So my bus set off 9.30pm last night and I arrive 6pm today... The views are pretty good on the bus and quids in as they put one film on that isn't dubbed in Spanish! Lincoln lawyer, I've seen it before where Matthew McConaughay isn't purple and the sound wasn't so tinny that it sounds like I smashed up my kitchen but I enjoy it still. Then it's Bingo in the afternoon! This is where the magic happens. I can't keep up but it passes the time a bit.
I arrive in Bariloche which is according to google maps only meant to take 14 hours not 21 so who knows how my bus took an extra 7 given we only had ONE loo stop. You wouldn't want a dodgy empanada then go on one a these journeys! It's 760miles (1220km) south of Mendoza in Argentina's lake district which is absolutely beautiful but it's chilly.
Whilst I'm having my tea I get chatting to a guy who speaks English! He's American so I approach with caution but he doesn't whoop and holler at me! I am joking of course. He probably saves that for Jerry Springer. He's from Chicago, cool guy, but he's leaving in the morning to Chile which is a shame.
I've paid a bit extra so I can get a female dorm here so I can rock about in my underwear. Whoop.
Day 12- Martes
Its 8 degrees and so windy so I go overboard and put so many layers on that by the time I've put on my baby pink ski jacket I look far from ski chic and more a giant marshmallow. I wander the town which has lots of outdoor shops, tourist shops selling things made of wood including lots of knives(?!) and numerous chocolate shops to the point where the streets smell like Cadbury land. There is some knitting attached to trees and phone boxes too, my gran would be proud.
This town is a ski season in winter and someone told me they ski'd here at the weekend!!!! I get very excited about this then find out it shut TWO days ago. Agghh Bummer! This is where that planning thing comes in handy.
So I go for a hike up to Cerro Campanario. I get a local bus there and see there is a cable car to get up. Obviously I'm having none of this, I think I'm Lara Croft by now. So I bound up it, it's pretty steep and I see some tourists stopping for a rest. Amateurs. I carry on realising my extensive layers including leggings under my jeans was a tad overzealous as I'm sweating like a fat kid in Maccy D's. Right at the end I clamber up steep sharp rocks and I feel like an absolute hero and wonder how others can do that. Then I realise at the top I went the wrong way and there was a much safer and easier path and now I feel like a absolute idiot. At the top it's incredibly windy and freezing and I throw all my layers back on. The view is stunning you can see for miles the islands and snow topped mountains. My photos don't do it justice. Trying to get a photo of myself was a mish as my now afro hair is in my face with the wind.
Back at the hostel I hate it. It's so big and it's overran with a huge group of cliche American students that are really cliquey and come out with things like " Yo, Brad! Duuuude!" God help me. I eat my tea alone and feel like I'm in one of those American films in the geek crowd except no fellow geeks join me and nooone dances and sings on tables like in the films. High school musical and Glee has a lot to answer for.
Day 13- Miércoles
I was supposed to be going kayaking today and some of the American students are booked on too so I figure might give me some excellent blog material. But it's cancelled as the wind is so bad. It's midday so missed a few things so I get a local bus to the harbour and go on a boat ride.
Now I was imagining a serene peaceful boat ride taking in the picturesque setting. I was not imagining hoards of Argentineans, the majority of which are old age pensioners and lots of couples with screaming children. Its utter carnage. The last thing I remember as unexpectedly painful as this was when I had a bikini wax in Vietnam. Luckily the scenery makes up for it. Everyone is pointing at the sky and has their cameras out and I go and have a nosy. I wonder if it's an condor which is this huge bird found in western south America that has a 3m wingspan. I was lucky and saw some on my hike in Cordoba. But no! It's.... Wait for it... seagulls. That's right your average seagulls. They're going absolutely mad for them and feed them crackers?!?! Anyone knows seagulls are greedy buggers and a whiff of a sarnie and they've whipped it out of your hand, I'm baffled. I go to the front of the boat where it is very windy but quiet hurrah! I hold myself back from doing the Titanic thing.
We stop at two islands with national parks on and I ask a tour guide, Sebastian, if he speaks English and would mind explaining a bit about the trees (the geographer geek comes out now and then) and he is happy to show me and an Aussie retired couple round. I won't bore you with the deets but to sum up they planted Californian pines a while back which have grown far quicker and faster than their native trees so essentially screwed up the ecosystem so they're chopping some down. Us pesky humans hey.
Minus the boat journey and the wind it's a beautiful day and the islands are interesting. He tells us noone inhabits them now except power rangers... As I'm about to launch into Tyrannosaurus! Pterodactyl! Sabre toothed tiger! etc I realise in his accent he said park rangers. Ah ok, far less interesting.
Back on the boat Sebastian comes and sits next to me and get this- asks me out for dinner?!? I'm not interested but he seems like a nice guy and I'm flattered, still got it looking like a marshmallow!! I have plans (check me) to meet Rob and Helena (couple I met last week) so I don't have to make something up thank god.
Later I go out for tea with Rob and Helena, we go at 8pm which is when it opened and soon got busy with old bids for the early bird special as they eat late here. We have a great night and I eat wayyy too much. I get steak but annoyingly it's not that nice as its too well done not medium rare, lost in translation. Along with other stuff I eat it all even though it's the size of my head.
Day 14 - Jueves
I woke up last night convinced there was rats crawling around. Then I realised I wasn't in London and on the 4th floor and the roof was getting battered with the wind. There was a thunderstorm not too long after. To say the weather today is hideous is an understatement, I'm really gutted as it means I can't go kayaking and I leave at 6pm and I spend the day dossing about town and the hostel. Bariloche is beautiful but I am off on yet another bus journey, 13 hours, to Puerto Madryn on the east coast. I'm pretty sure the bus company can pimp out their busses to have sub woofers, chrome rims and spray paint them all gold with the amount I've put into buying bus tickets.
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