Tag Archives: Puerto Frias

Posts from the road

A very brief stay in Bariloche

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(Bariloche, Argentina)

Travel is a series of trade-offs. You can’t do everything…and sometimes the unplanned and chaotic can be just as rewarding as a carefully curated itinerary.

The loneliest Chilean police station - somewhere between Peulla, Chile and Puerto Frias, Argentina
The loneliest Chilean police station – somewhere between Peulla, Chile and Puerto Frias, Argentina

As you can tell from my past two posts, we had a sensational day of travel from Peulla to Bariloche. Our friends in the group tour did not have quite the same experience when they made that trip a day earlier in windy and rainy conditions. However, while we were catching up to them under the brilliant Andean sun, they were able to enjoy the resort of Bariloche in that same great weather.  You win some, you lose some.

Waiting for the boat at Puerto Frias, Argentina
Waiting for the boat at Puerto Frias, Argentina

I had hoped to go skiing in Bariloche: it’s been a long-shot dream of mine to ski on every continent and South America would have been the 4th.  Alas, we had to move on to Buenos Aires the very next morning and it was logistically impossible for me to do any skiing in Bariloche.  Well, this now gives me an even better excuse for a future trip to Argentina and/or Chile. There is so much to see and do in these two countries; we could not hope to get more than just a small sample in less than two weeks.

A winter rose in front of the customs office in Puerto Frias, Argentina
A winter rose in front of the federal buildings in Puerto Frias, Argentina

We did at least have a chance to visit downtown Bariloche for a group dinner at the Familia Weiss restaurant.   As you can tell from the name of the restaurant, there is a very strong German-speaking history in this part of Argentina.

Feeding the seagulls en route from Puerto Blest to Puerto Pañuelo, Argentina
Feeding the seagulls en route from Puerto Blest to Puerto Pañuelo, Argentina

Starting in the mid-1800s, immigrants from the various German-speaking nations in Europe found their way to this part of South America.   Their influence lives on in the Germanic cuisine, the alpine architecture, and the many chocolate makers who continue to compete for the tourist dollar.  I hadn’t expected to eat Gulasch mit Spätzle in the shadow of the Andes…but why not?

Time for selfies at La Cascada Los Cántaros near Puerto Blest, Argentina
Time for selfies at La Cascada Los Cántaros near Puerto Blest, Argentina

While we would have liked to spend more time in the mountains around Bariloche, we were assured that we would love our next stop:  the legendary city of Buenos Aires.  It’s a huge place with about 14 million people…and, at the end of the 19th century, it was one of the richest cities in the world.  While the city and the country alike have faced many challenges since then, those long-ago glory days are still very much apparent today.

One does not go home hungry from Argentinian restaurants: a typical dessert in Bariloche
One does not go home hungry from Argentinian restaurants: a typical dessert in Bariloche

Upon arrival at the Jorge Newbery airport, we were whisked to our hotel in the southern part of the Recoleta barrio.  Over the next few days, we would visit various barrios and get a feel for the different characteristics of each one.   Stay tuned for lots of coverage of this fascinating, if atypical, South American metropolis!

Posts from the road

On to Bariloche!

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(Bariloche, Argentina)

What a difference 24 hours can make!  After gaining entry to Argentina, the sun shone even brighter and we felt like we were truly on holiday again.  The picture at the top of this post shows the view from the back of our boat as we sailed on Lago Frias from Puerto Frias to Puerto Alegre.

Our boat docked in the glacial waters at Puerto Alegre, Argentina
Our boat docked in the glacial waters at Puerto Alegre, Argentina

Arriving in Puerto Alegre, the glacial nature of the lake became even more apparent.  I’ve been to mountain lakes before but I don’t think I’ve ever sailed on any that looked as pure as this one.  There really wasn’t anything but a dock in Puerto Alegre…but what else do you need with a setting like that?   Truly spectacular.

View of Puerto Blest, Chile, from across the lake
View of Puerto Blest, Chile, from across the lake

From Puerto Alegre, we took a bus to Puerto Blest on Lago Nahuel Huapi .  Puerto Blest had a hotel but little else:  once again, the natural setting was the highlight.  Here, we had the option of going for a hike at a nearby waterfall.  I instantly accepted – it would be great to stretch my legs after a half-day of traveling.  It was another pristine location…and we actually went there by boat too!

