On Wednesday morning, Jamila and I woke up super early and took a three hour bus ride to El Chaltén. On the way there, we stopped at a small inn which had been a hideout spot for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid while on their South American escape. Anyway, El Chaltén, known as the trekking capital of Argentina, a small village at the foot of Mt. Fitz Roy. http://www.elchalten.com/indexen.php In a pair of Converse, we hiked to a beautiful lookout of Fitz Roy and a lagoon. It was difficult, chilly, and windy, but so gorgeous. Every few minutes I had to stop just to tell myself "oh my gosh, you are hiking in Patagonia!" We were definitely sore by the end of the end, and Jamila had some bad blisters, but it was so so worth it.
Also, the town had a few St. Bernard dogs, which we befriended. Jamila's family dog Marley was half St. Bernard so for Jamila, our playtime was filled with fun and nostalgia. She even giggled!
We got back to the hostel to a full kitchen, but a lovely family from Mar del Plata invited us to sit with them and we chatted about Obama, environmental degradation in Argentina, and the English language. It was a lovely meal. Sometimes, Argentines can be cold at first and only open up once you gain their trust. This family, however, was immediately warm and their friendliness put us in a great mood before we crawled into bed.
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