The Bariloche Adventure

Flying into the Bariloche Airport (which was just as small as the Iguazu one) I could see the mountains, and couldn´t wait for the skiing to begin.

I was, in fact, prepared for the cold weather. I had decided to buy a ski coat in Buenos Aires, which was a very good thing. Not only were the prices higher in Bariloche, but I would have frozen on my way to buy a coat. As it is, I now own a very cute and warm pink ski coat. Surprisingly pink is not a popular color, so I was very easy to pick out. Craig just wore his jacket with about 5 sweaters underneath.

Now for that skiing. We actually did manage to ski, but cross-country skiing, and not down hill. The Catedral (mountain where everybody goes to ski) was only open at the bottom. While this would probably have been fine for me, Craig did not want to ski on just the easy slopes, so we decided to take cross country ski lessons.

It is very different from down hill skiing, but my ski instincts (which I was not sure if I had retained) did kick in and keep me from falling. After the ski lessons, we walked around the town and then returned to our hostel for a great 11 hour night`s rest. On Sunday we went to a scenic outlook where I got some great pictures.

Now, that was the simple version of what happened in Bariloche. Very dry and basic. Here is what really happened.

We got off the plane, and immediately I could feel the cold. It was a biting chill (probably 15 to 20). We waited outside the airport for about 20 minutes for a cab, but then spotted a van with a sign that said “Central” on it. After finding out that the driver would drop us off anywhere in the center of the city for only 10 pesos a person, we could not pass up that offer.

The road to the airport is lined with fur trees. They are two or three deep in some places, obscuring the view of the surrounding land. However, when the trees thin out it is possible to see the vast expanse of grassland that leads up to the foot of the mountains. This view of the mountains, while different, is also awe inspiring.

I suggested we go to the tourist information office to get some information about Hostels, Skiing, and a map of Bariloche. The office was located in the center of town, which is fortunately very much unlike the town of Iguazu. It is similar to any American ski town, but for the fact that everyone speaks Spanish.

Apparently we were there during the Festival of Snow (or something like that). Not much was happening during the day, but at night they had a beauty contest. I kid you not. It was bitterly cold, and six or seven high school girls were standing up on a stage in short sleeved dresses, hands at sides, smiling to the crowd. There were so many people it was difficult to see them very well, but my guess is that they were incredibly cold.

After visiting the tourist office and finally finding a hostel that was open, we went searching for a ski mountain. This involved another trip back to the tourist office and visits to several different locations. We finally figured out that the only kind of skiing we could do was cross country. We went for it.

A van picked us up, and headed up the mountain. After a while, snow appeared on the ground, and the van seemed (to me) dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. This road would be incredibly dangerous to driving at night (which is why the mountain closed before sunset).

The ski lessons were interesting. I think it was the first time for everyone in the class, but the instructor was very good. I did not fall, which was fortunate because I was not wearing snow pants. It was very cold on the mountain, but the view was amazing. Snow covered all the trees and the ground, and it was possible to see the surrounding mountains where the trees were thin.

After skiing, we walked around the town visiting a few shops and finally ate dinner at a reasonably priced diner.

After that, we returned to the hostel. Knowing that if we had any other roommates it would be incredibly difficult to sleep, Craig and I rented a room with only two beds. This was a good decision because the other people ended up listening to music (and probably drinking) until three in the morning.

On Sunday, with our flight leaving at 4:00, we did not have enough time to ski, and so got on a bus that took us to a scenic outlook. We fortunately got off at the correct stop, and took the ski lift up the mountain. It was numbingly cold, but beautiful.

After leaving the mountain we saw the bus back to town pulling away from the bus stop. The wait for the next one was 30 minutes, but this was not a big problem because we still had enough time to get to the airport. We took this bus through the center of town to the bus terminal, where we expected to take another bus out to the airport.

Buses may be an economical mode of transportation, but when you are standing for an hour out in the cold, a taxi begins to look really inviting.

So, that was Bariloche. This week I will move to my new apartment which is really just one room with a bathroom and a kitchen, but I will experience something new…living on my own. This upcoming weekend Craig and I head to Cordoba.

More to come…

Laura R.

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Oh where, oh where has the meat gone?

Yes, dear friends, it is true. One of the cities on the world best known for its meat, is having to do without. The situation between the Argentinean farmers and the government (La Presidenta) has escalated. I do not know if this has been reported on the news in the US.

