Food on the Road: Bariloche

Bariloche is a nature-lover's heaven... but if you love ice cream, or chocolate or steak, it's your heaven too.

When we were hanging out in Chile, we talked to a British couple who had just come from Bariloche. They raved about Bariloche's food, and gave us a long list of places we needed to check out while we were in town. Once we got to our hostel (the great La Barraca Suites), we wanted to confirm these rumors, so asked them the three most important questions:

 1. Where can we get the best steak in town?     
 2. What is your favorite ice cream shop?      
 3. Is there a place where we can get amazing chocolate?

Interestingly, our hosts confirmed the locations we'd heard from our British friends, so we set out to enjoy all of the deliciousness.

Waiting in line at Albertos

After our long journey into the woods, we decided we were in great need of a hefty piece of steak. The steak at El Boliche de Albertos was supposed to be the biggest and best piece of meat in town. We got there before the place opened, at 7:50pm. (In Argentina, people eat dinner closer to 9 or 10pm... much later than we can handle!) It's a good thing we got there early; there was a line halfway down the block! Thankfully, we got the 2nd to last table available in the place. The restaurant itself was pretty neat. We were able to walk around and see the guys cooking all of the steaks on huge grill. But, as these things often go, the quality of the food wasn't quite up to the hype. The steaks were huge and delicious, but not nearly as awesome as we'd expected. That didn't stop us from devouring them entirely.

Steak, Malbec and tons of fries

Tom and the remains of his steak

Grill master at work

 We'd also heard great things about Juaja, an Argentinian ice cream shop. We love ice cream, and we love trying out local "cuisine," so we made sure to stop at Juaja two times during our trip to Bariloche. You know, just to be sure we got a good feel for the "menu." We were not disappointed. I think they had something like a dozen different kinds of chocolate ice cream, plus dozens of fruity, cream, and other flavors. My favorite was the Calafate flavor, which was made from a wild Patagonian fruit. [Update: Tiramisu was better.] While the Juaja ice cream was delicious, my vote still goes to the gelato we got in Santiago, where the mint ice cream tasted like the mint had been freshly plucked from someone's backyard. (Sorry guys, can't remember the name... it'll have to remain a secret spot, for now.)

The cones are huge!

Hot chocolate from Jauja's on a day when it was too chilly for ice cream

Ice cream!

And on our last day in town, we realized we hadn't found any of Bariloche's legendary chocolate. [Bariloche was settled by a number of Swiss and German settlers who, thankfully, brought with them incredible chocolate-making abilities.] We headed to Mamushka, one of about a dozen chocolate shops in town. The whole store smells like chocolate, and it's always bustling with people. We decided to suck it up and spend the $12 for chocolates, knowing that we'd regret it if we didn't splurge a little. And... oh man. Mamushka makes the best chocolate I've ever had. It's gooey. And rich. If I could have a piece of this chocolate every day for the rest of my life, I'd live to be 182.

Me, with chocolate

Mmmm

Happy eating!

-R

Camping and Our Second Hike

After our first hike up Cerro Catedral, we limped back to Bariloche and claimed a small area of a campsite called La Selva Negra. It was a perfect place, right off the bus route, not far from town, spacious, quiet, and with Wi-Fi!

We love camping, but being so far from home and our supply of gear, there were a few problems: 1) Mosquitoes, 2) No pots for cooking, 3) High, high up on the hillside (especially for sore legs), and 4) The freezing cold.

That last problem was the worst. See, we didn't really pack for very cold weather. Since we're backpacking mostly through cities and towns, it isn't very efficient to carry all the necessary cold weather camping gear. We'll rent gear in Patagonia when we need it, and we have sleeping bags and mats to keep us off of the ground, but our stuff is for, say, Europe in summer, the beaches of Greece, etc. We didn't think this would be a problem in Bariloche since the days were 65F and sunny... but we were wrong.

I really suffered that night at the campsite. Nothing terrible and nothing life-threatening, but it was cold enough that we didn't sleep very well. We pulled out the emergency blanket and draped it over us in the middle of the night. If you've ever used one before, you know how unpleasant it is. You feel like a tightly-wrapped potato, because really, it's just a blanket of aluminum foil. So I lay there on the hillside awake and turning in the early hours of the morning, my head stuffed under the blanket and the condensation dripping off of it and into my mouth. It was terrible, but since the alternative was being really really cold instead of just really cold, I suffered the taste of my own watered breath. 

