chocolate caliente

Argentine Chocolate;

Creamy; 

Dreamy; 

Yummy; 

Havana loves to eat it and 

She loves to drink it!

Troll Forest

I wanted the family to go for a hike in the national forest that surrounded San Martin. I wanted us to spend time outside, in that sacred space.

The girls didn't want to get back in the car. They were burned out from the previous long days drive.

I had to use bribes of chocolate to get them to agree to get in the car.

When we found a place to hike they wouldn't get out of the car. So I left them with Don.  As I walked a few steps from the car, my mind was swirling with how I could coax them out into the fresh mountain air. Because we just had to hang out with the tall trees and mountain peaks that were serenaded with the sounds of chirping birds and rippling rivers.

Then I saw it; a perfectly round rock that reminded me of the trolls from Frozen. I ran back to the car declaring, "It's a troll forest. Come see. Come see."

                                                                                                              That's all it took to get two little
                                                                                                              cranky monkeys to come
                                                                                                              running.

                                 
                                      

As I always do when I come upon a river, I put the water on my third eye and other chakra spots. I do it the girls as well. This is our style of baptism.

Havana was clearly in a silly  mood! Who wouldn't feel playful and light, outside in the sun while searching for troll rocks?!

Our hike turned out to be a stroll and it was shorter than I had hoped for. Yet, it was one that was filled with laughter and joy. Our family had created yet another phenomenal memory during our Argentine sojourn.

Villa la Angostura

 The small quaint lake side town of Villa la Angostura was our destination during our drive on Seven Lakes Road. There we had lunch with friends of family. Don had last seen Ricardo and Marlena in 1999 and remembered they as being warmhearted, welcoming and kindhearted. When we saw them in Neuqen for Carlos's birthday bash, we discovered that hadn't changed in the fifteen years since Don last visited with them. They insisted we stop in when we were in the area (which meant a two and a half hour drive from San Martin) but it was a drive well worth it.

Papa bird standing guard over......

...Mama bird who was protecting her nest.

                                           

Ricardo and Don.

With Marlena.

View from the front yard.

 Marlena took us to the library she founded in the poor area of town. There was no library for the children so Ricardo recruited a friend to donate an old freight container and they transferred it into a library for the children. With the help of donations from friends and family it has become a success; there are many books and even places to do homework. They even have a story time. When I saw this place,  I was so moved that I decided when we returned home, I would do some thing with my Girl Scout troop to raise some money to donate to the school.

In front of their house; look at the reflection from their living room window. Imagine waking up that each day.

                      

 

Seven Lakes Road

Seven Lakes Drive in Patagonia, Argentina was one of the most breath taking places I had ever set my eyes upon. Yes, the Falls were beyond spectacular. The Mountain surrounding San Martin, splendid. But this stretch of planet earth was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. 

Nestled in the between snow capped mountains, amongst national parks where forests and meadows are home to wild flowers, grazing animals and protected trees, lies Seven Lakes Road that connects San Martin de los Andes with Bariloche, a larger city in the Andes regions. A few quaint towns are tucked in along the way but what makes this area stand out was the striking natural beauty in a remote setting that left me feeling like I was a visitor from a foreign planet, not just one from the northern hemisphere. I felt as if I was touching upon sacred ground. And I was. I am not sure the girls could grasp the magnitude of the surroundings but they oohed and ahhed at dazzling lakes that seemed to never end. (The girls actually counted the lakes; we got to thirteen when we reached our destination in Villa La Angostra).

The girls got a bit fussy being in the car for so long and after the third family photo stop got a bit annoyed but I had to capture our family in this precious place. A short but rejuvenating stop at one of the lakes worked wonders on their restlessness.

Those numbers are kilometers not miles!

 

We met these music students at one of the lookouts. Their teacher (in red in the rear) was kind enough to take one of our family shots.

Not too long before we saw these men hard at work building a rock wall, I was wondering how the rock walls were built. I was glad I got my answer sooner than later and I was thankful the girls got to see the answer too. I think that these type of things, learning how things are built and seeing people hard at work are just as important than any lesson at school.

Amara said her babies wanted to be in a photo near the pretty lake.

 

Photo by Amara C. !

Children outside, in the natural world; no toys; no gadgets; The best type of fun!

 

After a long day, we had two girls that were too sleepy to stay awake. They conked out in the back sit which gave Don and I some much appreciated quiet space to take in the sights on our drive home.  This was one day, one place that will stay with me.