Bariloche - Nahuel Huapi

It was a long drive down south from Mendoza through a barren dry landscape. Half of the thousand kilometers were gravel road and my car was grey from the dust. The Ruta 40 is the life line of the Wild West of Argentina and small hamlets line the road every fifty to one hundred kilometers. Whenever my eyes only see grey and yellow tones for some days the appearance of green and blue colors always are touching my senses intensively. When approaching Bariloche from the North it was exactly like this: when I first saw Nahuel Huapi Lake and the white mountains surrounding it my senses got overwhelmed. The sky was deep blue, the water crystal clear and the rolling hills covered with thick green forests. I rented a room next to the lake and was soon on the way to Cerro Campanario a hill with an impressive view over the lakes and mountains. Lake Nahuel Huapi with its abundant natural resources was since ever a stronghold of the indigenous Mapuche people, who settled on the lakeshore since hundreds of years. Since then thankfully not a lot has changed in this remote corner of the world, where still only hiking boots could take me to the most scenic places.