Day 23 - Argentina 2025: Esquel to Bariloche

All good things must come to an end, and today is my last day of road trip. I only had to drive less than 300 km, so I took my time getting ready to go, organizing the many bags that I have accumulated over three weeks. Most of the stuff will not come with me once I return the car at the airport, but is amazing how many things one accumulates on the way (instant coffee, sugar, salt, shampoo, fruit, crackers, an emergency sausage, two types of cereal for breakfast, a yogurt for the last breakfast, etc.). I also wanted to be attentive to the comings and goings of my host, because I needed to pay him before he went to work. My vigilance was rewarded when he came out of his apartment to say goodbye to someone, and we moved to the office where the credit card machine was stored. And then we started talking, and I had the Cliff Notes version of his life as an immigrant (he and his wife came from Chile), his 21 years working as a special ed teacher (after which he had to retire by law, at the tender age of 47 and with his full salary), the immigrant mentality of saving and investing on property, and his reasonable prosperity now he is in his 50's. His main job is managing his cluster of 4 rental cabins (Cabañas Aladino), and I think his son manages a restaurant just across the street (Parrilla Aladino). 

At some point the conversation drifted into all that ails Argentina today: inflation and the loss of acquisition power, high cost of medicines for the elderly, low average income particularly for the elderly (US$ 250 per month; when bread is US$ 2, and meat is US$ 8 per kilo), and antiquated industry being replaced by cheap Chinese imports, and so on. He was not impressed by the actions of President Milei, who has defunded social services and eliminated many jobs, and is now brown-nosing Trump to obtain yet another mega-loan to keep the government going. Poor Argentina has become an impoverished country, and many live by the miracle of buying on credit, making minimum payments on their overloaded credit cards.

When I finally left Esquel I was deeply depressed, but soon became cheered by the change in the landscape. After seeing harsh and monotonous desert for a few days, driving toward the mountains was simply wonderful. I was also coming into the forested foothills, and the lake region, so all of a sudden there is water everywhere. I am thinking that this is the memory I kept with me from 30 years ago, when I had crossed the Pampa for several days and reached a less touristic Bariloche, which with its mountains and lakes seemed like a dream.

I think this is the end of this chapter. Tomorrow morning (Friday) I will fly from Bariloche to Buenos Aires at 7h45 to arrive in Aeropark by 9h00, and then will have to mark some time before trekking to the international airport, EZE, 30 km away, for my 21h00 flight to New York (arriving at JFK on Saturday at 6h00 to leave at 17h00 and arrive at SFO at 21h00). I think I will buy a ticket for the bus that goes from airport to airport, rather than trying to navigate the bus network. Tomorrow will be all about hopping from one conveyance to another, which could get screwed up at several different points, but is not likely to be of interest to you. Saludos!

Finis