Deep thoughts and musings aside my mother and I had a good time those couple of days. She really is a trooper walking the way I made her and sitting for so long. She came off a 10 hour flight directly into a 22hr bus ride and didn’t say a peep. The same day she arrived we hopped on a bus to Bariloche a town in Patagonia, the southern half of Argentina. Patagonia is known for being colder with mountains, lakes, skiing, etc… And it’s a part of Argentina you absolutely HAVE to visit. As I mentioned in previous posts once you leave the city you notice the differences within the country and how everything revolves around the city. Well this is even more so evident when you reach Patagonia, minus the city part. In Bariloche I got absolute zero city feel. Of course so because the cities are different but you get no influence at all. It feels as if you are in another country. Obviously you are in another region and the vibes are different but at the same time I wasn’t expecting to FEEL such a difference. Even in the news this difference is evident, when they mention the capital they mean Neuquen, the biggest and “capital” city of Patagonia and they have their own soccer teams and tournaments. This along with the crisp, clean air, giddies you into a Patagonian trance that you simply do not want to leave.
One thing for sure Patagonia is much drier than I thought. I understand the cold kills all the plants but since it is not winter yet and the northern half of Patagonia has not had snow (excluding the top of VERY high mountains) I was expecting to see more green and color changing, not dry Arizona desert. Now I have never seen the desert or been to Arizona but according to TV it looks just like it. For those of you who have seen Breaking Bad, in the first season when Walt and Jesse drive out to the desert in the RV to cook and its all sandy with dry shrubs and tumbleweeds, that is exactly what 90% of the drive down looked like. You don’t see the lakes, rivers, and mountains, until you get closer to Bariloche. And the mountains are more canyon and plateau, not the tall cone shapes ( you get these in Bariloche) a person initially thinks of. There is a small town we made a pit stop in perhaps 6 hours away from Bariloche that was so dry and windy we essentially saw a sand storm. There were a few stragglers and dogs quickly bracing the wind and fighting the dust along with some tumbleweed rolling past the bus. It LITERALLY looked like a scene out of a movie. Most of the ride is just flat land and since it is so long and you don’t know where you are or which route the bus took you are left wondering if you are going to the right place ( at least I was).
Once you get closer to Bariloche you start to see lakes, rivers, canyons, and the bus does more winding up and through the mountains, you can even feel the pressure slightly in your ears, only this along with time are the indicators you get of how close you are. The water is clear, clean looking, and mirrors the sky which is this pristine blue without a single cloud ( this was the ride there). There are christmas trees everywhere and the leaves ACTUALLY change colors (coming from a Floridian) some of the trees turned a bright gold color that was absolutely wonderful, nothing like I had ever seen in person. However nothing beats the view when you arrive.
Calculating our estimated trip duration along with expected time of arrival, pit stop times and late departure I assumed we would arrive to Bariloche around 2-2:30pm. However since I had no idea what the place looked like and the entire trip had been so dry I couldn’t tell if we had arrived or not. My mom and I were eagerly looking out the window to the left (where we were sitting) which was uneventful, then I looked to the right just in time. The bus had curved around a mountain, revealing this LARGE dark blue lake with a city on the other side and mountains all around, some snow capped. My breath got caught in my throat, that had to be it. We made our way around a portion of the lake to the bus terminal and then from there it was a little bit more to the city center. The city itself is big, for such a remote area. I would call it more town than city but it is the 4th largest place in Patagonia so I guess city is appropriate. It’s just spread out because of the lake and the mountains making transportation different. For example to get to the attractions its just a two lane road around the mountains and hills. This makes it harder for a tourist because everything is by mile (Km here) marker so street names aren’t visible and since it’s mountain, trees, and lake you can’t use landmarks. The buses also don’t pass as frequently and follow more set schedules so renting a car is highly recommended. Taking the bus is fun but you are put on a stricter schedule. Driving around is much easier as there is less congestion and the area of the attractions is more residential so you don’t have to worry about traffic. We couldn’t do much because of time and then later weather but what we were able to do was perfect.
