Hola!
No pictures yet, have not found a wi-fi location. Have found chocolate, dental floss and a glacier. The last was the easiest - we took an all-day bus ride to El Cerro Tronador (the thunderer), the highest peak in this part of Patagonia, on the border with Chile. The ice cracked and groaned tremendously, the tour guide fell asleep in the sunshine on the grounds of the restaurant, and we saw a CONDOR, actually several huge birds soaring over El Tronador himself. The only flowers we saw were dandelions and daffodils. The Argentinians had a difficult time getting Spanish-heritage immigrants to move to Patagonia, so many of the local symbols relate to the Welsh, Germans, Swiss pioneers. Today I saw an actual St. Bernard dog with barrel under the chin.
R and I had our first Spanish class today. Our erratic grasp of the language was apparent enough that we started at the beginning. After running around for three days trying to be understood, in five hours I learned a few immediately useful things. The Argentinians have a unique pronunciation of the letter combo 'll' tht most closely resembes our 'sh' + a 'j'. Missed all those words before today. It was quite helpful just to listen to our instructor, Laura, say things that I'd only read before.
Bariloche is a ski town. Because the clientale comes from so far away and because no one in Buenos Aires needs a ski jacket, there are lots of rental agencies for the clothes along with the gear. Whole school groups pass by in matching orange ski suits. Didn't see any events associated with the Dia de la Raza on Monday, but lots of mamas in the restaurants on Sunday. At the cafe where we ate lunch, the waiters were giving flowers to all the mothers. R. says maybe for Mother's Day some of the Buenos Aires teenagers' moms got to send their kids to Bariloche and have a quiet evening with papa.
Artisanal chocolates, because of the European heritage, is a big deal here, and I can't wait to show you the storefront with the twirling Russian dolls. It'll be worth it, like the calories for the chocolate. Hasta manana.
Comments (2)
Wow, I can't wait until I see you guys down there in a few days and what I would not give to see a condor.
Need anything from SLC?
Posted by BWJones | October 17, 2006 9:26 PM
Posted on October 17, 2006 21:26
Well, I was wondering where you and R were...now I know. It sounds marvelous and like you are having a swell time! See you when you get home. Fran
Posted by Fran | October 20, 2006 9:10 AM
Posted on October 20, 2006 09:10