Bus'in it to Bariloche
ARGENTINA | Friday, 28 December 2007 | Views [2298]
It's an uneventful four hour bus ride from San Martin to Bariloche today, and it was a beautiful ride through the countryside. Se stopped off along the way in the tiny town of Villa la Angostura, an even more quaint lakeside town. We've decided next time we come to this region we need to have our own camping gear. The potential camping sites alongside clear lakes and streams provide ample opportunity for private camping, and easy fishing for fresh dinner... it's an all so serene environment to really relax and unwind in. The multitude of treks to do in the region astounds, and we could easily spend a couple of months trekking and camping between Pucon and Bariloche. The weather in this region changes not just daily, but by the hour. Forget a forecast, it's just plain unpredictable. One day it's raging hot in the morning, only to turn windy and cold in the afternoon.
Upon arrival to the main bus station, we hop on the local city bus into town, our big packs presenting a problem trying to squish on and eventually disembark this already crowded bus. Nearly missing our stop after 15 minutes ride, we realize the rules of the bus are that you embark at the front and disembark out the back - the driver reprimands and restricts us from disembarking in the front of the bus, after having pushed and prodded our way to the front to exit, past the hordes of women standing, nursing their children in the aisles, which by the way, is a common practice we've sen everywhere we travel in Asia and Latin America... No need for privacy or sensitivity, or "lactation rooms" in the office... when the time to feed comes it's perfectly acceptable to just whip out your boob in front of everyone and feed, something we in the US have privacy issues with is so common and open everywhere else in the world. We get off the bus, pass the very long queue for "completos", or hot dogs sold on the street corner with "everything" on them - so much stuff smothered on top you can't even see the meat. We happily check into our overpriced hostel at El Rojo Ciervo, all hostels, restaurants, etc, are significantly overpriced during the high season here. In fact, it's put a bit of a damper on our free wheeling travel plans as we've had to book hostels in advance to ensure a spot to sleep during end of Dec/Jan, which makes it a bit less relaxing and adventurous. But we're "home" now, as we refer to each new spot we check into, and ready to decompress from the bumpy ride, and escape the extremely cold weather outside.
