To the Alps
Wow. I said I had been slacking on posts in my last intro but I think I really am this time. Maybe day to day is hard. Or maybe it was just an eventful last couple of days in general. Either way, it’s my blog, and in the end, it should be as I would like it to be.
So where was I…ah yes. El Calafate. So my last morning in El Calafate was rather uneventful. I had an early flight, and was on my way from the hostel around 10 am in the morning, after wishing a goodbye to Finn (Chryssa had left earlier in the morning). I had booked a roundtrip airport transfer when I arrived a few days ago, which made things very smooth as I practically had a door-to-door service to get me to take me between the hostel and the airport.
The airport, just like all the others I had been through so far, was a very smooth process and I was through in no time. I enjoyed a quick snack while waiting, and took the free time to catch up with family, as I had been packed the last few days in El Calafate. I also had some nice runway views, which are important to an aviation geek like myself.
I was then bound for Bariloche and shortly after that landing. So let me give you a preface on Bariloche. This not-so-little mountain city is supposed to reflect a Swiss mountain village, to the point that it is also very famous for chocolate. This was basically what attracted me to come here. Mention chocolate and you know I will be the first one there.
I took a taxi to the hostel which would be my home for the next few days, and upon checking in, I asked Tomi, who was at the front desk, for recommendations on how to spend the next few days, especially respecting the game the semi-final game which fell midway through my time in Bariloche. The fun part of the process - it was all in Spanish, and I mean all of it.
This no English/all Spanish has been a theme of my travels so far in Argentina. For all these touristy places I am visiting, I am really repeatedly surprised by the lack of English, although it has been forcing me to learn Spanish with my very limited history in it. I have to be thankful to Tomi for bearing with me, and suggesting to me everything that i can do around the area for the next few days, especially as I had 0 solid plans. What I didn’t expect was the amount of surprises I would have with all these plans, probably for lack of me understanding 75% of what Tomi suggested to me that day.
The first item that he had helped me plan was for that afternoon - the Cerro Campanario. I took the bus as Tomi had told me after I had rested for a while and then decided to Google what exactly I was getting myself into. This is where I found out that I was actually heading to a chairlift that leads to the top of the mountain, which was closing in under an hour. This was only a taste of what surprises were to come over the week.
I arrived and was told that I had an hour until the last chairlift going down, so I quickly grabbed a ticket and was on my way up, as I was not planning to ditch this whole thing after making my way here. I saw that it was possible to hike up, but I was in jeans, didn’t have too many layers, and could not be bothered to hike after my full day of hiking in El Chalten.
The ride up took about 10 to 15 minutes, and was very enjoyable, with lots of different species of trees to look at, all labelled for information. At the top, I took a nice stroll around the grounds to take in some beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, some which had snow, and the glacial lakes all over, which even had the same colour as Lake Louise (which I have not really seen like most people who had been to the Canadian Rockies).
At some point, I found a family that were taking selfies of themselves, so I offered to take photos to help them out. The father greatly appreciated the gesture, and offered to do the same to me which I could not refuse - it really is a struggle to get good photos of myself when travelling alone.
I walked around some more taking in the fresh air and beautiful scenery and decided to skip having a coffee, preferring to get something in town along with chocolate - after all it’s what San Carlos de Bariloche is known for.
I took the chairlift back down and waited for the bus to take me back to town. The bus was crammed, considering it was the time that everyone was coming back from the area. Back in town, I took a walk around the city which was beautifully decorated. If you consider the Christmas decorations, lights, and the Swiss-alpine architecture, it really looked like a Winter Wonderland, with a Latin flair and missing the snow.
I took a stroll around and then stopped at Rapa Nui, one of the famous chocolate producers from Bariloche, which had been suggested to me by Chryssa back in El Calafate. I decided to have their signature chocolate cake along with a much needed coffee. The cake was very rich and a bit too sweet for my taste, although that’s the case with almost everything I consume in Argentina.
After my pre-dinner dessert, I headed back to the hostel, on the way stopping by a car rental agency to inquire about the prices for getting a car for a day. I had been recommended to do the road of the 7 lakes (Ruta de Los Sietes Lagos), a 3 hour stretch of road between Bariloche and San Martin de Los Andes. I was told by Renata that it was a really beautiful drive, connecting the two cities, circling between lakes, forests, and mountains. I did not make any commitments as I found the price to be a bit too steep and wanted to think about it for the next few days.
I stopped quickly at the hostel and then went out to grab dinner. By this point, I was starving, and wanted a nice plate of beef,…which is exactly what I went for. After some google searches, I decided to go to El Boliche de Alberto, a steakhouse that was very highly recommended all over the internet. I got there a bit after 8 pm, their opening time, and was able to snag a table quickly. I was lucky to do this as shortly after I was sat, there was a huge lineup for the restaurant. This was comforting as it meant I was in for a nice meal.
I jumped straight to the point and went for the Bife de Lomo (which is known as the tenderloin or the Filet Mignon around the world). I went for a medium rare cook, as I like, and a side of Papas Fritas (French fries). Pretty standard Argentinian dinner if you ask me.
While waiting for the meal, I was served some bread with a side of chimichurri, which was to also be used for the beef. The chimichurri was amazing, and I couldn’t wait to have it on my steak. I truly believe that chimichurri is by far the best sauce and only thing that should be had with steak.
The main arrived not too long after, and it was gigantic to say the least. I had gone for the half portion, which in this case was 300 grams of beef - I swear it makes no sense how they consider this a half portion, especially considering that it is less than 10 USD. I am really going to miss good affordable steak when I am back in UAE. It was perfectly cooked to a medium rare, and the fries arrived along with it, which the waiter did not mention was basically 10 potatoes. I mean, it was a mountain of fries. Enough about the meal, as I will let the pictures speak for themself.
I was too full by the end of the meal, and decided to avoid dessert. I made my way back to the hostel, where I socialized for a bit but then headed to sleep, as it was a long eventful day. Travel days I find are always eventful and tiring.
All in all, I was looking forward to be in Bariloche for a few days after my afternoon and evening here. What are your ideas on a Swiss Mountain Town in the middle of Argentina? Have you visited somewhere like this before, or a city that resembled something else that was completely unrelated? Let me know in the comments below, but until then, stay positive!