By morning, we were damp and tired.

As you might guess, although we were going to spend two or three nights at the campsite, we opted for that one night alone and crawled into town the next day to find a decent bed in a warm room. We spent the day resting, drinking hot chocolate, and filling ourselves with meaty soups. It just took that one day of rest, because by the next, we were ready to hike again.

We caught a bus to a small Swiss colony at the foothills of the mountains. There is a trail right off the stop that leads to Refugio Italia. The hike was beautiful. It winds up along a river and through the forest.

After our camping adventure and another day of hiking, we rewarded ourselves with some locally brewed beer which was conveniently sold in the Swiss colony just as we exited the trail.

- Tom

A Walk in the Woods

For the past week or so, we've been hanging out in San Carlos de Bariloche (or Bariloche for short), a small city a few hours from the Chilean border. Though the town itself is lovely (albeit a bit touristy), the real draw is the great outdoors. Bariloche is pretty much surrounded by the Nahuel Huapi National Park, and every street, hostel, and restaurant has an amazing view of stony mountains and crystal clear lakes.

We went for a long hike one cool, sunny day up the side of Cerro Catedral. Our dialogue for most of the that day went something like this:

"Wow."

"Oh wow!"

"That's gorgeous!"

"Wow!"

And so on.

So, clearly words can't do this hike justice. Instead, here's a picture tour of that walk in the Andes.

The start of the trail

Mountains

Oh look! Furry little flowers!

Yikes. Not flowers. Tom's leg is all prickly now.

Santiago (A Reprise)

Although our bus troubles were a bit of a pain in the neck, I'm glad we got to spend a few more days wandering around Santiago's parks and pleasant streets, visiting cathedrals (and getting shooed from fancy buildings that we wanted to explore but didn't belong in).

In Santiago, you don't have to go far to find a park. One of my favorites was on a hillside, smack dab in the middle of the city. To get to the top, we had to climb a bunch of crumbling, narrow steps. The hike was well worth it; we were rewarded with gorgeous views of the city.

View of Santiago. See the mountains in the distance?

Tourists looking out to the city and mountains

Tom resting on a stone chaise at the top of the hill

We also spent some time strolling around the Plaza de Armas in the center of Santiago. It's huge and there are plenty of historic buildings around to explore, one of which is the Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago, which is a gorgeous old Cathedral built around 1800.

Inside the Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago

Government building outside the Plaza de Armas. 

We'll miss you, Santiago, but for now... yay Argentina!

 

The above pictures are of us at the border of Chile and Argentina, happy to be crossing over (especially after Tom misplaced some paperwork that he apparently needed), but still half-asleep from an all-night bus trip with no stops and no coffee. We still have a few more of those trips to go, but we're trying not to think about it right now.

-R

Bariloche at Night

Welcome to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. This is a view from our hotel tonight. Beautiful, right?

Bad Luck with Buses

So here we are, finally, at Hostel La Chimba. It is a peaceful place in an Artsy district nestled at the foot of San Cristóbal Hill. Here's a picture from the front.

Looks and sounds familiar, right?

I'm getting déjà vu as well, but let me back up a bit.

Our plan in coming to South America was to see Argentina. From the culture, vineyards, excellent chocolate, steak, varied cities, mountain towns, and hikes in Patagonia, it was the place we've been interested in from the getgo. When we originally flew into Santiago, Chile, we were excited. It was not that we necessarily wanted to see the city, but coming into Santiago was a way to save a little money and be closer to the Argentine sites that we're so raring to see--namely, Mendoza, Argentina and its multitude of vineyards. Although Chile charges a $160 entrance fee for citizens of the United States, the ticket was $600 cheaper than flying into Buenos Aires. And Argentina (as of the time of our research) did not charge the $160 fee to enter the country if by bus--that was a charge reserved for those entering the country by plane.

Not only that, but a bus trip from Buenos Aires to Mendoza would have taken 22 hours. Here is a map.

After Mendoza, we planned to make our way South, starting with San Carlos de Bariloche, a beautiful lake town in the mountains, from what we've read and heard.

That trip is about 15 hours, pictured here.

... but 22 hours to Mendoza to kick off the trip is a long time on a bus. We planned on ending our trip in Buenos Aires after travelling South the Patagonia, as it will be cooler in March or April, and it is the country's hub for international flights.

So we looked around some more. And found Santiago.

