Poor Man''s Bus/Boat Tour; Ecuadorians, Chocolates and Empanadas

 From Barioche there is an iconic boat-bus-boat-bus-boat-bus tour over the Andes to Chile- 12 hours.  Then you reverse and come back the next day or the following day.  After mulling it over and watching the weather, I decided to do a shortened poor man's version- boat/bus just across Lago Naheu Huepi to Puerto Blest.  This was shorter (an hour and half boat ride- the lago has to be 50+ miles long) and much cheaper and occasioned a stay at the somewhat remote and historic Hotel Blest.  Unlike some of my decisions, it proved wise as the weather the following day proved cloudy and rainy.

On the boat ride, I met this delightful young couple from Ecuador who were celebrating the 1st wedding anniversary by staying at perhaps the most famous hotel in Argentina (certainly Bariloche) Llin Lao which sounds like it should be in Cambodia.  Interestingly they were living in Buenos Aires because, well, it was so cheap. I could identify.  They explained how there 2 wedding ceremonies or celebrations in Ecuador and that they had done the legal one but not the traditional religous/family one where hundreds of free loading long lost relatives showed up and expected a lavish party costing $100ks+.  They were postponing that event as long as possible so that maybe a few hundred relatives would lose interest and make the reception possibly affordable.  

The old (1930s) Hotel Blest was a delight and I walked from there to the beautifully green colored lake, Lago Frias where I saw this ferry apparently grounded by a low tide-

I took the boat back the next day and then a bus to Bariloche to pick up my laundry and get a $7 haircut.  Settled by some Swiss over a century ago, Bariloche has dozens of chocolate shops which are quite popular-

As are empenadas in Bariloche (about $1 apiece)-

Next stop Mendoza and wine country and the highest Andes in South America