Mr. Oscar Rietman lived from his childhood to his retirement into the National Park where he worked. His father came from Switzerland in 1923 to this place of only 3 inhabitants in those years.. His mother, Ana Cuevas, was from Argentina and her uncles had animals crossing the lake; from here the name of the Cuevas Hill (Cerro Cuevas).
The house of his childhood was built in wood, both walls and the roof tiles. It was of two floors and the bathroom was nothing more than a latrine. But the forest grew and the house no longer exists; there are only a few stones where once was the fire...
They planted many fruit trees like apples, plums and cherries; in additin to currants, roses, narcissus and daffodils. The forest and the rosehips, murra and maqui had invaded all the place...
But those that still exist are the three oaks that cannot let us see the Cuevas hill...
...and the double narcissus that blooms in the middle of the forest, announcing each year the beggining of the spring.
I believe that this path clearly shows us the fragility of the effort and work of the man and the power of Mother Nature.
The first trail that we reached walking in the Botanical Garden is the one called "THE VOICE OF THE MAPLE"...
The maple tree is not a native specie of this region. The first maples were brought and planted by the Rietman Family, early inhabitants 80 years ago...
This family brought them from Europe and planted them against the wind. But it is an invasive specie and they regenerate quickly. The maple trees reach 30 meters height and preventing the passage of light, other typical species can not survive.
Currently, there is an agreement between Lago Puelo National Park and the Institute of Artistic and Teaching Trainig Nº 805; this school has an atelier of luthiers where they use the wood of the maples that are removed for the instruments.
The trees are chosen according to the size, status and an important point: the competition of light. Usually the trees selected are thosewith long and straight trunk of 40 centimeters of diameter and healthy bark.
The wood is cut into planks to be left drying for 4 years to avoid splitting. The radial cuts are used to make the tops of the instruments and longitudinal blades of 2 milimeters are used for the side strips.
Thus the problem of the maple´s invasion over the native forests is now controlled and specialist are still working on it, planting native trees in the area.
In the next post, we are going to know a little more of the Rietman family...
The Botanical Garden of Lago Puelo is located inside the Lago Puelo National Park from some time ago. Originally it was located in the village in the place where actually is the park of elves and fairies. The Botanical Garden has an area of 16 hectares. It has a lot of signs of the circuits to walk and of the characteristics of the different species and places we visited.
The valley of Puelo lake is only 200 meters above the sea level and its climate allows that plants and trees that are common across the Andes, can also grow in this area, mixed with the typical species of the andean patagonia.
To reach to the Botanical Garden we had taken the street leading from the route to "La Playita" near the place where it is the entrance of the Forest of the Shadows path. We went through the portal near it and walk a few meters with the forest to one side and the maintenance dependences of the National Park on the other side.
Then we arrived to the area where there are two entrances, one is the Pitranto Grande path, and the other led us to the Botanical Garden and the Old Settlers path...
The circuits of the Botanical Garden are:
The Voice of the Maple path
The Rietman Population path
The Cypress path
The Path of the Pitras,
and finally it connects with the Old Settlers path.
There are two ways to get to the beach known as "La Playita" (Little Beach), one is from the path of the Pitranto Grande and the other is to arrive by car by the road near the lake. I did both walking. When I went in May, autumn showed all its colours in the forests of the National Park.
Autumn in the road to "La Playita"
Autumn in the road to "La Playita"
At the end of the path of the Pitranto Grandeand crossing the portal of trunks, we found a sunny trail of sand after the deepest darkness of the forest of pitras. This path was surrounded by vegetation among we could see rosehip, brooms and murras. But not everything is beautiful in this path, unfortunately we went through an area where we found the reamins of a forest fire. It was small but it´s sadness to see the burned trees.
Sand path to "La Playita"
Walking to "La Playita"
We found another small trail that ran beside a stream in the forest. Walking we arrived to the place that serves as car parking near the lake. From there we have followed a little but easy path between the rocks and the lake to reached to the sandy beach where tourists enjoy the summer sun. In this sector the lake is shallow and the water is warmer, that allows swimming.
Walking to "La Playita"
La Playita
But leaving the forest called Pitranto Grande, and halfway to La Playita you could found another path, it is the footpath to the place known as Mirador del Lago (Viewpoint of the lake). This path is about 800 meters long and rises 150 meters above the lake and in parts passed through the forest, in others you walked very near the wall rock of the hill and with great views. It is a path with no major difficulties except the slope.
Walking to the "Mirador del Lago"
From the top we can see the lake, the Andes mountains, and the valley where it is situated Villa Lago Puelo.
Mirador del Lago (Viewpoint of the Lake)
Enjoy this beautiful view of my place in the world!!!!!
A few days ago, I received an invitation from Jimmy Langman (Editor of PATAGON JOURNAL) to send him some pictures to write a post about LAGO PUELO in their web.
He was very kind to put my name on the photos and the link to my blog; also he wrote a little review. But that of mine as a photographer was so much!!!... I love photography, but I have to learn a lot and I haven´t still a good camera fot that).
Now I invite you to see the post and the web in general, where you can find a lot of interesting information (not only of tourism) about both Argentine and Chilean Patagonia...
Note: First of all, excuse me: I have to say that I´m trying to write this blog in English so you can read it, but I recognize that my English is poor...
"Changing the river of lion´s color for the blue lake,
changing the color of the concrete for the green forests,
changing the broad 9 de Julio avenue for the colorful Los Notros Avenue ,
changing the hurry of the city for the tranquility of a village,
changing the skyline of the city for the silhouettes of the mountains,
changing the gray of the asphalt for the leaden gray sky before the rain,
changing people for solitude, madness for peace , city for nature ...
I change Buenos Aires for Patagonia! "
The months pass, at first very slowly, but less than two months of our move, the time seems speeded up. There is so much to prepare, organize, fix, buy ... The main concerns were the house and moving and both of them are resolved.
We rent the house to a member of the place where my husband works, and who lived her whole life he lived in Lago Puelo. We called her a real NIC (born and raised), and who lives a few feet of what will be our home. We will live in an area called The Island, between the stream called Golondrinas (Swallows) and the Azul river (Blue river), a few blocks from downtown (if you can call them blocks ...). There is a small forest and greenery around.
The other major issue was the moving, we decided to recruit a company of Bariloche after having seen several companies and asking for prices. Fortunately the people of the company packed the furniture; I shall have to pack dishes, clothes and books, the small things but the worst!!. Luckily our apartment in Buenos Aires is small, but in these 7 years of marriage we have accumulated a lot of stuff (and crap too!)
Between what needs to be prepared are the curtains. I bought the fabric and I shall make them myself to cut costs. I was told that in Lago Puelo it costs a lot more expensive, because they come to town to buy the fabric ...
Next month, December, and I shall begin to pack our winter clothes to go forward a little work. The rest will be prepared together with my husband who returns home to spend the Christmas and New Year in family. Today I realized that I still have a month and a half to leave the job that I have for 16 years!. On January 8, the truck will be loading "our home" and if all goes well, on January 11 will be receiving it in Lago Puelo and we will begin to decorate our new home...
