barriloche Continued

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Hey Sorry It has been a filled week and not much time for the computer but that is what a vacation is about. Right!!! But I do want to have a record of it all. At any rate, from the last one, We picked up our laundry and Hiked back up to the hostel on the hill, ok it is a mountain. It was difficult with full bags. Several nights before, two american guys joined the hostel group. They were really interesting because of the way they behaved around each other. You would think that they were long time friends and traveling together, however they had just met there on the truck going up the mountain. One was from California and the other one eventhought he said he was from Colorado he was really a New Yorker. These two were very intersting. The New Yorker tended to organize things. He organized a BBQ for this evening. The follow thought was another story. But It did even happen. thanks to an english couple ended up buying the all of the stuff and a couple from from Canada who helped to off-load the food from the four wheel drive. Dave, the New Yorker however did front the money and did cook the food. Everyone pitched in and The dinner was totally great. Lots of wonderful food. we played some games that night and Really enjoyed talking to people. It was a really festive evening.

The following morning we got up a bit late, and I made arrangements to have the cab driver meet us down the hill. I got his card two day before. Sharon wanted to do some thing and we decided we would go to El bolson. The weather was not looking so good for much of anything else. It looked like it wanted to rain. The driver told me that the orginal price would be in the nieghborhood of 260 pesos ,but I talked him down by 100.00 pesos. It was a two hours and a half hours drive each way.

We had to go fill the car with gas, which actaully turned out to be a strange experience. We had to get out of the car, turns out the car ran on natural Gas. He also had to fill the reserrve tank with gasoline. So we were off. The drive was actually beautiful we seemed to be racing against the bad weather. It was like drive through a national park. There were many rock mountians with all sorts of different colors of soil. There were numberous lakes and waterfalls on the drive as well. Most of the other surounding were green fields and lots of pine trees. It sort looked like parts of southern oregon. We also spend a bit of time talking to the cab driver in spanish. He was a very nice person who was all of 30 and said he spent most of his time working. He said he worked about 14 hours per day.

By the time we reached the limit of El balson the storm had reached us It was dumping down rain and there was a chill to the air. We walked around the market. Most of the people had decided that the weather was not worth the bussiness. The town of El balson was no great shakes either but had a reputation for brewing beer. So we opted to do that instead and had lunch and a beer. But in truth it is hard to beat what we have in Oregon. This town was a bit like sisters, Oregon. After a long lunch I headed off to find a phone and called the hostel they said that it was raining a lot there and that the four drive had left and at 5:00. We brought lights if we needed them They also told us the way to get the cab some what close to the place so we would not have to hike the whole trail up.

We arrived back to the cab and as we were going through town Cludio, the driver was trying to explain that there was a problem with the car. We basically determined this by me stating" El Caro enfermos" that the car was sick and sick it was. We got about about 20 kms out side of town and it died. So did the cell phones. But the Cludio did tell me that he knew there was a problem and had called a friend to come pick us up. This person was coming from Bar. Almost three hours away. So we practiced spanish in the pouring rain, and again tryed to figure out things. Turns out the car did not like the liguid gas, and because I know from driving state cars, natural gas only has a range of 200 miles. We were not going anywhere. About an hour later his friend arrived. He took us but Cludio wanted to stay with his car and said another friend was coming to tow him. We felt badly but I guess these things happen.

In general my experiences with cab drivers have not been good. But they are something you deal with as part of traveling. But he was truly a very nice person and made sure everything work out ok for us. We were told to pay the other driver the cost we originally stated with him. Sort of sad for a raining afternoon at a crafts festival that did not happen. But we both had a good time anyway and I think even Cludio had a good time too eventhought his car broke down. On the ride back the sceenery was totally different, the mountians that were bare when left were now covered in snow. It was really pretty.

We arrived up the mountian and ate leftovers from the BBQ because there was so much food. We found out that most of the guests made it a reading day, and did not go far from the hostel. That night we played some more games about guessing who some one is. It was fun. Beats watching TV that is for sure. There was a nice fire in the fireplace and in true argentine fashion plenty of wine.

The next morning was our last full day in barlouge, Sharon really wanted to hike and I was feeling lazy, so we decide it would be best to do our own thing and meet up in the evening. the weather was ok but a little cold, windy, and overcast. I did write a little on the computer, enjoyed a cup of coffee, ect. I was in fact lazy Sharon had headed down the mountian around 8;30. At about 12:30 I headed down and took decided to take the teleferio up to the top. It was an interesting ride. It was soooooo windy they had to put concrete blocks in the cars with you. I still was not wieghting it down enought so the car swayed back and forth. There was the sound of loud whisling outside. When I arrived at the top. It was really windy. it made me glad I brought a stupid looking but warm hat. Most of the people went up looked around in the building and called it a good trip.

The visability was good, So I went on my own adventure to hike the trails at the top. It to me was nicer because the trail themselves were nice, as well as the views. There were lots of woldflowers and large trees that were different then the trees on all of the other parts of the mountians. These trees eventhought it was wndy were large and covered with moss. I met people on the trail and talked abit. There were only a few people hiking, the weather scared most of them off. The wnd was cold and the stupid looking hat was not so stupid after all. At the end of the trail was a great view of the cateral mountian that we hiked a few days before. It was covered with snow now.

After about two hours there, I then headed back down via the teleforico the ride down was even more scary but still fun. Got some food to cook and then I waited for my ride up the hill. I got stuff to make chicken soup. I was dying for it and Sharon was getting a cold. So it was a perfect meal. As usual I made lots of it and shared it with others, Sharon got back late and said he did most of her hiking in the snow on another mountian. She had a good day too, and the soup was something good to come home too. The two amercian guys loved it. It was sort of funny to watch them so helplessly cooking in the kitchen. Dave said he took a cooking lession it looked like he got good at making hash browns but The rest of the stuff well....... Luck thing I made lots of soup and no one went hungry.

The next day we headed down the Mountian in the four wheel drive, all of us were leaving at the same time. The Californian was also going in our direction but the New Yorker was headed south the next day. We got chocolates, and headed for a really long bus ride out.

Sharon¨s cold had turned into a real cold, she felt bad and coughed a lot. I guess if you have to be on a bus anyway why not be sick. When we got out of bar. the place even looked more like Oregon. I took some pictures to see if people could tell the difference between this place and The Dalles. It was high desert with a river running through it. During the ride we were delayed a bit by protesters. there were two groups of them around the only ity of any size between Bar and mendenzo. It was a long night, and we were dead when we arrived. I did not get much sleep........One strange note is wonder why so many parts of Argentina remind me of home, I guess it means both places are pretty nice places to live. The cities however are very different. Thats all for now Rebecca

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