la vida vale más que el oro

I just got back from an amazing week in Bariloche. However, before I was able to witness the serenity of Argentine Patagonia, I had to spend nearly an entire day on a bus…alone. I can sum up my twenty-two hours of solitude with: four runs of Madonna’s concert video (each time more unpleasant than the last), an almost drug bust, lots of melatonina, swollen ankles, and some re rico ravioli. Upon arriving in Bariloche, I may or may not have misunderstood where the bus station was in relation to the central part of town, thus walking nearly five kilometers with all of my stuff, wind in my face, sun destroying my retinas. But at least I ended up getting some exercise after legitimately not moving my cuerpo for almost an entire day. (Seriously, too much melotonina. Didn’t even get up out of my seat ONCE. Fail.) Staying at a beautiful hostel right on Lake Nahuel Huapi, I couldn’t have been more relieved when I finally arrived. (Seriously…backyard is the lago. Unreal.) It always surprises me how easy it is to meet people in hostels. I spent most of that night in the kitchen making dinner (homemade macaroni and cheese OBVIOUSLY. Which also lasted me three days. So frugalicious.), and met so many people from all over the world, some of which I ended up hiking with the next day.

I woke up early the next morning to hike through Cerro Otto and Cerro Chico. Two completely different hikes, both so beautiful, and both so full of FOLIAGE! April falls right in the middle of otoño in the Southern Hemisphere, so I definitely came at the right time. Being from New England, I’m a sucker for foliage, so I felt right at home in Bariloche. From Cerro Otto you are able to see all of Bariloche, the lake, the islands, the mountains…everything! It was incredible and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t spend a solid hour at the top absorbing the vista. Cerro Chico had the most surreal, serene vistas…I honestly felt like I was dreaming.

The next day was the end of the world. Actually. Torrential downpours, high-speed winds…if my vacation hadn’t been so short I probably would have spent the entire day seeking refuge in a cellar with canned food and bottled water. However since that wasn’t the case, I decided to risk my life and explore El Bolsón, a hippie town two hours south of Bariloche. When you get into El Bolsón you see a sign that says la vida vale más que el oro, a true testament to their hippie status. There is a big, nice market with the usual food, clothes, jewelry, and it even withstood despite the rain. People were running through the streets, loving the rain. Being surrounded by so many people loving life had really surprising effect on me, and left me really contemplating la vida as I pulled away from El Bolsón. Deep stuff, I know. Sarah, Valentín, and Kelsey had rented a cabaña in Bariloche for the week, so when I got back from my hippie experience I went straight to their lugar for lots of music, leftover macaroni and cheese, Pisco, Fernet, and Malbec.

The next day was COLD. I’m not talking I’ve-been-in-BA-for-three-months-and-now-I-have-no-tolerance-for-cold cold, I’m talking Vermont-in-late-fall cold. The winds were only getting stronger and it was so cloudy that it would not have been worth taking the well-anticipated Tronador hike. (¡Qué lástima!) I met up with Sarah, Valentín, and Kelsey for some late-morning helado at Jauja, which apparently has the best ice cream in Bariloche. I went for the dulce de leche bañado en chocolate…sinful. Because the weather was so awful, we decided to rent a car for the day. It wound up being $53AR apiece, INCLUDING gas for 200 kilometers…an INCREDIBLE deal. (…albeit two of the doors didn’t open and the car really struggled up/down hills…) We drove around the Bariloche area, exploring what we wanted to explore without freezing to our very cores. Hotel Llao Llao (PS Mom and Dad…we are staying there.), a puerto near Isla Victoria, Lago Escondido...¡a todos lados! I came back to the hostel for a maté sesh with some of my hostel friends, then made a big couscous mezcla for dinner (obviously accompanied by some Malbec). Actually, in Bariloche I discovered a Malbec that might just rival my usual fav (Santa Julia). Terruño Andino: FIFTEEN PESOS, and so, so smooth. I will obviously need to hold an official taste test…hopefully I can find Terruño in BA!

Sarah and I spent Saturday exploring Bariloche since the weather unfortunately didn’t allow us to hike. We wandered through a few artisan markets, finding a huge one inside (where we were able to seek refuge from the blustery conditions outside). After getting little artisan leather wallets, we headed back to my hostel and ended up drinking maté for two hours, sitting by the window in the lounge that looks right onto the lake. Drinking maté for such a long time, we both for the first time felt the REAL effects this mysterious yerba has on people. It was such an amazing, natural feeling. We now know why Argentines love maté so much...

Bariloche is the chocolate capital of Argentina, so we’d be silly not to indulge. After our extended maté sesh, we wandered back into town for some Malbec and chocolate. We went to Mamuschka, which allegedy has the best chocolate in all of Bariloche. Walking into the store there are tons and tons of glass cases filled with all different kinds of chocolate. Obviously I didn’t resist my urge to buy EVERYTHING I wanted, and it only came out to $35AR. Incredible. My favorite chocolates were the banana and dulce de leche covered in milk chocolate, and the cashew and dulce de leche covered in white chocolate. Okay fine you caught me…I’m OBSESSED with the dulce.

It wouldn’t be a vacation in Argentina without a massive feast at a parrilla, so we met up with Kelsey’s host brother Agustín and his friend (who is from Bariloche), and the six of us made our way to El Boliche de Alberto, a famous restaurant in town. We started off with some chorizo y morcilla (both SO AMAZING! I’m addicted to morcilla), then we had some bife de chorizo, vacío, and tira de asado. So much delicious meat, I was stuffed for a solid 24 hours. The whole meal, including vino (and lots of it…), came down to $73AR a piece…less than $20USD! The meat here is so delicious and flavorful, I almost feel guilty paying so little.

I woke up early the next day for my bus back to BA. Yes, I spent all of Easter on an omnibus. The bus rides really weren’t that bad. By no means am I saying that I recommend wasting an entire day sitting in a moving metal box, but it could have been much worse. Argentine bus companies actually are legit: seats recline pretty far back, pillow and blanket included, decent food, and …variable…movies. If you are going to subject yourself to a bus ride over six hours, you have to be comfortable doing it. Plus, because it was Easter, everyone got huevos de Pascua when we boarded the bus! Sweeeeeet.

It’s safe to say that I’m in love with Patagonia. Everything is so serene and simple; I can seriously see myself going back down there for an extended period of time while I attempt to avoid the real world.

Off to las Cataratas del Iguazú tomorrow!

Chau,
audgentina.