Monday, July 20, 2009

Argentina Day 15 - A Long Drive around the lake (kinda)

Ah, a wonderful morning at Los Juncos in Bariloche. Woke up on this morning to another lovely day, and a wonderful breakfast to get the day started. We weren't quite sure what we were going to do, but during breakfast we decided to drive to the other side of the lake to check out this small town called Villa la Angostura, and to take in the amazing views. You cannot drive completely around the lake, so we were in for a long drive (2 hours each way). But this is vacation, time doesn't exist...


Another view of the B&B, from the road. Very lush.

This is the inside of the B&B. We spent our last night chillin' on these chesterfields with Gabriel. A wonderful place to spend a couple days.

Another view of the insides. That's Mark eating breakfast in the left side of the photo.

A large cup of coffee and a wonderful breakfast spread. We were the only ones eating breakfast at this particular time, on this particular morning.

A very beautiful scenic view, from our drive around the lake.

This is the small harbour of Villa la Angostura. That peninsula you see has a 12km hike, from the tip back to town. More on that in a later post (we didn't hike it this day, but came back the following day).

Lunchtime! Mark found a neat hat.

More beautiful views of the lago.

Mark and Meg. Self-portrait. Should it be selfs-portrait, or selves-portrait??

The bar at the B&B.

Night vibes at the B&B.

Another shot of the bar.


Argentina Day 16

Day 16 involved another drive around the lake, to go back and do the hike we didn't do the previous day. This day wasn't as hot and beautiful as the previous day, which was probably a good thing as the cooler the better when hoofin' it for 12km.


We took a boat out to the peninsula point, where we were dropped off to begin our hike.

Came across some old school something going on. Not sure what the dude was up to, but he had some beasts to assist him.

Meg about to walk through mini tree tunnel.

The ultimate tourist shot, taken by a tourist. Hike almost done.

This was probably the highlight of the hike as we actually had an elevation change.

Hike complete. That sign says the name of the park, which is a National Park.

We ate lunch right near the entrance to the park. While we were eating, this St. Bernard wanted to join us. They have these St. Bernards for the tourists. One can take a photo with one of these badboys, for like 10 bucks or something. Rip off. Strange.

Flavia and Gabby from the Los Juncos B&B, with Meg and Mark. Flavia ran the joint and Gabby cooked (and poured wine). They were amazing hosts! We will see them again one day, "I guarantee it".


Argentina Day 18

Back in Buenos Aires after a long bus ride! Boy was it nice to not have to ride buses anymore. This day was filled with relaxing and shopping in our favorite BA neighborhood, Palermo Viejo. I think the weather was 40 degrees celsius, which translates to like 104 fahrenheit. Real hot, so relaxation was definitely on the menu.


Meg relaxing at our final hotel, Hotel Costa Rica.

Trip is almost over...safe to say we did some drinking!

Been a long trip... Or, that wine is really getting to my head...



We started the night with some cocktails. That same band we randomly came across way back was playing in the park across the street.


Argentina Day 17

Well, trip was coming to a close. Posting all this stuff 6 months after the fact has been fun as it has given me the opportunity to reminisce about the trip. I miss it tons...


The start of our last bus ride. This one was 17 hours in duration. This ride was strange cuz we started it in the morning. No vino straight away on this ride.

Somewhere in the middle of Argentina.

Very loopy.

Nightime...break out the vino!!


Argentina Day 14 - Mas Bariloche

Day 14, Bariloche and surrounding area, Argentina. We were real excited about this day as we were headed about 12 miles along the lake to a small B&B, which ended up being probably THE highlight of the trip. It was a vacation within a vacation, so to speak. Two nights of wonderful food, company, wine, and relaxation.


We stumbled across this little tienda, in the middle of nowhere, that had wonderful baked goods and empanadas. We bought some stuff to take back to the B&B.

Ahhh...Los Juncos... This was the name of the B&B.

They had a nice little area to relax. The B&B was real small, maybe 6 rooms, but we were the only ones to hang in this area. We spent many hours here, soaking it all in.

View from the common area shown above. This is the entire structure.

B&B, R&R, wine.

A bare tree.

This one is for Mr. Benjamin Tarr.

There was a croquet set, which we were more than happy to use.

This was a local dog that would hang out on the property. His name is Cacho, which apparently translates to idiot, or something along those lines. I use the word all the time now. Que pasa Cacho? That is what the chef at the B&B would say to Cacho. If Cacho could answer he would have said "Tengo hambre".


Weekend at Shawnigan

We spent this past weekend at the always wonderful Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island. Amazing, amazing, amazing! The weather was wonderful (except for the wind). We caught fish, ate good food, did a bit of moseying [sic], and of course had some beers and wine. Here are some of the general vibes from the trip.


Liz (Meg's Mum) gave me a fishing rod/reel set for my graduation. This is the first fish caught with the setup. This was caught off the dock, which is the reason for it being quite small. Need to venture out on the lake to catch some big ones. This is a smallmouth bass. It put up a decent fight.

Went to Bucky's in Duncan, which is a general outdoors/fishing/hunting store. They sell 'Butt Juice'...I didn't buy any.

Meg chillin' at the cabin.

Liz chillin' at the cabin.

Mark chillin' at the cabin.

Meg and Mark chillin' at the cabin.

BBQing is mandatory at Shawnigan. On this particular evening, we had Maui Short Ribs. They were very yummy.

The BBQ got real hot.

Meg about to enjoy some vino.

Meg enjoying some vino.

Meg caught a fish as well! Pretty sure this is a Lake Trout...little guy.

We went to a Lavender farm on Sunday morning. There is a labyrinth there, which I was excited about.

There is the labyrinth...not what I was expecting...

Lavender for days at the Lavender farm.

The crew on the ferryboat, returning to Vancouver. Mark, Meg, Jen, and Chris walking in the background. They stayed at the cabin Friday night, then went to visit family on Saturday and Sunday.

Can't wait for the next Shawnigan adventure! More fishing!!!




Friday, July 17, 2009

Film Vibrations, Seattle and Birkenhead Lake

Got some film back from the trips to Seattle and Birkenhead Lake. Here are some that we like.