Here is the deal: The president feels that it is within her rights to charge Argentinean farmers incredibly high taxes (44%). While the power to tax belongs to Congress, and it is illegal to tax above 35%, she still feels she is within her rights because this kind of tax has another name, in other words the money she is taking is technically not tax money.

Well, anyways, as you can imagine, the farmers do not appreciate having 44% of the money they earn from exporting food taken away from them. They have been protesting by blocking the routes that the delivery trucks take. This means that food is not making its way into the city. They tend to block a few kinds of food at a time. Right now milk and certain kinds of meat are not getting through. This means that some items on the restaurant menu or on the grocery shelves are unavailable. Do not worry, I am not expecting to starve.

The problem is a political one. The president does not want to give up her power, and the people do not want to be charged an exorbitant amount of money. On Monday, there was a huge demonstration. It was a holiday, and so many people chose to spend their day off of work marching down the street banging on pots and pans. As a result, the Congress is now in session to discuss the problem. I believe today is either day 99 or 100 of the conflict.

The political situation is tense, and many people have no trust in the government, seeing everyone in politics as corrupt. Democracy is incredibly difficult to achieve.

On a more personal note, I had a great weekend. I walked around the graveyard in Recoleta, and saw both Prince Caspian and Indiana Jones. I am definitely a Narnia fan. If you have not seen the movie, I would highly recommend it.

Well, keep enjoying the summer weather, and hopefully next time I write the meat will be back on the shelves.

Laura R.

P.S. I realize I have been slow to deliver on my promise of Iguazu photos, but Craig now has my camera and I will hopefully be uploading some amazing shots in the next day or two.

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Catch Up

I realize I have not written in a while, but I have been busy discovering a new part of Buenos Aires: the hospital system. Wednesday of last week I finally decided to have the incredibly painful bump on my foot checked out. It turned out that the membrane around my tendon was swollen. I was then told to not walk for a few days and ice my foot every two hours. On the third day, I was ready to go back to school, but again visited the hospital because of pains on my left side rib cage. I apparently did something to my muscle that made it difficult to breathe for a while. On the whole, after all this, I am on the mend. I even went to the hospital yesterday, but that was because one of my friends needed to see a doctor, and he wanted someone with experience navigating the system to come along.

As my voyage of discovery continues, I have found one of the most amazing places on the world. Sure, it does not hold a candle to Iguazu Falls, but for an English major, it is pretty amazing. It is a bookstore called El Ateneo. It was a movie theatre in the 1930s and is now a bookstore. There is a domed ceiling with an amazing mural, a stage with a cafe. Overall, the sheer number of books combined with the antiquity of the store causes me to grin stupidly each time I enter.

This is a popular place to simply go and read. They do have chairs, but hardly enough to support the masses. People simply bunk down on some stairs or on the carpet, completely absorbed with the book in hand.

What I also suppose I love about it is the lack of space efficiency. Any American company would have been chomping at the bit to knock down the old theatre and create a multi-level store (picture Borders) with as many books as possible per square inch. The bookstore could have conceivably added two floors. There are in fact two levels of balconies, and they did create a basement level for children’s books, along with the main floor. However, I think they made the right move. There is something precious about reusing an old building. Preserving the past and converting the books to fit the space. People respect that, perhaps that is why they have more customers than any other book store.

Along with checking out El Ateneo, I saw my first film here. In Spanish it is called “Quiero Robarme a la Novia” (I want to Steall the Girlfriend) but you may better know the English title of “Maid of Honor”. A decent movie, although I would not want to see it twice. If you see the commercials, you basically have seen the movie.

Although you may be thinking that this was an amazing opportunity to practice Spanish, alas, it was not. Movies here (except those for children) are shown in their native language with subtitles in Spanish. Many nuances of the English language were lost in the written translation. I have noticed this on the TV as well.

Well what more interesting bits can I impart to you of BA culture? I have three more: teens, football fans and children´s theatre.

Teenagers. While the professionals always dress as though about to walk into the board room (they even wear their best leather shoes in the rain), the teens of BA seem to have developed their own popular form of dress: Goth.

While not entirely original, it is still a bit startling to see a group of teens in complete ensemble from makeup to fishnet stockings among the throngs of impeccably dressed citizens. I have no idea where this counter-culture originated, certainly not with their mothers. Most likely American movies or posters, although research I am not about to do would definitely be required to know for sure. These teens also gather on the weekends around the central monument Obelisko.

