So a major volcano down here in Chile has been erupting since last June...it's been a huge deal because it's completely impacted the tourist industry in some of Argentina's most beautiful cities. Bariloche is one of those cities, in the Lake District of Argentina nestled among volcanoes and sweet lakes. The ash was rumored to be crazy and really unpleasant, but the city was supposed to be cool so we wanted to check it out.
We arrived at the bus terminal with our fingers crossed that the ash wouldn't be so bad. We saw sooo much ash on the way into town we just weren't sure what would be waiting for us. Fortunately we had only one ashy day. It was similar to a bad smog day in LA where the sky is gray and you can feel the effects in your eyes and throat.
Here are a few pictures from our journey over the mountains from Chile, into Bariloche, and along the "Seven Lakes" route to San Martin de Los Andes - it is so incredibly beautiful here!
Of course, when we first arrived at the bus terminal, we saw an amazing Argentinian sight.
You´ll never guess what this machine does...it dispenses hot water to drink mate tea. An obsession here!
There is SO much volcanic ash here, just check out the side of the road on the way to Bariloche
Ash...looks like fresh powder in the mountains, it´s crazy
More ash. You can see it across the lake in this picture.
It´s everywhere!
We were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the lake in Bariloche
Bariloche´s own Lombard Street. Notice tacky tourists are NOT lined up to drive down...
The main square of Bariloche. Awesome views when the ash cloud doesn´t roll into town!
Bariloche was a cool town, completely reminded us of Lake Tahoe. There is enough stuff there that you wouldn´t go crazy because it´s so small, but there´s enough wilderness around it that you can easily get out and do fun hikes, kayaking, etc. Plus, it has the absolute best steak we´ve eaten on this trip (see our other post!). We would recommend it, it´s just too bad that the ash is such a question mark...it can really ruin your day!
After Bariloche we took the scenic drive to San Martin de Los Andes, an Aspen-like town at the end of the Seven Lakes route. Of course, instead of staying at a fancy hotel we wanted to camp on the lake, which was really beautiful. Again, another lake that is really windy....but I don´t have my kitesurfing gear...
After checking out San Martin de Los Andes we headed out to Pucon, Chile. Pucon is supposed to be one of those adventure centers in the world...let´s see if it lives up to it´s hype!
This is a view of Parque National Lanin and the famous "Monkey Trees" on the way to Pucon. The trees are really unique and super cool.
Stay tuned for the next update. Take care!
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