”Artsy and hippie-ish El Bolson”, says Lonely Planet, “is about as close to Berkeley, California as you can get in Argentina”. There is indeed an unmistakably organic or “granola” vibe to the place and it attracts alternate life-stylers not just from Argentina but from around the world. You get the feeling that if ever there was a South American “Woodstock” this would be the venue. We didn’t stay long enough to do a deep dive into the place but did enjoy its local artists markets and laid back feel in the few days we spent there.
We’d also been looking forward to a pit stop just north of El Bolson at the home of an expat German couple who have a long history of overlanding themselves and now provide an invaluable service arranging South American vehicle insurance for people like ourselves with foreign vehicles. We had some documents to collect, wanted to meet them in person, and were glad to be able to spend a night chatting and camping on their farm. They live by a river in a beautiful secluded valley – first time we can recall in South American not being woken by barking dogs and roosters crowing that seems to be the norm around most South American campsites.
Just two hours north of El Bolson lies San Carlos de Bariloche ( “Bariloche” as it’s more widely known ) – despite the proximity the two cities share almost nothing else in common ( well, they do both have ski hills nearby ). Bariloche is an upscale, architecturally heavily German/Swiss influenced resort city that draws wealthy Argentines ( and others ) to its picturesque setting on Lake Nahuel Huapi. Summer and winter the place is packed, the day we arrived being no exception. Very lucky to get a spot in one of the few campgrounds with space available and never have we seen so many people, cars, bikes, motorbikes and camping vehicles compressed into such a small space. May have to start making reservations ( ughh ! ).
Had a few administrative and routine vehicle things to attend to while there but after dealing with that it was nice to simply enjoy wandering the city and exploring the surrounding lakes. The views were beautiful no matter where you looked.
Given the history of German immigration to the area it’s probably no surprise that at least one ( and likely more ) famous Nazi fugitive settled here after the war. Especially well known in Bariloche is the story of Erich Priebke, an SS officer, who lived freely in the city for almost 50 years until his identity and whereabouts were uncovered by an American ABC journalist in the 90’s. He went on to live to 100, dying only in 2013. The first impromptu interaction between the journalist, Sam Donaldson, and Priebke was recorded and makes for astonishing viewing. It’s short, but powerful- check it out here.
While Bariloche is the southern end of the 7 Lakes circuit, the lakes extend all the way up to San Martin de Los Andes further north on Route 40. On the way is beautiful Villa La Angostura where we stopped for a couple of nights. Much smaller and thus more walkable than Bariloche it is no less popular and the streets there were also filled with holidaying Argentines. This area must surely be one of the most popular destinations in the country. While camping there we met a couple of Brazilian families ( seems to be a lot of them in Argentina ) and had a great chance to chat with two young ( 18 year old ) Argentine lads who jumped at the chance to practice their ( already excellent ) English – they gave us an interesting perspective on the country, it’s opportunities, it’s struggles and it’s political and economic challenges. These were two very worldly and well educated young guys and it was educational for us just to make their acquaintance.
Sometimes travel is about the places you go and sometimes it’s the interesting folks you meet. This past week we were fortunate to have a generous amount of both !
Brilliant Jeff as usual buddy
Thanks Spencer !
Beautiful pictures. If you come to Montevideo Uruguay message us we would love to meet for coffee !
Hi Anita,
Yes, we are planning on a visit to Montevideo before we head home, possibly around March ? Will you still be there ? Love to connect…😊
Good morning! What an amazing pictures every story!!! Thank you so much for sharing your stories they are so interesting to read. It’s great to see you two enjoying life to the max. I’m looking forward to your next story 😁
Hi Petra,
Thanks for following along! Hope your van is still on schedule – or do you have it now ?
Say hi to Spencer for us 😔
Magical landscape – love the camp by the pristine lake. Yes, barking dogs & roosters – nothing worse. Think that’s why we love the bush too….
Too funny you should mention that- we are ‘wild’ camping tonight ( of sorts anyway ) near what is like an Aussie ‘roadhouse’. But it’s close to the town ( campground closed for renovation ) and suddenly has filled with other campers – and some young locals playing loud music lol! Sometimes you just can’t win !
