Trip to San Martin de Los Andes

At 12:32 pm on March 28th we left Buenos Aires on a semi cama bus headed to Bariloche, which is in Northern Patagonia. It is called the Lake District of Argentina. This is an area where thousands come to ski, hike, climb, fish, swim and enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery and the hundreds of chilly lakes. We arrived in Bariloche on the 29th of March around 1:45 pm just to give you an idea of the time we spent on the bus. Though it sounds like a long time to be on a bus, remember it is not like bus travel in the USA. These buses are quite nice: seats make into beds, they serve food, show movies and even play Bingo! (Jane won the game and received a bottle of Malbec which she shared with fellow players.) But it still was a long bus ride.
Most of the views, until it got dark, were of huge cattle ranches called estancias located in the pampas southwest of BA. We saw lots of cattle and horses out in the rolling green grasslands. This is where the gaucho came into being though we didn't see any from the bus window.

Sunday morning when we woke up the scenery was totally different. The flat land was replaced by rolling hills with an abundance of scrublike vegetation. About 2 hours out of Bariloche, the scenery reminded us of eastern Colorado or New Mexico. No views of the Andes but huge mesas and bluffs that were beautiful. Soon the Andes came into view. We again were reminded of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Throughout this area there are huge national parks.

In Bariloche we picked up a rental car to drive to San Martin de los Andes, which was an adventure for sure. The road was gravel and sometimes mud, narrow and curvy, up steep grades and down steeper ones, through forests of tall cedars and then through rolling cattle country. This was the "7 lakes route" so it was quite scenic when we dared to take our eyes off of the road. There are no guard rails and sometimes there is only one lane. It was rainy and misty which didn't help the conditon of the road. At one point a truck coming from the other way stopped to tell us they didn't think we could get through the road ahead because of all the mud. Thanks to Paul 's expert road racing skills and the power of our trusty Fiat we made it through with no problems though we each holding our breath. I was very happy to see the blacktop road.

We arrived in San Martin de los Andes at our timeshare resort in record time as we were afraid that they would be closing on a Sunday evening. This resort is nestled into the side of a mountain overlooking the city and lake. All the units are typical of mountain cottages constructed of logs and stone. It is colder here than in BA so we are wearing jeans for the first time in over three months.

On Monday we went on an excursion with the resort to a mountain lake. Another trip up steep mountain gravel roads. It was a fun trip: we spoke more Spanish than we ever have out side of class. The guys in charge of the excursion spoke some English but it was a good time for us to practice our Spanish. Monday night we went to an asado, which is a barbque, at the resort. This was hard for Paul and me as no one spoke any English and we were reluctant to strike up a conversation in Spanish. After dinner there was Karaoke. Interesting to hear all these songs in Spanish.

Tuesday was another adventure on the mountain roads. We headed out to see a huge lake below a high snow capped volcano. Just outside of town we followed some signs only to find out we were on the secondary route, which was longer and truly on the back roads. Lots of steep inclines, narrow, gravel and bumpy roads and discussion about whether we should turn around. This route took us past a beautiful small mountain lake with a snow capped peak behind it. Then through some valleys overlooked by peaks where cattle and horses were grazing. It was remote but beautiful. It is really beautiful country.

Eventually we returned to the primary road and on to the Lanin National Park. It is one of three large national parks which are in the Andes along the Chilean border. It was formed in 1937. The name comes from the majestic Lanin volcano that dominates the park. It is a dormant volcano which has a crown of snow year around. It is a park of some 800,000 acres. Below the volcano is Lake Huechulafquen of over 50 km in length. There are seven Mapuche Indian settlements around the park. They have been there since ancestral times. The drive along the lakeside was quite exhilarating with no guard rails and drops of several hundred feet.

There are many camping areas and some hostels. We had lunch at one of the few restaurants in the park. It was located right on the lake with a great view of the volcano. We had some fresh lake trout, which is very popular around here.

