Yep. We did it. We drank out of a river in a foreign country. Sorry mom and health department, it just wasn´t that big of a risk. In fact, four days later, we are just fine. And the water…well, it was really, really, really good. Maybe the only time in my life that I can dive into a clear, green, slow moving river and open my mouth. (Or fill up the water bottles again and again.)

So we had a little bit of a kerfluffle between Esquel and Trevelin (more about that later) and had a few days to spend in the Parque de Los Alerces. Two days of riding brought us to the Rio Verde, and although we only planned on spending one night on it´s glorious bank, we stayed for three.

I´ve never been to a river that was more amenable for mellow swimming. It wasn´t cold, it wasn´t hot, it was just right. There was almost no current close to shore, and a mild one a few feet off shore, but not bad. Children were free to cross the whole expanse of river in inflatable boats to play on the other side. And it wasn´t a particularly skinny river. It was just very, very tranquilo. And so was I. There was also plenty of shade, and an interesting cast of hippie backpackers (full of suggestions for where we should visit), families, and fishermen to watch should I possibly get bored. And lots of fish swimming. The bank dropped dramatically enough that you could dive in about 3 feet off shore.

And did I mention that you could drink out of it? This was confirmed, not only by the signs saying “The water IS potable, but take care of it!”, but also by the two American girls from Bellingham, WA, who were volunteering in the park for the summer.

What an incredible, incredible place.