Hello there, greetings from Patagonia! Yesterday I had to miss my post because essentially we were traveling all day. We flew from Buenos Aires to San Carlos de Bariloche, the largest town in Patagonia. It’s in the north, practically abutting Chile, and surrounded by the Andes. A drastic change from the Atlantic side of the country. Here we are in high elevation and the weather tells you that.
When we arrived, the temperature was a less than balmy 57 degrees. By evening, we had to wear a sweater, as well as a winter coat. Overnight temps descended into the 40s.
This morning however, after a cold start, it turned out a beautiful day in the 70s, perfect weather to explore the surroundings. We will be in this town three days, then head north, before turning south toward Tierra del Fuego.
Bariloche is a beautiful town. Originally established by German, Swiss, and Northern Italian families, the place is abuzz with young tourists, mostly Argentinians. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear you were in the Alps, such is the vibe.
The central plaza
One of the many Great St. Bernards in town.
Today we explored the shoreline of lake Nahuel Huapi, located in the center of the National Park by the same name, with our new rental, a 4-wheel drive pick-up truck which will be necessary for further travels through southern Patagonia. This is an area that will leave you breathless; certainly one of the most picturesque and awe-inspiring places we have ever seen. It would have been nice to take pictures toward evening, but we were unable to, thus the photos are pretty washed out because the sun was high in the sky. I’m certain though that they will serve to give you a pretty good idea of what an amazing locale this is.
We took a chairlift to the top of Cerro Campanario, which afforded us views of five different lakes. It was simply breathtaking.
Heading back toward town, we took a long unpaved road and stopped at Colonia Suiza, a historical town established over a century ago by a group of Swiss immigrants. It's a place full of backpackers who fill the local beach on the lake.
We took a lot of pictures today, but I'm going to stop here. I hope you are liking it and you will want to came back each day to see our progress. It's now 10:32 and the sun just went down. As we travel south, it will stay light even longer. Good night everyone.
Beautiful