Little Switzerland
Monday, April 17th, 2006
Bariloche (San Carlos de Bariloche to give it it´s full title) in the north of Argentinian Patagonia is a beautiful small city in the mold of a Swiss Alpine village, located next to the huge lake Perito Moreno. Many of the buildings are built in a wooden chalet style and the area is host to many activities for the outward-bound, as well as a fair number of inward bound too (translates as good nightlife)!
Thursday Mick and myself took mountain bikes out for the day to cycle around several of the lakes that make up the seven lakes district here. Once we´d negotiated the dodgy main road we hit the dirt tracks to discover beautiful tree-lined lakes and mountains. Lunchtime we stopped for a beer in the small village of Colonia Suiza, which as the name suggests is a Swiss colony here in Argentina. Who´da thunk it!
View of the lakes from the mountain top
We took a chairlift up to the top of one of the mountains and took in the 360 degrees panoramic view over much of the seven lakes district – photo to follow in a few days. After clocking up around 60km on the bikes I was pretty saddle-sore but a fantastic day all the same, and made it back before dark just in time for happy hour 🙂
Saturday we gave a second chance to a band who had not impressed us first time around earlier in the week. Le Gran 7, who bill themselves as a ska band had been a bit more jazz funk on wednesday, but come saturday in the more suitable venue with a good crowd they came up with the goods and left us baying for more. The night was topped off for me by meeting an Argentinian girl, who thankfully is an English teacher so the conversation was not along the lines of “me gusta this, no me gusta that” as it had been in Mexico, much to Gwyns amusement.
Come Easter sunday we thought it only right and proper as good god-fearing people to go and see some dodgy punk bands. The first couple were suitably untalented and painfull/amusing at times, but it came good with the headline band Los Magios, who had a drummer that could keep in time and a singer who wasn´t tone deaf.
An interesting marketing ploy in Bariloche – popular hangout of ´children´s´ entertainers´
This was a fine way to say goodbye to my two consistant travel companians of late, Adam and Mick, who now head back to Buenos Aires, while I head on north to Mendoza in the heart of the wine region tomorrow. The Patagonian adventure has sadly come to an end, but it´s been a great time that will stand out in my travel memories.
Onwards and upwards…
A Patagonian road sign savvy to current trends in Latin American politics
After a tedious sixteen hour bus ride across bleak landscapes, dealing with border controls, a short ferry ride and stopping at ... 
Ed