A tree that lives for millennia
A tree that lives for millennia

The hike up beside the Cascada de Los Cántaros was quite easy…it was a wooden boardwalk all the way to the top!   It seems to be a very popular activity for day tours, so I suppose that it makes sense for the trail to be so accessible.  There are numerous viewpoints along the way where you can take pictures of the waterfalls.  While I’m not going to include any of those in this post, they will likely appear later.

This tree will not live for further millennia
This tree will not live for further millennia

At the top of the trail is a 1500-year-old tree as well as a mountain lake shimmering almost-too-brightly in the midday sun.   Struggling with the glare, I did the best I could with my camera.   Still, after the rain and worry of the previous day, I was hardly in a position to complain about the sunshine.

Blinded by the light! Summit of the trail at Lago Los Cantaros
Blinded by the light! Summit of the trail at Lago Los Cantaros

As I had some extra time before the boat returned to Puerto Blest, I wandered off on a more natural trail through the woods.  It wasn’t part of the itinerary but it was fun to explore the terrain with my hiking boots fully on the ground.  I found a picturesque hanging bridge passing over the famous waterfalls after only a few minutes of walking.  Even though I was the only person on it, it was rather shaky and I have no reason to doubt the sign’s warning about its limited capacity.

A hanging bridge, off the beaten path
A hanging bridge, off the beaten path

From Puerto Blest, we sailed across Lago Nahuel Huapi onward to Puerto Pañuelo and finally finished our epic odyssey across the Andes with a short bus ride to Bariloche.  The boat trip was rather cool (some would say bracing) but, of course, it was the middle of the Argentinian winter and the sun was beginning to set.  We were grateful for the clear skies and the great scenery, although this was a bigger lake and it wasn’t quite as dramatic as what we saw around Puerto Alegre.

We finally arrived in Bariloche just before dinner and happily reunited with our group.  Stay tuned:  we’re only just getting started in Argentina!

Posts from the road

Trying to Enter Argentina – Day Two

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(Puerto Blest, Argentina)

We awoke to unexpectedly sunny skies and beautiful views in Peulla, Chile. However, the brightest part of our day was the news we received during breakfast: we finally had the missing bar code! We could finally cross the border!

Waterfall on the road between the Chilean and Argentinian border posts
Waterfall on the road between the Chilean and Argentinian border posts

The day got better and better. Shortly after passing Chilean customs (located at the edge of Peulla, rather than at the border itself), we saw a pair of condors! At first I only saw the female but then I also saw the male a short distance away. These birds are huge! The wingspan can be more than 3 metres (10 feet) and the male looked to be that size when he eventually flew away.  It is difficult to describe how thrilling it is to see such a large, wild creature in its natural habitat.

Condors! The female is in the centre of the picture
Condors! The female is in the centre of the picture

While it was hard to top our condor sighting, we still saw plenty of vertiginous waterfalls and snow-capped mountains as we continued our lonely journey in the no-man’s-land between the Chilean and Argentinian border posts. We didn’t see any pumas, but you can’t have it all!

Mount Tronador, as seen from just a few km inside the Chilean border
Mount Tronador, as seen from just a few km inside the Chilean border

The bus climbed higher and higher to the Argentinian border:  high enough, in fact, that there was a significant amount of snow at the point where Chile becomes Argentina.  We had found snow in July!  Even if there was an unexpected snag at the upcoming border control at Puerto Frias, at least we could say that we had set foot in Argentina.

Looking back to where we had just been - right on the Chilean/Argentinian border
Looking back to where we had just been – right on the Chilean/Argentinian border

Thankfully, the only hassle at Puerto Frias was the glare of the sun on the pristine mountain lake (see photo at the top of this post).  While it was challenging for photography, it was a blissful to bask in the sun and to finally leave our border crossing problems behind us.  A short, refreshing boat ride to Puerto Alegre and then an even shorter bus ride to Puerto Blest followed.

We finally made it to the Argentinian border!
We finally made it to the Argentinian border!

Stay tuned for a refreshing excursion from Puerto Blest and the reunion with our group in Bariloche!