Bariloche

Arrive Bariloche on Feb 6, Aero Argentina flight from El Calafate.... Approx 2 hours.... Great deal for international travelers on internal flights with Aerolinus Argentina, $200US per flight between any airport.(plus unmentioned airport taxes at El Calafate)....

Much Chocolate...

Bariloche is located on Lago Nahuel Huapi, a large beautiful lake in a spectacular mountain setting.... A fairly big centre with a Zermatt / Banff like central area. Much chocolate to be purchased...Lots of summer activities and skiing in winter. We stayed at View Hotel, which, at least from our room, is true to the name. Staff very helpful with local information.

Spent day 1 locating required services (bus, cervecerias etc), had the obligatory big beef dinner at a local steak house with high ratings.... Lots of beef for decent price, including wine and tip $220ar (Appox $50us)... And they didn't bother us by cluttering our plate with any vegetables...

Rata

Lago Nahuel Huapi

Day 2 we rode a bus 20kms out to a bike rental place near Llao Llao Nacional Pârque.... We rented bikes from Daniel at Cordillera Bike Rentals and Tours, good equipment, mountain bikes that were very effective on both the pavement and the dirt road side trip... The recommended route was about 30 km section of Circuito Chico, a loop into Llao Llao national park... Great riding on decent roads through old growth forest... Lots of up and down, interesting scenery, a delightful bike ride.One of the park wardens had caught a feral ´rata´that he proudly showed off to passersby near Lago Escondido... he described it as muerte to a curious child....fortunately...

Cerveceria Gilbert

A culinary highlight was found at Gilberts cerviceria, a small brew pub with great beer about 5 kms from the end of the loop. They have a fabulous tapa plate of smoked mystery meats, cheese, olives, onions etc.... Delicioso... A highly recommended ride to see Bariloche country side.

Beefed out from the previous night, we found nachos and beer for a snack in evening sufficient to recharge.

Day 3 we went for a hike. To Refugio Frey in nearby Nahuel Huapi national park. We needed to catch the Cerro Catedral bus, which only runs every 90 minutes and had schedule in window of Mayo de 3 bus office. Went to the turista misinformation office, where we had read we could get a bus schedule for the return route 50 bus and were told we could go to the bus depot (10kms away) to get it... Very helpful, maybe we should take a bus?.... But the clerk was excited to get our passport numbers to record she did some work...

Argentine Army training group at Laguna Tonchek

Anyway we eventually got on the 10:00 bus (missing the 8:30 would prove problematic later) and got out to Cerro Catedral to start the walk. We had been told it is a lovely walk to start at Cerro Catedral, take the trail east above Lago Gutierrez and then up to Refugio Frey, returning partially by same route then down to bus 50 at Lago Gutierrez. The trail is very well maintained, new walkway and bridge construction happening as we walked. However, it is in the trees most of the way and views are limited prior to getting to Refugio Frey. Tbe trail was not very busy, a few day hikers and backpackers and a 20 strong Argentine army group on a training trip.They slogged in with apparently very heavy packs and were camping by Refugio Frey with numerous other tents huddled behind rock barriers from the wind.

There were many groups climbing the spire close to the refugio as well as other routes nearby, apparently a very popular rock climbing area.

After the uninspiring walk in the forest to Frey, we were delighted at the alpine country above the hut. Seemed like a good idea to forego the slog back down to Lago Gutierrez and take the high route back to the Cerro Catedral ski area.... How hard could it be? There is supposed to be a Gondola down.....

The walk is brilliant, passing by Laguna Tonchek and Laguna Schmoll, beautiful alpine lakes,on the way to a pass that leads to Cerro Catedral. The outlet stream from Laguna Schmoll has most interesting curious looking small fish making a no doubt very difficult living at this isolated location...

Canca de Futbol

Volcan Tronador from Roca Inclinada

We were fortunate to experience a sunny, calm day.We climb above Laguna Schmoll on a paint marked route to Canca de Futbol and onto Roca Inclinada, the paint markers serve as the trail pretty much all the way to the ski area. The views from the ridge are stunning, rock spires, Volcan Tronador, the peaks of Cerro Catedral.... Absolutely awesome..... We enjoy the views and see the ski area a few kilometres to the north across a steep rugged side slope.... 


The route is well marked, but takes much time to climb up and down over various obstacles... We reach the ski area after 6:00 PM, there are no lifts running, they close at 5:00.... It takes more than 2 hours to descend the 1100m to the parking lot at the base, variously on grooming trails, mountain bike tracks and sidehills, the sun is setting as we observe clearly the last bus of the day to Bariloche leaving the parking area at 7:45, thinking we still have a 20 minute walk to ahead of us, turns out to be 45 minutes... It has taken us over 9 hours elapsed time to traverse the 23.4 kms loop route,with some 1200+m of elevation. We are very tired... but hey it wasn't dark yet....

The ski resort area is deserted, although there are several officers in the Policia office as we walk by, one waves to Elaine.... We find a pizza place that is open nearby...woohoo.... What could be better, beer and pizza...and indeed I rate this meal as the best of the trip, delicioso thin crust pizza with lots of cheese, bacon and olives.... And a litro of Quilmes beer....mmmmm

Using i-phone, google translate spanish we arrange for a remis to take us back to Bariloche...sometimes things just work out....

We remain another full day in Bariloche, feeling no need for additional exercise or excursions.... We hang around town, drink coffee and beer, enjoying the crowds in this lovely setting.... We also enjoy some Patagonian lamb for dinner, one of the ones they roast splayed on a stake crucifixion style in the window, it is delicious, again no vegetables to distract from the main event.

But wait, not done yet... An ash cloud blows into town with shifting winds later in the evening, the views of mountains and lakes are obscured, ash is collecting on horizontal surfaces and is hazy in car headlights.... We wonder about our flight out Buenos Aires the next day....

In the AM, the hotel operator suggests we inquire at the Airline office downtown as he hears flights are being canceled, worst ash from Chilean Volcan Puyehue eruption in 6 months or more... We go to airline office, eventually figure out that we have to take a number, and are told by an apparently under informed agent that we must go to the airport at 2:00 and there we could learn about what to do about our 2:30 flight that may or may not be delayed until 3:35? We leave and over a coffee a few minutes later an email arrives telling us the flight is now cancelled....! It was sent about the time we were at the airline office..... We head back to have a further discussion with the airline folks.... This time the queue is longer.... We meet an agent who is apparently studying to work for the local turista misinformation office, or maybe is a graduate of that establishment? She tells us they can do nothing for us at this office, that we must go to the airport to find out what to do and should be there by 1:30.... We persist and another gentleman confirms we must go to airport and ask for the chief of operations and can maybe get a LAN (competitor airline) flight.... This makes no sense, but we head to airport and get there about noon. We meet an agent who seems well informed, no need to discuss with operations chief, he has already fixed this issue and has booked us and others on an LAN flight, seems LAN has ash tolerance per m3 of air that is twice the Aerolinus Argentina rate and that we can now fly at 2:50..... Simply amazing.... And it actually happens!! We get out of Bariloche and on to Buenos Aries just in time to catch our next flight to Iguaza Falls.... Well almost, the Iguazu Falls flight is fortunately an hour late, so removed the problem of checking in less than 30mins before takeoff... 

Again miraculously things work out and we get to Iguazu Falls.....