San Martin de los Andes, Argentina

The five hour bus trip across the Chilean border into the ski-chalet-ish vacation town of San Martin de los Andes was epically beautiful. After passing through Pucon, it wound up into the dense, jungly forest between and around several volcanoes (Villirrica and Lanin).

We stopped for a bathroom break at a tiny little resort along the river, and to our delight, their front porch was littered with puppies! Who doesn't like a good puppy break after a bumpy bus ride?

Crossing the border was uneventful except for: a patch of monkey puzzle trees, beautiful views of Volcan Lanin while we waited, and the mean and dangerous looking patrol dog who seemed to be moments from breaking free and mauling someone. He got the chance to search the bus, but was unable to sniff out any illegal substances - so off we went!

We skirted around Parque Nacional Lanin (which we would later return to in a rental car) and arrived in San Martin - which as I mentioned was far swankier than I imagined. It's definitely set up as a ski resort town for locals (and tourists). Not a ton to do in town, but it is bordered by mountains, a huge lake, and it's a nice place to walk around.

Kip and I ended up being the only ones at a beautiful campground designed for 40 or more. Sixty foot trees towered overhead as the late sunlight poked through the the rolling grass meadow below. Despite the wind, we set up our tent as close as we could to the lake, with stunning views of the snow capped peak on the other side.

Eventually an old Mapuchi man wandered over to chat with us (in Spanish). He turned out the be the caretaker of the campground, and incredibly we were the first American's he had ever met! Grateful for what America has done for Argentina (Kip and I weren't quite sure what he meant), he was very excited and honored to meet us.

He ended up taking us to a secret waterfall, hacking his machete the whole way - then posing with it when we reached the falls. Without a doubt, this was the most special and authentic part of the entire trip. Thank god for my spanish skills!

We watched Francico rig up his bulls to drag a tree trunk (20 feet long and 5 feet thick) all the way across the campground. The reason? Some guys had arrived with a saw and were planking some tree trunks for him.

Really crazy to see how much of the world lives. We seemed surprised at how he was moving the tree trunk, so Francico asked: "Why? What do you use?".

Our response? "Machines"

Although in the grand scheme of the world, this was an incredibly beautiful lake, it did not compare to Huechulafquen. It's almost as though we wish we had done the circuit in the opposite direction.

The campground was decent enough, but there were a few other people there, and we were all crammed next to each other. Yes, we heard americans singing some ridiculous camp songs. Adults. Songs Kip and I wouldn't be caught dead singing. Plus, they had little regard for the other campers there.

Don't you hate it when other travelers from your country give people the wrong idea about your country?

Kip and I thought we'd go back to our roots and steal some wood for a campfire. Just as the sun was setting, we set out in our car and drove to the campground just down the road (which was empty except for a stationed campground host).

We snuck around the side, keeping low, as we made our way to a stash we had spotted earlier. The two armfuls of blocky, precut lumber made it back to our car - and we peeled out to enjoy the fruit of our labors.

And of course - we filmed the whole thing.

Grinning proudly, we tossed the wood onto our campfire only to discover that it was the worst wood ever. It'd flame for 30 seconds, then smoke for 5 minutes before finally burning itself out.

Serves us right I suppose?

It drizzled much of the return bike trip from Parque Nacional del los Arrayanes. Just as we reached the only good clearing of the entire 8 mile ride, the rain let up and we were treated to the most incredible rainbow I've ever seen.

End to end. Blazing colors. Fantastic scenery. Possibly my favorite photo of the entire trip!