On the way back to our condo we stopped at the Chapelco Golf & Ski club. The golf course is surrounded by a new housing development and a beautiful hotel. The course was designed by Jack Nichlaus and is beautiful. They want $150 for a 18 holes. They did say that included the cart. I may not have time this trip.

Travels with Jason & Lori

On March 20th, we met Jason & Lori at the international airport in BA. From there we flew to Asuncion, Paraguay, to spend the weekend with Jason's longtime friend, Marcelo Sosa and his fiance, Maria de la Paz. Jason and Marcelo were college roommates at KU and also business partners in Paraguay. Marcelo and Maria have a lovely home on a golf course across the street from a yacht club and resort.

Asuncion is one of the oldest cities in South America. We toured all of the "old city" which is downtown near the port. This is not an attractive area of the city anymore as all but a few shops and offices have moved out of downtown. Unfortunately many of the historic buildings have been torn down or are in disrepair. There is a new downtown area where Asuncion looks very "first world". There are also some very nice residential areas. But this is a poor country low in natural resources. It seems there is not much of a middle class in Paraguay.

On Saturday we drove outside of the city because Jason wanted us to see what the chaco, which is a large part of the country west of Asuncion. It is poor soil and looks like dry range land with some vegetation but most trees are only near water. This is where there are huge cattle ranches (estancias). In the eastern part of the country the land is very fertile and the estancias are very big in farming.

On our way back to Asuncion we stopped at a Guaranis Indian reservation. This is one of four tribes of indigenous people of Paraguay. We were given a royal tour and Jason was even asked to dance with the older gentlemen of the tribe.

When Jason & Lori arrived in BA on Tuesday evening (they stayed an extra day in Asuncion), we met them at their hotel which was only 4 blocks from our apartment. It was wonderful for us to be with them. Not only are they family that we love and miss but Jason speaks perfect Spanish. This certainly made our visits to the museums, taxi rides, ordering at restaurants and touring more interesting. We went to the national historical museum and a prison museum in San Telmo which is in the older part of BA.

Along with visiting the museums we did a fair amount of walking. We also did our fair share of eating at some traditional parilla type restaurants: "bring on the beef". We had dinner with another Paraguayan friend of Jason's and his wife whom Paul and I had met early on in Buenos Aires. Needless to say Jason and friends had a wonderful time reminiscing about old times, all in Spanish, with some translation for Lori, Paul and me. It was real treat for Paul and I to have the "kids" spend time with us in SA.

Sunday in San Martin Plaza and San Telmo

Sunday March 15th was a beautiful sunny day in Buenos Aires with temps in the high 70s. After attending Mass (in English) in a beautiful church we walked to a large plaza called Plaza de San Martin. This is a beautiful plaza and park with many gigantic trees. There happened to be a traveling exhibit of bears (all standing upright) sponsored by UNICEF. There are over 240 bears in the exhibit (each 2m tall) and representing as many countries recognised by the UN. Each bear shows the individual design created by different artists on behalf of their native countries. "The Buddy Bears stand together hand in hand in a peaceful circle, promoting tolerance and understanding among different nations, cultures and religions." These bears have been on a world tour since 2002. Unfortunately in the list of countries on the tour I do not see the US. We were fascinated and hope that the pictures help you enjoy them also.

We then walked to San Telmo which was the first suburb of Buenos Aires. Wealthy Spaniards built ornate homes there in the early 19th century. In 1871 an epidemic of yellow fever hit and many of them fled to higher ground which is now the neighborhood of Recoleta. Immigrants then crammed into these abandoned mansions. Now these same houses are fought over by foreign buyers hoping to get in on the wave of urban renewal. The main street, (pedestrian only) still cobblestone and very narrow, is lined with artists, hippie looking folks, etc. all trying to sell you something from their display on a makeshift table or on the sidewalk. It is difficult to walk quickly on these old cobblestone streets so we took a leisurely walk and enjoyed looking at all the different items for sale. Toward the end of the street we noticed antique shops lining both sides of the street. We ended up in a plaza that was completely filled with stalls selling all varieties of art and antiques. We could not believe all the antiques that were for sale. The stalls were crammed to the brim as were the shops. Wow! An antique lover's paradise. Along the way there were guitar players, tango dancers, magicians, and singers and folks selling fresh empanadas of which we sampled. This was great entertainment for a Sunday afternoon. We managed to leave with all our belongings unlike Barbara Bush (George's daughter) who had her bag snatched while visiting the area.