Hi Jeff and Lous,
Thank you for sharing the diversity and beauty of your travels. I really enjoy your encounters with other travellers and the photos are stunning.
Keep enjoying your wandering.
Hi Sue !
Yes, it’s the folks you meet that often makes the travel experience more enlightening. Stay safe and Happy New Year !
Great to FaceTime with you this morning Jeff & Lo. We love reading about your adventures & seeing the wonderful photos. You really are ‘living the dream’.
Amazing! Just read your storey in the WFP .I admire your adventurous spirit(especially with world pandemic)The photos are beautiful and your experience engaging. Thank you for sharing, Shelley
Hi Shelley,
Glad you enjoyed the story. As you can imagine it all started well before the pandemic and we were lucky to sneak back down here to complete it before the world heard about Omicron. We do take lots of precautions of course !
Cheers,
Jeff/Lois
Have really enjoyed your last few weekly posts guys. The pictures have been fantastic. I feel a bit warmer just looking at them!
Maybe we can face time with you guys in the next week or so? Were hoping to get final inspection within a week. Exciting news for us but does not compare to your weekly headlines!
Vaya Con Dios kids !
Hola Andy !
Oh. I don’t know – after 1 year on the project I am sure that permit will be something to celebrate !!! Hope it all comes together as expected.
FaceTime yes, later this week should work or is Saturday best for you guys ?
And did you “fill your boots” with chocolate?
Ashley ! You know me too well !!!! ( I always fill my boots with chocolate lol !!!! )
G’day Jeff & Lo,
Sounds like you are having a great time.
The photography is excellent and you have a talent for descriptive writing.
Still raining here at home but the harvest for Craig and El was quite good despite the adverse weather.
Two good seasons in a row doesn’t happen very often!
I look forward to more updates.
Thanks Ian, glad you are still enjoying them 😊. Just pulled into Mendoza and will be here for a while. Much to see and Lois wants to hit some wineries as well.
Glad to hear the kids pulled off two good seasons- you are right, I can’t recall that EVER happening ! All the best to everyone at home…!
Hey Jeff, I was wondering if El Bolson is the Argentine equivalent of Nimbin in Oz 😂.
Reading this and looking at the photos makes me think about the conversations we had a couple of years ago about us joining you in Argentina. It’s too bad we couldn’t make it happen. Another casualty of the pandemic I’m aftaid 😢. It looks very beautiful (in spite of the crowds).
The ibis reminds me of the Ibis’s that used to fly over us every night in rural Cape Town. They are named after their loud sound. In SA, they are called the Hadeda Ibis. I kid you not 😄.
Great Selfie!
A lot has happened here. Penny was diagnosed with covid with a PCR test about a week ago. She is doing quite well except for a couple setbacks. I had a negative Rapid Antigen Test. Other than a slight cold, I don’t have any symptoms. I’ve been up skiing at Big White for a few days. I am going to pick Penny up tomorrow. The weather has gone from extreme cold to relatively mild and much of the snow is gone in the valley. We are still hoping to get to Costa Rica in mid-February.
Keep on Truckin’
Hi Charlie,
Yes, I think it shares some alternative lifestyle themes with Nimbin…kind of that vibe, anyway !
So sorry to hear about Penny getting Covid – I know you guys were being extra careful to avoid it. Glad she is doing better now. I think that sooner or later most of us will get Omicron, hopefully when/if we do it’s the mild version they all talk about.
It would have been fantastic to have you guys come down here and join us and yes, I remember the conversations – I know you were serious too ! We feel fortunate to have snuck out when the doors started opening down here and BEFORE Omicron hit the scene. We try to lay low, avoid crowds ( big advantage to having our own wheels ) sanitize lots and be vigilant about social distancing and mask up when appropriate. The Argentines of late seem to getting MUCH more serious about masking – a good thing.
Say hi to Penny, wish her well, and meantime enjoy the slopes at Big White !
I meant too say in the comment about Nimbin that it is especially like Nimbin with the didgeridoo dude 😄.
Yes, could not believe my ears when I heard the unmistakable sound of it…!