Pheeee-ew!!! Have just updated the photees! So our belated Glaciar and El Chalten shots are now up. As are the ones of this area - the Lakes District and Barriloche! Actually its San Carlos de Barriloche but hell thats way too much of a mouthful - even for the locals!
We travelled here via "Ruta 40". I recall wondering aloud to Ben just what this route was and neither of us came up with an answer. Well we know now! It´s a LONG and VERY DUSTY road that travels up through Patagoina from El Chalten to Barriloche. It is bumpy as hell with some patches looking as though we may have needed to haul out and push the damn bus - and the landscape is BARREN! Its one of those routes that travel guides say is "A MUST" in terms of experience. But hey - I´ve done the Gibb River road (numerous times) and I had a cold (thanks Ben!) so this was one unexpected experience that I didn´t feel I really needed all that much. But there ya go - its done! And if nothing else its how I discovered "Dr Lemon"! Tis a beverage (alcoholic I belatedly discovered) that is ... you guessed it... Lemony!! YUM.
Barriloche is a veritable oasis compared to further south in Patagonia. theres lots of trees! And lakes!! Lots of them. In parts it almost feels a bit Swiss - especially when theres a wee "hamlet" actually called Colonia Suisa. It´s touristy enough but somehow doesn´t feel it?! CHOCOLATE SHOPS GALORE which you`d think would have been enough to cue us to the fact that it was Easter weekend... but well.. what can I say? We`re backpackers! We were half way through Good friday before we realized that the great Pagen festival of stuffing yourself full of chocolate was upon us again!
We caught ourselves a Collectivo (like an urban public transport bus - but ventures a bit further out of town) up to Colonia Suisa where we hired ourselves a couple of bikes and hit the road! What a hoot!!! We cycled the Circuito Chico, which is a circuit that takes in plenty of the lakes and the surrounding mountains, as well as the odd river and collection of hamlets complete with Artesanl Cerveza brewery kinda thingys. While the UPS were a challenge - the downs were more than worth it! Flying at god only knows what speed down some barely surfaced mountain road with a tour bus hooning up towards you really is something!
The circuit was roughly 30km all in all (with LOTS of ups and downs) so needless to say - we were pretty damned pleased with the free beer offered upon our return of the bikes! Lounged in the sun while we waited for our bus back to town and generally felt pretty bloody pleased with ourselves!
Our next trip out was to do an overnight trek. Theres plenty of mountain and (you guessed it) lake and glaciar treks around here but we were feeling like we`d done our share of that scene - so we headed out for a river/valley trek. VERY pleased with our choice, as the valley we trekked up was not only STUNNING, it was also relatively flat :-) Had a really beautiful day of it and got to set up camp in a spot just metres from the river and within view of a waterfall!
High drama when a pair of Argentinan lads arrived at the campsite and were asking us about who had passed during the day. They´d heard some shouting but had not seen the people it came from and thought maybe someone was lost (all this communicated in a happy little mix of pidgin spanish and english). Turns out (much later that night) that it wasn`t a group of lost people it was just a group of Isralies! Thats another whole topic!
A very leisurely morning followed with us trekking back out to the road to get our bus back to town and that most wonderful of things - the post trek shower! By now we´re regulars at our little hostel - so we´ve had a lovely big meal with some of our hostel buddies... my turn to cook which is no mean feat in a country that hasn´t heard of soy sauce!! and doesn`t use pepper!
We´re not much longer in Barriloche - but its sure been nice. TOP weather and just a great place to chill out!
