I sit here in this cozy apartment in Bariloche, with a view of the Lago Nahuel Huapi, and the shouts of my neighbors screaming at their televisions for Messi to score a goal. Today Argentina plays Poland in the World Cup. Today is my last day in Bariloche. The last day of November. My last full month in Argentina.
Tomorrow I fly back to Buenos Aires.
I left Buenos Aires on the first day of November with no plan other than catchinga. flight to Mendoza. I left the city with my head in the clouds. My brain in the fog. My mind stuck in a downward spiral: Now that we’ve broken up, do I stay in Buenos Aires? And if I don’t stay in BA, do I stay in Argentina? And if I don’t stay in Argentina, where do I go? What do I do? Where do I belong?
While I still haven’t figured out the answers to all of those questions, I did make a few decisions. I needed to see the south, and I needed to go home. Whatever that means.
I spent two weeks in Mendoza doing a wine tour, visiting a thermal bath in the mountains, hiking, walking around, and trying various cocktails with vermouth- something new for me. Check out the video above if you’re thinking of heading to Mendoza, a beautiful, clean, and calm Argentine city.
[The screams just intensified; it would appear Argentina just made a goal. Cars outside are honking.]
After two weeks in Mendoza, I flew to Bariloche, in the Argentinian Patagonia. This is now my second time in Patagonia, my first time being to Puerto Madryn in October. Bariloche is in the heart of the lake district of Patagonia. It sits right on the edge of the Lago Nahuel Huapi. Bariloche is bigger than I imagined, and less magical than I had hoped, but beautiful nonetheless. It feels very much like a bigger Breckenridge (Colorado), or any other ski resort town, but with Swiss architecture. In the summer. There are hotels, guesthouses, and hostels covering every inch of the town center.
While the actual town of Bariloche feels a bit like a tourist trap, the outskirts are where things get good. There are endless hiking trails, lake cruises, and nature to be had. My time in Bariloche was broken into two: The beginning and the end. The middle was comprised of a small hippie town called El Bolson, and a cuter mountain town up north called San Martin de los Andes.
I had three days during part 1 of Bariloche. On one of those days, I hiked up to the Refugio Frey. I had planned on going solo, as I usually do, but as I waited for bus #55 that never came, I made a few friends: a Dutch couple and a young Argentinian kid on his first trip alone. After waiting for an hour, we decided to split a cab to the base of the hike, at Villa Catedral. The hike up took nearly 3 hours and the landscape changed drastically- from lake views, to thick tree cover, to large boulders, and ultimately reaching the refuge up top while walking across blindingly white snowy ground.
Once we reached the top, a light rain started coming down, and everyone rushed inside the refugio. Eight people from seven countries joined together and shared stories with overpriced beer. I wanted to freeze that moment in time. It reminded me of the traveling I had done when I was younger- when it was easier to meet people and make connections. I stayed in hostels and hung out in common areas. Now I rent private rooms, and don’t go out much, which means less of these types of occurrences.
It was there at the Refugio Frey, that I met Naomi (French) and Kostas (Greece), who became my travel buddies the next day.
Kostas had rented a car, and invited us to join him along the Circuito Chico, a 27km loop just northwest of Bariloche, the next day. In the end, we were 5- Kostas, me, the Argentinian kid, Naomi, and her ultra marathon runner boyfriend who we didn’t meet the day before because he was off running 42km on snowy trails.
[More screams. Another goal? yes!]
Along the Circuito Chico, we hiked to the top of Cerro Campanario for the views. We hiked the Sendero de los Arrayanes and up to Cerro Llao Llao for even more spectacular views. We finished off the day at the famous-in-Argentina Cerveceria Patagonia 24.7. This brewery has the nicest views you’ll ever see at a brewery in your entire life. I’m betting 1000 pesos on it.
The next day, Kostas decided to check out El Bolson as well, so we drove down together, chatting about life, travel, vipassana, and everything in between. He stayed for just two nights. I stayed for three, at an eco hostel with a massive garden and 1500 pesos vegan community dinners every night. It should not come as any surprise when I say there was no internet because the hippies forgot to pay the bill.
Bolson is a cute little town, with a lake in the center, where you can find a market 4 times a week, though Sunday is the best day. Tents, food trucks, and live music.
At the hippie eco-hostel, I met a German woman named Anastasia. It was there we decided to join forces and go to San Martin de los Andes together. We went back to Bariloche for one night, ran into each other coincidentally at a bar, where she was having drinks with an American she had met a few weeks earlier in El Chalten. So we invited him to come along. The next day, I picked up the rental car, and my two new traveling companions and we set off.
Ruta 40 is the longest route in all of Argentina, stretching its entire length. The section between Villa La Angostura (an hour north of Bariloche) and San Martin de los Andes, is called Ruta de los 7 Lagos. Route of the Seven Lakes. We made stops at about 3 lakes on the way up before deciding to head straight there before it got too dark. We all checked in to our respective guest houses, and then met up for an Argentinian style dinner- late.
We had one full day around San Martin de los Andes, which we used to do more hiking- this time to a place called Cerro Colorado. Full circle. A Coloradan girl climbing to Colorado Peak. After the hike, we went a few more km down the road to a section of beaches called Playa Yuco. By the time we got there it was nearly 6pm and no longer hot enough to push me into the idea of swimming in my undies.
On our way back to Bariloche the next morning, we stopped at all the lakes we had missed on the first day. Patagonia is so full of beauty. Every stop. Every lake. Every view. Every time you open your eyes. You see something that takes your breath away.
We arrived back in Bariloche just in time for the World Cup game against Mexico, which we, along with the entire city, watched in the main square on a tiny screen. Argentina won, 2-0, and a parade began for the next several hours through the town. You can’t say Argentinians don’t have passion.
My part two of Bariloche consisted mainly of hiking, video editing, more hiking, and writing.
Oh, and I almost forgot to say- my second decision that was made during my time away from Buenos Aires. I’m going back to the United States. Not forever, just for now. I have spent the last year in Argentina almost entirely alone. Whether physically or mentally/emotionally. The last several months have been hard. I need my people. A theft, a breakup, a break down. I need to be around the people who know me, and love me. Breathing in fresh air in Patagonia was a good start.
I have 9 days left in South America- 2 in Uruguay, and 7 in Argentina. It doesn’t feel totally real yet. I’m sad to be leaving Argentina for now. I thought it might be my forever home. Maybe it still will be, just not right now.
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If you’re coming to Buenos Aires, no need to do any research. I’ve got you covered. I created a 10-day super detailed itinerary guide on Thatch for this amazing city. I’ve got it all planned out for you, so you can spend your time enjoying the city, rather than trying to figure out how it all works.
If you’d rather not travel, but you still want a piece of Argentina close to your heart, I’ve illustrated this Buenos Aires T-shirt design (You can also get mugs or hoodies or stickers or…)