Lucky to Have a Place to Sleep!

Lucky to Have a Place to Sleep!

Tuesday, Feb. 21, Junin de los Andes & Zapala, Argentina

Well, it´s been an interesting day. I caught the bus to Junin de los Andes planning to stay there for 2 nights. As I left my hotel, the guy running it told me that Junin is a small town. That got me to thinking that maybe just one night would be enough there. I pulled out my guidebook and started reading to see what there is to do there. Trout fishing and going to a volcano far out of town were the two main things. Otherwise, it is a small town that can be explored quickly. I wasn´t planning to go trout fishing, and I didn´t care to go to the volcano. It was too far out, and I´ve been around volcanos for days. By the time I arrived at 10:15, I decided I wouldn´t spent any nights there. I figured I could see what I wanted to see and go ahead and leave. Doing so would get me to San Rafael later this week BEFORE the weekend, since I want to visit some wineries and they are often closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. I looked for a bus continuing to Zapala in the afternoon and found one leaving at 1:30. I bought a ticket for it and let them store my luggage while I took 3 hours to explore the town.

I really like the town. It has a totally different atmosphere from where I have been lately. The land had turned deserty on the way to there, and the people traveling there tended to be cowboys and their families. The town gave me a feeling of a city near the border to Mexico in Texas--a little jumbled up, some really nice buildings from 100-150 years ago, many unpaved streets, shops displaying some merchandise they must have had for 10 years, etc. The cowboys were fascinating. One got on the bus with his wife and sat across the aisle from me. He was a native with obvious Indian features. He had on medium-top, smooth leather brown boots. He wore black corduroy pants with the legs tucked into the tops of the boots. He had a blue chambray longsleeve shirt. Over it was a black vest with several motifs crochetted or sewn in silver and white threads. He wore a multi-colored woven sash around his waist and tied so that it hung down from one side. Around his neck (inside the open neck) was tied a short woven tie. He had a flat-brimmed black hat. The other cowboys in town and who were on horses as we passed on the bus were similarly dressed.

In town, I went to two museums. One was dedicated to the local Indian tribe--the same tribe that had been in southern Chile, too. It was small, but nice. It took all of 10 minutes to see it probably, but there were some ineresting things. The other museum was an old store. Many of the items from years ago were on display, and other historical items had been added. There were many weavings by the Indians on display there, too.

The other main sight I saw in Junin was their church. It´s a new sanctuary, but pains were taken to make sure the design was locally inspired. There were painted windows with scenes from the area--Indians playing games, typical farmhouse, etc. But the nicest feature, I think, is that they had wall panels of local weavings going the length of the sanctuary on both sides. Several traditional patterns were displayed, since each long panel actually consisted of several individual weavings about 4 feet by 6 feet.

Normally, one doesn´t eat lunch here until 1:30 or so. And at 12:15 there was only one restaurant that was open yet. It was a nice one, however. I decided since Junin is considered the trout fishing capital of Argentina, I should eat trout before skipping town. The restaurant was very stylish with bright walls and tasteful wall lamps. Tables had clothes and fabric napkins, candles, wine glasses, etc. I ordered grilled trout and got two nice filets. To keep it fast, I ordered fried potatoes as the vegetable to go with it. While I waited on the food, there was a very good bread with two nice spreads--a trout spread and a flavored whipped butter (I never could figure out the flavor). I left the restaurant at 1:00 and had no problem making my bus.

The land became all desert as we left Junin. It was covered in scrub brush, and there were broad vistas to observe toward the hills in the distance. It reminded me a little of the area around Marfa and Ft. Davis in Texas. I tried taking some photos, but they just didn´t do the scenery justice.

We arrived in Zapala at 4:30. There were two hotels a block from the station that had been recommended by my guidebook. Neither had a room. I started wandering. There was no tourist office at the bus station, and there wasn´t one in the center of town either. I was told about a residential, but I couldn´t find it. I asked someone else, they mentioned another hotel and the same residential. I went to the hotel and they were full. Then, with help, I found the residential. (I had walked right past it before when I was looking for it.) It´s a strange residential; it´s in the police department building. The only room they had available was a suite (which looks as if it may be used to house official guests who come to the city). Anyway, it is mine for the night. I have since found out why everything is booked. This town celebrates Carnival, and the celebration begins tonight! I´m just so glad I got a room. My only alternative was going to be to continue to the next town, getting there around 9 p.m. and wondering if a room would be available there or not!

Zapala isn´t much of a town. Even the one museum the guidebook said was so good is closed and looks as if it has been for a year or two. There´s nothing to do here. And the town is a jumble of buildings that are nothing special. I´ve already booked my ticket to move onward to Nuquén tomorrow morning. But I will see what is happening with Carnival tonight. And I will safely with all those policemen around!

Interesting observation: The Olympics are occurring now, but they aren´t being shown on TV here in Argentina. I have scanned 50 or more stations several nights and found nothing. I saw a short afternoon report one day, and that was it. Maybe the cost of buying the right to coverage is too expensive. Or maybe Argentina doesn´t have that many winter athletes (although they have always been known for their skiers). Anyway, I have not seen any of the Olympics this year. That´s not so bad, however. I´ve always been frustrated that instead of seeing general coverage, one is shown the top stars and the local entries. If in the U.S., you see all the U.S. entrants. If in Europe, you see all the European entrants. Etc.