Bariloche, Argentina - Day 6

I rode a bus in South America for the first time today. It wasn’t as hectic as I imagined, probably because I was with 10 other Spanish speakers. And it wasn’t that crowded or dirty, Taiwan and Cambodia can claim the crowded and dirty titles for my travels. But it was rather dusty – with all the windows open and the bus traveling over dry dirt roads, the dust would constantly filter through the bus with the riders acting as the sticky filters to attract and capture the dirt.

After the Spanish lessons, the event of the day was to volunteer at a local children’s organization to teach them English and help them decorate Christmas cards. Bariloche is a rather upscale city with a heavy tourist feel, but what a difference a couple blocks make. Taking a bus 20 minutes outside of the city displayed the disparity between the haves and the have not’s. One thing that I did notice was that regardless of how dilapidated and tiny the houses and shacks were, almost all of them had Direct TV. Shelter, Food or Direct TV?

Bariloche, Argentina - Day 6