Thirty-fifth day: Esquel , Trevelin and Los Alerces National Park (May 15, 2019)

Shopping at the supermarket, bananas, a large bottle of water, and something to snack on. I still have plenty of money. The cashier looks at the 1,000 peso bill, checks it, and calls for the supervisor. I realize, somewhat bewildered, that I only have Chilean pesos left. My sense of wealth is gone. But it's enough for the shopping.

The tourist information center in Trevelin sends me to Banco de Chubut, the only bank in town. They don't accept euros, but the man agrees to exchange the euros. However, he has to go to the bank to withdraw money. The peso is in freefall, a somewhat safer investment for him to have euros.

Trevelin is a village of Walloons or Gauls. In the second half of the 19th century, they set off on a ship to Patagonia. Fifty families made their way through the Andes and came across Chileans who saw no future at home, as all the land had been given to predominantly German immigrants. The story is well depicted in a museum.

Los Alerces National Park is all ours. We don't see any visitors, everything (except for the park guards' information) is closed. We enjoy the scenery while strolling along a forest trail next to a lake.