Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Playa del Frances

Named after some French loner who roamed the park, playa del frances (Frenchman's beach) was very different from Lago Futalaufquen camp.
Immediately after the boat launching ramp, there was a trek that lead to a more secluded area, unaccessible by cars and thus shielded from noise and people in general.
I found shelter under a most beautiful Arrayan tree, a type of tree I had never seen before.
Arrayan is a Mapuche word for " growing only over water". It is a very distinct type of tree, with a light cinnamon colored bark and white flowers no bigger than a penny. In trying to picture it, I would advise people to picture a guava tree with a very light bark, covered in tiny white circular leaves. It is a beauty. For those who still cannot picture it, just search for a photo.
This was, perhaps the best campground I ever pitched my tent on. This is a very difficult statement to make, since I have officially made Poincenot my favorite place on earth. However, as far as the very vicinity of my tent, this place is unbeatable.
The three was a perfect reparo (shield) from the wind and rain (luckily, there was no rain), not to mention how charming it was. At night, there was not a voice to be heard or artificial light to be seen.
Not four meters away from my tent stood Futalaufquen lake. I cant tell you how awesome this place was. It was my home for a week. It made perfect sense to me, after my sojourn with the noise people on the other camp, to become a loner and just roam the park aimlessly... maybe they would name a beach after me.

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