Warning: Do Not Travel Alone

Last week marked three months in Chile.  As such, I was required to leave Chile in order to renew my visa.  So, I hopped over the border and took a brief trip to Bariloche, Argentina.  Here are my thoughts:

1.  The Andes Mountains are gorgeous.  I used to think that a mountain range was a mountain range.  That´s a bit like saying an Iowan is an Iowan.  The Andes range had a character of its own like none I had ever seen before.  The foliage was distinct, the rock formations, the water of the mountain streams, and the animals I saw were all different from anything I had experienced before.  Cool.

2.  Bariloche is a small ski center.  Parts of the town reminded me very much of a Breckinridge in the States, but there were more people that were just normal habitants of the town.  Less pretense.

3.  I was surprised by the Italian influence in Argentina.  I often hear the people speaking in Spanish and I mistook the accent for Italian.  I decided I don´t like the accent of Argentina.  Rather, I prefer the Peruvian and Venezuelan forms of Spanish.

4.  Traveling alone is not as fun as with a friend.  Dinner was the hardest.  Bus time was excellent and quite rich.  Memories are always more fun when they´re shared with someone else.  Memories are most enjoyed when they are remembered with other people, and when traveling alone, there is no one with whom to share the experience.

5.  Below are some photos.  Beautiful stuff.

This picture was taken from my illegal campsite.  Not a bad view, huh?

 City Planner´s/Architect´s Dream:  a town square that is actually used by the local people.  This was full all afternoon with people of all ages, many of whom were residents of Bariloche.  And it´s nice to look at.