¡Hola! ¡Me llamo Ewan!
I came to Argentina a little over two weeks ago hoping to see the sights, drink in the famed Latin culture and get to know a place that I have heard so much about. From Malbec to Messi, Tango to Gauchos, Eva Peron to the Patagonian sun, when myself and my partner were deciding where we wanted to go next, Argentina was top of the list.
So far in the “Land of Silver” I have wandered the plazas of Buenos Aires, sipped wine in the vineyards of Mendoza and eaten more beef than my belly would care to admit. All of which have been joyous but busy cities (even busier schedules) have meant that everything thus far has felt like a whirlwind.
Additionally - and perhaps contributing to this - I speak not a word of Spanish. (That is aside from the “Una cerveza, por favor.” and “¿Hablas ingles?”, gleaned from a couple of short trips to Spain over the years). To truly get the most out of one’s travels, I feel it paramount to be able to communicate with those whose homeland you are staying. And with that fact in mind, I have been trawling the language schools of Argentina - both virtually and in the time I have been here - for the past few weeks in a quest to be able to learn the language somewhere along my travels. Keen to slow down and make a base rather than continue to move around, we were unsure where to settle. From natives, travellers and internet blogs alike, we kept hearing the same name over and over - San Carlos de Bariloche.
Situated on the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake with snow capped Patagonian mountains surrounding in a 360° panoramic, Bariloche had me hooked the moment the bus rounded the final bend of an 18 hour journey and the city came into view. My time since then has been a whirlwind of different sorts; downsizing from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis to a much more manageable mountain milieu.
Over the next weeks and months, I will share my thoughts and feelings, highs and lows as I begin my journey here in Bariloche, Patagonia with La Montaña Spanish School.