Patagonia and Bariloche
Trip Start
Aug 31, 2009
1
12
14
Trip End
Jan 06, 2010
Bariloche, Argentina
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The drive was about 22 hours by bus but, let me tell you, Argentines have this bus thing down to a science. We went super-cama, meaning the seats folded down into full beds, and we were treated with two meals, a snack, and several movies on the non-stop drive. Unfortunately, since most of the drive was at night, I didnīt get to see much of Patagonia as we crossed it. I saw the beginning, where the the green of the pampas is leeched out until just the brown shrubs and grasses of the steppe remain, and I saw the very end, where the flat wasteland gradually builds into a rolling wasteland of hills and then finally into mountains. It is just as beautiful and barren and inhospitable as you would imagine. It is cold, arid, and windy enough that there simply are no trees, except for those set as windbreaks around the lonely gas stations. And even though it is currently spring here, and in Buenos Aires all the trees are budding and pollen fills the air, Patagonia is as brown as you would expect in the middle of a either a freezing, snowless, winter or a blazing, rainless, summer.
And then suddenly there are hills. And soon after that there are creeks running in the valleys between the hills. And just around the bend of the creek there are all of a sudden groves of pine trees growning on the hill sides that have turned from a dull yellowish brown to almost golden. And then, at km mark 2000-and-somethin, you see a beautiful blue lake with snow capped mountains behind it and you know that you are almost to Bariloche.
Bariloche itself is kind of an interesting place, though at first glance it seems as shallow as any mountain ski-resort town, built in the mold of Tahoe or something in Colorado. It is famous for its alpine architecture, Swiss chocolates, and Saint Bernard dogs, and is situated in one of the most biologically and environmentally diverse national parks in the world. But it is also a fascinating place to come to study environmentalism, land rights, and the rights of the indigenous Mapuce people, as we have come to do.
The past couple days have been a good blend of sitting through lectures, hiking in the mountains, reading in the warm, cozy hostel, and sampling many of the local artisan beers. I was also extremely pleased to find a decent Mexican food restaurant, something I have been absolutely craving for weeks. Iīve had better carne asada, but the guacamole was perfect.
Unfortunately, I wonīt be able to upload pictures until we return to Buenos Aires at the end of the month, as I donīt have my laptop with me. And since the whole hostel is sharing a single computer, Iīm not able to check emails as frequently as I am used to, so please be patient with my updates, emails, etc.
Chau!
