LivingInPatagonia.com

Bariloche…You Have a Part of Our Hearts Forever

Written by Shanie

It wasn’t to be, or so we thought…but as it turns out we were able to come back to Bariloche for one more visit before returning to the northern hemisphere.

And I must say, it is so very nice to have returned. Stepping on the property, I felt as if I was back home. Looking out at the views, my heart softened with appreciation. And spending time with friends, I was reminded of the special relationships that we created here. There is something quite beautiful about friendships in Argentina…it is more than one thing in particular…in fact, I think the following poem sums it up well…

La Diferencia Entre Un Amigo Y Un Amigo Argentino

Un amigo es alguien que nunca te pide comida…

Un amigo Argentino es la razón por la que organizas una comida.

Un amigo te pregunta ¿cómo estás?…

Un amigo Argentino te dice que te ves bien, te abraza y te besa.

Un amigo llama a tus padres señor y señora…

Un amigo Argentino llama a tus padres “mi viejo” y “mi vieja…”

Un amigo puede que nunca te haya visto llorar…

Un amigo Argentino ha llorado contigo, por cualquier cosa.

Un amigo te manda flores y una tarjeta cuando estás internado en el hospital.

Un amigo Argentino se queda a dormir en una silla, a tu lado.

Un amigo te pide algo prestado y te lo devuelve a los dos días…

Un amigo Argentino te pide algo prestado y a la semana se olvida que no es suyo.

Un amigo te ofrece el sofá para que duermas.

Un amigo Argentino te brinda su cama, se acuesta en el suelo… y no te deja dormir en toooooda la noche conversando contigo.

Un amigo sabe unas cuantas cosas acerca de ti…

Un amigo Argentino podría escribir un libro con las cosas que le has contado de ti.

Un amigo te lleva ‘Resprín’ cuando estás resfriado.

Un amigo Argentino te hace una sopa de pollo y los remedios que le enseñó su abuela. Y puede que hasta te haga ‘el avión’ con la cuchara, para que te tomes la sopa.

Un amigo toca a tu puerta para que le abras…

Un amigo Argentino abre la puerta, entra y después te dice: ¡Llegué!

Un amigo te pide que le hagas un café.

Un amigo Argentino pasa a la cocina y monta la cafetera y hasta le pide azúcar a una vecina si no tienes.

Un amigo puede serlo por un tiempo…

Un amigo Argentino es para toda la vida.

Much love to all of our dear friends that we made during the Argentine chapter of our lives…Anna, Betty, Goya, Cristina, Isabel, Mariana, Chris, Loris, Lorena, Randy, Marcelo, Marcela, Daniela, Rodolfo, Polo, Roberto, Martin, Jorge…our friendships shall withstand the distance of continents, and you shall always be in our hearts.

Mountain Rider’s Alliance, A Grassroots Movement Changing the Way Ski Areas are Run

Written by Shanie

It is hard to believe we are three weeks away from leaving this beautiful country that has helped us learn so much in the last five years. Currently in San Rafael, we have been reminiscing about the days in the beginning, as this is where our Argentine life began. We have had tears rise to the surface thinking about leaving, as that is how much Argentina has grown on us. We do love this place. But other adventures lie ahead…and plus it is pretty difficult to be a part of a movement in North America when you live in Patagonia.

This is our latest press release from the business that we are creating, and why we are leaving this wonderful part of the world. We would love to hear your thoughts…

A new paradigm is emerging in ski area management: one that’s globally-based, rider-centric, environmentally sustainable, sensitive to local needs, and skier-and-snowboarder-owned

Truckee, California – September 9, 2010 – Rising lift ticket costs, negative impacts on ski communities and the environment, and the desire to combat climate change have all led concerned skiers and snowboarders to form a global collaborative group, Mountain Rider’s Alliance (MRA).

MRA is a movement of snow enthusiasts who are dedicated to changing the ways ski areas are run. MRA’s mission is to create rider-owned-and-operated ski areas that are rider-centric, environmentally sustainable and sensitive to local cultural, social and economic concerns.

All MRA business decisions will be based on three principles. The first principle is operating and developing value-based, rider-centric ski areas that put skier and snowboarder needs and wants first. Secondly, all MRA projects will be environmentally sustainable by creating “ski-energy centers” that strive towards a zero carbon footprint by producing and selling alternative energy to local utilities as well as utilizing the best in green practices. The third element is to be socially responsible to the communities surrounding these mountain playgrounds.

