From El Chalten to Andacollo, Argentina (March 25 to April 2, 2011

We left El Chalten to arrive in the city of Perito Moreno, almost 600 kms later, 400 kms of which where driven on gravel roads, or was it a stone road ? We have decided to drive up the mythical Ruta Patagonia 40 described by many guides as the adventurous road. Indeed, we are becoming nervous, not knowing every time we cross or are passed by a car whether our windshield is going to be smashed by a stone... and in addition, there is this new Ruta 40, which is nagging us, paved on many stretches but not opened yet to the traffic. It's really annoying, but in many cases, we discover that the small bridges have not been built yet. The highlight of this day, was when we had to race with Nandus on the road at 50 kilometers an hour. It was really funny, but did not have time to grab our camera... too bad !

Another 735 kms the following day, but only gravel (ripio) for 120 kms and that's quite enough. Arriving in El Bolson reminds us of Austria, you see high mountains, it's green and the summits are snowy. It's gorgeous ! Here, it's peace and love again with many hippies. The city is full of tourists and in the end, we find a ''cabana'' with all the comfort. 300 pesos for 2 nights, and then $ 100 pesos per additional night. We will end up staying 4 nights. We have decided to relax in El Bolson. As amazing as it may seem, we are tired and we  need to put down our luggage ! It's Parilla, hot chocolate and cake times. By the way, another myth is gone about the parillas. We have been in a couple of restaurants and bought our own meat to try the famous Argentinian meat... If you like your meat rare (like we do), then Argentina is the wrong country for you. Here, you need to have your meat well done, chew quite a bit, but in the end, it is tasty anyway...

After El Bolson, we were expecting quite a bit from Bariloche. Just the time to drive through the city and trying to figure out why it is so popular, and we leave in a hurry. Probably not fair for Bariloche ! We arrive later on in San Martin de Los Andes and even if we drove another 400 kms, this time, it was worth it. San Martin is located on the banks of a lake and is surrounded by mountains, like a postcard scenery. The city is full of charm even if you feel that money is welcome. You have chocolate shops, craftshops, sportsshop and restaurants, but it is pleasant, clean and at this time of the year not overcrowded. We will drive along the 7 lakes road which is breathtaking. The wind is very high one more time and we feel again like in Austria or in certain parts of Canada : in short, it is splendid! And it's time again for a hot chocolate...

We also try the local delicatessen with a good glass of wine, of course ! Concerning the wine, dear Canadian Friends, we think a lot about you : the cheapest bottle we found on sale was 5.89 pesos (about $1.30 the bottle) and not bad, and the most expensive we paid so far was 17.80 pesos, on sale again, (about 4.25$ a bottle) and really, really, really good... We can't wait to buy a 40 pesos ($10 bottle)... we will keep you posted!

April 1, 2011 : it's Alain's sister birthday. Happy Birthday, Genevieve ! ... and we arrive in Chos Malal. People are very welcoming here, from the police to the tourist office. They sell their stuff really well as it looks like there are a ton of things to see and visit. After 15 minutes in the village, we are done! Anyway, they have convinced us that we should go visit Andacollo (to pronounce Andacocho). The road is picturesque, we are climbing the Andes and it's also the beginning of the transhumance (April to May) and the other way round is in November and December. Our friends, the gauchos, require about 20 days to lead their herds down the mountains.

Andacollo is splendid, small, and people really nice ! In Andacollo, there are no paved routes, but they are building an enormous statue to commemorate the 100 anniversary of Andacollo. Blue sky, in addition and warm temperature, the perfect day to enjoy a nap !

By the way, April 2, 2011, we have a special thought for our second son, Julien, who stayed beyond in Montreal and who is taking care of our house. ... or is he ?

Tomorrow we are On the Road Again.... this is how far we are now in Argentina today.