The Ultimate Spring Break - Chapter Five: Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes

After more than 30 hours in buses we arrived in Bariloche - the tourist town, ski resort, and chocolate capital of the country. We spent time walking through shops, tasting chocolate, and finding a lavadero where we could have our laundry washed after our camping trip. After a day or so we headed north to San Martín de los Andes, another picturesque mountain tourist town.


A view of Bariloche from the summit of Cerro Otto. We took a gondola to the top of the mountain where we hiked and ate pasta at the rotating restaurant.


We hiked through a forest blanketed with orange blossoms that glowed in the afternoon sunlight.


During our time in San Martín de los Andes we stayed at this cozy little hostel called "La Grieta" which means "crag" in English. I spent a great deal of time indoors or on the front lawn reading "Por quien doblan las campanas" by Ernest Hemingway since I came down with a hefty cold the day after we arrived. Unfortunate, but relaxing.


The day before we planned to return to Bariloche, the entire town of San Martín lost electric power. We cooked over the gas stove in the kitchen of the hostel by candlelight.

In the end, our airline was on strike during the day of our flight back to Buenos Aires. I was supposed to meet with the ACA choir to perform for a tour in the city. But we were stuck in Bariloche another night. When we finally arrived in BA, I heard someone shout my name in the airport. I turned to see Chris and Demitrio, other ACA students, coming toward us. They happened to be on their way to meet with the choir group in the Florida neighborhood. So I said goodbye to Rachel and Brian, who seemed like my new sister and brother after our trip, as we climbed into different taxis headed to different bus stations. The trip was over, but the weekend had just begun.