Christmas Eve brought great excitement and planning in our home, with presents being wrapped, carrots and milk left out and windows left ajar for any special visitor…
We awoke to great excitement with carrots and milk being replaced by board games and remote-control cars. We continued a long-standing family tradition of running the GOAL mile each 25th December morning, albeit in more more pleasant conditions than we are used to in Belfield! Later in the day we ate a very special buffet dinner, prepared by all the family members with our daughter Olivia acting as chief organizer. The day ended with some family games and a few laughs.
All-in-all the day had been a success. Everyone was happy and parents could relax that they had not robbed the joy of Christmas from our traveling children.
The next morning some other vehicles started to arrive in the campsite. First an older Mexican couple arrived in their Dodge campervan. They had been traveling for a couple of years and had many stories and words of wisdom to offer. Next up was an Argentine family with two boys, one the same age as Diego. Another Argentine Couple then arrived in a vehicle very similar to ours, with their extended family and kids staying in a rental property locally. Lastly a well-travelled VW T2 campervan from Uruguay arrived to join our swelling numbers. Another wonderful family, their son was of similar age to Olivia and proceeded to spend many hours with us over the following days.
Within hours of everyone arriving, the overlanding community spirit was in full flow. Tables and chairs were out and joined together. People were preparing all types of food and sharing with each other without thought. Parents chatted late into the night as children played around without care or concern. It was a beautiful scene, one that we had hoped to find during any week of the year. That it happened that week, made it really special for us all.
The next few days were absolutely some of the most enjoyable we had spent on our trip. We all went for hikes, swam in the lake and solved the world’s problems over good food. The kids were as happy as they could be, playing, sharing and learning with their new best friends. It really was as good as it gets.
When we eventually dragged ourselves away from San Martin de los Andes, a week and a half after arriving, it was with a sense of complete gratitude. We had hoped to find a few nice picturesque places to spend Christmas week. What we found were places filled with wonderful, like-minded people. For that week, these people helped to fill the huge gap left by family and friends back home.
When we mention San Martin de los Andes to the kids ever since, they smile straight away and launch into stories about the great things they did with their friends there. And then we smile too…
Click here to read “A Trip Back In Time 95 Million Years” blog post
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