Of course first and foremost…Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had an absolutely incredible holiday season…filled with laughter, joy and maybe a little drinking; like I said at midnight here in BA, cheers “to one more year in good health and happiness.”
This will officially be my last “this is a long entry” warning. They are all long. My only advice is to stop reading when you get bored. Oh, but for this one specifically, you may want to split it off into a few sections, or set aside a time to sit and enjoy, cause it’s looooong.
For those who don’t know, I spent the first half of my holiday season in Bariloche. Bariloche is known world-wide as a jumping off point to trek the Southern half of Argentina, including the Andes Mountains in Chile. To get there from Buenos Aires, buses leave daily to make the 20 hour trip down south. Our group of six left on Wednesday Dec. 22nd to start our amazing adventure. The five of them had all booked their seats well ahead of time, and selected seats near the front of the bus (with the best view). Unfortunately, the procrastinator that I am, I waited a bit longer and got a seat a bit further back on the bus. I was seated next to a young guy who grew up in Bariloche and now lives in Buenos Aires, and across from a couple who also grew up in Bariloche but now attends University in Buenos Aires. Seeing as how we had a 20 hour ride (turned out to be 25 hours!!!) ahead of us, I made some small talk. To my surprise (and delight), they had very differing opinions of the town they grew up in. The couple, specifically the boyfriend, raved about it; how incredibly beautiful it is, how the nightlife is amazing and the people are so friendly and welcoming. Everything I was expecting, hoping and planning for! The exact words from the solo traveler next to me “me odio Bariloche”…translation: I hate Bariloche. To be honest I was shocked. I didn’t pry too much, but I got the feeling he was more into tall buildings and a fast paced life style, which is not the atmosphere in Bariloche! The (25 hour) bus ride was not all that bad. The seats were pretty comfortable, they showed three movies (two in English), fed us five times and gave us a few chances to get off the bus and stretch our legs. Not to mention, when I wasn’t sleeping, the scenery was amazing!
We finally arrived (Thurs, Dec 23rd), 4 hours late, in Bariloche. Such an incredibly beautiful little town/city. It looks like a ski town you may find in Colorado, clearly built up recently due to a massive in-flux if tourism. There is a ski resort just a few kilometers South that is very popular during the winter and the city is known for having some of the best chocolate in Argentine, if not the world! After arriving at our hostel,Penthouse 1004, we quickly settled in and were off to explore the city. Bariloche is set on Lake Nahuel Huapi, which is actually a collection of seven different lakes, and we immediately headed down to the lakeside to take in the beauty. After perusing for a while, our stomachs got the best of us and we headed to a neat restaurant in town called La Alpina for a snack (we had plans to eat at the best restaurant in town that night, so we didn’t want to spoil our appetites). I’d read somewhere that smoked foods in Bariloche were delicious, so I ordered the smoked platter which came with smoked trout, boar, and venison; all delicious! The girls ordered some delectable fondue, and Rudy got a hamburger.
We had an informational meeting to attend at the hostel at 8:30, so after our snack a few of the girls went to check out the chocolate shops, while the rest of us hit up the grocery store and made our way back. The staff introduced themselves, and provided details for the following nights (Christmas Eve) festivities. With the hostel fully booked, there were about 40 of us, each group was to cook some sort of dish for all to enjoy. Some starters, entrees and of course, desserts (though I ate none of them). Following the meeting, everyone showered and got ready for dinner, and we headed to El Boliche de Alberto. I split the most expensive beef option on the menu with Mandy and ordered a heap of fries. It was amazing, and I polished off Karina’s chicken, which was cooked perfectly, as well. There was only one down-side to our hostel: the common area “closed” at 1:30am. We didn’t get back from dinner ‘til close to 12:30 and Rudy and I settled in and cracked open a few beers. As 1:30 came around, we were forced into our rooms, but Rudy and I were determined to continue celebrating our first night in Bariloche. We cracked open one more liter of Quilmes and proceeded to pass the bottle between the two of us while quietly standing in the hallway, which became a bit of a running joke between the two of us: How to drink ‘after hours’ without getting ‘caught’.
The morning of Christmas Eve arrived and we had plans to be up and out of the hostel by 9am, we left at 10.
