Bariloche Day Four

We’re a little worn down from yesterday’s excursion (disc problems and bumpy roads don’t mix particularly well), so plan on taking this fairly easy. The fact that we have to return our car at 11:00 gives us easy transportation into town, so we augment that task with a little ice cream and apple strudel. We also pick up a few gifts for the boys that we have had our eyes on for a while now.

When I talked about dogs earlier, one of the things I left out was that, for reasons I don’t quite understand, Saint Bernards are very popular here. According to our guide book, they are everywhere in the winter months, but even now we see them lying out on the sidewalk with barrels strapped around their necks, just like I remember from Bugs Bunny cartoons. We can’t resist getting a few snapshots with Charly to share with our dog-crazy children back home.

Exhausted from the strenuous pace, we head back to the hotel for a nap (and a conference call – am I not safe anywhere?) and to recharge for the big event – my quest for the giant, sizzling steak.

I’m starting to understand the menu lingo in these parts, and while I am a fan of the always popular bife de chorizo (a sirloin), for a few dollars more I also see the lomo (tenderloin). Any rational person would agree that if a football-sized sirloin is good, a football-sized tenderloin has to be better, so three dollars notwithstanding, I’m all in.

Angela is trying to talk to me, but my attention span is close to zero as my eyes constantly scan the door to the kitchen, willing my sizzling platter to make an appearance. Finally the waiter strides through, confidently crosses the room in just a few steps, and sets down a plate with three small slices of meat, about the size of Ritz crackers, in front of me. I want to cry.

To make matters worse (yes, they can get worse), my normally sturdy travel companion and her faulty back are not doing well. We’re scheduled to leave for Mendoza in the morning, but have started actively looking at options to return to Buenos Aires and find an early flight home. This is slightly complicated by the fact that Angela left her US passport in Seattle, and it is currently somewhere in transit, scheduled to meet us at our next hotel.

After much discussion, our plan is to carry on as planned for a few days, and if things get no better, cut our Argentinian adventure short.