April 4th, 2015
This is going to be a shorter post, mainly because the adventure of the day was not all that impressive though still a pleasant day walking around Bariloche’s beautiful natural surroundings. It’s also to show that not every adventure I have turns out as well as I might hope. Travelling is hit and miss just like everything else in life, but oftentimes you’re taking more shots so you get more hits. Hits like this.
At any way I roll out of bed late at Hopa Home Hostel and walk through town to a set of bus stops on the corner of Moreno and Palacio street, climbing onto the number 50 bus for 6 pesos on the preloaded card and heading towards Lago Gutierrez, a small town on a lovely lake close to national park Nahuel Huapi and some waterfalls I’ve been told are quite pretty.
If you are taking the bus you need to get off at a crossroads just before the lake begins and take the branch of the road on your right which stays closest to the lakeshore, that said if you miss the stop the driver loops back around just 5 minutes later and you’ll get there.
From the bus stop and the very pretty Lago Gutierrez I walk along the dirt road passing by several interesting birds which, after a little research, I determine to be Ibis’, something so tied to Egypt in my mind that I’m surprised to see them here in South America.
The road winds along the lakeshore, fancy summer houses and eco hotel operations blocking my access as a spread thin army of dogs patrol the dirt road along side me, all happy to get a little attention. It’s one of the great things about South America, the vast majority of the dogs are friendly and healthy enough to play with, unlike most of the street dogs in Asia who would make your heart melt, but require some distance for health reasons.
The walk is maybe 35 minutes until I get to the entrance of the national park and find a stunningly large collection of cars, campers and day trippers, mostly locals looking to enjoy easter Saturday, and the weather is certainly cooperating.
I take a short walk to the Cascadas De Los Duendes maybe 20 minutes through a pretty, but tourist filled forest and come to the waterfalls. they are somewhat less impressive than I’d hoped, a stream trickling down in twin cascades, hardly a crashing waterfall that I’d imagined. Still quite pretty though but it is partially destroyed by the constant swarm of tourists all around, chattering away and enjoying themselves which is a good thing, but somewhat ruinous to the tranquility of the scene.
I decide to try to get away from the crowd and climb up the rock face to the second set of falls. I make it almost all the way up but couldn’t do it with my bag and so descend quickly and take a seat across the stream from the people area only to get told by a park ranger I’m not allowed to be there, despite deceptive signs and so I’m forced to relocate my productive writing session to the rocks among the tourists.
Finishing up a chapter I take a few more minutes to enjoy watching these pretty if unspectacular falls before heading back to the road. Waiting for the bus I find a man selling churros out the back of his van and by the last set for 1000 Pesos. They’re surprisingly delicious and serve as my lunch as I head back to town and go for a wander through some new parts of town.
Bariloche isn’t just chocolate and steak, there’s also lots of impressive street art, friendly locals, good bakeries and much much more. It’s a beautiful town, oh and El Turista makes amazing ice cream too.
