Day 3 – Bariloche to Esquél (Argentina)
Miles covered: 220
Highest point today: 3200 feet above sea level
Last night we had a fine meal as a group, at a wonderful German restaurant in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche. The Restaurant Family Weiss looked like a ski chalet right out of the Swiss Alps.
I had some time before dinner to walk around the town of Bariloche, and it is very lively, interesting town. Bariloche is also known as the chocolate capital of Argentina, so I had take a few minutes and buy a small box of chocolates. One of our fellow travelers asked me if this was for a gift or to eat along the way. He clearly doesn’t know me that well. These chocolates will not make it back to the US in the box!
I also had the chance to walk along the waterfront and take a few pictures before dinner. The winds coming off the lake were so strong that they nearly blew my hat off. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was very relaxing and could be heard all along the coast of the lake.
While walking to catch up with the rest of the group, I passed by a pub called “The Pilgrim.” Just from the appearance of the sign hanging outside, I knew that I had to stop and have a beer in this bar before turning in for the night.
As luck would have it, the 5 Dutchmen from our group insisted on joining me, and I was happy to have them along. We entered the pub at nearly 11 p.m., to find out that live music was scheduled for 11:30 ("hora latina," of course,, which meant anytime between 11:30 and 12:30). “ La Gran 7” arrived shortly after 11:30 with their instruments and began to play a great selection of jazzy and improvised tunes, some with a nice Latin beat.
Ranging from trombone to electronic piano, guitars and even a flautist, this was very entertaining and lively music. The crowd included Argentines, Americans, and people of various other nationalities. This was clearly the place to be on a chilly March evening in Bariloche.
Although I stayed up past my bedtime, I was awake bright and early Thursday morning as we were scheduled to depart our hotel at 9 a.m. sharp. We made several stops including a panoramic overlook of Lake Nahuel Huapi, and a trip in a cable car to the top of Cerro Otto (Altitude 4780 feet above sea level).
These stops took several hours, but when we finally turned towards our destination for the night, the sun was out and the landscape of alternating pine trees and dusty planes practically sparkled under cloudless blue skies. One minor glitch came up when one of the motorcycles had a flat tire.
Quick teamwork had the motorcycle secured onto the trailer pulled by our support vehicle, though some of our team chose slightly easier assignments, as the attached pictures reveal.
Upon checking into our hotel, a quick trip into town was in order, to explore the downtown area of this town of nearly 30,000 residents, before the group met at 8 p.m. for dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Tomorrow we begin our trek over gravel roads, so more adventures await us, I am sure.
- Bob
Highest point today: 3200 feet above sea level
Last night we had a fine meal as a group, at a wonderful German restaurant in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche. The Restaurant Family Weiss looked like a ski chalet right out of the Swiss Alps.
I had some time before dinner to walk around the town of Bariloche, and it is very lively, interesting town. Bariloche is also known as the chocolate capital of Argentina, so I had take a few minutes and buy a small box of chocolates. One of our fellow travelers asked me if this was for a gift or to eat along the way. He clearly doesn’t know me that well. These chocolates will not make it back to the US in the box!
I also had the chance to walk along the waterfront and take a few pictures before dinner. The winds coming off the lake were so strong that they nearly blew my hat off. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was very relaxing and could be heard all along the coast of the lake.
While walking to catch up with the rest of the group, I passed by a pub called “The Pilgrim.” Just from the appearance of the sign hanging outside, I knew that I had to stop and have a beer in this bar before turning in for the night.As luck would have it, the 5 Dutchmen from our group insisted on joining me, and I was happy to have them along. We entered the pub at nearly 11 p.m., to find out that live music was scheduled for 11:30 ("hora latina," of course,, which meant anytime between 11:30 and 12:30). “ La Gran 7” arrived shortly after 11:30 with their instruments and began to play a great selection of jazzy and improvised tunes, some with a nice Latin beat.
Ranging from trombone to electronic piano, guitars and even a flautist, this was very entertaining and lively music. The crowd included Argentines, Americans, and people of various other nationalities. This was clearly the place to be on a chilly March evening in Bariloche.Although I stayed up past my bedtime, I was awake bright and early Thursday morning as we were scheduled to depart our hotel at 9 a.m. sharp. We made several stops including a panoramic overlook of Lake Nahuel Huapi, and a trip in a cable car to the top of Cerro Otto (Altitude 4780 feet above sea level).
These stops took several hours, but when we finally turned towards our destination for the night, the sun was out and the landscape of alternating pine trees and dusty planes practically sparkled under cloudless blue skies. One minor glitch came up when one of the motorcycles had a flat tire.
Quick teamwork had the motorcycle secured onto the trailer pulled by our support vehicle, though some of our team chose slightly easier assignments, as the attached pictures reveal.Upon checking into our hotel, a quick trip into town was in order, to explore the downtown area of this town of nearly 30,000 residents, before the group met at 8 p.m. for dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Tomorrow we begin our trek over gravel roads, so more adventures await us, I am sure.
- Bob
posted by Robert Sette at 5:59 PM
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