Ski Town

The 8.00 bus to Valle Las Trances was quick and went through beautiful foggy valleys rising up into the mountains. We were dropped off by the side of the road and had to walk about 200 metres down a dirt road to our hostel. The Los Nirres hostel is like a big ski chalet for backpackers. They have a huge dining area, communal kitchen and lounge area with fireplace and wood fires on every floor. In broken spanish we acquired a room and arranged for a delicious hot breakfast. We walked up and down the main road checking ski rental prices and bought some groceries for lunch.

We made tuna sandwiches for lunch, which we enjoyed with a few cold Crystal beers, then had a nap (for lack of anything better to do). We then walked back to the small shop, enjoying the crisp, fresh winter air, and bought some groceries for dinner. We had a few beers by the fire in a pub, then went and hired our snowboarding gear. The people who own the shop were so nice, and they gave us a lift back to the hostel. We made ourselves a delicious pasta dinner, thrilled to be doing our own cooking for the first time in 7 months. And we made sure we had plenty of leftovers for breakfast. After a few beers, we became suddenly exhausted and went to bed in our little cabin room.