We headed to the grocery store to buy our ingredients for dinner that night, grilled veggies and garlic mashed potatoes, and then were off to check out Llao Llao and Campinario, two places a friend of Karina’s had suggested going to. We took the #20 bus 25km outside of the city to the locale of the most famous hotel in Bariloche, Llao Llao. Though we didn’t go in, it sat on top of a small mountain and I can only imagine how incredible the views are from the rooms (though I doubt better than our hostel!). The first hike we intended to do was through the Bosque de Arrayanes (Arrayanes Forest), but failed to find the correct path. The one we did take was about an hour long through a beautiful bamboo forest surrounding one of the seven lakes. We ended up walking back along the road, and passing the hike we intended to do along the way ha! But we had more important things to see, and had to be back at the hostel by 6:30 to get our cooking done by 8:30 (the owners were VERY adamant about this), so we hopped back on the #20 bus and got off at km17 – Campinario. We had two options here, (1) take the gondola to the top, (2) about a 30 minute, very steep hike to the top. We chose option two. It was worth it. Words cannot describe what I saw, but I will just give you an idea, and you can see the picturesfor yourself! Just to give you an idea, the view from Campinario is considered one of the top 10 greatest viewpoints in all of the world. At the top, you have a 360 degree view of all seven lakes that make up Lake Nahuel Huapi and the surrounding mountains and cities as well. On this day, it was cloudy and rainy, but that in no way took away from the stunning beauty before us, simply gave a different perspective. At the top, there is a small café with some of the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever tasted. This was already one of the highlights of the trip, but what followed was somewhat of a miracle. As we made our way out of the café for our descent, the sun had crept through the rain clouds, and an absolutely stunningly, gorgeous rainbow shone clearly through the forest trees. Breath-taking. We finally made our way down the mountain and back to the hostel to prepare for the feast that would ensue.
Julia and I did the cooking for our group. I made heaps and heaps of garlic mashed potatoes (soooooo cheap) and Julia prepared the veggies. You wouldn’t believe the plethora of food options that were presented throughout the night, it was incredible. Here’s a list of what I remember eating:
Starters:
- Salmon patte
- Brushectta
- Pepper filled olives
- Cheese platter
- Smoked trout (caught fresh the day before by one of the other guests)
Entrees:
- Gemran Schnitzel
- Meatballs
- Baked chicken wrapped in prosciutto
- Garlic mashed
- Veggies, veggies, veggies
- Pasta salad, multiple types
Dessert: (I only tried one tiny piece of white chocolate…my favorite)
- Applie pie
- Truffles
- Chocolate
- Cookies
- Chocolate fondue-ish
Everything was absolutely delicious and needless to say, I was stuffed by the end. But that wasn’t going to take away from the festivities that ensued for the rest of the night. I had purchased a bottle of Hiram Walker (Johhnie’s MUCH cheaper little brother) and Rudy had brought a bottle of Patron with him from the states. Dangerous. Since I cooked, I was exempt from doing dishes, but kept the washers company and struck up a nice conversation with two older women from Santa Cruz. After all was washed up, the cork came off the bottle of Patron. I was my usual outgoing, friendly self and after borrowing a Santa hat from one of the women was dubbed the “San Diego Santa". The owners cleared out tables from one of the common areas and had a disco ball set up which led to some dancing, and at the end of the night a few of us headed out to an Irish pub down the road. Rudy and I were the only ones from our group to make it out, and after having a few drinks we made our way back to the hostel earlier than the rest (around 5:30am) to catch some shut-eye before the following days activity.
December 25th – Merry Christmas!!! Our group had booked tickets to go to Puerto Blest (Port Blest), another one of the seven lakes, the day before and were getting picked up by bus in front of our hostel at 9:30am. After only three hours of sleep, I was definitely still drunk when I woke up (I am sure of it because I wasn’t hung over at all…haha) and was greeted with a lovely surprise in the morning! One of the other guests had waken early to perform her Christmas ritual back home in Netherlands (I think) and was in the process of rolling up fresh truffles! She offered me one, and I graciously declined, but after offering again only a few minutes later, I felt inclined to try one. It was scrumptious. For the day trip, I packed a ton of food, including left-over’s from the night before, and was out the door and ready by 9:25. (Obnoxiously) Right on time--thank you family.
