I will say right now for the record that I have never been a fan of chocolate. Never liked it, never will. Then I went to Bariloche and it changed my life - for the four days I was there. All of a sudden, I was resisting the stuff like it was my job: it took every ounce of self-control not to buy out the every chocolate shop that was present.
Overlooking the lake in Bariloche
After a grueling 36-hour (that's right, count 'em- 36) bus ride from El Chaltén, Tasha and I made it to Bariloche, Argentina in the lakes district. Having arrived right before the holidays, the city was transformed into a winter wonderland and the cold weather actually made us feel right at home, considering we were drowning in heat elsewhere in the continent. Although in retrospect, feeling at home wasn't ideal as this was the first time either of us was skipping out on Christmas or New Year's. Our stay in Bariloche was mainly to relax and recuperate from the grueling Patagonia trip we'd taken, so we stayed to mingle, hang out, and just take some time for ourselves before trekking out to Buenos Aires before Christmas Eve. There was a lot of chocolate consumption and errand running.
According to this guy, there are only 3 things in life: women, chocolate, and the asado (South American barbecue)
Right before leaving for Buenos Aires, we took a day trip out to El Bolsón, a very hippie-esque and bohemian town about 2 hours out of Bariloche, most famous for a giant artesan market they hold every several days. After exploring the wares, we took a quick bus ride out to the El Bolsón brewery, where a huge line of artisanal beers are produced. There were the typical flavors like a stout, a blonde, and a nutty red, but we also saw some unusual ones like cherry, blackberry, and chili pepper.
Very Lord of the Rings-y tree in El Bolsón
Jauja, the famous ice cream shop in El Bolsón where we somehow snagged a free sweet treat - it was like Christmas came early!
Just a sampling of the available products at the El Bolsón brewery
Both towns were so accommodating and welcome that we knew right off the bat that we were definitely going to be big fans of Argentina.
Jauja, the famous ice cream shop in El Bolsón where we somehow snagged a free sweet treat - it was like Christmas came early!
Just a sampling of the available products at the El Bolsón brewery
wow the chocolate and those products look delicious! 36 hours of bus!??!?! that's absolutely insane. i can barely stand a 5 hour ride from ithaca to nyc on a greyhound.
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