Bariloche--Day One

Okay okay, I know I've been a bit negligent with the posts lately, but in my defense I was actually gone for 4 days and could not reach a computer. On Tuesday morning my grandma and I left for Bariloche, a city in the south of the country, in the Patagonia region. To make a very crude comparison, in some instances it reminds me a bit of Lake Tahoe or Lake Arrowhead. Although I think this is far more majestic. Lake Tahoe ain't got the Andes behind it.

We got there around midday, and by the time we got off the plane, to the airport, checked in and somewhat situated a few hours had already passed. We left our hotel the Dazzler (flashy ain't it?) just in time to realize that the weather had gotten pretty bad. It's summer in Argentina, so we had erroneously thought that the weather would be just as hot in Bariloche as it is here in Buenos Aires. Not so much it turns out. It was freezing and raining quite heavily, and the warmest article of clothing I had taken was my jean jacket. Not exactly water proof. Now I could complain here, or I could take the glass is half full option and tell you all that I now have a lovely wool scarf handmade in the Argentine Patagonia. I choose that one. So scarf and umbrella purchases later we were on our way out. It was already pretty late in the day, so we didn't have time to take any tours. We opted instead to visit the famously glamourous Llao Llao hotel, where all the world's rich and famous go when they're in Bariloche. It's atop one of the peaks, and has a panoramic view that's priceless. So we took a bus upthe windy mountain, and got a chance to live like the other half does. At least for 20 minutes. Then we had to take the bus ride back down the mountain, praying silently that the driver would put down his cell phone and pay attention to the slippery roads. Dinner that night was at a Spanish restaurant down the street from the hotel. We had a late dinner, and then went inside the hotel and appreciated the strong heating system they had. I slept good that night.

Picture of the Llao Llao: http://www.jlaselect.com/llaollao/images/intro.jpg