Saturday, December 13, 2008

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina - 11-13 December 2008


Above: Lago Nahuel Huapi

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina's largest city in the Lake District, was a 15-hour bus ride from Santiago, Chile (Santiago-Osorno-Bariloche on Tur Bus @ 29,400 Chilean Pesos or ~US$45). While the cooler weather reminded me of home in the Bay, Bariloche's artisan chocolate shops and wooden-stone architecture of homes and shoppes reminded me of a typical Swiss village. Surrounded by mountain zeniths and situated on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche was another ideal rest stop and a place to people-watch (I have to say the men here were particularly good to look at).






Above: Check out the windy street (akin to SF's Lombard street)


Above right: Grilled beef with fries (17 ARP or ~US$5)


Above left: Mate for sale; Above right: Yerba mate - a form of bitter tea popular in Argentina and Uruguay; fans here carry their mate around and sip the tea for energy

On Friday, December 12, I did a 12 KM hike on Circuito Chico (a sector of the trail's 60 KM distance on Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi) from Puerto Panuelos to Colonia Suiza. Below are some photos of the trail:

Above right: A European-style cottage on Circuito Chico






Above right: @ Arroyo Lopez along Circuito Chico

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