hostel hints

Just sat down to blog in the big family front room. The dozen 15 year olds visiting Angostura from a nearby small village have been sent to bed by their 3 very exhausted teachers. We did treat them to a swing dance demonstration during dinner .A very distinguished looking father in his mid 70´s, here with his 3 grown sons for a fly fishing trip, just brought me a glass of champagne, to help me blog. They showed us a video of their fishing this afternoon, proof that they really landed a big catch, since the big trout they caught was carried off by a stray dog on shore, and they had to bake pizza for their dinner.
Also here is an Israeli student trying to learn spanish with his Russian-to-Spanish dictionary. And a couple from London, who also enjoy hiking. Everyone politely shares the kitchen and swaps ingredients and finished products.
My recipes for Hostel cooking so far¨:
buy 3 chicken thighs, take the skin and off and render it in the pot, when the skin is crispy remove it, and then brown diced onion in the fat, add 2 diced potatoes, 1 diced red pepper, then add the chicken thighs and water . Season a little packet of something called ¨pizza herbs¨,cover with a cookie sheet, and just let it simmer while you play pool or watch an Argentine movie. When it , or you, are ready, dice the crisped salted skins and serve up a bowl of great chicken stew.
or
Cook up some pasta, drain, and add one container of herbed port salut cheese, a few sundried tomato , rest of last nights onion and mix with smoked lake trout.

Made salads out of shreded cabbage and apple.Topped with mayonnaise and salt.Carrots are hard to find here, and the lettuce is sad, but cabbage and apples are always available. The commercial salads available right now are based on frozen or canned vegies. Chocolate cookies that resemble moon pies are everywhere and everyone has a favorite brand, though they all taste the same to me. But these deep fried, breaded peanut things are terrific and cheap. Great to take hiking. Buy them at bus stations, and other odd places, but still have not figured out what they are called.
Hiked to end of a peninsula yesterday, really beautiful, with side trips to cliff tops for the grand view. The forest of Arrayanes trees at the tip of the peninsula was surreal, like Madrona trees in grace,but more colorful and delicate. At end of 13Km we were supposed to catch a boat ride back, but people at the end told us the boat was cancelled . Sigh. Anticipate 12Km hike back, starting to rain. But Walter hears a generator and realizes there is a little hut with power, which turns out to be a Tea House with hot chocolate and someone selling tickets to the boat which is indeed running today. Happy ending.
Today we hiked up to another waterfall and foothill overlooking Mt Belvedere. Great hike that took several hours, no one on the trail, the rain became serious only in the last half hour.
Note to self: so glad we sprayed our jackets with water repellant before we left, also glad we brought a good dictionary, gloves, sporks, hiking boots, line to dry laundry.
Tomorrow we head to El Bolson, might snow but then is supposed to warm up.
Love
CT