From what I hear, the hour boat trip to Puerto Blest was beautiful, I couldn’t tell you, I slept the whole time. We got there around 12 and had about 5 hours to explore two separate paths. The first, about a 45 minute walk along a gravel road, lead to Lago Frias. Unfortunately, there were a few ugly, old boats blocking the better views, so I climbed aboard one to get a better feel for the surroundings. Once again, amazing. I had quite a few suggestions for the tourism center to improve the walks that day and I’ll list them as we go along. Here was (#1) REMOVE the old, ugly, broken down boats from the spectacular views. (#2) Create a path leading from Lago Frias to the second attraction of the day, the waterfalls. Since clearly this path doesn’t exist, we had to walk back along the same gravel road to the starting point and headed towards Lago Cataras, and the waterfalls that preceded it. (#3) Don’t only advertise the waterfalls, advertise the stunning lake as well! We were a little strapped for time, or so we thought, and moved quickly along the next hike/walk through the mountains. Along the way we crossed over a few rivers and were blessed with a few incredible views of the lake. Clearly we were not the first to explore these waterfalls, as we neared, beautiful wooden steps replaced the dirt path which we climbed for a solid ten minutes. It was more than worth the climb. We made it to the top at ten ‘til 4, and had been told to meet for the ferry again at 4:15. As we made our descent, we ran into the tour guide (whom we chose not to follow for the day) and were informed the ferry was now leaving at 5. Typical Argentina.
Once again, I slept the entire ride back; my body was not pleased with my decisions the night before. Upon our return, the girls went for chocolate again, Rudy and I grabbed some garlic fries and socialized with the other hostel guests, and then we all went out for a Christmas dinner. A few of the girls went out that night, but I decided to give my body a break as we had a bus to El Bolson to catch at 8am the next day!
I ordered two remises (similar to cabs, but with a set price not a running meter) for 7:25 on Sunday, Dec 26th. A common theme of the trip, at least for me, was to sleep during ANY form of long term transportation. Once again, I was told the two hour bus ride from Bariloche to El Bolson was beautiful and even included a few glaciers (I failed to see them on the return trip as well). We arrived at 10am and I immediately fell in love. This small town looked as if it were dropped out of the sky in the middle of the mountains; on one side, the Andes, and the other Mt. Piltriquitron Our hostel was considered “a ways” outside of the town centre, I chuckled upon our arrival at the hostel as it took only ten minutes to walk there. I immediately struck up a conversation with the worker at the hostel trying to plan an activity for the day. We knew about a street fair that occurred every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but when we arrived, and walked past where the fair was supposed to be, no one was setting up. I quickly found out it was because it didn’t open until noon. Our plan was to check out the fair and hopefully upon our return, rent some bikes and check out Lago Puelo. To my dismay I had forgotten it was Sunday, and that most places, including tourism offices, were closed! Oh well, we tossed our luggage in our room, locked up our valuables in the locker and set off for the fair. It was a gorgeous day and the food there was delicious and cheap. I got a few empanadas and a massive Suprema de Pollo (chicken sandwich). The stand I bought it from had a few homemade spreads that I put on my sandwich and to my surprise…they were SPICY! The first truly spicy ANYTHING I had found in all of Argentina. I perspired quite profusely as I tend to do when eating spicy food, but I enjoyed every last bite!
El Bolson is also well known for their delicious beers. There were a few stands offering up some of these delectable drinks and Mandy and I decided to split a tall glass of the blonde ale (as it was a gorgeous day, it fit the mold). Wow! I have never tasted such a flavorful and savory beer in my life. I just wish it weren’t so expensive, one glass was enough. We made our way back to the hostel, and fell into a bit of luck. The hostess at the front desk knew a couple who rented out bikes in El Bolson and called their house directly. I am pretty sure they were ECSTATIC to have a group of six wanting to go for a ride, and arrived at the hostel within minutes. Off we were on our next adventure! The husband gave me a very brief and helpless idea of which paths to ride along, and needless to say, we went down a road with a dead end. Eventually, we made it to La Playita (a little beach) which was packed with locals. We stood out like a sore thumb walking along the beach with our back-packs, shoes, socks, and bikes…oh and to top it off we took some jumping pictures haha! The real beauty in El Bolson is the ambiance, atmosphere and lifestyle that the locals live. So being able to relax and enjoy this was the perfect way to experience this small town. That night we grabbed dinner at the Tenedor Libre (buffet style diner) and Karina and Mandy grabbed some ice cream at Jauja (famous in Argentina, originated in El Bolson); I held off for the following night.
