hiked up to the look-out spot and enjoyed the views. There is also a popular beach there so I took a little siesta there after 🙂
My favorite short hike was the one from the park to Playa Muñoz. Easy trail and about a 2h hike to get to the beach. It’s a perfect reward when you finally spot the beach. If you have to pick one day trip in Bariloche, go here! Bring a picnic and spend a day…
And where to eat in Bariloche? If I’d go back, I’d pretty much eat all my meals at these 4 restaurants. I already mentioned the restaurant Montana Grill House. Went back and ate filet Mignon and a hamburger again. Perfect!
For a quicker meal, the food truck La Cabrona. Sometimes there were two trucks, sometimes only one. The roast beef sandwich was the best!
For healthier options, the restaurant Chimi in town. Superfresh food, juices, and the desserts were some of the best! Oh, and they did have this cool Puma mural in the back 🙂
And the top notch place for steaks – Alto El Fuego. It’s in town and super popular. I ate filet Mignon there both times and it was just soooooo good. A must!
My favorite coffee spots where Cafe Delirante and Jam Rock Cafe Truck. Delirante is like a big modern coffee and work spot while Jam Rock is just a truck by the road. What I liked about Jam Rock is that they added chocolate powder, which is common in Argentina, on my cappuccino. Obviously sweet and very good 🙂 Forgot to take a pic of Delirante, but that’s me reading there in yet again, a Psychonaut Explorer shirt 🙂 Shamelessly promoting hahhaaaa…
My favorite warning sign was undoubtedly this Puma sign 🙂 There were a lot of warning signs for branches breaking off. And then just me, me, and some more me 🙂
Then we had a couple of days in Buenos Aires. I got to admit that I was not that taken away by the city. For some reason I had imagined it a bit more like Spain. We did find some good stuff though. We stayed in the neighborhood Recoleta. If I’d pick where to stay now, I’d stay in Palermo. Supercute restaurants, shops, bars and coffee spots there…
Visited the the book shop El Ateno Grand Splendid. An old theater converted to a bookstore. I love book stores by the way and there are lot of book stores in Buenos Aires.
Also found a supercool perfume shop called Fueguia. Different and unique scents.
They love pizza and everyone said we got to eat a pizza at Güerrín. From the outside it didn’t look much and I thought it might be a tourist trap. But there were so many people that I got fomo! First you enter the counter for take away. Then there was like a regular room with seating. But then a girl took us through a long basement hallway and you arrived to this!
It was packed and by the time we left, the hallway was filled with people waiting to get a table. And the pizza, one of the best! Go early (they eat late like in Spain) and definitely get a pizza here!
Had some good coffee at Bicho and cafe Gutierrez.
I liked that the airbnb we stayed at had a pool on the rooftop, Felt good to relax and fry a bit in the sun 🙂
No vacation goes without a little bit of sleazing…
That concludes my Argentina adventures. The best part about coming home? Seeing and cuddling up with Hunter of course 🙂
Got a busy week and on Friday I fly to LA wohoooo 🙂 Going to a wedding, and then my sister is joining me for a few days. We’re staying with Sandy and her family, who I also consider my extra family 🙂 Very excited about this…
One of my favorite things in Bariloche were the two overnight hikes. Our first hike was to Refugio Jakob. Also called Refugio General San Martín. Refugios as they call them are huts where you can spend the night.
The description of the hike lists it as a moderate hike during summer. We thought it was quite easy. Easy walking path and had some access points to the river where you could fill up your bottle with fresh water.
The only moderate part would’ve been the last part where you had to do some climbing. That part didn’t require any real rock climbing skills, just paying attention where you put your hands and feet.
When we started it was pretty sunny, but then it became cloudier with some rain. We were lucky to reach the hut right before it started to pour down. The people at the hut told us that they had closed the trail at noon since they feared it would get too slippery.
It’s always such a sweet feeling after hiking a few hours and then finally spotting the hut! This one was located beautifully by a lake. (I actually think almost all of the refugios in Bariloche area are located by a lake or water).
It was great to be able to order some hot chocolate on arrival and we also booked the 3 course dinner that was served at 8pm. You could bring your own food or cook with a camping stove if you had one. The use of the kitchen was not allowed. The pumpkin soup was really good and I ate it before I remembered to take a pic of it. Then it was a lentil stew with vegetables and the dessert was amazing!
We got our own room. I had to take a cat nap after the snacks and chocolate lol… Maybe too much fresh mountain air too…
Looks cold, but it actually got too hot and had to remove clothes. The only downside of this refugio I would say that the bathrooms were located a bit of a walk away from where you sleep. I had to go pee at night and half way up to the bathroom I started imagining pumas in the bushes. Too scared to scan around with the flashlight on my phone in case I’d spot two glowing eyes approaching me. I got half freaked out and just jumped off the trail and squatted and then made it back as fast as I could. Alive!
You could also buy breakfast which was toast and cereal. We skipped that and only had hot chocolate, tea, and some snacks we brought with us before hiking back.
Definitely recommend this hike and a stay at the refugio. It’s beautiful and it took us about 5h both ways with some breaks. Cost of the stay is 5000 ARS pesos/person. Dinner 4500 ARS pesos/person. Breakfast 2500 ARS.
The second overnight hike was to Refugio Laguna Negra. Also called Refugio Italia or Manfredo Segre. This trail is listed moderate/hard during summer months. It’s 10,5km and says it takes about 4-6h to hike it. Comfortable trail to hike on. The toughest part is the last 2-3 km in the end that is steep uphill. I loved this trail and it pretty much followed a river the whole way.
The weather was sunny and it was great to take breaks, eat snacks and listen to the river.
