BOTTOM LINE:
Took ferry to Quila Quina from San Martin
NOTEWORTHY:
After you have been to Bariloche, it is hard to be impressed by San Martin. It is a great little ski town but during the summer, the excursion options are very limited here. That said, this day was one of our best!
BACK STORY:
Waking up to a gloriously clear, sunny sky made us jump out of bed wanting to seize the day. We dressed and headed down to the little pier on the shores of Lake Lacar. We decided to take the ferry boat to the Mapuche (indigenous people) village of Quila Quina across from San Martin.
When we realized that the scheduled boat was still accepting passengers, we paid for the tickets and went to the kiosk to surrender them. The ride was $17 (US) per person round trip. At the Kiosk we were told that we owed and additional $6.50 each. Apparently before boarding each person is to pay an additional fee that goes for supporting the National Park in the village.
The boat ride was on a very old, slow, diesel choking wooden boat. There was plenty of seating so everyone got a nice view. I sat behind a young couple that were clearly happy to be together. As we chugged along the lake they pulled out a shiny thermos of hot water and made a cup of mate' to share. Anytime, anywhere...it's mate' time!
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| Wooden Ferry |
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| Man sipping on mate' |
The lake was clear and slightly choppy. There were people out enjoying a canoe ride. There are no roads to the western shore of the lake. The village that we were headed to can be reached by a 17 mile dirt road. We were told that the boat ride was more pleasant and we were happy to take the advice.
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| Kayakers enjoying Lake Lacar, Argentina |
The village was very small and as we disembarked we saw a restaurant, bathrooms, information center, a small school and a few local art stands. We grabbed a map and enjoyed a beautiful walk around the peninsula that a few call home and many call their vacation home.
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| Village of Quila Quina |
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| Clear waters of the lake |
Blackberry vines entangled the edge of the dirt road and thick gray smoke billowed from the garbage being burned in the central village dump. Primitive tools and equipment were visible from two modest farms that we passed, but everything was tidy and organized. Simple living, a step back in time.
Deep in the bush we meandered along a clear, slow moving river. Near a campground a local man wearing a black hat was leaned up against a tree carving wooden cooking spoons and selling apples.
I would have bought a spoon but was told that any unpreserved wood product may not be allowed into the US.
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| Local man carving spoons |
Further down the road we came to a beautiful rocky playa (beach). We found a log to sit on and just listened to the quietness of the lake water gently lapping up against the beach rocks. It was sooooo peaceful and quiet. The only thing I could hear was the distant screeching of a hawk. Suddenly the moment was shattered by the mooing of a cow! We had been invaded by one "vaca" sauntering within 10 feet of us. We sat for a bit longer until we headed to the water's edge to inspect clarity and depth.
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| cow cruising by |
I told Bruce that I could have just sat there contemplating life, but that I had already tuned into that show between 4 and 8am when I couldn't sleep and replayed my life. The scary thing is that I am 62 years old and I was able to recount most details of my life within 4 hours!!!
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| Escuala, school |
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| a log cut like vertebrae laying on the beach |
We walked along the water for most of the loop back to the pier. We had just enough time to order a light lunch at the restaurant before boarding the boat that would return us to San Martin...WRONG! We placed our order of a small "pizzarette" and a soda. We were the only ones sitting outside. 45 minutes later there were 8 tables filled with people that were eating their orders and we still had not received our lunch. Finally we were served and given our bill. We had five minutes to eat and head to the boat.
I have to say that most of the people in places of service have been warm, welcoming and helpful. However many places have been rude, served us poor quality food and then added a "tip" to our bill without our approval. I'm not quite sure if they think that we are stupid or won't complain or because we are US we won't understand what they are doing. It's not right. All people should be served the same way.
The evening was spent packing up our things. In the morning we would be driving back to Bariloche.
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