Over to Argentina

So we left our little town and Jonathan said good-bye to his new pal, Simon:

Grandma - this one is for you ;-)

In order to get into Argentina we planned to take a car ferry across Lake Pirehueico and then go over a relatively low-elevation pass.  The car ferry was just 30 minutes from our cabin and it was supposed to be a beautiful ride on the lake and definitely the fastest way to San Martin de Los Andes in Argentina.

The best laid plans.....


We got there very early and found out that the ferry was not working and wouldn't be working at least for another day.  After the initial disappointment, especially from Jonathan, we moved onto Plan B.  The closest pass was a four hour drive away and along the way we finally got to see some of the more popular tourist towns including Pucon.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to the rescue!  Actually, Elisa has been rebelling so we listened to a Magic Tree House first - no comparison.  On the way we stopped at a panadaria (bread shop) where we saw them making the bread and got a snack.

This is the enormous bun they use for many sandwiches here.  We usually focus on the inside and then hit the bun if we are still hungry.

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There are roadside stands everywhere advertising Pan Amasado and other things (sopapaillas, tortillas, mote con huesello etc.) but this was in the bakery.

We had small calzones rotos (ripped underwear) early in the week.  We decided these must be Granny underwear.

The drive to the border was pretty uneventful but the border itself was an experience.  First of all, it was at the foot of Volcan Lanin which, thankfully, hasn't been active since the 18th century.  On the Chilean side, cars lined up in order and people spend time chatting or climbing up for a closer view of the volcano.

We spent two hours waiting and doing paperwork there.  The border police said that it was especially crowded because the ferry was not working.  For anybody who followed our paperwork mess, we were smart to have done it because they would not have let us across the border without it.  In short, in Chile (and I believe Argentina) you need a Libreta de Familia that officially documents your marriage and the birth of your children.  You need to show that to the border police to prove that you aren't taking somebody else's children out of the country.  Since we don't have one of those we needed to have our kids' birth certificates reviewed and approved by the Chilean Consulate in Chicago, then have their certification approved by the international police here before we could leave the country.  We didn't know this ahead of time and had several people in South Bend scurrying to help us get this all in order before we left on the trip.

After those two hours we were bracing ourselves for the Argentine side.  Immediately we all noticed the difference.  The cars were chaotically parked outside the building.  People were "in line" in the building in what ended up being a snake/snail line that looked more like a blob.  This time it only took 1.5 hours and we met some American kids to play with for a while.

We were told that the only thing left was customs so we carefully removed all veggies and fruits and were quickly waved on.  Immediately we entered a different flat, dry landscape with goats and sheep everywhere.  We also discovered the Andean truffula tree better known as the Pehuen or the Monkey Tail Tree, the Chilean national tree.

From the web - but this is what we saw.

11.5 hours later we arrived at our destination......Our kids are really learning what it means to travel in different countries!

We rented a cabin in San Martin de Los Andes at Cabanas Woodland that is a quick walk into the center of town and the lake.  It is definitely much higher end than our previous cabins and is more like an apartment. 

Not our view but a good view of the town.  It is very Vail-like in that it is a complete tourist town with pretty and athletic people walking around in North Face and Columbia clothing with kayaks on their car roofs.

We had a lazy morning, walked around town, ate, and tried to figure out what to do for the next few days. Looks like canoeing/kayaking, hiking, perhaps a zip line, and many cafes.

The cabin comes with breakfast every morning.  Media lunas (sweet croissants), dulce de leche, jam, butter and bread.  The simple things in life can bring such joy ;-)

They are prepared for rainy days as well.

There is no lack of cafes and/or chocolate shops in town.  This one had both.  Rob earnestly requested that we make sure to have a coffee and dessert at a cafe every afternoon.  Why not?????

Only in Latin America.

In the interest of keeping Rob in his Argentine-centric mode, for dinner Jonathan and I headed to a local pasta shop, El Rey de la Pasta.  It was the real deal where you order your pasta and then he makes it for you.  We watched him make it and then he and Jonathan were buddies for life.  We'll head back with the whole family before we leave.