A bus adventure, Coyhaique, Chile, to Bariloche, Argentina

La frontera, the border between Chile and Argentina
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The road NE out of Coyhaique was every bit as spectacular as we expected. Not only for its scenery but also for the road itself…mostly gravel. But not our kind of gravel, more like rocks, and less like gravel as we know it. It was both jarring and yet awesome! I don’t know how they got a road in there anyway.

The bus agency in Coyhaique had assured us that when we got to St. Lucia there would be another bus that would take us to Futaleufu from which we could cross into Argentina. In this they were correct, somewhat. After a long, hot wait alongside the road in St. Lucia, another bus did come. However they also had said that there would be plenty of rooms in Futaleufu and taxis to take us to the Argentine border. In this they were incorrect. Arriving late, finding a room was difficult, and then arranging for a ride to the border was even worse. The area around Futaleufu is gorgeous and if you are a rafter or flyfisher person you might want to stay weeks. However since Denny isn’t fond of being rowed down a river – he wants the oars in HIS OWN hands – we only wanted to move on. We had met two other fun couples (one from Spain and the other from Portland) on the buses so the six of us were walking the streets looking for options. No taxis. 0, nada. And the scheduled transfer buses only run on Mondays and Fridays and this was now 11 PM on Monday! NOT looking good.

It was both jarring and yet awesome!

Waiting for the Argentine taxis
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Then in true, typical backpacking tradition, we met Zack and Francesco, local river guides. They called another friend and we started going house to house looking for a ride to the border in the morning. Our friends from Spain, in the meantime had also appealed to their host at the campgrounds and she too was taking them house to house (“small town, everyone knows everyone”). Finally they found a man with a van who was willing to take us. We then called an Argentine taxi company and asked them to meet us on the Argentine side. However, we forgot to figure in the daylight savings time so when we got to the border the next morning, the taxis had already come and gone – given up on us. Luckily the border patrol took mercy on us and called a second set of taxis. Somehow we got to Trevellin (where are friends took off into the Parque and we went on to Esquel, Argentina.

Friends from Oregon
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That very same night a fire broke out in the Parque so we hope the two couples were evacuated safely. While we were in Esquel and then in Bariloche over the next week, we watched as fire fighters, planes and helicopters battled that fire. Almost felt like home, in a scary sort of way.

In Esquel we visited a fruit farm where we could pick and eat the strawberries off the vines. We purchased some jam and honey for our apartment stay in Bariloche. Esquel is a quaint little town that we enjoyed greatly. Our daily walks were fun and the food was cheap and delicious. I am really getting into their “Anana” pizzas – similar to our Hawaiian but often with olives too.

Views coming into Bariloche
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The Hostel 41 Below in Bariloche is a terrific traditional hostel for backpackers plus it has an “apartment” option that we reserved. Paul (a New Zealander) and Emilia (a local) run the two places and are warm and helpful. They advertise their hostel as a place “run by travelers for travelers” and that says it all! Our apartment was a “luxury condo” built on speculation that failed as it is on the major street of downtown Bariloche with a nearby bar. Once you get used to the night noises (and put in your ear plugs to sleep), it is ideal. It is indeed luxurious and we had fun sharing it with a couple from Mass./Iowa. Each of us had a private bedroom and bathroom, we shared the kitchen and livingroom/diningroom. I guess it could be bad too – depending on who was there with you. We, however, greatly enjoyed Christian and Tara. They were there studying Spanish, medical terms in Spanish for Christian who is in pre-med. A lot of the people we are meeting go to a town for a week and take a class there that goes each morning leaving the afternoons and evenings free to explore. One company has these programs all over Argentina.

Bariloche, Argentina
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Talk about beautiful…San Carlos de Bariloche is that! Situated on Lago Nahuel Haupi in the Nacional Parque of the same name – WOW! Our walks here were a true delight. Sunday in the town square there was of course a market with booths of sale items galore, POPCORN and cotton candy, and even a rock band! Yes we sat and listened and people watched!

Renting a car, we drove the “7 Lakes” route through the Parque. It was long and tedious in some places as they are still building the roads. It reminded us of how it must have been when putting in the road over the pass to Teton Valley, Idaho. Spectacular mountains and geological formations, a river, streams and waterfalls – how do we get roads through these areas??? The return trip also had a desert area similar to eastern Wyoming, beautiful in a different way with a damned reservoir and flooded plain.

Approach to Bariloche
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We saw a few small groups of the famous Argentine red deer that are near extinction, a few guanacos, a dead fox along the road, LOTS of cows and sheep plus many, many birds including a huge hawk. No pictures though, Denny was driving and there was a no stop rule for some reason that only men understand.  I don't get it!  LOL