Santiago: The Pros

- Only six hours from Mendoza

- Cooler climate than Buenos Aires at this time of year

- Modern city, close to beaches

Santiago: The Cons

- ...

Since I'm getting really good at drawing lines on pictures, I'll show you another map, this one of the six hour trip from Santiago to Mendoza.

Buenos Aires could wait! We were going to Santiago.

As you know, we arrived and stayed for a few days and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Met some nice people, saw some nice sights, ate good food, and then we were ready to leave. We wanted to see wine country, rent bicycles and peddle from mountain town to mountain town, so we made our way over to the bus station this past Saturday. We were told that buses out of Santiago and into Argentina were easy to come by, so we didn't worry.

Unfortunately, our plans didn't work out. There was massive flooding in the mountains that rendered impassable the only road across the Andes in the vicinity of Santiago.

But that was okay. We were told that the road would be cleared by Tuesday and that we could take the same bus to Mendoza from Valparaíso on Tuesday. Oh, and by the way, new Argentine regulations as of January 6th, 2013 mandated that we pay an entrance fee of $160 if entering by bus. Although a slight inconvenience, this was okay. We shrugged it off. We now had a great excuse to visit the coastal cities, so we jumped on the opportunity.

We had a blast. Hostal Jacaranda, situated on the top of a hill, accessible by three funiculars or a strong pair of legs, was perfect. It was like staying in a friend's house, partly because it was a house. Everyone congregated in the kitchen, living room, and outdoor patio at meal times, and we met folks from all over to walk about the hilly city with us.

Here are some pictures of Rachel and I at the beach.

But I'm getting a little off track. The title of this post refers to our trouble with the bus system.

We went to double-check with the bus company on Sunday about our reserved bus ticket to Mendoza. We were told that the road was still impassable, and that our bus trip for Tuesday would probably be cancelled. Friday or Saturday was looking more likely.

We did some thinking. We liked Chile, we liked Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, but we were antsy to see Argentina. The peak months to hike in Patagonia are January and February, and our time was slowly ticking away. We asked about Bariloche, in the South of Argentina, and yes, the bus company did have a ticket to Bariloche on Tuesday night at 10 o'clock PM. We'd cross the Andes much further South and have to skip Mendoza for now. It could wait.

Just one more map, I promise. This is more to show my Mom where we are and where we are going. Right, Mom?

To make this long story a bit shorter, we arrived at the bus station on Tuesday (yesterday) and our bus had departed at 8 o'clock PM, not 10 o'clock PM as we'd been told.*

Was there another bus to Mendoza on Tuesday?

No.

Wednesday?

No.

Thursday, Friday?

No to Thursday, but Friday... yes. Yes, there was a bus on Friday night.

By this time, it was 9 o'clock at night and we had no place to stay in Valparaíso. Hostal Jacaranda was already full. Mentally, we'd had enough of Valparaíso, mainly because we thought we'd have been on the road to Argentina by then. As Santiago is a larger hub for travel, we decided to bus back there and figure it out.

(No map necessary.)

We arrived in Santiago last night (this morning?) at midnight. We stood in line at the ticket office for thirty minutes. No, there were no buses to Mendoza until Friday, and also, there was no such place as Bariloche. The ticket officer waved us away to another office which ended up being closed. It was midnight, after all. So we lugged our bags back again, stood in the ticket line for another thirty minutes, asked a different teller for a ticket to Bariloche, and were again told that the bus company does not go there.

That's when I looked at the man's computer screen and saw what he had typed: Varilocha. I suppose my Spanish enunciation and accent aren't that good.

Tired, hungry, fed-up, we booked our ticket. We are going to Bariloche on Friday night, but for now, we're off to explore Santiago again!

So here we are, finally, at Hostel La Chimba...

... but hopefully only until Friday.

Cheers,
Tom

* I'll grudgingly admit that the fault probably lies with my inability to comprehend military time in Spanish, despite my years with the Navy, but I consider this only a footnote-able mention.

What a difference 4 miles makes.

You know when you're on a long road trip, and the scenery slowly changes? Maybe the dusting of snow turns into feet within a few hours, or skyscrapers turn into smaller apartment buildings which turn into sprawling houses? It's usually a pretty gradual process, and it's hard to recognize it's happening.