To raise awareness about this new ideological shift in managing ski areas, Mountain Rider’s Alliance has launched a website, www.MountainRidersAlliance.com, and blog, www.MRABlog.com. MRA also has a Facebook Fan Page, and Twitter account, MtnRA.

As MRA identifies potential locations and develops a master plan, the Alliance will offer reasonably-priced investment shares to the global ski community to create true rider-owned resorts who will exercise their ownership rights for the long-term advancement of the sport and not short-term profit. MRA expects to announce the location of the first ski-energy project in December 2010.

Mountain Rider’s Alliance was founded in 2010 as a LLC, incorporated in Wyoming. MRA has established partnerships with like-minded nonprofit organizations including Protect Our Winters, SkiDUCK, Sustenator and Peace Pedalers.

For more information, visit the MRA website, or blog, or contact Mountain Rider’s Alliance directly at info@MountainRidersAlliance.com.

Mountain Rider’s Alliance Launches Grassroots Movement to Better the Ski Resort Industry

A new vision for the ski industry

A global collaborative explores ski industry sustainability

The Mountain Rider’s Alliance wants to develop sustainable ski-energy centers.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — When Hal Clifford penned Downhill Slide back in 2002, it was the peak of the go-go years for the ski resort industry. Many ski resort operators were morphing into development companies for whom the skiing and riding were amenities to be used as a marketing tool for real estate sales.

Clifford’s warnings were laughed off or ignored by the short-sighted speculators who were driving the boom. In hindsight, they would have been better off paying attention to his conclusion that the industry’s path was unsustainable.

Nobody thought the end of the boom would come so quickly, though. But now, after a couple of years of moribund sales and almost no new real estate development at major resorts, even the big boys are looking for an alternate vision.

That vision may come from a core group of skiers and riders who want to take the ski industry in a completely new direction, operating areas that are rider-centric, environmentally sustainable and sensitive to local cultural, social and economic concerns.

Billing itself as a global collaborative, the Mountain Rider’s Alliance last week launched the way so many 21st century endeavors start — with a website, a blog, aFacebook page and a Twitter account — all to forge connections and give some concrete shape to the dream.

“Rider-centric means a ski area that puts the needs and wants of a skier and snowboarder first, before profit,” said Shanie Matthews, one of the riders who is involved in the movement. “A resort that is values-based knows that caring about the ski community will assist in the progress of the overall business,” she said…

As some of you may know, Jamie and I are leaving this paradise to continue a movement that we initiated a while back, Mountain Rider’s Alliance. As sad as we are to leave beautiful Bariloche, we are very excited to make a positive difference in the ski world — a sport and community that is incredibly important to us both.

So, in saying that we thought we would share with you the first media coverage of the movement. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Pictures of the Week-¡Hasta Luego!

Written by Shanie and Jamie

Today is our last day in Patagonia. In fact, after we publish this post, the computer is being turned off and off we go.

It was a no-brainer to wake up for sunrise and sit on the couch and watch the show, one last time. We were not disappointed.

a low flying condor passed by to send us his saludos

a beautiful rainbow popped out to wish us luck

there was an unsual amount of bird activity, especially for winter

and the Andes shined white

We want to thank all of you for reading over the past 3 years. ¡Estamos en contacto!

The Sound of Patagonian Trees Talking

Written by Shanie

A special quality that I love about the forests around Bariloche, is that the trees are huge. And they talk when the right amount of wind gets them moving.

Here is a clip of some Lengas blowing in the Patagonian wind. If you turn the volume all the way up you can hear them squeak with the push of the wind, sounding very much like a whale. Listen carefully around 25, 30, 53, and 58 seconds, as well as minutes 1:34, 1:37-9.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6caLEpE6no

Our Top 5 Moments of Living Abroad in Argentina

Written by Shanie

Although there have been thousands of moments in our five years of living in Argentina that we will fondly remember forever, there are a few that sparkle more than others. Here are our top five experiences, in no particular order…

Participating in a Quinceañera: We had the pleasure of being treated to this experience twice. And no doubt about it, it is something that as a female I will never forget. It was incredibly precious to see the love and admiration that both sets of parents had for their little girl becoming a woman. In both families money was scarce, but both parties were festivals. Literally! Amazing and awe-inspiring…if I ever have a daughter, it is most definitely a party I look forward to throwing.

