Argentina – Bariloche, Vila Angostura, Santa Rosa, Buenos Aires & San Ignacio – Getting Around
We start early in the day as we've got 1,000kms to travel between Mendoza e Bariloche. We are not sure we can make it in one day and are prepared to stay overnight at another Argentina Auto Club motel on the road if necessary. Yet again, we find out the roads are very good and we make it in the same day. Most of the time the landscape is a bit monotonous but as we approach Bariloche, it changes dramatically and we are surrounded by gorgeous lakes, rivers and snow capped mountains. We arrive in Bariloche almost at night but we can still see the beauty of the lake and the city. We check in at a nice place with incredible views and go out for a, yet again, nice chorizo steak, pasta and red wine dinner. We go back to sleep and find ourselves tossing and turning as the bedroom is way too hot, we open the windows and the traffic noise won’t let us sleep. Pretty cranky and tired, we talk to the reception lady and change rooms to a cooler one, still got to leave the window open most of the day though as the central heating is suffocating. After a nice breakfast, also not restricted to a medialuna, we go for a long walk around the lake and explore the city of Bariloche, Without our beauty sleep, there’s nothing much we can do. The serious sightseeing will have to wait till tomorrow, we have a nice “menu del dia” pasta (dish of the day), for lunch and go into recovery mode.
We wake up and hit the “circuito chico” and take the chairlifts up the the Cerro Campanario. The views are breathtaking and we have a lovely day hopping around lakes, rivers and snowy mountains followed by a nice picnic lunch and a visit to the Llao Llao National Park. We finish the day with a mandatory trip to the Boliche de Alberto, an iconic Parilla (barbecue) restaurant. It is so good we plan to go back again the following night for dinner. On our last day we go on yet another lovely day trip to Vila Angostura and it is another great sightseeing day, lots of lakes, rivers, mountains, long walks and crisp clean air. Bariloche is seriously pretty and picturesque, not sure how busy and touristy it gets in winter with the ski resorts, but off season it is thoroughly recommended. Tomorrow morning we'll be making our way to Buenos Aires.
We wake up early and say goodbye to beautiful Bariloche. We have a long drive, 1,000 kms, to Santa Rosa, where we sleep at another ACA motel and the next morning it is just another 600 kms to Buenos Aires. It’s raining heavily but we arrive safely at the nice Howard Johnson Hotel, in San Telmo. We stay at the hotel for two days in which we explore the city by walking all around and checking out the shops and restaurants in this lovely city. On the Saturday we go to stay at our friend’s lovely apartment and spend time with her (Kate) and her very nice boyfriend (Ale). They take us around to eat Choripan, and to see La Boca, San Telmo and all the other interesting neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, nothing like exploring the place with local friends. On Monday we start our drive back up to Brazil, first night we sleep in Santana, in the Jesuitic Mission region area and the next morning we explore the lovely ruins of San Ignacio in Missiones. We push forward and the following day we arrive back in Iguazu Falls. We stay at a nice place and go shopping in the crazy madness that is Cuidad de Leste in Paraguay. Back in Brazil, after that, a “churrasco rodizio”, all you can eat barbecue, and go to bed fully satisfied. Next morning we drive up to a town near Sao Paulo, Boituva, and the following day we get going to Rio de Janeiro, where it is time for another round of family and friends before we get back home to Trancoso. We will talk again on the next trip Till then!
