The (almost) Never Ending Bus Ride to Bariloche

Another chapter in the harrowing South American Bus Series. We have
been so excited to go skiing in Bariloche, getting there was a bit of
a challenge though. The trains of Argentina, while dirt cheap, are
very long and uncomfortable, so that was out. We had heard that the
airlines were expensive, so that was out (good thing too, the pilots
recently went on strike). So we were left with the bus- a 20 hour long
double decker bus ride from Buenos Aires to Bariloche. Fortunately,
bus travel in Argentina is supposed to be luxurious. We purchased our
tickets from the bus company at the terminal about two weeks before we
left, so we got our pick of seats. We opted to ride the very first two
seats on the top of the bus. We spent a lot of the journey debating
whether or not this was a safe decision, but it was definitely the
most entertaining decision. We got a great view of everything we
passed and a front row seat for every overpass we went under (I was
convinced we would hit every time, luckily we never did). We passed
through Buenos Aires and out into the suburbs where we started to see
people on the sides of the highway. It was the strangest thing, people
had parked their cars and whole families would be out sitting on
blankets in the grass. Many of them had soccer balls or kites, there
was even a horse, but it was like they were just passing an afternoon
in a beautiful park.

We were just starting to congratulate ourselves on a great choice,
after all the seats were wide and comfy and there was plenty of leg
room, there was even a leg rest, it seemed like this was going to be a
good choice. And then an alarm went off, a screeching, “something is
really wrong” alarm. We looked around in panic- what was going on,
what should we do? Everyone else on the bus carried on, no one looked
alarmed or even concerned, they were completely ignoring it. After
only a few seconds, the alarm stopped. Since no one else was
concerned, we decided it was probably ok. Until a few minutes later,
it happened again. What was that? Still, no one else was concerned, so
again, we decided not to worry. But it kept happening, and there was
no real pattern that we could figure out. It wasn’t a set amount of
time, sometimes it would be 20 minutes or more between alarms,
sometimes it was only a few seconds. We couldn’t see anything
happening that seemed to lead to the alarm going off. It was such a
mystery! We finally solved this mystery. There is a message board
above and almost behind us. When the alarm went off, the message board
lit up warning us that the driver was driving in excess of 90km per
hour. I guess that sign was the reason no one was panicking, they all
knew exactly what it was and were unconcerned. Since we were just out
of its line of sight we couldn’t see the sign very well. From there on
out, the only thing about that noise that worried us was whether or
not it would keep happening while we slept. We hoped not.

About an hour into our bus ride we were served a snack of coffee,
muffins and crackers and a movie, Rio 2, was put on in Spanish. And we
continued to enjoy the scenery. Sitting up as high as we were gave us
a great vantage point as our bus driver passed slower trucks on the
two lane highways we were traveling along, we made a great game of
“will he or won’t he?” As our driver started to edge out from behind
slower trucks to see if it was safe to pass. Of course, sitting up on
high like we were, and being able to see far into the distance, we
always knew what the right answer was. Fortunately, the bus driver got
it right every time. But, inevitably he would pass someone and the
alarm would go off. I am glad to know he was really putting the pedal
to the floor when we were passing, but hated hearing that screech. Is
it warning of possible danger or is just to shame the driver into
staying at a reasonable speed? I don’t understand why we have to be
alerted to the excess speeds.

We passed several hours chatting, watching the scenery go by and
trying to figure out the plot to some Argentine movie that was on (we
never did, it was a strange movie). Dinner came around 9. We had been
betting on what it would be (I said sandwich, Nick said pasta) and
neither of us got it right. We got a tray with cold cuts, lettuce, a
cold rice & veggie salad, a small piece of bread and toasts. I
definitely thought that meant it was build your own sandwich and
celebrated my victory, but then our server was back with a hot dish of
mashed potatoes and what seemed to be a hamburger patty covered in ham
and melted cheese. So, who knows what that was. We ate our dinner and
around 10:30 started to try and get some sleep. Turns out these chairs
are not so great for sleeping. They go much further back than airline
chairs, maybe 160 degrees, but that’s still not quite flat. Way better
sleep than on a plane, but still not as good as a bed. And there was
the periodic speed alarm that was impossible to sleep through. It
wasn’t great sleep, but enough to feel human in the morning. When we
woke up, the landscape looked just like New Mexico, scrub brush and
mesas everywhere, then suddenly the Patagonia mountains were in front
of us. Jagged and snow covered,their peaks seemed to come out of
nowhere. They were absolutely stunning.

Bariloche is a beautiful mountain town right on a lake. Thanks to the
glaciers of the Patagonia’s, the water is a milky blue green.
Everything about it is just breathtaking.

More of Bariloche to come….