The next day we were up early and made our way to the tourism/excursions office in town. I had a strong desire to do some type of water activity during this trip, and today was the perfect day for it. Some of the girls were opposed to the idea of going in the water so we decided to split up. I went with Rudy and Julia on a kayaking trip along the same lake we had rode to the previous day. It was amazing, the water was beautiful, and we stopped off on some rocks halfway through the ride to have a bite to eat. Mandy and Emily went horseback riding, and Karina did some beer tasting. Rudy, Julia and I were feeling quite ambitious that day (why not…it may be the only time in my life I’ll be in El Bolson!!!) and so we also planned to go on a hike with Karina after our kayaking adventure. We got back from kayaking at 3:30, changed, got ready and were picked up by our ride at 4 to go to the Bosque Tallado. The drive took about 30 minutes, which took us halfway up Mt. Piltriquitron, and we took it from there. Bosque Tallado is about a 45 minute, steep hike, to a carved out area on the mountain. At this point, a very ambitious, intelligent, and savvy individual had brought massive wooden carvings to the middle of the mountain for people to see. It was really neat, but for me the real treat was the refuge camp about 400 meters above this. Rudy and I were feeling quite ambitious and decided to climb to a point a bit higher up on the mountain which turned out to be my highlight of the trip. The view from up top was spectacular, amazing, breathtaking, incredible, wow, wonderful, and any other words you can think of! The two of us sat up there for about 15 minutes, speechless; taking in the view. To our left we could see Lago Puelo (the same lake we had been kayaking on that day, now about 8,000 feet below us), below us, the quaint little town of El Bolson, and stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see, the Andes Mountains. Truly a sight I will never forget. As we rode back down the mountain, our driver, a very nice man who had lived his whole life in El Bolson, reminded us that just on the other side of the Andes was Chile. Something I hadn’t truly grasped, which once again set me aback.
That night, we made some pasta at the hostel and then headed into town for a taste of the famous Jauja ice cream. I got white chocolate, chocolate with almonds and raspberry. The flavors were…to die for. Each tasted EXACTLY as depicted in the title, unbelievable. That evening Rudy and I hung outside the hostel polishing off the bit of Patron we had failed to finish on Christmas Eve as it was his and Julia’s last night with us. I was sad to leave El Bolson, it is undoubtedly one of my top three places in the world that I have visited.
We took the 8am bus from El Bolson back to Bariloche, and were to stay there one more night. I had read about a spot on the other side of the lake from Bariloche called Villa La Angostura, about an hour away, that I wanted to visit before we headed back to Buenos Aires. As Rudy and Julia departed back for BA; Mandy, Karina, Emily and I all made our way to the bus station to head to Villa. We got there and immediately headed to the famous park in the area, Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes. There was a small beach when we arrived, and decided this is where we would spend the day. We met an adorable black lab/retriever mix that I played fetch with for quite some time, never to meet the owners (if any existed). The girls had decided to take an earlier bus back to Bariloche to have one last go around of chocolate shopping in the city. I chose to hang back in Villa and do a separate hike to a waterfall. I failed. The tourist office gave me piss poor directions on how to get there, and told me there would be signs along the way for where to go. As I did not have a watch on me and did not want to miss my bus back to Bariloche, after successfully getting lost three separate times, I decided to turn back. All was not lost though, while failing to find the waterfalls, I stumbled upon some really unique trails. Signs were posted (I think) that said I was entering tribal grounds, or something of the sort. As a perused, I saw some amazing old huts, gardens, cages, and pathways. I even saw a local off in the distance fixing a broken down wire fence, and was able to see the makings of what appeared to be a small village in the middle of the forest. I didn’t want to upset the locals, so I didn’t tread too far onto their grounds, but what I saw was mind-boggling.
While my adventure here in South America is one I will never forget, this trip to Bariloche will forever remain a highlight of my time down here. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity and will cherish every breath- taking, mind-blowing panoramic view I took in.
I didn’t even get to my New Year’s Eve or trip to Uruguay, but I’ll save that for my next post. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! And welcome everyone to 2011!!!
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