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El Bolson, Argentina
The bus spat the Israeli Adam Sandler and us out in the streets of El Bolson early in the morning, before the sun had woken and brought it´s warmth.
We have seen Buenos Aires and the touristy south so we were keen to see some other parts of Argentina and El Bolson was our first stop. El Bolson has an artsy, liberal, hippie population of around 20 000 alternative lifestyle folks and according to the tourist signs it´s motto is ¨Natural and Magikal¨. The quaint town was founded by hippies in the 70´s, has been noted as the first non-nuclear zone in Argentina, is embedded in a picturesque and colourful mountain valley and seems to be flowing calmly with care free, nature loving, cruisy people. Nice. Dreadlocks are in fashion, as are funky classic cars and healthy food. The warm micro climate and fertile valley supports pesticide and agrochemical free orchards and organic farms here devoted to hops, cheese and soft fruits such as rasberries. We were to experience the intimate peace and love of El Cielo Organic Farm man where they make liquors, beer, pesto and jams and keep animals like geese and ducks.
The farm was located a little way out of town so we took a taxi up into the hills and followed all their little route markers which are little crescent shaped moons on stakes to the gates and were greeted by three large pet dogs who barked their brains out but turned out to be friendly. There is a big gentle bear of a man who welcomed us into the house and showed us to the room. The room felt like you were staying in a child´s room, it was cozy with piles of warm hippie blankets available, murals on the walls and had glowstars on the ceiling. There had been a party at the house the night before and many of their hippie friends were crashed out all over the house, we think we counted five children. The family shares the whole house with the guests and this makes for a very communal type of living. The house interior was furnished with rustic wooden pieces and decorated with paintings created straight onto the walls and Turkish style rugs covering the walls. There was large sink in lounges and a painting easel. There was a homely open kitchen and bookshelves. The property had those wild type of overgrown gardens that i love and guests that are staying there are clearing some of the property and transforming it into organic farming space. Outside the room was a fire pit circle and a tree house shed. At the front of the house was a delightful children´s playground with fun outside gear to play with including a tent, windsurfing sail, tyre swing, cubby house and old car positioned through the middle of it all. Perfect for the kiddliewink´s imagination play. The children of the house (two belonged there) were sweet creatures. The older boy ¨Dante¨ was about four and came home from school with an elf puppet he had made from a soft drink bottle, proud as punch. We saw the other kids with wooden rifles they had made.
We couldn´t really get into the spirit of the house because the language differences mean we can´t participate in a dinner or laugh at jokes. Annoying because the family seemed very interesting.
We saw the sun light up the mountains as it rose then after a quick nanna nap we woke to the fragrance of pot and incense and to the tunes of a saxophone being gently played in some unknown space of the houise. One of the many kittens of the household had taken up nap time on my bed and curled up with our pet monkey, i think he has a girlfriend. Later i was told by Rosa the house mother that the animals are not allowed in the house. Sorry mono loco, she´s out. I ate my porridge in the sun with kittens clamoring all over me, i lost count of the number of them and let them eat my porridge in the end. We took a taxi out of town to Rio Azul (blue river) which is a river running through a narrow canyon. We watched the real deal fly fishermen and have concluded that we would like a try some time. There were trees dripping with Grandfather´s beard moss and a couple of Argentine cowboys on horseback. A beautiful river and calming spot to sit and contemplate life. We couldn´t be bothered with the walk so we just lay back on the rocks in the sun and watched the clouds roll slowly by above. I´ve always had a sharp eye for making images and stories appear out of cloud formations. The constant billowing, puffing and shaping of the clouds allows for a never ending series of characters (normally animals) to appear and come to life im my imagination. You never know what secrets the clouds have to tell....... and no i haven´t been into the El Bolson wacky weed, not yet anyway. Large plates of vegetables for dinner.
Today we were up for more loved up, friendly hippie fun at the Feria Artesana market that El Bolson is known for. The main street is not entirely attractive and would have more character if things were closer together. There is a giant chessboard and an old school merry-go-round with swans and lions to ride on. The main park has a lagoon with a large jetty over it and a wonderful wooden sculpture of a tree with indigenous figures and a Mother Earth Goddess leaning out of the tree and saluting the sun, a fitting centrepiece for the town. The market was exceptionally good and we were stirred into a flurry when we saw the long row of stalls selling unique hand made gear. The best value items were from all the local peasant women who knit divine woolen jackets, ponchos, socks, moccasins, scarves, beanies and dresses using the most luxuriant sheep and llama wool, some raw. There was a large amount of people making pixies again, a talented puppeteer who had some great characters like a Barbie eating bacteria puppet (tempting to buy), organic fruit beer, clothing, local musicians selling their CDs, many jewellers selling silver, precious stones and crystals and delicious foods. We were easily tempted into tasting the vegetable pie, empanadas (like a pie) and punnets of rasberries and cream. We bought some meditation music, some pixies, a 1kg wheel of cheese (why??), jewellery and i bought a gorgeous hand made beanie knitted with the most magnificent coloured wool.
The other highlight was the helado ice-cream, the best we have had. The tasty treats came from a store called Jauju. These guys make all the flavours out the back of the store and are insanely popular with locals and tourists alike. We tried the flavours of Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream and Lemon Pie but there were plenty more to choose from including Yerba Mate ice-cream.
Friendly fact for the day:
Argentina is obsessed with Lemon Meringue Pie. Good news.
Most bathrooms have a bidet for washing your arse including the modern ones.
Love And Peace And All Things Hippie Man
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