Bariloche

Civic centre with statue of General Julio Roca

The morning started cold and rainy. San Carlos de Bariloche is an alpine town; it's sometimes called the Switzerland of Argentina. Many of the early settlers were Austrians, Germans, Italians, etc, from the alpine region of Belluno. Another similarity: chocolates are made here. I was glad that the hotel served breakfast, even if just toast and tea, because I didn't have to go searching for an eatery on an empty stomach first thing on a cold morning.

I took the bus to Llao Llao Hotel, about 15 km out of the centre, to see more of Lago Nahuel Huapi. Being a glacial lake, it plumbs great depths. The scenery was lovely, but I needed every layer of clothing I wore: singlet, shirt, the jersey I bought in Baires, jacket, and raincoat on top to keep the water out. To make things worse, there was a stiff wind chilling my face.

The hotel had recently undergone a makeover. Clinton had stayed at the hotel during his recent visit. I would have to win the lottery to afford a night here.

I took a walk in the surrounds to look for regional wildlife. I caught a glimpse of the Patagonian hare, too brief to take a picture. These ducks were feeding on the hotel grounds.

It was very quiet and deserted as it was election Sunday. After a while I got tired of the cold and walked back to the terminus, a petrol station, and caught a bus back to the centre. I also decided to forgo visiting Colonia Suiza (page in Spanish) which, as the name indicates, was settled by Swiss immigrants.

Back in town, I treated myself to an inexpensive but tasty lunch of merluza (hake) and potato mash, followed by some of the locally manufactured chocolate. Then I went back to the hotel to nap the afternoon away under the sheets. I knew I was wasting precious sightseeing time, but the cold just sapped my energy and motivation.

For dinner I took myself to a tenedor libre. The owners had come from Taiwan some 15 years ago. The wife told that they had two boys studying in Baires, and a little girl of 3. The husband liked Bariloche for the fresh air. They were one of only four Chinese families in the town. They very kindly gave me some fried rice to supplement the normal buffet which included overcooked meats from the parilla (barbeque grill).

Graffiti on a wall referencing the Dirty War: 21 años de impunidad, no olvidamos, no perdonamos (21 years of impunity, we do not forget, we do not forgive).

When I was researching Argentina before embarking on the trip, I came across the scholarly work Australia and Argentina: On Parallel Paths (1984). The authors pointed out the similarities between the two countries, the size, the population, the rich resources, and tried to explain why their political histories have diverged. It's not widely known that Argentina was richer than Australia until the 1950s when Australia began to pull ahead. The authors postulated that Argentina industrialised too soon at the expense of primary production. To which I would also add my theory that the inherited forms of government: one Spanish and the other British have shaped their respective paths.