March 10, 2005
Buenos Aires to Bariloche
Via Bariloche Tutto Letto Classe
230p-1020a Travel Time: 19:50
Via Bariloche is regarded as one of the finest bus companies in Argentina. They offer comfortable accommodation and superior catering aboard the most modern equipment available. I rode with them six years ago between BA and Bariloche when only Coche Cama was offered. It was a memorable experience, highlighted by both the excellent onboard service and the beautiful scenery as we approached Bariloche. Today I would be trying out Via Bariloche’s new Tutto Letto Service featuring the new fully reclinable sleeper suites, upholstered in reech, Coreeenthian Leatharr.
Hey! Even Ricardo Montalban would have crowed about the plush green leather seats that graced the upper deck of my Via Bariloche Marcopolo Paradiso 1800DD cruiser. Each seat even came with curtains for those desiring a little extra privacy. Three TV sets were mounted from the ceiling for our movie viewing pleasure and cold air shooting out of the vents took much of the swelter off the hot Buenos Aires day. As I settled back into my comfortable seat, I found myself actually looking forward to this twenty-hour journey aboard a bus much like one might look forward to a thirteen-hour flight in Qantas First Class across the Pacific.
Departure was on time and after about a half-hour on the road, Antonio, our bus attendant, came upstairs with a tray of tasty looking cookies followed by cups of hot tea or coffee. It’s worth noting that tea and coffee were always available via self-service urns located downstairs in the galley. Also located downstairs was a large, non-smelly bathroom, well stocked with soap and paper hand towels.
The first of three movies, an early Tom Hanks flick called
That Thing That You Do, was shown shortly after our departure from Buenos Aires. Not long after the movie ended, Antonio returned with a tray of ham and cheese sandwiches for a between movie snack. The next movie was some lamentable comedy with Ben Stiller and Jack Black so I took some time out to recline my seat and nap for a spell.
Following a pretty sunset, dinner was served. A tray was delivered bearing potato salad, a packet of Melba Toast and a dinner roll. Soon after followed the hot entrée that consisted of sliced beef and vegetable casserole rolled up into a log, accompanied by a corn and potato casserole. The entree looked like a badly organized version of one of those Swanson Hungry Man TV Dinners – most of the ingredients appeared to be all mixed together. Most importantly though, it tasted pretty good. I was reminded of some of the fine Midwestern fare I’d been served aloft on Ozark Airlines back in the 1970s.
Following dinner, we were offered a choice of whiskey or champagne. Hmm… an interesting way to end the meal… I went with the champagne and was presented with a tall plastic flute of the bubbly libation that actually tasted much better than the cheap stuff United Airlines serves on its domestic flights.
Who’d have ever thought one could have such an enjoyable time while traveling across country on a twenty-hour bus trip? Sleep came easily as I reclined my seat to its fully flat position and tossed the thick wool blanket over me. I slept soundly until daybreak.
The final one hundred miles of roadway coming into Bariloche are quite scenic as the highway winds up and over some large hills, around a large lake and finally descends down into Bariloche, one of South America’s most beautiful destinations.
BARILOCHE
Bariloche, once known as San Carlos de Bariloche, sits in Tyrolean splendor upon the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, a beautiful alpine lake nestled against the eastern rise of the Andes Mountains. Through most of its early years, Bariloche was a playground for the Argentinean elite. The architecture is distinctly European, but accented quite favorably through the use of regional hardwoods and local stone masonry. The downtown district looks very much like Aspen or Vail, sporting exclusive boutiques, quaint restaurants and lots of chocolate shops. Chocolate is seriously big business in Bariloche and deservedly so. I sampled some from two different confectioneries and was quite impressed. This was not my father’s Hershey bar.
Bariloche is also home to some of Argentina’s finest skiing, hiking and boating. This, coupled with the evolution of the tourism industry and the affordability of travel to and within Argentina has made Bariloche a principal destination for more youthful and decidedly less elite backpackers from the world over. The nightclub scene is also quite healthy in Bariloche and for many Argentine students, it is
the destination for post graduation celebrations. In many ways, the town reminded me of Queenstown, New Zealand although the surrounding mountains are a bit larger and Lake Nahuel Huapi is about three times the size of Lake Wakatipu.
My home for the next two nights would be the Hotel Internacional, offering a functional if somewhat bland room for just $53.00 Pesos or $19.00 per night. It was conveniently located just one block off the town plaza and included breakfast each morning between 7:00 and 10:00am.
As per my style, I spent a leisurely first day in Bariloche. I enjoyed a fine luncheon at the cozy Café Alpina, followed by a stroll about the town plaza and down to the lake. A stop at the post office for stamps (Everything in Argentina is very affordable except postage. It costs $1.40 USD to send a single postcard to North America) was followed by a visit to the train station to check out some of the old Patagonian Express railway cars parked there. Later, I returned to Bariloche in time to get myself booked on a six hour excursion by boat the next day out across the lake to Nahuel Huapi National Park and the Arrayanes Forest. This meant an early dinner (9:00pm) and a 9:00am wake up call.
