"It takes possession of my mind (and it's not only my case.) It must be because it opens up a whole new horizon to one's imagination." -- Darwin on the Patagonia.

May I add: If one's imagination breaks through the rickety fences that separate our mental fields, what will we see in the waters?

It's finally happened to me. I saw something in the lake! But let me get there slowly...

I woke up a few mornings ago with a need to escape the urban center of Bariloche. I suppose some of it was sparked by the site of a photographer offering, for a few pesos, to take a picture of tourists against the castle like structures around the square. As a special bonus, the tourist could be captured on photo while snuggling with the photographer's dog, the quintessential Swiss medical dog. I'm not sure of the name of the breed (St. Bernard?) but it's the kind we've seen and read about saving lives on the mountain slopes with its miniature wooden keg hanging from a rope in its teeth. Where would normally be a red cross symbol on the keg, here was painted "OLAF". While pondering what was ever in those little kegs that could save lives (a strong stout perhaps?) I passed by and said "Hola, Olaf."

And there wasn't just one photographer with a St. Bernard. There were two.

I was in Pretend to Be Swiss Centro. You see, there was a large amount of German and Swiss immigration to this area of the Patagonia, just as in other parts there were large immigrations from Wales or South Africa. Where once, these immigrants had closed communities and continued speaking Afrikaaner or Old Welsh, now Spanish has become ubiquitous throughout. But there in the square, I was in Candyland Switzerland.

Later on, I was talking to a Californian and we wondered what things in America would remind us of Argentina. I was a little shocked to realize that I think the smell of diesel fumes is high on my list.

At that point, I realized I would take a bus (to put the diesel fumes behind me) and hike around the lake.

I joined a Japanese friend I'd met at the hostel who seemed to know his way around the area. We took a hike to Cerro Llao Llao. You'll see several pictures on the site from this hike. In any case, while walking back along the shores of Lago Moreno, I saw something rapidly disturbing the water, about 200 meters off. It created quite a raucus, swerving left and right through the water. For perhaps five seconds, my thoughts stayed in the realm of lake monsters, but before long, I realized it was simply a large duck, flying at lake level. Had to laugh at myself for that one.

Altogether, however, the hike was fantastic. It reminds me that I have a kernel of the camper in me that must be let out during the Watson Year, and I look out at Isla Victoria and know that it is essential that I spend a few days over there with tent and gas stove.

I was happy to see that my hip, or whatever it is that's bruised, has almost healed from my earlier insanity while snowboarding. I guess I haven't mentioned this before. Basically it involves me catching my board underneath some stupidly placed cable in the ground, causing me to flip headlong into a pile of rocks, where I subsequently break a chunk off a quasi-boulder with the force of my momentum. Not exactly the most pleasant way to spend the weekend away from the library.

However, I have returned back to the books and the local workers this afternoon, to find out some interesting details about how the indigenous inhabitants of the area, those that predated the Mapuche, apparently considered Isla Victoria a sacred island, a symbol of the serpent. I'm curious about the possibility of a connection between these very old beliefs and the local lake monster legend. Hence, it's back to the history books for me. It's slow going, for much of the reading and conversing is in Spanish, but there's a lot of interesting material.

Oh yes, and in one of Argentina's least respectable moments, there was apparently a high run-off of Nazi's into this area, as an old 1930's photograph shows: a schoolful of children all smiling for the yearbook beside two flagpoles: one of Argentina. You can guess the other.

Just as a sidenote, I should mention that I have yet to find any tourism related to Nahuelito yet in Bariloche. This is a tad disappointing, because I guess they used to have a big store full of paraphernalia. Instead, the town seems well dug into its role as a snowboarding town for high school kids from Chile and Buenos Aires. Nonetheless, the history of this town's boom is highly connected to the lake monster, and I'm not yet convinced there's nothing Nahuelito-related left. Still looking...

If I don't find much of note, I may progress my schedule along quicker, or cross the border and do some exploring of the island of Chiloe, which apparently has some interesting and active mythology. I´m reluctant to halt the progress I´ve made in Spanish, so I am hoping to remain in South America until mid-October.

Oh, and Bowling for Columbine is showing at the library tomorrow. I'm thinking this will be an interesting chance to practice some Castellano in the post-movie discussions.

In other news, I've been writing like a hungry forest fire in dry season. I think I'll have some interesting tidbits for y'all pronto.

Please stand by.