The uphill part was sweaty. When you start the climb there is a sign. Didn’t understand it first and had no wifi so I couldn’t use Google translate. I think it looks like the stick figure is holding a rolled up magazine. But then we started spotting piles with logs next to the trail and figured out they were asking you to bring a couple of logs with you…
I marked the trail in between the red lines snaking its way up.
The views when you are getting towards the top and the end are amazing!
The 2nd picture above is the last part of the trail before you finally get over the ridge and see the lake and hut. So beautiful!
This hut felt a bit more rustic. You went up the small ladder and there are mattresses lined up in bunk-beds. You pick your spot first come, first serve. Nice view from the bedroom window though 🙂
Since it was still sunny and and hot, we sat outside enjoying the lake view, catching some sun, and reading. I tried to befriend the bird too, but it was only interested in my muffin leftovers…
Also got 3 rounds of one of my favorite games, Yatzy. I’m a sore loser in games and take them way too seriously hahahaaa…
Here they also offered dinner. Pretty much the same options as at Jakob, but here you could also get pizza. Opted for pizza and it was so good!
The hut was only lit by candles at the table and it was great chatting with other hikers. Slept pretty good and the kitchen opened at 8am. Skipped breakfast and only ordered coffee. Since Argentina won the World Cup, you could pretty much buy anything with the football team on. One couple had this thermos for example 🙂 Beautiful lighting in the morning…
Beautiful day hiking back as well…
I loved this trail. There was so many great spots by the river where you could sit down and enjoy the nature. Cost of the stay is 5000 ARS pesos/person. Pizza 3500 ARS pesos.
If you plan to visit and hike in Bariloche, this is a great website with info about shorter or longer hikes. Also with links to the refugios since it is necessary to book your stay in advance – https://www.barilochetrekking.com/
The longer hikes also sometimes require you to fill out a form online. You tell them on who is hiking, where, when and the dates. This to make it easier to plan rescue missions in case it would be necessary. Apparently you have to pay for the rescue if you didn’t submit the form before hand.
Also as I mention in the previous post, hiking gear is expensive here and the selection is a bit limited. I would try to bring what I need from home.
I wish we would’ve had the time for one more overnight hike. Well well, next time 🙂 Will have more post about the rest of Bariloche and Buenos Aires coming 🙂
Arrived in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night. Luckily my face recovered pretty good and I looked pretty much like my passport picture even though I was still swollen.
Only had time to check in at the Airbnb and grab a coffee (and snap a semi nudish pic) in the morning before it was time to head to another airport and catch a domestic flight to Bariloche.
The rental car guy waited at the airport with the car and we were able to get a better rate by paying him in US dollars. Not sure how many of you know about the economic situation and the inflation here in Argentina? You basically are paying double if you pay by card. Half the rate if you pay cash. We were able to exchange some US dollars to their pesos so we could get past the first day. Then I sent myself a money transfer by Western Union. There was some work to it, but finally I had cash!
It’s beautiful here. We’re staying a bit outside the main area and next to the Nahuel Huapi lake. The view from the apartment.
Walked to a restaurant close by and ate some meat, walked the beach and later indulged in a bucket of ice cream 🙂 There are so many ice cream and chocolate places here!
The next day we found a great coffee truck to get the caffeine fix sorted out.
Then took a tour around the area. You pretty much have water around you at all times. Stopped and did a hike to a lookout spot called Cerro Llau Llau. Luckily there was another coffee truck there so we could have some more coffee before ascending…
Then grabbed food and had one of the best meals here so far. The restaurant is called Montana and the meats are cooked over open fire! The plan is to go back before we leave!
There are so many great spots and viewpoints so there are many stops along the way…
On Friday we drove about 2,5h south to a town called El Bolson. Apparently a bunch of hippies came here in the 60’s and 70’s and the town definitely had a bohemian and relaxed vibe. I really liked it here. It reminded me of Salt Lake City in Utah with all the surrounding mountains…
The next day we took a hike up to Refugio de Montaña Cerro Piltriquitrón. They have a lot of gravel roads here and we had to first drive 8km up to the parking spot before hitting the trail…
Even though it was all uphill, the trail was pretty even and easy to hike. Great views over the city.
From the refugio you can continue up to a mountain top. We went up a bit, but didn’t go all the way to the top. Crazy how the weather changes as you go upwards. From hot-that-you-can-wear-shorts, to cold ass winds that you wish you brought your gloves,
Before we headed back down we stepped inside the refugio and had a cup of hot chocolate. Talked to the guy that worked there. He had been living there for the past year. He hiked down frequently to buy supplies, food and a 30kg gas tanked that he hiked up with on his back. By the way, you could also eat pizza and have a beer here. The 2nd hut is the one you could spend the night in and you can also camp up here.
4 days a week they have a market in town. For being a small town, the market was huge! But some knitted socks and a hat from a local lady and they cost like $20. Will show pics, just haven’t worn them yet.
Got back to Bariloche last night. Today we went into the main town and got some stuff for our overnight hike tomorrow. I really thought they would have more and cheaper hiking gear here since this is an outdoorsy town. Kind of like when I was in New Zealand. But there is not a huge selection and because it’s all imported it costs more too. But got what we needed and I’m so excited for the hike.
Had to eat some more ice cream too. Mamuschka, one of the most popular places in town and it was super good ice cream!
Gonna put some stuff out for tomorrow and go through it all in the morning before throwing it down in the backpack 🙂 All the fresh mountain air (and local wines & beers) here makes me tired early, so after that it’s off to bed 🙂 I think some of you might be watching Super Bowl so I hope your team wins if you’re a football fan!