Meeting the Scorpions: I am still not sure how it happened, but getting to see the Scorpions in a private concert for around 50 people at the Hotel Llao Llao ranks up there as one of those true “rockstar” experiences. That we were able to shake the hands of Klaus, Rudolf and Mattias and get quick hugs was out of this world. Amazing really!

Rudolf and I

Skiing in the Big Andes: for us there are a few places that rank up there with the big, big Andes…the Chugach Mountain of Alaska and the Alps of Europe. These giant peaks that are blessed with long descents of sustained, steep pitches is just what us soul skiing adrenaline junkies yearn for.

Marine Life in Puerto Madryn: our trip to Puerto Madryn was something that was so incredibly special that I sometimes think back upon it and wonder if it really happened. The up-close-and-personal time that we had with 50-foot southern right whales, 100-strong-plus colonies of elephant seals, and the chats with grey-tailed foxes, guanacos, armadillos and other lovely creatures was breathtaking. Thanks to the animals for letting us hang out in their world for a little bit.

Road trips: definitely one of our favorite aspects of living here was having the time to do car trips and see this amazingly large country. Having the ability to stop when and where we wanted allowed us to see so many different special spots that would have been passed up if we had been locked down to a bus route. One moment that I will never forget was getting to walk with Bergen around the 1,000 year old Quilmes ruins in northern Argentina. I would have to guess by the look on the park rangers faces when they gave us permission, as well as the snorts from the llamas when they saw us walking around that Bergen was one of the few doggies to get to see the ancient landscape.

True, this is only a snippet of our experiences here, but I cherish each one so very, very much. ¡Muchisimas gracias Argentina!

Phrase of the Week

¡adelante!:forward. We use this a lot to describing moving forward or ahead.

How We Came to Live In Bariloche on Our Living Abroad Adventure

Written by Shanie

As you may know, or not, Jamie and I moved to Argentina five years ago, moving to Bariloche two years into living abroad. Being mountain lovers and outdoor adventurists, we first came to Bariloche on a four month sabbatical from the intense and draining San Rafael, Mendoza summer heat. We decided that we would use our time to do two things:

1. study the real estate market

2. play in the outdoors as much as possible

It is safe to say we went at both with fury…

We got to know the city of 150,000. Buying a book of Bariloche maps, we drove around all of the different barrios, getting to know each one…which ones we liked, which ones were definitely out of consideration. We found which ones had the sun, which ones stayed cold. We listened to the chatter of many different real estate agents (and found many to be a bit on the self-serving end). And then we took the information that resonated with us and did our own homework. Listing after listing, there was one property that kept shining bright at us but our realtor that we were working with to see properties didn’t want to show it to us.

When it came to playing outdoors, we enjoyed ourselves as if we were youngsters once again…goofy grins of appreciation sitting on our faces as we took in the extensive lush and healthy forests and lakes of the Parque Nacional de Nahuel Huapi…slack jaws of wonderment as condors flew close enough for us to hear the wind rustling their feathers…sunsets that lasted the length of a well-chilled homemade beer made by the brewery down the road.

We fell in love with Bariloche quick.

this picture was taken during the sabbatical and by chance my hair is pointing at the location of our future Patagonian home

As time went on one thing became more and more clear…there was one area in Bariloche that kept us coming back for more…the Llao Llao area.

And, coincidentally, or not, our investigative work came to show us that Llao Llao was exactly where the property that kept calling out to us in the listings was located. It was only a month into our four months of Bariloche detail when we found the property that would end up being our future home, but we both knew in our hearts that we had found something very, very special.

Now three years later, we are selling our beautiful property and gearing up for the next adventure.

I am so very grateful to have wandered upon this wonderful place on my sendero of life. Thanks Bariloche!

Complimentary Bariloche Restaurant Guide

Written by Jamie

We are happy to announce that our Bariloche Restaurant Guide is now free to download.

Please go to our Bariloche Vacation Rental main page, and page to the bottom, click on the link to download.

¡Buen Provecho!

Picture of the Week

Lago Nahuel Huapi, Cerro Lopez and Cerro Capilla