After ‘re-arriving’ in Bariloche from a week in Osorno buying a new camera and trekking in Parque Nacional Puyehue a weekend of camping was organised with Agustina (my first host in Bariloche), Sarah, my travelling companion from Ecuador and her friend Susana from Mar del Plata in Argentina – and a whole lot of aquaintences of Agustina that I didn’t know.
Playa Muñoz is a beach on the Lake Gutiérrez close to Bariloche. A small lake nestled between cerros this was a beautiful and peaceful place to spend a weekend. We camped right next to the beach, making a fire on the shore, sitting in a circle and sharing endless mate as it rained softly and got dark around us. As the light faded, headlights could be seen winding their way south on the other side of the lake on ruta 40 – the famous patagonian highway into the south.
We took it in turn to cook on a makeshift stove above the fire and shared beer and rum later on. A game of guess-the-film-title by mime was increasingly difficult as my spanish abilities diminished. All of a sudden the company changed and I was speaking English with some Venezuelans who lived in Bariloche and yes, I could stay with them. Awesome…I have a couch.
It was a short trip, and we retraced our steps the next days – but this little sojourn was my introduction to awesome landscapes that surround San Carlos de Bariloche.
