Thinking back on 2023 and trying to summarize it with a couple of words. What comes to mind is adventure and experiences. I also have some questions about my direction and where I’m headed. Still can’t answer that one hahhaaaa… I love to travel and being in nature, so I hope 2024 includes that. I also hope I get to be healthy so I can keep exploring and experiencing!
Here are a few highlights from last year…
Visiting Patagonia in Argentina in February. Stayed in Bariloche and it was beautiful. Surrounded by water and nature. Also visited the little town El Bolsón where I would spend more time in if I visited again.
It was weird travelling and being in a country with such high inflation. You paid double for things if you paid with a card. To get cash you had to wire it to yourself and then line up at Western Union to get it.
Went to a wedding of a good friend in Palm Desert. Everything was kept off social media so I couldn’t post pics of the beautiful groom & bride. I really enjoyed Palm Desert and hope to go back.
After Palm Desert I went to LA and my sister came too from Sweden. We stayed with Sandy and her family so I got the good stuff all at once, family & friends while visiting LA. Took advantage of Sandy’s make up skills and got some work done too… I’m trying to plan a trip to LA asap to see Sandy as I miss her a lot!
In April I visited Puerto Escondido here in Mexico for the first time. Wow, what a cool beach town. Not busy and developed like Tulum. Very chill and relaxed. Would definitely go back here too 🙂
In May I went to the Mycelia Retreat in Jamaica. Definitely one of the top experiences in 2023 that made a big impact on me. Such a beautiful time with mushrooms and an amazing group of people. I hope to host my own retreat this year. Let me know if you’re interested in coming 🙂
In June it was time for a yearly hike up north in Sweden for my sister and I. 3rd year in a row and we plan to keep this going. This time we did the first part of the Kings Trail. 6 days and 5 nights and we loved every day of it!
In August I visited Oaxaca the city. Very beautiful. Drove to the small village called San Jose del Pacifico. It was mushroom season and had a great mushroom trip out in the woods there.
In October it was time for Medellin in Colombia. First time trying paragliding and another mushroom trip 🙂
And the last adventure of the year went to San Miguel de Allende. That trip included trying Kambo and San Pedro for the first time. Very powerful and intense experience.
Not to forget, Hunter celebrated 1 year as a new family member. I love him so much 🙂
Soooo, how about you? Got goals, direction or things you want to do/achieve in 2024? I hope you gotten a fabulous start to this new year!
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.
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 GüerrÃn. 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 MartÃn. 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.Â
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 🙂
I was recommended a treatment called Morpheus. I’ve seen 2 friends who’ve done it on their face and they look amazing. I’m a bit impatient at times and decided to do it before my trip to Argentina. Now I’m not sure it was my brightest idea. The treatment is tiny needles with radiofrequency that puncture your skin at desired areas. This treatment is for stimulating collagen production, smoothing wrinkles etc. I did the procedure while they put me half asleep. Here’s me before…
And then me directly after. I asked for coffee as soon as I woke up and not groggy anymore…
I thought that this was kind of it. Maybe that I’d get a little bit more swollen and red. Well, I did get more swollen LOL…
Good thing my Russian friend Masha is almost a doctor and recommended Benadryl for the swelling. I’m still swollen, but it’s starting to settle. I’m flying tomorrow and hope I look a little bit more like my passport picture!
Before I swelled up like a bloated corpse, I got the necessary pics and videos done 🙂 Which reminds me that I should Google if there is a fetish for pregnant looking faces 😉
Mixed it up with some selfies…
And here are Hunters weekly dose of pics. Please note that he sometimes is too lazy to fully stand up and eat. He just gets his upper body up enough to reach the food, while the lower body still is in relax mode hahahaaa…
Also finished the embroidery of this custom Psychonaut Explorer jacket. I really enjoy embroidery. It’s very relaxing and I hope I’ll do more of it in the future…
That’s it for now. Gonna eat some more Benadryl and pack for tomorrow’s trip to Argentina. I have a couple of hikes booked there. One is an overnight hike and the second one is a 3 day hike. I’m so ready to be out in nature. If all goes according to plan, my next post will be from Patagonia 🙂
Mostly work this past week. Yesterday I had a day off with nothing planned and I felt lost. I was bored and in a bad mood. Felt like I was wasting a day. But when I try to think of what I wanted to do, nothing came to mind. Ended up reading most of the day and then watching the series Yellowjackets. Made me realize I need to ‘practice’ relaxing… Also, that reading is never a waste of time.
Finally got the new pants put up on the website. They are so damn comfy. I could live in velour!
Then there was a birthday celebration for a friend. Had to dress up in something else other than comfy velour pants 🙂
Then the usual…
My best napping buddy. Sometimes we nap on the balcony and sometimes on the couch. He sleeps in bed with me, but somehow Hunter developed a habit of waking up between 6.30 and 7am. A liiitle too early for my preference, but now I’m almost used to it 🙂
Today I finally booked my trip to Patagonia and I feel so excited about going. I’m going the week after the next, to an area called Bariloche. Will also stay a couple of days in Buenos Aires. I will try to get in as much time hiking and in nature as possible. Looking at places to stay now and I want to stay close to the water. Woop woop!
Here’s a photo dump of me at the hair salon (again), the gym, a cute Rottweiler (I grew up with 2 of them) and the series ‘The Last of Us’ being promoted here. I watched 2 episodes and not sure if I’ll keep watching. Really enjoying Yellowjackets and last night I watched couple of episodes of ‘The Other Two’ and it’s pretty funny,
Going to a small house concert tonight, but plan to be well behaved so I can have a productive week before taking off to Argentina 🙂
Are you guys prepping for the holidays? What and where are you going to spend it? Doing anything special or no f*cks given? I got a bit homesick thinking of all the special Swedish foods we have for the holidays, the cold, snow and darkness. So what did I find? A Scandinavian holiday ‘something’ celebration in one of the WhatsApp groups. Turns out it was at a church with Christmas songs in Swedish, Finnish, and Danish. And the coolest part, the girls singing them were Mexicans and sang them perfectly. Very impressed! The other best part was that they sold ‘lussebullar’, cinnamon buns and Finnish ‘mustikkapiirakka’ which is blueberry pie. Obviously I bought a bunch and suddenly I wasn’t so homesick after all 🙂
Buuuut then yesterday morning I started craving again and googled where the IKEA store is here in Mexico City. Ordered an Uber and off I went. Bought so much Swedish candy that I had stomach pain the rest of the day. But it was well worth it hahhahaaa…
Pasts weeks work for the ‘spicy’ site 🙂
Also worked on Psychonaut Explorer shooting and created a Sale section on the website.
Found my way to the gym too and feel healthy and strong now 🙂 Also tried a new gym called Commando with my friend Dyana. It was awesome and felt like a morning disco with a workout!
Are you guys following the World Cup? There are a lot of Argentinians here in the City and they all seem to gather at this restaurant around the corner here and cheer the Argentinian team on.
And Hunter is doing great. I feel like I have a kid now. We love to chill on the balcony and take naps together. At night he expects his usual treat which is turkey slices with some Philadelphia cheese that I serve him on a napkin hahahaaa 🙂
A couple of selfies and this cute pig I ran into one night when out walking 🙂
Now going to eat some cured salmon and hit the gym. Going to do some Xmas gift shopping this week, work a lot, and then I have a small Swedish Xmas celebration with friends. I feel excited for this week and hope you will have an amazing week too 🙂
