A Slice of Patagonian Life

Mornings by the lake come with snow-capped peaks and pastel colors contrasting with the intensity of the water. We come to imagine these lands as they would have been in the past... And the harshness of living in such an environment during the winter.
The past night in the Patagonian steppa with a local family confirmed that.

Zulema and her husband Atanacio live in a small house on acres of property that extends from the river to the hills in el Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. They own sheeps, cows, horses, ducks, turkeys, chicken.

Atanacio takes us on a horseback ride, a cavalcada as they call it, through their vast lands. The wind is strong, but the spectacle is grand! Breathtaking vistas, where the golden color of the grass contrast with the green of pine trees and small bushes. The rolling hills offer a palette of luminous green, dark patches of tall trees, beige, brown and grey.
It is infinite... like the sky above us.
We ride, alone in this majestic scenery.

Slowly, the sun is setting behind the clouds and we head back for a typical asado dinner: meat from their farm is cooking on an open fire... I usually don't eat meat... But I always make it a point to eat what is typical from the country and environment I am in, especially if someone has been preparing it just for us. Meat is Argentina’s staple food. Here, they are farmers, hunters... because that is what they find in their most direct environment. Zulema and Atanacio do no get their meat from the grocery store.
In a way, it reminds me of our Tahitian islands where our ancestors used to consume what was around them, with wisdom and respect.

Zulema has her little organic garden covered under a large tent... she grabs some cucumbers, tomatoes and chard for the salad. She tells us that during the winter, it is all burnt by the biting cold.
So in the fall, they start preparing everything they will need to get through the long and harsh winter months. Smoked meats, jars of meat or veggies escabeche, potatoes, mate tea, sugar, jams etc...

They get up to 1,20 meters (47 inches) of snow... last year, they lost part of their sheeps who got caught in the snow. As he tells us the story, we can feel the harshness the winter brings... and we are talking months of freezing temperatures, in a desertic environment.

The dining room that serves as the living room as well is warmed by a wood fire.
In our little cabana a few steps away from the main house, the water heater is activated by a wooden fire... like in the old days! We take hot water for granted so many times! And too many times, we take the luxuries of our modern life for granted.
Atanacio tells us that they have had electricity for 9 years only... 9 years... And he shares how blessed they are to have access to electricity when others still don't... Having television and wifi have makes their winter a little less lonely.

Zulema is from the Mapuche tribe. Mapuche means the “people of the earth.” Originating from Chile, the Mapuche were killed or made prisoners and sent in exiles to the Patagonian steppa in the late 19th century by the Spanish.
Although certain activities have been perpetuated such as making wool, many of the indigenous rituals have been lost. Today, like other indigenous tribes, the Mapuche, are asking for the return of their lands, and the recognition and preservation of their culture .

With Zulema …

Her face is soft, her gaze tells many stories. She teaches us how to make panels of wool... and well that is quite some work!
Atanacio is the typical Argentinian gaucho... his eyes are intense, like the winters in this part of Argentina.
He tells us about his sons. 4 of them, 4 "barones". 2 of them live nearby and 2 live in the main area of San Carlos de Bariloche. He comes from another village over the hills and has settled with Zulema on the land of her abuelos, her ancestors.
Zulema shows us photos on her wall of fame. You can feel the pride of the mama she is.

She asks us to share photos of Tahiti... and for a few minutes, we escape the vast Patagonian lands to wander through the Tahitian islands and their pristine lagoons and beaches.

In the morning, we part ways, happy to have shared a slice of their life and brought some island warmth to their hearts.

On days when there is not too much wind, the lakes in Bariloche reflect the pure skies... like an infinite mirror of blue.
These few days have been filled with magnetic panoramas, enriching encounters and given us a taste of what is to come as we continue our journey to the Southern territories of Argentina....

Next: The Glaciers!