San Carlos de Bariloche – the best place for a long Easter weekend.
Right at the top of Patagonia, on the Argentine side, is a watered down Eden. Bariloche is an expensive place to be at any given time, but on Jesus weekend it seemed like we’d died along with the holy man, and instead of going to heaven we somehow ended up on New Bond Street. However, aside from the pricey nature of the place there is also the real nature of the place, and that is damn right beautiful.
We weren’t feeling too great around Easter time it has to be said. There was illness in the camp and it was our turn to get it. What was needed, and desired, was a place that was warm but not too warm. Chilled but not empty. Somewhere fresh and clean. But more importantly, a place with a shit-tonne of chocolate and a half decent hostel bed. I think we got that in Bariloche.
Rapa Nui, as I understand it, is the native name for the island commonly known as Easter Island (ironically), off the coast of Chile. It seems that while that may be true, ask anyone in Southern and/or Western Argentina and they’ll tell you that Rapa Nui is the one and only place to buy chocolate. It’s hardly a humble establishment, what with it’s chocolate deli counter, chocolate shop, café, ice cream station, waffle house and even an ice rink out the back. But take nothing away from the place, Rapa Nui makes and sells some seriously good chocolate. Is it worth the money they charge? No, no it’s not.
Aside from the chocolate, Bariloche also specialises in craft beer; a commodity that Patagonia as a whole really goes in for. There are two big breweries in Bariloche, both next to one another and situated handily along a winding downhill road. The best way to get to them is by pushbike (you will be pushing that bike some of the way believe me). The downs are steep, but the ups are sometimes even steeper). The breweries sit about a third of the way into the 27km track, just off to the side of the lake, and they provide welcome rest on a hot autumn day. As stated before, they are on a downhill turn of the lakeside road, so after a couple of 6%ers all one has to do is roll merrily along to the next, or just pick up enough speed to see you arrive semi-safely to the next photo point.
San Carlos de Bariloche is a very pretty place, and if it wasn’t so damn expensive then a further two or three days could easily have been spent here for sure. But if I’ma be real, I paid £16 for 2 Chicken Legend meals… s’not about that.
"Look, Simba, everything the light touches is our kingdom…"
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