Friday we just walked around the city center and got information on how we could do what we wanted. Attractions are far ( whole lake and mountains in the way thing) so we got information on what buses to take, etc… Turns out Friday was also the first day of the yearly chocolate festival. So in the plaza there was a lot going on, bands, food, and the making of the biggest easter egg in the world. Saturday we visited two mountains Cerro Campanario and Cerro Otto. Campanario isn’t very high so a simple ski lift does the trick but for Otto there are cable cars. Campanario has a spectacular view, I highly recommend it. You see all the surrounding lakes and mountains. It’s like the nature never stops and the mountains are the horizon. The sun was reflecting off the lakes, the wind was crisp. Saturday we really had ideal weather. The ride up and down Campanario was so peaceful. You could just sit on the lift, dangling your legs, listening to the wind blow ALL day long. The view was wonderful as well as the feels. If you are looking for a way to destress just do that. It is absolutely quiet, even when you get to the top and there are tourists babbling it doesn’t hurt the moment. It is nothing compared to the constant noises and pollution of the city.
The view from Cerro Otto is a little bit different because the mountain is a bit farther back and higher. There is also the viewpoint as well as several other trails for hiking. I dragged my mom onto one of these trails, of course the uphill, calf burning one that takes you to a high point. Not even when you pause for a deep breathe do you get relief, it was like climbing the stairs at the top of the student section at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. My mother, panting and heart racing made it to the top and we paused, sat, had a photo op (obvi), and looked. Silence. Except for the wind. To our left there was a valley with all snow capped mountains, it was far but I swear I could hear the wind coming. I swear I could hear the wind coming uninterrupted through the valley and then arriving to us through the surrounding trees. To me it first sound like when air goes through a bottle, but it was very low and calm, and then you hear it blow through the trees. The air was so crisp and fresh. It was cold but not bone wracking, it was just right. I would gulp the air and think this must be what commercials for mountain water aim for. You see the valley with the snow capped mountains and just want to touch and see it closer so bad but its so far away and well, if there is snow at this time that means they are much higher than they appear. Something else that is nice is you can see the sunset before it reaches the city. In the distance I saw it getting darker and the sky was changing colors like a sunset but it was only about 2:30pm so I thought the sun can’t be going down already! But you can see it come slowly and the temperature drops slowly indicating the day is ending.
Sunday the weather was not as helpful. It was Easter Sunday and the last day of the chocolate festival. Everyone gathered in the plaza to watch the egg be broken, which was then chopped into pieces and given to those waiting in line, which was twice as long (perhaps longer ) than any line at Disney World. After this my mom and I went to Cerro Catedral which turned out to be closed because for some reason they don’t open on weekends. This mountain was the highest (accessible) point in the city and I was so excited to go up. My mom and I thought about hiking it which in hindsight was dumb because we are as inexperienced as you could get. The cable car itself looked like it had a long trek to the top so who knows how long a hike would be or what the weather would be like at the top. Dark clouds were gathering and all though the mountain was monstrous and you could see that, looking at it you get the impression its doable ( for experienced at least) BUT by the way the clouds started to look and how close they were to the mountain you see that it really is no joke, it really is high. A small town was built/ is still undergoing construction at the base of the mountain which makes me think it being an attraction is fairly new. All the shops and restaurants revolve around skiing so I think it’s safe to say that area is a hotspot in the winter for sports. It also makes you think if the views are this nice in fall, the winter, although cold, would be spectacular.
It started to rain shortly after and it didn’t stop until about 4pm. I wanted to go to a small Swiss town nearby but the weather was too poor for walking around so instead we went to a brewery. In all the the stores I saw bottles of Blest beer, brewed in Bariloche so I was curious to see the brewery. It’s small craft beer, in a small building, half restaurant- half store. I was only able to try two beers. I came in with the intention of buying, I saw the brewing equipment looked around and then asked the bartender to try some. I tried two and tried to get more but then he said I would have to order a plate and having already tried two I decided to just buy those two instead of sitting down to taste them again. I bought Frambuesa and Bock. Bock wona best beer award in 2011 and let me tell you, I found the beer of my life. I am new to the beer world and know very little. I do not like IPAs or really dark beers and I kinda go off what tastes less bad. I like Stella and Yuengling most so far so trying these beers was a shot in the dark for me really. Frambuesa is a rose colored, fruity beer, with a higher alcohol content. The Bock is what blew my mind. When I saw him pour it I was disappointed, it was dark and I was preparing myself to taste the iconic rags in water with hops taste I get with beer. When it first hit my tongue I got coffee which then had me like ok, I like coffee but I’ve had coffee beer before and its meh, then I got wood and was confused, and then I got surprised. The beer was smooth and clean. We had eaten beforehand and I was thirsty, after this sip I was fine. I was in complete surprise. The taste was so soft and smooth and it left my mouth like that for a while. The bartender noticed the looks on my face and said himself it’s one of his favorites. It is a shame I won’t find this beer in the US.
