Bariloche

I've officially made it to Argentina safe and sound. It's with a tour, which makes things pretty easy on my end and I think I'll get to see a lot during my brief weekend stay. To be honest, it doesn't really feel like another country just because it's more of a tourist destination and its right on the border. However, I am using different money and hearing a slightly different accent so obviously something has changed. During lunch I tried to ask for some tap water and said agua de la llave and the waitress did not understand me at all. Apparently in Argentina and Uraguay tapwater is agua de la canilla (pronounced canijjjja instead of the standard caniyya). I went on a thorough 2 hour walk after arriving via a 7 hour bus ride so I feel a little fresher now. Although, now I am covered in dust so I think I'm going to clean up and get ready for dinner.

I figure since I am a little behind on the blog I will just put everything I have to say about Bariloche in this one entry to keep things simple. So, what were my impressions of Bariloche and Argentina in general? Bariloche was beautiful, surreal, touristy, and Swiss. I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend there, but it would never occur to me to spend more than a few days up in the mountains. The weather was quite pleasant. Even though I could see a bit of snow on the mountain tops, I was never uncomfortably cold walking around through the town. In the winter it is a hot (not literally of course) spot for skiers, making it a popular place all year round. I felt the Argentine presence through the unique accent and intonation of the Spanish language. I could also sense a little bit of an Italian influence in Argentina...apparently there is a lot of Italian ancestry there. I feel very fortunate to have spent my 21st birthday in a place as pristine as Bariloche. If you want to see some more pictures to get a better idea of what it looks like, there are additional photos on the link at the upper right hand side of the page.