On the road again: Bariloche Part 3

I woke up in the middle of the night to pounding rain and the emergency light glowing in the dark.  I guess this means no electricity.  The electric alarm clock is out.  I don't care enough to check my cell phone to see what time it is.  I force myself to go back to sleep.

In the morning it is still raining.  I tell Amy that I have no problem driving in this rain.  It is Sunday and probably there will not be much traffic.  "Reina de la Ruta!"  she exclaims.  We don't seem to have Internet of Direct TV.  We are cut off from the world.  This does not bother me much.  I remember when  I used to go to Mexico and finding a phone to call back to the US was a feat.  Probably it is good we are cut off for a bit.

We get back on the road.  We decide to stop again at the same bakery for breakfast.  Our friend the baker-owner is there and surprised to see us.  This time we elect to just have budin and coffee.  I have a budin de manzana (apple) and Amy has the limon. (Lemon) We watch the locals come in to get their bread and croissants for Sunday breakfast.

It is interesting.  In the Capital Federal, Porteños would greet the whole place.  This a small place and we are the only customers. Definitely they would greet us.  Here they only greet the owner.  In the Capital they kiss and here they do not.  Men also do not stare at you and talk about your body parts.  In fact they hardly make eye contact with you.  In a way it is a nice change.

We finish breakfast and head for Villa La Angostura, a small pueblo in the middle of the mountains on lake.  From what we read this is supposed to be a getaway for the rich and famous.  Amy insists I will find my "new husband" there.  "It's raining." I say to her.  "Don't worry, he will be in the lodge waiting to go back to Buenos Aires."

We are the only ones on the road.  When we pass a sign that says "El Bolson" I tell Amy "Last chance." She laughs.  El Bolson has become the butt of our jokes on this trip.  The road to Villa La Angostura is magnificient.  The rain does not mar the beauty in any way. 

Yesterday when we were in Bariloche we bought some CDs.  One was Rock and Roll of the 50s.  I am singing along to Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry.  I tell Amy how I remember these from when I was a teenager.  These guys still played even though the Beatles were the big thing.  I told her how when I saw Jerry Lee Lewis he came out late, never said a word to the audience, played for over an hour, said thank you and walked off the stage.  She tells me she remembers them from her parents. 

We bought two other CDs of Argentine and Brasilian music.  Some are good songs and some are what you would expect to find on a compilation CD that costs 6 pesos.  (We got a deal on the 3.) In any event it is better than an all news station or a scratchy cumbia station.

I am still amazed I have perfect hair.  Scary.  My back doesn't hurt either.  More scary.  I should leave Buenos Aires more often.  I tell Amy I was afraid that my back was going to ruin this trip and instead the surprise is that it was perfect.  She is busy doing homework.  She has a paper due when she gets back.

We soon arrive to civilization.  It appears like civilization after not seeing anything but nature for the last 1.5 hours. A few restaurants and hotels, inns are on the side of the road. There are no signs so we are not sure exactly where we are. Villa La Angostura should be close.  As we round a bend in the road we come into a street that has shops.  It looks a little like Carmel maybe 40 years ago.

It is still raining, but I cannot sit any longer.  "I have to get out and walk."  I tell Amy. "It's raining." she says to me.  "I know, but I cannot sit any longer, it will kill me.  I have to stretch."  The rain is not that bad and the shops have a covered walk way.  This is a cross between a downtown and a tourist trap.

We get out and start to walk.  "This place is to far out for me."  I say to Amy.  She agrees.  I don't think I could come here to stay maybe more than 2 days if that.  We look in the little shops.  More of the same stuff.  Mates, leather, some things made of fur, jewelry.  More upscale and better made.

We decide to get something to eat.  All the restaurants that are crowded have too long a wait.  I am sure the food is good and these must be locals.  The prices are reasonable.  We end up in a cafe that has a tour bus of people from the US.  They are mostly older people.  I wonder aloud if it is an Elder Hostel.  I have to explain this to Amy.  The age gap...

Their guide is an Argentine and he is sitting separate with the 3 men who are on the tour.  His English is very good.  He is telling them how much he loves to read and how getting books is difficult.  He tells them sometimes he goes through Amazon.  In the end he gets the men to feel sorry for him and they agree to send him books.  He writes down explicit instructions on how to send them and which books he wants.

The owner of the restaurant is from Maiten and interested in Amy and I.  It is not usual to get North Americans who speak Spanish well.  I think mostly they get tour buses here.  We tell him how we live in the Capital.  People in the provinces never understand how anyone can live in Buenos Aires.

Our lunch is OK, nothing special, like most of the food we have had in Bariloche.  Food is much better in Buenos Aires.  Better prepared. On our way back to the car we stop in a few shops.  Amy is looking for a bracelet.  The prices are much higher here than Bariloche. Neither one of us see anything we cannot live without.  Now it is time to head back to Bariloche.  There is not much to do here even without the rain.

"Let's go to Mamuschka!" Amy says as we arrive back to Buenos Aires.  We figure it is the last opportunity we will have.  "They have the best coffee there."  I tell her.  We drive into Bariloche and park the car.  Finally, after 3 days I can parallel park. 

Once in Mamuschka we decide to buy a few more chocolates.  I think I have eaten almost a half kilo of their chocolates.  I will suffer in the gym next week.  We sit down at a table to have coffee.  Although their cakes and pastries look good, we do not have the appetite for them. 

It turns out our waitress is from Buenos Aires.  We have a lively conversation with her.  She loves living in Bariloche and has no desire to go back to the Capital unless it is to visit her family.  She does not understand how we can live there.  She gives us extra candies.

We spend our last night in Bariloche in our chalet.  We bought cheese, smoke trout, fruit, and crackers at a market.  I get the Internet and the Direct TV working again.  Being a nerdette is a good thing.  It comes in handy.  Amy told me she probably would have assumed it was still down if I was not around.

In the morning we pack up and head for the airport.  We pass a sign for "El Bolson."  Both of us laugh. Maxie meets us on time and takes the car from us.  I tell him how much fun I had driving.  I really did.  Almost enough to want a car again.  Almost.

Our flight back to Buenos Aires is uneventful.  We get into a taxi.  As we pull out, I tell the driver to switch on his meter.  He gives me some BS about how it is a fixed rate out of Newberry.  I start to argue with him.  He wrongly assumed we are tourists.  "No voy a pagar 25 pesos por un vuelto de 15."  I tell him.  He then gives me the line about inflation, blah, blah, blah.  Every excuse he has I have answer.

Amy is laughing.  I tell him I have lived in Buenos Aires almost 5 years.  He is insulting me.  He tries to trick me and ask me how much the ride was 5 years ago.  I tell him 7.25 pesos. Then I comment that I notice he doesn't have his license in the taxi.  That shuts him up. Now we are back in Palermo on the corner. When he unloads us he asks for 15 pesos and makes some kind of comment I don't hear.  Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires.  Home again.

 

 

Comments

[Fred]

That's so scary with the Taxis. Kayla at drinking liberally told us that she got 2 fake 20's change from a sleazy taxi driver. So terrible when they have your luggage hostage, and you're already in the car.

[Katie]

I loved Bariloche, and I see that you and Amy did too! I've really enjoyed reading about your adventures. Daniel and I did several day trips when we visited, but we skipped El Bolsón. It sounds like we made the right choice. I'd die for some Mamuschka chocolate...Yummy!