After Blest we walked to another brewery on the side of the road that turned out not to be as cool because it was just a restaurant so I left. Blest had me hooked when I saw the brew tanks, even if they are empty ( don’t know for sure) this makes them seem more legit. On the way to this next brewery the rain stopped and the sun came out. We got this picture perfect view. There was a field with someone’s house, horses eating grass, and a mountain behind it, then the sun broke through and you could see some left over clouds hanging low. We also found/saw our first apple tree and cherries of some kind. It was so cool. These are things and views you don’t get in the city or in Florida. Both are flat and Buenos Aires is all old European style buildings and no visual appeal such as mountains or beach. You can get the brown water of Rio de la Plata though. Because of the rain Sunday was very cold. At one point it got so cold you could see your breath out of your nose, but that didn’t last long as it didn’t rain for very long or hard. Most of the time it was just gray.
This weather stayed this way through Monday. As the bus pulled out I watched as we made our way around the lake and you couldn’t see a single thing. When we made it to the opposite end before the curve where the mountain tucked Bariloche away I took one last look in hopes of seeing something and got nothing. After a bit we went up some mountains where it was bright as ever. The sun was blinding and you could see some clouds left below but also them being burned away by the sun. It was pretty to see the change but after we left that area it went back to flat lands. Both rides truly were not as bad as I anticipated. Perhaps the ride to Bariloche was worse because it was day, night, then day and the landscaping gave no signal to where we were but the ride back movies played all day and they were entertaining ones. It was like having a movie marathon on a moving couch. They give blankets, and pillows, and you lean the chair back and get to be a vegetable under good excuse. Though you must stand up every once in a while and wiggle your feet or if the bus makes a pit stop, step outside and stretch, your legs and back will feel better. I think riding all day and all night is better than doing a portion of two days then all night because with the first option there is more of a concrete end. You go to sleep knowing in the morning you will be there rather than waking up to more sitting.
I was cautioned to such a long bus ride but I do not regret it in the least, I actually highly recommend it, to Bariloche at least. Theres something about sitting in a tube, rolling through the Pampas watching the scenery pass by. You feel the curves, ups and downs and bumps of the bus- but not in a scary way. Plus its nice to travel with someone else at the wheel though because of that you can’t stop to take a look at the scenery whenever you want. Because of this I would definitely encourage a road trip, though it would be a bit lonely since theres a lot of nothing most of the time. Either way I say ground trip. By plane you would miss so much ESPECIALLY that initial view when you arrive to Bariloche. I would certainly do that all over again and am missing that initial awe. So beautiful. My mother and I loved Bariloche and I absolutely recommend you see it for yourself. Bus companies I recommend and enjoyed with the trip- El Rapido Argentino and Chevellier. Much better than Empresas Argentinas, what we took to Mar del Plata. And if you decide to use public transportation there, they use a different company, 3 de Mayo, and the bus fares are more expensive than the city. You can get charged up to 11 pesos for a ride.
Back in the city my mother and I did lots of walking up and down the microcenter. We took a bus tour of the city, which she insisted on. It wasn’t bad, it took me to parts of the city I still hadn’t gotten to ( Tourist ones of course, like the River stadium), unfortunately the tour is long so after getting off once and regretting it because the wait until the next bus was so long we just rode the entire route. We drove through all the more common neighborhoods, Boca, San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, etc… Im kinda glad my mom pushed to do it because you see some things you would originally just walk by without looking twice. As well as there are some touristy things that you don’t really need to stop and look at, driving by is enough. So now after crossing a couple more things off my to see list I will reach a point where I can leave content and not feel dumb with leaving and not seeing something everybody knows about. I won’t see everything but I can at least say I saw the main attractions and then some. I also finally went to Plaza de Mayo ( still not inside Casa Rosada- more on impressions of this once I finally get inside) and calle Florida. Florida is a nice little street, touristy stores selling cool things to buy as souvenirs. I liked it. I bought a Messi jersey for the cup while they are cheap, a small banner with the provinces, flag patch and am contemplating getting a bigger flag and the decorative scarves people put around their shoulders on game day. I am not much for hanging flags but this trip is a big part of my life since I’ve spent so much time here that I should have something to show and I like to hang these kinds of things up in my room. With the patch flags I got the idea from a friend to collect one for every country I go to and then frame them. Either way its an entertaining street to walk down and wander in all of the stores if you ignore everyone trying to sell you something.
Considering how much my mother and I walked through the micro center and went up and down the city I should be an expert with this place. I do understand it and know my way around a little better but I still get confused with which way is which.