view from the bus on the ruta de siete lagos
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started.” – T.S. Elliot
I read this quote in our pastor’s blog today, and I’m probably going to think about it for a long, long time. Maybe its because we’re back in Bariloche again for a night, having finally taken the scenic Ruta de Siete Lagos back (pictures HERE, I also added a few more the San Martin album). The irony is not lost on me that our pastor has been all about settling down and growing roots while we’re in the midst of wandering an entire continent, but this piece of poetry gives me peace somehow. I think we both realize that this might be the last time in our lives we can take an extended trip like this (unless, by chance, one of us lands a job abroad, still an option we’d like to keep open, but aren’t necessarily actively pursuing) before the things I would refer to as “chains” or “anchors” start appearing in our lives: family, house, careers. These things are starting to look more and more appealing to us, and we’re truly looking forward to settling down and getting to know our little community in Portland. But, before we make those types of commitments, we at least have one last hurrah to take some time to figure some things out and gain some valuable experiences. The funny thing is, every new place we go, we try to compare it to home: this looks like the San Juans, this town is like Lake Tahoe, this forest looks like it could be in Oregon… and so on. We look for little pieces of home wherever we go.
Anyway, just a quick, very unfinished thought. Next up, I’ll share the itinerary we spent a good chunk of time today setting up, since at our new hostel we have wifi from our bed 
Feb. 6th: take the bus bright and early down to El Calafate in the south of Patagonia. Should be interesting as I think it’s 28 hours long, and we’re in the second-cheapest class.
Feb. 7th – 9th: El Calafate – mostly known for being close to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the few glaciers in the world that is actually still growing, by up to 6 feet a day! I can’t wait to see (and hear!) this amazing creation!
Feb. 9th – 13th: El Chalten – only a few hours from El Calafate, this town is famous for the toothy Fitz Roy mountain range, home to climbing, hiking, glacier trekking…should be both amazing and exhausting.
After that we either head all the way down to the “end of the world:” Ushuaia, or make and early break for Chile. Haven’t decided yet. We hear that since these towns in Southern Patagonia are so isolated (ATM usage isn’t even guaranteed so we have to stock up on cash!), and since there’s going to be so many interesting and exciting things to do, we might not post much for the next few days, but we’ll try our best. You know I like uploading the photos!
We miss you all, and think about you all the time.
Love,
Us
You probably won’t get this in time, but does your camera do video? If the glacier does, in fact, make noise I would love too see some.
excellent quote, guys, excellent.
h