Bariloche and Nahuel Huapi National Park
El Vegetariano!
Upon our return from Cerro Cathedral, Heather and I used our handy Lonely planet guide to find a hostel in Bariloche where we could nurse our blisters and take a shower. We found on, Bariloche Backpacker’s Hostel, right near the downtown core of the town next to a kiosko with both internet and phone services. We went in, got our beds, ditched our packs, and went in search of lunch. Thanks to our guidebook, we found a great vegetarian restaurant called El Vegetariano, which offered a variety of dishes on their menu as well as the menu del dia which was a platter of five different dishes of the day.
Gull's flight following our boat
The food was excellent, if a bit pricey for Argentine standards, and by the time we had finished our complimentary cups of spiced chai we were both ready for a nap. We headed back to the hostel, slept for a bit then went out on the town, finding dinner and heading to the old theater to watch Avatar. The theater was great, the slightly decrepit seats with stuffing sticking out adding to the somewhat eerrie feeling of the place. Couldn’t go wrong though, the price was right… cheaper than a rental in Canada.
One of the Myrtle trees
The next day we spent some time around town then decided to check out Isla Victoria and the Bosque Arrayanes (Myrtle forest). To get to either of them we had to join a boat tour that stops at both. Our first stop was at the Bosque, the only one with it’s species of trees in the world. The trees were incredible, the rich cinnamon colour of their bark vivid in contrast to the surrounding foliage and undergrowth. There was a short boardwalk that takes you through the forest, giving a variety of different aspects to the park. Part way along a crackling in the forest turned out to be a group of cows, browsing on the scarce grass found in between the trees. After a few hundred photos we hopped back on the boat to our next stop, Isla Victoria. I’m still not to sure what all the excitement about the island is referring to,
The... locals?
but we were able to go on an enjoyable stroll through a botanical forest containing trees from around the world and also slip through one of the small villages on the island past monkey puzzle trees and a few locals. From there it was back on the boat to return to Llao Llao and finally our Hostel. We grabbed some dinner, walked around town, and finally headed to bed with the plan of getting up early to catch the 8:30am bus to Pampa Linda to start the next leg of our adventure.
next installment soon to come!
El Bosque Arrayanes
The water of Lago Nahuel Huapi
Walk of the Giants- Isla Victoria
Isla Victoria and Lago Nahuel Huapi
