Chocolate Binging in Bariloche

Hello everyone!

    It´s been a few days since I posted, but only because I´ve been doing SO MUCH (and have had very little internet access).

 

     So last I left off I was lazing around Bahia Blanca. This was by far the most boring part of the trip. We literally wandered around the 16 blocks of the town trying to find different places to sit or do anything that wouldn´t cost money. We had gotten in at 9am and our bus to Bariloche wasn´t until 10 at night. We started off lazing around in the main plaza (Bahia blanca isa upper-middle class city, a little reminscent of Bethesda) and waited for the time to go by. We noticed dozens of dogs wandering around the park, all of which seemed to be feral. A few came up to us, begging for food, wanting to play, or just laze around with us (We found out later that Argentinians don´t put their dogs down when they can´t afford them anymore, they just let them loose onto the streets and the whole community tries to take care of them) overall they were very well fed and extremely friendly.

 

      We decided afterwards to hit up a local artists museums (mainly because it was free). There we met an extremely enthusiastic man who, as soon as told him I was a scientist, went into an hour-long rant about Tesla and how we connects to international capitalist-based conspirancies. He only spoke in spanish and the more excited he got, the faster he spoke. Carlton was the only one who managed to keep up the conversation and Niki was completely lost. It was a pretty insane but amusing way to pas the time. Afterwards we gave up all hope of findimg something to do and decided to drink and eat at the hostel where our bags were stowed...

 

    ...Of course this meant we ate and drank way too long, and had to run 15 blocks to make it to the bus station in time for our trip to Bariloche. I actually had a better time sleeping on this 12-hour trip than the train (although I don´t think Carlton and Niki would agree with me) and before I knew it we were in the Patagonian region. The weather had gotten noticeably colder (before it was always pleasantly warm or a little too hot) and my dread of a second winter started to seep back in. However, our pit stop had a much colder weather than Bariloche and so far the weather has been more or less bearable. Our bus got stopped at the border to Parque Nacional Nahuel Haupi when the cop dog found something in somebody´s bags. It wasn´t ours, but the cops were suspicious of us for awhile because we had misplaced our tickets. Eventually we got through an arrived in this strange and beautfiul town, a mix of Latin America, British Columbia, and Swiss-Germany all rolled into one. The town was beside a huge glacial lake (all the water in this area is completely potable) where you can walk past a mountain gear shops, a parrillas, and  a chocolate shops all in the same block.

 

    I have been completely spoiled by this place and will never think of chocolate the same way again. From my first sip of hot chocolate my first night here, I knew I would never have a better one anywhere else. Seeing as the cacao plant comes from the continent anyway, it should make sense that the chocolate experts in Bariloche know how to make a damn good dessert. I have been enjoying pastries, chocolate bars and some amazing ice cream since I arrived, and will be sad to see it go. I don´t feel like I´m overdoing it though as I´ve been exercising twice as much as I´ve been eating and still find mysefl constantly hungry (more on that in a little though).

 

    Our Hostel in Bariloche is simply awesome. The people have been nice enough and there´s not enough reading light at night, but the place is right on the lake! Seeing the sun rise over the Andes and reflect on the lake every morning has been a sight I will not soon forget. It´s a great place to relax and get an amazing view. Even better the hostel has a Bar below it with its own microbrews and is a local hotspot. When we first got in on Saturday night the place was full and live bands were playing surfer rock (it was as incredible as it sounds) I finally had a chance to celebrate getting into Johns Hopkins was up drinking and dancing till 4am.

 

    The next day I felt like being a little more lazy and getting over my debauchery, but Niki managed to rouse me and Carl from bed so that the three of us could do a bike ride in one of the most beautiful parts of Bariloche. The route was called Circuito Chico and from it you could see crystal clear blue-green lakes, rolling green hills and Islands and some very epic mountains. We had a wonderful time on our very nice bikes and went zipping down hills and trudging up other ones. The views were incredible and I finally understod why everyone gets excited about the lake district (I will hopefully be able to post pictures soon, still need to work things out with my camera). By the end I was thoroughly exhausted, especialy since I was tired before we began, and was asleep not long after dinner.

 

    Which was a good thing to as I needed all the energy I could get before our trip into the Park..... TBC