El Bolson — Back for Gifts

El Bolson, Argentina, Street Fair

A travel reprise today. I have not been able to find those exquisite wooden server utensils anywhere – and I was pining away. So, we decided since it was raining steadily and not suitable for walking anywhere , we might as well drive back down to El Bolson (a 3 hour drive from Villa La Angostura) and hope against hope that the same vendor showed up and that we could get them there. We wanted to talk about goals for 2010 anyway and it’s just as easy to do that in the car as anywhere else.

So, off we went, stopping first in Bariloche to drop off our laundry at the same old place (JB has now become a favorite there) before hopping on Route 40 again toward the south. This time it was even more beautiful driving down because the mountains were sprinkled with an additional light dusting of snow. The rain let up and we started to see a bit of blue sky here and there. The drive was also nicer because I’ve become a more aggressive passer – yes, I can now pass with authority on windy, rainy mountain roads, double yellow lines and all!

Artisan Street Market in El Bolson

The marketplace in El Bolson was as before – only busier today. We walked the whole thing 3 times, but the woman with the marvelous inlaid wood servers wasn’t there! Ah, you see what procrastination will get you? Not to worry – we had already decided that it was going to be ok whether she was there or not. And we did score some wooden spoons and a couple of other trinkets. We also consumed some papas fritas (French fries) and a slice of ham and cheese pizza (that’s “pizza” in Spanish) each for fortification. Total lunch bill was $4.00. It was very enjoyable being there again. I totally recommend returning to a previous fun venue – the second visit is often even better, more relaxed.

We stopped at the La Anonima (big everything supermarket, remember?) there in El Bolson for water and a Snickers bar before hitting the road for the north. JB is still eyeing the Black and Decker circlular saw. Picked up the finished laundry in Bariloche and roamed into a couple shops there in search of a ‘Bariloche’ tshirt. Then back home. As soon as we turned west off Route 40 toward Villa La Angostura, it started pouring again and didn’t let up for the rest of the day/evening.

Back at the hosteria, we asked Fernando for answers to a couple questions that had been plaguing us:

1. Question: What do the double yellow lines in the road mean? These lines in America mean no passing. Same here, right? Answer from Fernando: “They mean you absolutely cannot cross the center of the road under any conditions – no passing allowed!” But, we said, it seems that everyone passes anyway. Oh, “Of course,” Fernando says, “no one pays any attention to the lines!”

2. Question: What is the purpose of the police checkpoints where you have to slow down and be viewed (maybe) by local authorities? Answer: “What checkpoints?” Fernando didn’t remember and then finally said, “Oh, yes. I never notice them. Maybe they will stop a car if they are looking for a certain type of car or someone specific. Uninportant.”

3. Question: Why is there a Famacia (pharmacy) on every other corner? Answer: “Good question.”

4. Question: What’s the deal with all the dogs roaming loose everywhere?
Rather than give you Fenando’s answer, let us explain the dogs. Everywhere in Argentina that we have been there are many dogs just roaming around. At first we thought they were unfortunate wild or homeless pooches. But there are no puppies to be seen, and all the dogs are healthy. They just are hanging around all over the place, or under trees in the rain, by shop doors, crossing the road, going over to Charlie’s house. The story is that many people have dogs, but it is not the rule that you lock the dog up or apparently have to go to any effort to control it. It seems strange, but once you get used to it, it just feels like the dogs are part of the scene. They hang around maybe waiting for tidbits, but no one seems to be bothered one way or the other.

In Buenos Aires you would frequently see people walking a motley crew of 8 dogs of various persuasions. There are many, many dog walkers! If the person is a small woman, this is a humorous sight. There are lots of dogs in those tall buildings, Fernando explains, and someone has to walk them!

Here in Villa La Angostura, Fernando says, many dogs want to go to see their people downtown, accompanying them to and from work (and, of course, same thing for the siesta period from 2pm to 5pm every day). Folks don’t have confining fences here and the dogs go wherever they want. There are actually instances where a dog living an inconvenient distance from downtown wants to go see mom. He waits by the side of the road. The bus driver stops, and lets him in, and drops him off at the correct destination, because HE KNOWS WHOSE DOG IT IS! That’s the kind of town I like!

Dinner was uninspired pasta at a popular place downtown with lots of kids running hither and thither! We also booked our reservations for New Year’s Eve dinner! It’s still raining when we get home at 11:30, but sunshine is promised for tomorrow. We’ll see…

El Bolson, Argentina, Street Fair