PHOTO FRIDAY #8: View from Cerro Otto

There are few places on earth more majestic than the Patagonia region of South America. The northern limits of Patagonia (inside Argentina) begin with the picturesque  paradise of San Carlos de Bariloche. This aerial view was captured high above town, following a casual 7-minute chairlift ride to the top of Cerro Otto. The panoramic below reveals thick pine forests, 'alpine' architecture, and the turquoise hues of Nahuel Huapi Lake. This is the Switzerland of South America!

Park City + Lake Tahoe + Chocolate = Argentina's Lake District (Part 3)

DAY 4: Los Siete Lagos...and More
After an early morning alarm, and a light breakfast of fruits and medialunas, we are prepared to head north and discover the 7 Lakes shared between Río Negro and Neuquen. Our expert guide spends the next 12 hours leading us through diverse terrain overflowing with lakes, rivers, forests, and wildlife. Despite morning rain and cloudy skies, we still enjoy a serene drive...down dirt roads and gravel trails. This same region was the recent site of Discovery Channel's Eco Challenge.

The 7 Lakes in order of appearance: Espejo, Correntoso, Escondido, Villarino, Falkner, Machonico, and Lakar. Alternating shades of blue and green are visible through towering pine trees. Large lookout points accommodate international travelers and backpackers, all eager for the perfect picture. At Lake Falkner, we walk along the sandy shore, picking wild Calafate berries from the surrounding shrubs.

Such an excursion includes brief visits to the prestigious towns of Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes, both smaller replicas of Bariloche nestled in the southwest corner of Neuquen. These quaint destinations continue to welcome worldwide travelers...and international expats seeking permanent relocation.

Our drive continues, the lakes disappear in the distance, and the landscape gradually transforms into a picturesque steppe painted in hues of brown and green. Quiet sheep farms and moss-covered fences are now behind us. It's hard to believe we were just in Bariloche this morning. We keep our eyes peeled for wildlife...and we are not disappointed! We witness wild boars roaming through low scrub, elegant guanacos meandering across fields, and curious rheas peeking inbetween foxtail plants. As condors soar overhead, we are delighted to see pink flamingos bathing in the lagoon to our right.

Our journey concludes with peculiar stone formations in the mountains, resembling elephant seals and mountain lions. We return to our hotel. It is late...but not too late for a dozen warm beef empanadas.

Wooden street sign in Villa La Angostura

The turquoise waters of Lake Escondido

Just us doing our thing...in front of Lake Falkner

Modeling in front of Lake Espejo

The moss-covered fences of southern sheep farms

Central square of San Martin de los Andes

Colored kayaks along the coast of San Martin de los Andes

Rustic fences and tumbleweed...elements of a Patagonia farm

Argentina's steppe...no, this is not a painting

The great outdoors of northern Patagonia

Roaming guanacos in their natural habitat

DAY 5: Final Highlights
A pleasant sunrise greets us through the window. We take advantage of our final few hours to squeeze in some trademark highlights of Bariloche. A brief drive along Bustillo Avenue, past budget hostels and public schools, leads us to the vibrant red cable cars that ascend Cerro Otto (4600 feet above sea level). The view is unforgettable...a panoramic unparallel to anywhere else in the world.

Back in the civic center, we visit the fine chocolate shops one last time. We lie down on the grassy slope leading from the main plaza to the central pier...as multiple Saint Bernards look on inbetween photo sessions with cheerful kids. Our time is winding down...so we decide to get up and accomplish our final goal while here in northen Patagonia - eat grilled lamb at El Boliche de Alberto. To die for.

We grab our suitcase, head to the terminal, and take our favorite seats on board the Andesmar bus: upper level/ in front. We recline our seats, pull out the iPods, and prepare ourselves for the 17-hour return journey. The sun is shining through the side window, it's actually getting hot. No problem, we'll just adjust the....oh no, the air conditioning is broken. Not good.

An early sunrise as seen from our hotel window

Cable cars ascending Cerro Otto

Aerial view of South America's Switzerland

A barren and wind-tilted tree along Lake Nahuel Huapi

Traditional preserves and jams

Grilled lamb from Patagonia (and a restaurant tip from los Galaso)

Park City + Lake Tahoe + Chocolate = Argentina's Lake District (Part 2)

DAY 3: Lake Nahuel Huapi of Bariloche
We head towards Puerto Pañuelo, driving along the coastal avenue of Ezekiel Bustillo, past public beaches, rolling hills, and quaint homes built of wooden shingles now stained with years of humidity. We board a large catamaran and sail Lake Nahual Huapi, the surface of which is now rippling under the strong morning winds. The sun is now peeking through the clouds, revealing tints of blue and green in the water around us. Flocks of seagulls glide overhead, searching for those passengers willing to donate a cracker or two.

Our first stop is the Quetrihue Peninsula. Here, organized trails wrap through the enchanting Arrayanes Forest, overflowing with these slender cinnamon-colored trees. At the touch, these twisted limbers are quite cold due to a faint bark of just 1 mm that protects their exterior.

We embark once more aboard our catamaran, sailing past weathered piers, jagged mountains, and clusters of pine trees that line the passing shores. We arrive to Victoria Island, once named Nahuel Huapi ("Tiger Island") among indigenous tribes before the arrival of European settlers. A dense pine forest has overtaken the island. Most trees appear dead and dry with the exception of verdant needles that grace their towering tops as each one competes for sunlight. Strong sequioas also grow here, providing further shade for resident foxes and deer, including the rare pudú which first inspired Walt Disney to create "Bambi".

