Still catching up on the past while passing our next to last day in Argentina, before our flight home leaves Buenos Aires tomorrow night, Tuesday 3/3.
This post is about what we did after we returned to Argentina from the lake district of Chile. In that previous post, I mention our plan to go to El Bolson, the hippie capital of Argentina, if not of all of South America. Whoever said “You can’t go home again” never visited El Bolson.
From Puerto Varas, Chile (remember Andres living out his dream of having a hostel?) we took a bus on February 14 across the border to Bariloche, Argentina. Bariloche is a major stop for those wanting to be wowed by glacial lakes. The ride there took us through the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, and we were appropriately wowed.
In 1903, explorer Francisco Pascasio Moreno, who was later nicknamed “Perito” (expert) , explicitly mentioning the U.S. as a model, donated a huge amount of land to be a national park. More land was later added to the park, which includes large glacial lakes, rivers, forested moraines and mountains, and snow covered peaks of the Andes. The way-south Parque Nacional Perito Moreno and the famous Glacier Perito Moreno, are named after him. We, unfortunately, were not able to visit glaciers this trip. (So much to do, so little time.) Anyway, it is worth a google to learn more about this very interesting man.
As beautiful as the Bariloche setting is, we had decided not to stay in this major tourist town, but to go further south. That decision took us to El Bolson where we spent a relaxing 4 days..
The town of El Bolson is charming enough, but the real attraction is the mountains around the valley in which the town is nestled. The decision not to rent a car left us a bit stranded in the town, and we did not get into the mountains as much as we would have liked. We rented bikes on two occasions, but the roads and the up-hill climbs were a real challenge for me. So we didn’t get too far afield by that method of transportation either. But we definitely got the idea. We also enjoyed the artisan fair and concert in the plaza of the town. It was the happening place to be.
The following pictures will hopefully be worth more than thousands of words. Remember that you can click on them to open them up fully. Enjoy.
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- At the border on the way to Argentina from Chile, via the Paso Cardenal Samore through the Andes.
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- Driving through Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi.
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- Another view of Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi.
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- View of huge (I don't remember how many square hectares) Lago Nahuel Huapi as we approach Bariloche.
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- Evening lake view on the way from Bariloche to El Bolson.
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- Our town-bound hotel was convenient, but I was sorry that we did not stay in a cabin in the mountains.
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- After a rain in El Bolson.
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- We did get up into the mountains by bike one afternoon.
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- This could be Marin County, CA -- except it is El Bolson, Argentina.
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- Gravel roads are widespread and quite normal.
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- Not a bad life style, huh?
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- View of El Bolson.
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- El Bolson streetscape.
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- El Bolson center city.
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- We were shocked at first to see what this boy was reading and sharing with his father sitting next to him. We later realized that the content of the magazine had nothing to do with sex. It was "only" the cover that was so provocative. But this does seem to reflect a more open attitude here.
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- Wood carver whose work I liked.
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- Tie-dye anyone?
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- Dreadlocks were all the mode.
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- Listening to the music. Lying on the grass. Shades of the past.
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- Back to the future in El Bolson.
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- Waiting for the bus to Esquel.
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- An unsuspecting subject at the El Bolson bus stop was a hint of what we would find in Esquel, our next stop.
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The pictures really are worth more than a thousand words. I’ll miss seeing your posts now that you’ll be home, but maybe you can keep up the blog as a way of keeping your foreign friends up to date on such exciting things as the groundhogs in your yard and the remodeling of you kitchen.
Un beso. Zach