Life in Patagonia with Lucas

Lucas relaxing in the front garden

It’s been awhile since you heard from us. We haven’t fallen off the face of the earth nor has all of the recent bad press regarding Argentina’s economy made us any less enthusiastic about living here – well, at least for the Northern Hemisphere winters. Sounds as if we missed one of the worst winters on record in the Pittsburgh area.

Inflation is no fun for the locals to endure. At 30% or more per annum, prices in the stores have gone crazy. The government prints more money each month and has put price controls on staple products in the supermarkets. Imports have been greatly reduced to the point that foreign manufactured drugs and medical devices such as artificial hips have become scarce. There is tax of 35% for foreign travel and 20% on foreign purchases charged to credit cards. And yet, through all of the mandated taxes and restrictions the Argentines have remained placid, with a few exceptions of riots and store looting in major industrial cities in December, soldering on with life as usual. They have been through this economic wringer before and surely will do so again with a resilience that is astounding.

A recent editorial in the Buenos Aires Herald is a good nutshell evaluation of recent history:
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/153407/a-worldclass-failure

And, for a contrarian’s point of view, the following article is bullish on investing in Argentina:
http://www.caseyresearch.com/cdd/crisis-investing-in-argentina

SO, what’s life like here in our chosen piece of our paradise, San Martin de los Andes (SMA), a town of about 25,000 in the Lake District of northern Patagonia; We hope the following short narrative and numerous photos will give you an idea.

We arise each day to the nearby mountains being progressively swathed by sunlight creeping ever so slowly from mountaintop to the valley below.

Morning sunlight on the Andes with setting full moon

After our morning eye-opener beverage, lemon tea for Diane and Costa Rican coffee for Dick, emails are checked while Lucas has his post-kibble breakfast nap. After about half an hour, his nose is nudging our elbows as it’s time for his morning “walkies” and rabbit hunt during an hour-long walk around the golf course. While walking down the driving range golf balls are booted and tossed with him in full-throttle pursuit; he has mastered picking up 3 balls at a time while in heavy pant mode.

On the driving range

Fresh carrots

Lettuce and arugula

Waiting for gas

Two or three times a week we drive the 25km/15mi to town.  Remember this area is a time warp where there is still a butcher shop and a panaderia/bakery on almost every block. First stop is at the local organic farm where we purchase just-harvested lettuce, arugula, strawberries, spinach, carrots and fresh eggs.

From there we usually try to fuel the car, but owing to the crush of tourists the fuel distribution system is totally incapable of satisfying the demand, hence often looong gas lines.  As a rule of thumb, one fills their tank when the needle goes below the ¾ FULL mark, so the long lines are often a knee-jerk reaction to the possibility of not being able to run on FULL…a circular event causing longer and longer lines.

Lunch overlooking the lake

With shopping done it’s time for lunch, but not before 1 PM and we’ll be the only customers in the restaurant. All local commercial businesses close from 1PM-4 or 5PM for lunch and siesta.  By 2 PM the restaurants are brimming with ebullient diners and we’re hopefully on the way home for our siesta. Fortunately the supermarkets remain open during these hours and are devoid of customers, so shopping in peace is a rare luxury, hence our early lunches.

Our afternoons are spent doing the usual household activities: futzing around in the flower garden doing battle with weeds and the rabbits, reading or otherwise enjoying a glorious day in Patagonia.

Garden path

Each evening, thanks again to Lucas’ insistent nose-nudging reminders, we take another walk or go to the river about 1.25km/1mi from our home. Lucas with head completely submerged and blowing bubbles as he scavenges the riverbed for a stone pitched there for him, comes out with a stone, any one will do, to be deposited on the bank…he has paved a grassy spot with his retrieved stones.

Finding the perfect rock

Depositing said rock

Brilliantly colorful sunsets with a lengthy afterglow are a fine way to segue into wine time as another day in Patagonia is toasted into the record books.

Of course there are great variations on the above themes such as hikes, fishing trips and exploratory drives to more distant towns. There’s a extraordinary private art museum/gallery built by artist Georg Miciu to display works by 3 generations of extremely talented family members. The Georg Collection

An Argentine asado (BBQ)

And there is the constant social whirl with dinners, asados (BBQs), and lunches in one of the many in-town restaurants. We have made so many interesting friends here from all over the world. It seems everyone wants to see us right after our arrival, and then, before we know it we’re entertaining them in preparation for our departure at the end of the summer.

A healthy brown trout

Now in less than a month’s time we’ll be on our way back to Sewickley where we’ll catch up with local friends and prepare for another summer filled with adventures as we take our camper to the Pacific Coast. There will be more to write about for sure.