This evening, we explore a few high-end residential neighborhoods, all defined by stylish cabin-like homes characteristic of the region. Unlike larger cities of Argentina, like Mendoza and Buenos Aires, these homes do not use barb wire or razor sharp fences for protection. Instead, such homes offer small wooden gates and welcoming stone paths that lead to their front door.

The legendary Llao Llao Hotel, overlooking Lake Nahuel Huapi

A traditional phone booth blending in with the landscape

Departing from Puerto Pañuelo

Catamaran picking up passengers

Sailing the open blue waters

A ravishing young couple

Our feathered cruise companion overhead

Feeding one of several "gaviotas"

The shadows of towering Arrayanes trees

A twisted tree on Quetrihue Peninsula

A romantic gathering in the woods

An enchanting path inside Bosque Arrayanes

A dock along the beach of Victoria Island

Rays of light and smoke on Isla Victoria

Sapphire waters

The remnants of a weathered pier

A dock...temporarily out of service

Park City + Lake Tahoe + Chocolate = Argentina's Lake District (Part 1)

Panoramic view of Bariloche (click to enlarge)

Mendoza to Neuquen to Río Negro: Of the 970 photographs taken during our recent trip, we have included a few select images to depict our breathtaking journey inside Argentina's famed northern Patagonia. Our final destination was San Carlos de Bariloche and the remote outposts that surround this majestic village.

The hardest part of this trip was leaving Dallin in Mendoza with some dear friends. The easiest part of this trip? Being alone without Dallin...in a beautiful hotel with a lake view! As you might know, Tania is half-Mapuche (maiden name Nahuelcura), so it was wonderful to experience a little indigenous culture as Mapuche dialect accounts for 90% of the names for local lakes, forests, islands, etc.

DAY 1: From Mendoza to the South
Last night, we arrived to the local terminal and boarded our Andesmar bus, prepared to travel 17 hours south into the northern limits of Argentina's famed Patagonia. As we departed Mendoza, with iPods in hand, we reclined our favorite seats (upper level/ in front) and enjoyed the open landscape as seen through the massive windshield before us. As raindrops and splattered bugs slowly ruined our view, we turned our attention to the television screens overhead...only to be disappointed with the evening's film selections: Nights of Rodanthe and Madagascar 2. With lightning storms in the distance, and the peculiar smell of sweet grass in the air, we drifted off to sleep...until we were stopped at the Neuquen provincial border and searched by eager police officers and their German Shepherd sidekicks. With a bus free of drugs, we continued on our trip...

Passengers inside the bus terminal of Neuquen

DAY 2: Arrival to Río Negro
The sun is now shining through the windshield. We are waking up...yet a subtitled Kangaroo Jack on the television overhead is forcing us to close our eyes once again. The overnight trip has brought us a new climate much different from the boiling summer heat of Mendoza. The bus windows are now covered in condensation, our feet are cold and stiff, and the mother sitting across the aisle is preparing steaming mate to share with her daughter. We stop at the bus terminal of Neuquen, pick up a few extra passengers, then continue southward into the Río Negro province...but not without welcoming one more drug search from eager police officers and new German Shepherd sidekicks.

We are getting closer to our final destination. We have seen signs for Traful, Confluencia, and other known outposts of northern Patagonia. We are counting down the kilometer markers to San Carlos de Bariloche. At last we arrive...to a small terminal outside the city. The sky is gray and the forecast calls for afternoon drizzles.

A blue-and-white taxi cab takes us to our downtown hotel. Hotel Panamericano provides a spacious room for us both - free of charge - with a calming view of the lake just two blocks ahead. Pinching ourselves in disbelief that we are finally here, we crack open the massive window to invite the frigid outdoor winds inside. We then grab our camera and leave.

Bariloche is derived from the term vuriloche, meaning "people on the other side" in Mapuche dialect. Such indigenous tribes, scattered across southern Chile, knew of this divine destination centuries ago, but intentionally kept it hidden from initial European explorers. At last, in 1717, Jesuits crossing through these Andean valleys established their mission along the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. In the late 19th-century, German immigrant Carlos Wiederhold discovered Bariloche, eventually establishing his own local general store. The resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche was born. Austrians and Germans soon made their home here, creating an alpine-style civic center, and thus, a warm and inviting "Switzerland of South America". Known as Argentina's Lake District, this region is also considered the ski capital of Latin America, and is located inside Nahuel Huapi National Park - the largest of Argentina, and the first ever on the South American continent.

We spend the afternoon and evening exploring the heart of Bariloche. Government offices and national banks are housed in beautiful buildings of traditional stone and wood. The grass is green and free of litter - a rare sight to see in much of Argentina. Araucaria trees are trademark evergreens of downtown, often referred to as "monkey puzzle trees" for their unique design. Breweries and chocolate shops line narrow avenues, as winter lights in the shape of snowflakes and bells illuminate our evening stroll. As we admire chocolate workers perfecting their culinary craft, we are offered several free samples of white and dark confections, all of which further contribute to the feeling of Christmas back home.

Intricate woodcarvings outside the government offices

Folks waiting below the town's clock tower

Antu: a faithful Saint Bernard trying to make a dollar

The unique form of monkey puzzle trees

Fishing in the cold

Perfecting an art at Frantom Chocolate Factory

Fresh chocolate "en rama"

A favorite restaurant and brewery

Bustillo's cathedral in downtown Bariloche

The main square of San Carlos de Bariloche