A hotel on the beach

During the 4-mile bus trip from Valparaíso to Viña del Mar, the view changes entirely. Instead of Valparaíso's colorful small homes dotting the hillside, Viña del Mar's beach is lined with 20-story resorts lining the beach. Viña del Mar has lots of manicured parks and condo buildings with fountains in the front. There are horse-drawn carriages. Instead of climbing mountain-tops, tourists flock to Viña del Mar for long walks on the packed-full beach. It's pretty much a quintessential resort town.

Horse and carriage rides

After a day of sitting around the beach and walking around a massive mall (in a quest to find the impossible: decent coffee), we returned to Valparaíso, amazed at how just a few miles could so completely change the look, feel and economy of a city. 

One of Valparaíso's many funiculars

For folks considering a budget trip to this part of Chile, I'd recommend doing something similar to what we did. Stay in a hostel in the hills of Valparaíso and take the funiculars up and down the mountain. Marvel at the views. Find a quaint little restaurant in the middle of nowhere. (And ask locals for recommendations of what areas to avoid. Some parts of Valparaíso aren't the greatest.) Then when you've had enough of Valparaíso's gritty charm, take the bus to Viña del Mar to sit on the beach, eat some gelato, and really feel like you're on vacation. Repeat as necessary.

-R

Valparaíso

Shortly after Tom wrote the last post, we learned that the pass between Santiago, Chile and Mendoza, Argentina had been temporarily wiped out due to tons of rain. All bus transportation has been stopped until Monday at the earliest.

Instead of booking an expensive plane ticket (or skipping Mendoza altogether), we decided to spend a few days on the coast of Chile, in a small city called Valparaíso.

It's a really neat city with colorful homes on the hillside. It reminds me of the Amalfi Coast in Italy (though I haven't been there-- yet!)

Valparaiso at night

The city overlooks the Pacific Ocean. I have high hopes to dip my toe into it tomorrow while we're hanging out the beaches of Viña del Mar. 

View of the ocean from Valparaiso. 

Tom and I spent most of last night and today wandering around the hillside, climbing the meandering streets-- all of which go uphill. It's very easy to get lost in this city, but once you've been lost a few times, it's generally easier to find your way around.

Street art and raised sidewalks

Hills galore

Hilly streets in Valparaiso

The city is definitely a bit gritty, with lots of graffiti, squawking seagulls, and dogs running amuck. But despite the grit, it's a neat little city where you can walk up (always up) a cobblestone road, pause for a minute to catch your breath, and then turn around and catch a phenomenal view of the whole city. 

Street performances at sunset

The Valparaiso Harbor

Rachel and Tom in Valparaiso

We'll be hanging here and at the beach for a few more days before we make our way into Argentina. Look out for more pictures to come!

-R

First Days in Chile

We made it! And what a long trip. It went a little like this:

1) Three hours to Mexico City;
2) Eight hour layover on the floor of the Mexico City airport (I had my sleeping bag and the floors were immaculate);
3) Eight hours to Santiago; and
4) Four hours to our hostel from the airport.

In truth, No. 4 shouldn't have taken four hours, but tired as we were, we got a little lost. So lost, in fact, that we hopped on a bus to the neighboring village of Maipu. We should have realized this earlier, but again, tired.

This is approximately what our trip to the hostel looked like (our route in black; no need to depict the preferred route):

So here we are, finally, at Hostel La Chimba. It is a peaceful place in an Artsy district nestled at the foot of San Cristóbal Hill. The area is cobble-stoned with tree-lined streets, outdoor restaurants, and plenty of heladerías to take our minds off of the heat. The hostel is enormous, with three separate buildings surrounded by large walls. It has two courtyards and a stairway to the roof where you can look out across the tin tops of the local houses. Here's a picture from the front.

I write this as we relax on a couch in the courtyard after lunch. This morning after a breakfast Rachel and I hiked a good four hours up San Cristóbal Hill. At the top, there is an enormous outdoor church and a statue of the Virgin Mary. We stopped, relaxed for a time, and then proceeded down the other side of the Hill into another district of the city. There was a dirt path and the view of the city and the Andes was beautiful.

The sun was up in our faces, but in the background you can see the outdoor church.

...And after four hours of walking we went back to our hostel for a lunch of empanadas, some sort of beans with pumpkin, and meat.

It is Friday and we hope to find some live music tonight. We won't be in Santiago long since we'd like to make it to Patagonia before the weather gets too cold. So we'll be off to Mendoza in the next few days.

Cheers for now,

Tom