Bariloche, San Martin de los Andes, and Neuquen

We arrived to Bariloche on a cold, rainy afternoon. There is currently a very large protest going on here in Argentina over a teacher that was shot by police while protesting wages. So upon entering into Bariloche, we were not able to enter the city directly due to the face covered men with burning tires barricading the streets. The police stood by to just make sure no one got hurt, and to redirect traffic. We finally got to the bus terminal only to find that the tourism office was closed. Our MO is to typically arrive in a city, go to the tourism office, find the cheapest place to stay, and plan our trip in that city. Well, considering it was raining and the office was closed, we set off on our own to find a hostel. The three hosteles we went to told us they didn't take families, which is understandable; I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable about partying on their vacation because of my kids. So we checked into a hotel. Our first one of the trip. It was basic, very basic, but it was luxurious to us. Having a shower that is in a room that is heated is like gold! There was even great water pressure, and the hot water didn't run out! We had two connecting rooms, and a tv in our room! The kids even opted for $2 pesos each to sleep in their own bed with no tv! I don't know who really won out on that deal! We then set out to get to know Bariloche. It was beautiful, and clean, and reminiscent of Georgetown in the incredibly expensive, brand name stores all along the avenue. It was expensive though.

We had a quick pizza, and went to bed!
The next day, we set out to really see the city, and to try to get Harrison's stitches out. Well, on the way to the hospital, we ran into the couple that we had met at our first stop. We knew they were going to be in Bariloche, but we had figured we had missed them. Well, the protests helped us out in this way, because they had to leave a day later because of all the chaos, and they were catching the bus to the terminal when we ran into them. The conversation was really neat because we could talk about some of the same cities, our impressions, and things that we saw that were different in the same time period.

We then headed to the hospital to see about Harrison's stitches. Well... they don't take stitches out on Tuesdays! So we basically ran around the hospital trying to get someone to take them out, until we ended up in the directors office. A doctor came in and said, don't worry, until his scab comes off, he can't get them off anyhow.

We went to one of the famous Bariloche chocolate shops to duck in out of the rain, and we had some wonderful cakes and ice cream. On our way out the door, we ran into the English couple from the last city. We talked with them for a little while, and then decided to meet up for dinner. We at this point are feeling very popular in the town of Bariloche!

Dinner was good, and not too pricey for Bariloche standards, and there was live music.

The next morning we caught a bus out to San Martin de los Andes. We went there only because that bus passes the Seven Lakes. But... it was raining, and the windows were foggy, so we didn't see too much of them, and at this point, we have seen lots of lakes and mountains, and as beautiful as they are, they can't change that drastically within the same region!

We spent the day around in SM de los Andes, and it too was beautiful. A lot smaller than Bariloche, and much of the same wood decorated, mountain home design. We wanted to get north though. The weather keeps getting worse. Time for some more hot days!

We took a bus that night from SM to Neuquen. It was a 5 hour trip, and we are now in Neuquen, with little spirit to do much of anything, and a lot of heavy eyelids. Today we have kept busy with parks, bowling, and an arcade. The kids need it because tonight brings our first cama coche trip (like business class seats of a plane, only on a bus!) of 10 or so hours to Mendoza, where we will have a half hour until we get on the next bus to La Rioja. So we leave tonight at 9PM, and get there on Friday at 4:30PM. Fun stuff! The kids need the arcade, and I need a few drinks!

Well, La Rioja should be a break. Not only is it cheaper, we will be staying with Facundo's family. Evidently there is a large family from his great uncle that all live there, and are very hospitable! After that we are debating what to do. We are tired, and it is hard to keep splitting with our money, but everyone says the north is something we can't miss... so we'll see! If we do all as planned, we should be back in the states sometime around the 18th of May!

Okay, that's about it for now.. I have to get back to the family foosball match showdown!