Day 1, Just about done

48 hours of travel time finally left behind. Bariloche welcomed me this morning at the bus station just outside of town with 2 pesos to my name. Unexpected payments left me short on cash for little more than a bus ride on the public transportation. After 3 stops to the same woman at the tourist information desk, I timidly made my way over to the bus shelter. The policia standing by the bus helped me with all my bags, and we begin to head into town. Small shacks line the road, giving little indication that this is a ski or tourist town. Perhaps my notion of ski towns have been Americanized, but even after being dropped off in the heart of downtown, it felt I had closed my eyes and randomly picked a town from a map and said, ‘Yeah, I think I’ll bring my snowboard gear and see how that goes.’

The only indication of snow are the hordes of ‘snowboard’ shops and ‘surf’ shops that are as abundant as Starbucks. Even then, they seem to be only useful if you don’t mind dropping $$ on everything and want to dress in Burton from head to toe.

Hello, Bariloche. Time to explore. First stop, tourist information. Check. Second stop, ATM. Wait, was it on this corner or across the street? That looks like a bank…nope, cell phone shop. Ok, well, money can wait. These bags need to go. Hostel 41 Below. Seems chill. Are we there, yet? Oh, this looks nice! Shoot, I should check on their availability before hauling my gear up these 40 stairs. No rooms available? Ok, any suggestions for a hostel close by? Perikos? 2 blocks? Oh, uphill? Alright, thanks. I’ll check it out. Periko. Perkolis. Perfecto? Shit, what? Oh, this starts with a “P.” This is probably it. Hello, grandmother. (Nope, not it, but I’ll take a room!) 70 pesos, si? (Oh, damn!) Si, gracias. Showerrrrrrrr. Ooo, one of those toilet-sink lookin things that wash your butt. How pleasant!

3 hours after the end of the long bus ride, I’ve finally settled..for a night at least. Though there is plenty of time to catch the bus and head to Cerro Catedral, I opt to walk around and learn about this town. Lots of chocolate, cheap alcohol and good coffee. Not a bad place to end up for 2 weeks. Periko hostel finally comes within sight and I put down a reservation for tomorrow night. Anything to save a few bucks, I suppose.

Checking in with my American life, I ended up at a café for most of the evening, sending out emails and getting a draft of a story to an editor. Closing down the café, I’m eager to explore just a little more under the drizzling rain/snow that’s falling. Argentina is known for their late nightlife and dining, and plenty of restaurants were full of diners just getting their evening started. Looks nice, but too much food and money for what I wanted to spend. A nearby grocery store calls my name, and fresh baked bread, cheese and a liter of beer sounds exactly what I want for 4 bucks. Looks like breakfast will be mighty tasty.

No beer opener. Right. Well, the door jam will do just nicely. Enjoying my liter of beer. About to do some in-room yoga. Buenos noches y hasta manana.