TYPICAL AEROLINEAS ARGENTINA STYLE WE ARRIVED IN SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE A FEW HOURS LATE - ALMOST MIDNIGHT BUT WE WERE LUCKY TO FIND A ´REMISE ´(PRIVATE CAR) TO DELIVER US TO CASITA SUIZA WHERE WE FELL INTO BED EXCITED ABOUT EXPLORING BARILOCHE´S TREASURES THE NEXT DAY.
SETTLED BY THE SWISS, GERMANS AND ITALIANS IN THE EARLY 1900Ś, THIS BEAUTIFUL TOWN, IS ON THE EDGE OF LAGO NAHUEL HUAPI.
BARILOCHE IS THE CHOCOLATE CAPITAL OF ARGENTINA! WHAT A TREAT, AS CHOCOLATE LOVERS, TO FIND SHOPS FULL OF EXQUISITE CHOCOLATES ON EVERY CORNER!
WITH A DISTINCT SWISS/GERMAN INFLUENCE, PLUS BEING CLOSE TO CERRO CATEDRAL, ARGENTINAŚ LARGEST SKI MOUNTAIN, IT REMINDS US OF SKI TOWNS IN EUROPE. WISH BRECKENRIDGE HAD A LAKE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN!
THE FIRST NIGHT WE DINED AT A SWISS STYLE RESTAURANT WHICH WAS SUPERB. WE HAVE FINALLY FIGURED OUT TO SPLIT A MEAL AND A SALAD IS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR US.
ON JUNE 5TH WE RENTED A CAR AND UPON MANY RECOMMENDATIONS WE DROVE NORTH FROM BARILOCHE TO VILLA LA ANGOSTUNA. DOTTED WITH WITH LAKES AND OVERLOOKED BY THE ANDES THIS LAKE DISTRICT OF PATAGONIA REMINDS US OF A CROSS BETWEEN SWITZERLAND AND THE JAGGED PEAKS OF THE ROCKIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA!
HOWEVER NEITHER OF THOSE COUNTRIES HAVE PALEONTOLIGICAL FINDS PATAGONIA HAS HAD SINCE 1980. DISCOVERIES INCLUDE SOME OF THE BIGGEST DINOSAURS TO HAVE ROAMED THE PLANET 90 MILLION YEARS AGO! WE WERE DRIVING TOO FAST TO SPOT ANY BONES; BUT RANCHER, GUILLERMO HEREDIA, A LAYPERSON, SPOTTED ARGENTINOSAURUS ON HIS FARM, ONE OF PATAGONIA´S BIGGEST FINDS, IN 1989.
RETURNING TO BARILOCHE WE DINED AT A LOCAL BARRILLA WHERE DIANNE HAD LOCRO AND JIM HAD SOMETHING, WHICH WE COULDN´T RECOGNISE, RECOMMENDED BY THE WAITER TURNED OUT TO BE A REALLY GOOD BEEF STEW! ALSO HAD A LOCAL BEER BREWED IN EL BOLSON!
RISING AND BREAKFASTING BEFORE DAWN (DON´T BE TOO IMPRESSED DAWN DOES NOT HAPPEN UNITL 9:00 AM HERE! ON JUNE 6TH AMID SOME EARLY RAIN WE HEADED SOUTH TO EL BOLSON ON RUTA 40. EVER WINDING AND SEEMINGLY NEVER ENDING WE CURVED OUR WAY THRU THREE MOUNTAIN PASSES, PAST NUMEROUS LAKES, RIVERS, AND STREAMS JUMPING WITH TROUT. WE PROBABLY MADE OVER 2000 TURNS IN THE 270 KILOMETER JOURNEY. RUTA NACIONAL 40 IS KNOWN AS ARGENTINA´S LONLIEST ROAD... IT STRETCHES THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF ARGENTINA; THEY SAY ´¨A HOWLING WIND IS A TRAVELERS ONLY COMPANION¨.
LUNCH WAS DELICIOUS AT A CLEAN FAMILY OWNED AND RUN CONFITERIA. WE MEANT TO ORDER ONE SALAD AND ONE MAIN DISH. WE DID NOT QUITE TRANSLATE PROPERLY, SO WE ENDED UP WITH TWO FULL PLATES OF SCRUMPTIOUS SMOKED TROUT RAVIOLI!. NO MATTER, WINE,CHEESE, SALAMI, AND CRACKERS FOR DINNER WITH HANDMADE CHOCOLATES DULCE CON LECHE FOR DESSERT.
THE SUN WAS STILL SPARKLING HIGH IN THE SKY UPON OUR RETURN TO BARILOCHE SO WE HEADED OUT TO LAO LAO, A VILLAGE ON A PENINSULA, SURROUNDED BY THREE LAKES. THE HOTAL LAO LAO IS ONE OF THE LEADING HOTELS IN THE WORLD. THE SUITE WE WOULD HAVE LIKED WAS ONLY $2200. PER NIGHT AS THIS IS THE LOW SEASON!
OUR TREAT AT THE END OF THE DAY WAS A GONDOLA RIDE UP CERRO OTTO TO A REVOLVING RESTAURANT OVERLOOKING BARILOCHE, THE LAO LAO PENINSULA, AND CERRO CATEDRAL, ARGENTINA´S PREMIER SKI AREA. WE VIEWED A SPECTACULAR SUNSET AND REMINISCED ABOUT ANOTHER REVOLVING RESTAURANT AT THE TOP OF THE MARK IN SAN FRANCISCO 40 YEARS AGO!