Surrounded by Goth teens by day and over ecstatic football fans by night, the weekends are a busy time for this monument. After the victorious win of team River (there are two soccer teams in BA, much like Cubs v. Sox, if only a bit more violent) people surrounding the monument dressed in red and white chanted and set off fireworks for hours. It was impossible for cars to pass, and incredibly dangerous for anyone wearing Boca colors. This impressive display of team loyalty was only for a small match. The only time I can attest to seeing that many people fanatic about a team was in Chicago after the Sox won the world series. Any win here, however, is an open invitation to go out and proudly shout with the masses.

Around the time when the goth teens are out, but before the crazy footballers emerge, it is time for children´s theatre. Masses of parents from the suburbs and within the city bring their precious little ones to see shows that all resemble the Muppet’s. While I definitely would not want to enter the theatre while a show was in progress, I did unfortunately get to see them all after. The street was so crowded with children I could not even get by. Most streets in the states would only be that crowded during a Hollywood premiere. Vendors lined the sidewalk, all selling the same variations of Muppet stuffed dolls, a few carrying princess outfits and plastic wands. While people normally ignore the street vendors, children’s theatre is their blockbuster time. It was possible to see the money flying out of the parents pockets as new (and very cheap) toys flew into their children´s arms. Most likely to be loved and discarded within a matter of hours, but for the moment a definite fashion statement all children were making: my parents bought me a toy.

While anyone who knows me also knows that I love children, this was almost too much. It was children´s capitalism at work. Seeing so many 4-7 year olds effectively wielding their parents pocket books is a rare sight indeed.

Signing off from Buenos Aires. Thanks to all my devoted readers. I love to read your comments.

Laura R.

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Iguazu Falls and More

realize I have not written in a while. The past week I was busy and this weekend I traveled to Iguazu Falls with Craig. Here is a catch-up.

Wednesday: Bought amazing inserts for my shoes, my feet had been killing me for weeks- the problem was cured.

Thursday: Met an Argentinean girl arranged by the school. We spoke for two hours in Spanish at her aunt’s house. She is 17 and has a sister who is 19. I will hopefully see more of them this week or next.

Friday: Last day for two students at the school. We went out for dinner and had a great time.

Saturday: Woke up at 5:00AM to catch a flight to Iguazu. This all went as planned, although once we got there, Iguazu was full of surprises…

After arriving in the smallest Airport ever, we paid for a taxi to take us to the village. Craig asked the driver if he knew of any “good” hotels that were under 100 pesos. He recommended San Fernando. Before I describe the hotel, I should describe the town.

The collapse of 2001 has left its mark. There are several skeletons of partly finished hotels with trees growing in them, although there is ground broken for a big new hotel a ways away from the town. Along the road to the town are hotels, none of which would really be called 3 or 4 star. In the town itself the hotels are about 1 star.

The one we chose seemed ok, although strange when we first entered. There was a bad smell and 3 incredibly skinny beds squished in one room. It was also very cold. We said we would take it. After leaving some things there, we went to the falls.

The water falls themselves I do not think are possible to describe. I will use Craig’s computer and USB cord this week to post my pictures here. I took tons of pictures and videos. This is a location of incredible beauty. Some locations can boast one amazing waterfall. Iguazu has hundreds. Some areas by the falls are constantly raining because the rush of the water produces a constant mist.

When we arrived back at the hotel we discovered that what we thought was a heater was actually an air conditioner. Also, not one thing in the bathroom was level or plumb, including the toilet which had a noticeable slant. This was to accommodate the drain to the shower.

We were not able to stay in the room without being under the covers because it was so cold. We went to dinner at a restaurant by the bus station. The food was surprisingly good and not expensive. After reading there for a while, we returned to the hotel, where the only thing to do was watch TV. Literally. The two lights barely provided enough light to walk around, much less read.

After a nice 11 hour sleep, Craig and I returned to the Falls to walk the last trail: the island. On the map it looked a lot shorter than the other trails, and I thought it would be the easiest. It was definitely the hardest. Just to get down to the ferry to the island was a jungle gym course of rocks. Once on the island, the stairway, also of rock, was incredibly long. By the time we reached the top I was actually wheezing and my legs were wobbly for hours after. However, the view from the island was spectacular.

I realize I have described more of the hotel than Iguazu, but his is only because I really do not know how to describe it. Only pictures can do it partial justice.

If you have never seen Iguazu, look it up online. Consider visiting. If not soon, then before you can not walk the trails. This is a walking park. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Most people are backpackers or older tourists. To see it all comfortably I would recommend two days. I will post photos and perhaps video as soon as possible.

Laura R.

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