San Martin de los Andes (Saturday January 15--Day 67)

I don´t have too much to say about this town, mostly because I didn´t spend a lot of time there and my activities were not that varied. However, what I will say is that this wonderfuly place answered many of my recent questions, erased many of my accumulating doubts, and filled the voids left my the last few places. But I promise, I won´t say much.
The realizations were small and simple at first, almost to the point of being coincidental. This morning, I had left the hostel thinking about clocktowers and wondering why I hadn´t seen any since the north; within five minuted I arrived downtown and there it was: a giant clocktower. Last night on the bus while eating my yogurts and crackers, I had been thinking nostalgically of Albardon´s Martin´s Mercado and wondering when I would have the opportunity to shop at a place besides the major supermarkets; this afternoon I found a small market with the food behind the counter and happily conversed with the workers about the weather and their family. Before leaving this morning, I thought about how much I missed the predictable blocks and perpendicular roads of most towns; then I found a map of this town and the layout was as such.
Slowly throughout the day, I began to realize how San Martin de los Andes takes the best of the past few towns and created (organically, I feel) the perfect combination of family, work, and tourists. There is an artisan fair in the main plaza like El Bolson, but two blocks away there is a park filled with picnic blankets where women have piled on used clothes and appliances to sell to real people. There are street performers and tourist information centers, and on the same block there are teens skateboarding, couples cuddling, and little kids painting. There are paths through the forests, places to buy crafts, and woderful restaurants, but you need not feel obliged to participate in the consumerism in order to spend time in the town. I just bought some bread, went to the park, and people watched for hours as families came and went, as street performers set up their shows right in front of me, and as other foreigners strolled through town snapping pictures of the beauty.
It has a wonderful vibe, and I wish I could have spent more time there. Who knows. I heard they have one of the most beautiful fall foliage seasons in South America. I´ll be just over the mountains in March, so I may come back for a few days. Vamos a ver. What a wonderful place.