This week we are enjoying not having to be in school for 4 hours. We have managed to fill our time with Spanish tutoring for an hour each day, 2 private tango lessons, haircuts, and walking in the neighborhood. We will be gone to Asuncion, Paraguay, from Friday until Monday or Tuesday. We are meeting Jason and Lori at the airport in BA and flying together to Asuncion where Jason's good friend and ex-business partner lives. Next post will be about our adventures in Paraguay.

Colonia, Uruguay

On Sunday, 8 March, we took a day trip across the Rio Plata to Uruguay. From Buenos Aires you have the choice to take a three hour ferry ride to Montevideo or a one hour trip to Colonia. Montevideo is the capital and reportedly a beautiful old city. We will spend a few days there in June when we are again in Buenos Aires. People from all over South America vacation in Uruguay because their beaches are the best. It is also a very safe country that has "carnival" the month of March. We opted for a one day visit and took the one hour ride on a fast catamaran style ferry about nine in the morning. It was a very comfortable boat holding a couple of hundred people.

Colonia is a city founded by the Portuguese in 1680. The Spanish had founded Buenos Aires, 45 kilometers across the Rio Plata, 100 years before. During the next hundred years, control in Colonia changed hands between the two countries 9 times. Apparently the battles were fierce. After each, the controlling country continued work on a wall which eventually surrounded the city. The wall was later left in ruins after many more years of disregard.

Today Colonia is a small city of about 24,000 inhabitants. The "old village" is on a point with a lighthouse. They have a breakwater creating a nice harbor with a beach behind it on the North side. Part of the old wall has been restored as well as the gate into the "old village" with its draw bridge. The "old village" has several squares around which are old homes built either in Portuguese cottage style with tiles roofs or the Spanish stucco taller style home. The cobble stone streets, many still with the original stone, demonstrate the changing history. Some drain the rain water down the middle, Portuguese style, and some drain down each side in the Spanish style. They have many small museums in the town, about 8 of which are in the "old village" as well as shops, hotels, cafes and restaurants. There is also a very old church which shows on its stone walls the effects of many repair jobs over the years.

Right off of the ferry we met a woman offering a one hour walking tour into the heart of the "old village" in English and Spanish, which turned out to be great. After the tour we went to Mass in the old church. Later we had a great lunch across the square from the church. The restaurant had a courtyard inside with trees, a pergola covered with vines, and the requisite fountain. Jane had a lamb pasta dish and I had grilled Salmon. The food, wine, service was very good and quite reasonable, a South America trait.

I have to tell you about an interesting moment we had. Those of you that know us well might remember that Jane and I always joke about "As Time Goes By" being "our song". She even stenciled some of the lines (A kiss is just a kiss . . .) around the dining room of our Cary, NC, townhouse. Wel,l as we were having lunch in the courtyard, a gentlemen started playing the piano in the lobby of the restaurant. As the melody of some classic wafted out over the courtyard I said, "I'll bet he knows As Time Goes By". We looked at each other and grinned and then he immediately started to play it. Jane started to say, "how did you...", then we both just laughed. What a coincidence! You know, one of those right time, right place stories.

Sorry for the diversion. We spent a couple of hours strolling the waterfront and the museums. We bought a necklace from a local artesan. Strolled back to the ferry for our the one hour ride to Buenos Aires. We were back in our apartment early in the evening in time to do our homework.

While you can see our pictures in the sidebar. You might find it easier to look at them at: http://picasaweb.google.com/pojocat/2009_3_8ColoniaUruaguay?feat=directlink
Paste it into your browser.

Enjoy!