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Day 7. He said: Bariloche.
We started with an early bus ride into town, leaving at about the same time the resort employees were arriving. It felt good to be getting an early start on the day. We went directly to the bus terminal to buy our tickets for Bariloche. Turned out to be approximately US$22 for both of us, round-trip. I can handle that.
After having café cortado at the shop next to the bus station (where we listened to German internet radio and made plans while we had wifi access), we were on our way.
Bariloche, at least, around the bus station, was a bit sketchy. We had resolved to walk into town to see stuff along the way, so walk we did. As we expected, Bariloche got progressively nicer the closer we got to the center of town. There was a beautiful cathedral on a hill overlooking the lake, and the lake itself was spectacular.
Eventually, we found the tourist’s office, to ask about the bus system. It's a good thing we did; Bariloche local buses require pre-purchased tickets and don't accept cash like the Villa La Angostura buses.
Once we had that sorted out, we got to Rachel's friend’s place, met him and his wife (the new baby was asleep), and went next door for lunch. The place was run by a very nice man who seemed excited to try out his English on us. I had a good cut of lamb, and a really tasty local ale - Antares Roja. Rachel had the Rubia.
After Rachel and Brendan caught up, he suggested we go back the road a bit to a chair lift ride up the mountain. Once we got there, I saw that we could instead hike the mountain. Not being ones to take the easy way, that's what we did. 45 degree slopes for about 30-40 minutes. It was a challenge, but oh so good when we got to the top. Some incredible views, and halfway up Rachel got attacked by a hawk. Well, buzzed, really... I have photos. Of course.
We walked/slid our way back down the mountain, caught the next bus back to town, and bought our tickets back to Villa La Angostura. We had a bit more time until the bus showed, so we went for a walk. We ended up stopping in a nice sunny spot on a low rock wall, and some canine visitors showed up. They kept us company while we were there, and very nearly followed us all the way to the bus stop. At one point, one of the dogs even barked off someone who got too close to us. A good protector.
We took the bus back to the depot, stopped for a late meal (though, in Argentina, it's normal to eat late - the restaurants don’t even open until 8pm). We had one of the most incredible pieces of steak I've ever had. It was very welcomed after climbing a mountain. Another bus back to the resort (with a woman who insisted on talking the entire way, without breathing) and we lapsed into a coma until morning.
Tomorrow: sailing with Jorge!
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