The Travel Chica

Live Simple. Consume Less. Experience More.

Will Hike for Beer

By

After my experience at Buena Birra in Buenos Aires, the brewmaster Ariel told me that I had to try the craft beers in Patagonia.  He gave me a list, and that was one of the things I planned to do during my evenings in El Bolson.

But the days are for hiking.

I have to get prepared for some of the big trekking trips I have planned further south in Patagonia.

I asked for day hike suggestions at my hostel, and I was given directions on how to get a good aerial view of the river, see the Cabeza del Indio rock formation, and then continue on to the river.

Oh, and there is a really good place called Kelly’s where they make beer on the river.

What?  A craft beer I have never heard of?

And it’s on a beautiful river and completely off-the-beaten-path?

I’m in!

But I warn you this post is not really about the beer.

It’s about the journey.

It’s about being overwhelmed by beauty.

It’s about finding the unexpected.

It’s about feeling you just had one of the best days of your life.

So lets get back to the story now.

I Have a Bad Sense of Direction

I actually tried to hike to the river twice.  But I was dead set on following the map, rather than any sort of internal sense of direction (which I do not seem to have).  Well, the map is wrong and not even close to scale.

The first day I failed.  I walked FOREVER.

I found out later I must have missed the turn off to the river, and I definitely walked much farther than I needed to without ever getting to the river.

Since the cenizas (aka ash cloud) were filling the sky the first day making the views from the mirador and my photos a little less than wonderful, I was not too upset about having to do it again the next day.

The Awesome View

During my hike to the mirador at the top of a really steep hill, I kept stopping and saying to myself (yes, solo travelers talk to themselves out loud),

This is awesome.

No, not exactly profound or brilliant.

I just kept feeling overwhelmed by how beautiful this place is. 

I must have said it a dozen times.

Maybe it is because the view on Day 2 was so drastically different from Day 1.

The River

As I hiked down the hill towards the Rio Azul, I kept getting more and more excited.

I wondered what it must be like to live out here in such a beautiful, quiet place.

Then I finally made it.

I saw the bridge that would take me across the river to Kelly’s.

As I carefully walked across, I noticed the bridge about 20 meters away. Glad somebody built this new one.

As I approached the cabin, I heard a woman call out to me in Spanish.  I asked if she was open and told her I was there to try the beer.

No, I am not open.  But I think I have a beer in the fridge I can sell you.

I told her that would be wonderful.

This was her home, not just a place to have a beer.

Claudia explained to me that she just got back yesterday from spending a few months at her other home in Buenos Aires.  She was cleaning and preparing her house for her grandkids to come over and play in the river the next day, as well as for the tourists that come in February when she officially “opens.”

Claudia is a wiry but strong woman.  You can tell she works very hard.  Thanks to my improving Spanish, I was able to ask her if she built this house.

And she did build it about 20 years ago.

She has expanded it over time to accommodate more family, friends, visitors, travelers (all synonyms to her I think).

“I walked to the river and carried the stones back and built the house.”

I was in awe of this woman.

I knew she was busy and did not want to take up too much of her time.  She invited me to take the beer out to the bar she built on the river to enjoy the view.  And I did.

How was the beer?

I couldn’t tell you.  I no longer really cared about the beer.

I felt satisfied.  It really felt like one of the best days of my life.

I just sat and enjoyed the river.

When I went back to give Claudia the empty bottle and thank her, she told me I could come back any time and stay in her house.

I think I may take her up on that one day.

Comments

  3. To see beauty in an unexpected place is one of my most favorite feeling when traveling. That is one of the best rewards of traveling. I’m sure that moment you experienced there was worth remembering.
    Candice Michelle recently posted..Baby Eagle

  4. A beautifully written post and a beautiful story to go with it. I am really in awe of you and this experience that you have just had. When I finally learn Spanish, get some money together and make my grand trip to South America I’m going to have to email you for directions to Kelly’s. I’m also in awe of this woman who has literally built her own home. There are a lot of men here in Australia who don’t have the courage to do that, me probably being one of them. Do you have any background information on Kelly’s like how they came to choose that name, what the history is, how the beer actually tastes etc, or is that the subject of another post?

    Your post reminded me of two places when I first read it. The Australian island of Tasmania which is home to at least a few breweries both big and small. I know that Cascade, a large brewery there is on the banks of a river and boasts in its advertising the purity of the local water that goes into its beer. As for the craft beers being made on a river, I’m not too sure. Maybe that’s something you could check out when you finally make it to Australia.

    The other place I automatically thought of was the rail trail I gave you the link for the other day; Lilydale to Warburton on the outskirts of Melbourne. The trail has similar land features to what you’ve just shown. Plenty of mountains, valleys with rivers and tonnes of places you turn off and follow another path. Plus I’ve managed to find a tour that does the trail and the wineries over two days. It’s a bit pricey though but it is all inclusive. The link for it is here: http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Yarra-Valley-and-Dandenong-Ranges/Activities-and-attractions/Tours/Escape-The-City-Melbourne-Tours/Warburton-Cycle-Retreat.aspx .

    • Based on the woman’s appearance, I believe she is of Irish descent and that may be her last name or possibly a family name. I would have loved to chat with the woman all day, but she was very busy cleaning the house, and I didn’t want to be too much of a nuisance. When you make your trip, I can give you directions, and you can find out more :-)

      When I do make it to Australia, I’m not going to have to do much planning because you’ve given me so much information about the types of places I like to visit.
      The Travel Chica recently posted..Foto of the Week from … Lago Puelo – Silhouettes

  8. I absolutely love stories like this, involving a hard working local who is friendly, interesting and just inspiring. That house looks and sounds awesome. I would hike this (and you know I don´t love hiking!) to have a beer with this lady.
    Rease recently posted..Cheap Hotels in Santa Barbara

  12. We are only in SA for 7 weeks and the schedule is crammed already….I will just have to add this to the 2013 RTW!!

    There is sooooo much to see/do in SA that 7 weeks is just a tiny amount ;o)
    Candy recently posted..When a 9 year old Visits

  14. que cuento hermoso! patagonia looks so beautiful. out of everywhere that you have been so far, this is the place that i want to visit the most. i know adam has long wanted to visit due to his love of backpacking and being outdoors, i think we’ll actually do it in a few years when the kiddos get a little older. (and they can stay behind) : )

  19. What a killer day, one of those ones that 20 years from now something will trigger a thought of it and you will remember the textures of it in vivid detail (trust me on this). Seriously jonesing to continue my S.A. expedition especially including Patagonia.
    Philip recently posted..The Great American Road Trip–Part IV

Shares