This excursion started from Puerto Panuelo, located 20km from town just below the spectacular
Llao Llao Hotel. I visited the Llao Llao twelve years ago and it is a classic old fashioned grand hotel built in the fashion of Canada’s spectacular lodges at Banff and Lake Louise. It’s location, on a hill just above the lake, affords its guests sweeping vistas of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Two companies offer essentially the same excursions around the lake. Where they differ is in the boats that they employ. One uses a sleek, modern catamaran called the Cau Cau. The other works with a 68 year old steamer that used to carry the rich and famous around the lake. That would be my boat, the
M.N. Modesta Victoria. She was designed in Holland and shipped over to Argentina in 1936. After being sent overland by rail to Bariloche, she was reassembled and entered service on Lake Nahuel Huapi in 1937. As I strolled up the gangplank and into the open lounge area of the ship, it was easy to imagine this moment sixty years ago as waiters handed out glasses of champagne while a small quartet serenaded the well dressed passengers with spicy Argentine melodies.
After about an hour and fifteen minutes of cruising, we docked at the Bosque de Arrayanes, or Arrayanes Forest. This is the only known Arrayanes forest in the world. The Arrayanes tree is known for its dense, cinnamon colored wood that is said to feel “cold”. It grows in dense clusters and were it not for a beautifully constructed circuitous walkway through the forest, a hike through these trees would not be a pleasant experience at all.
After an hour’s stop amongst the trees, we re-boarded the Modesta Victoria and motored off to Isla de Victoria, the largest island on the lake. Here we would have almost two hours to hike through the Experimental Forest or wander about the island’s many trails. Bariloche is at about the same latitudes as the Oregon/California border so I wasn’t surprised to find myself walking through groves of giant Sequoias and shady Maple trees. I also discovered the tallest Ponderosa Pines I’d ever seen. With these three trees at least, the experiment was a success. I didn’t recognize all the other species but regardless I spent a real nice hour hiking around the island.
For those who weren’t quite up to a longer hike, a wide graded trail led up to a small restaurant that included the ever-present gift shop. The real highlight of the restaurant was its large deck that offered spectacular views of the lake and its islands as the sun made its descent in the late afternoon sky. Behind the restaurant was a chairlift up to a lookout point.
We docked back at Puerto Panuelos just after sunset and I made my way out to the tree that served as the stop for the #20 bus that would take me and about eight others back to Bariloche. When I signed up for this trip, I could have purchased a round trip transfer from Bariloche for $16.00 Pesos but since the bus was only $2.00 Pesos each way, I figured I could spend the difference on a good dinner in one of Bariloche’s many fine restaurants. As it was, the entire half day excursion, including my $16.00 Peso park entrance fee and the $4.00 I paid for the bus came to just under $20.00 USD. I highly recommend this trip regardless of the price!
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Although this was my third visit to Bariloche in the past twelve years, I could have easily stayed much longer. My regret at leaving Bariloche was tempered considerably however by the journey yet to come. This journey continued the next morning aboard a shiny new TAS Choapa bus that carried myself and about thirty other backpackers across the Andes Mountains into Chile.
The best way to get from Bariloche into Puerto Montt is with a company called
Cruce de Lagos. The region from Bariloche across the Andes to Puerto Montt, Chile is called The Lakes District. It is appropriately named as the area is dotted by a good number of large navigable lakes set amidst the splendor of the high mountain peaks and snow capped volcanoes of the Andes.
The trip involves traveling by boat across five or six lakes that are each connected by road. Although it’s possible to do the entire crossing in just one day, many choose to stay for a night at a hotel on one of the lakes before continuing on to Puerto Montt the next day. I wanted to take this trip but it was unfortunately (and surprisingly, given the season) sold out on the day I needed to go.
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Puerto Montt is a bustling port town of about 130,000. Down along the waterfront, the colorful wooden buildings could easily make a very nice jigsaw puzzle picture. It also has some excellent seafood restaurants, always a must for me when I’m in town.
The first time I visited Puerto Montt was twelve years ago. Back then, one could take a train down from Santiago. It was a twenty-four hour ride aboard what was essentially a working antique and was billed as the southernmost passenger train service in the world. (Though I believe New Zealand’s
Southlander was more southerly when it still served Invercargill) The sleeper cars were of German heritage, built in 1929. From the outside, the paint was peeling and the cars were rusting, not to mention all the dirt and grime that had built up over years of not having been properly washed. They looked as if they’d been in Dresden during the WW-II bombings. Inside however, they were immaculate with beautiful wooden walls, old-fashioned lighting and a dining car that served up fine Chilean fare on white china and red tablecloths. If you weren’t in a hurry, this train was a comfortable and pleasant way to travel between Santiago and Puerto Montt. It took twenty-four hours to cover the 760-mile journey. Modern busses traveling along excellent paved highways were making the trip in thirteen hours though, so it wasn’t surprising that train service to Puerto Montt finally came to an end about ten years ago.
Although Puerto Montt and nearby Chiloe have been destinations for me in the past, this time I am here in transit. Tomorrow afternoon I will board the big Navimag ferry
Puerto Eden for the three-day journey down to Puerto Natales, the gateway to Patagonia and Torres del Paine National Park.