cmcfong

We will be staying at Aldebaran. We want to visit the area. Should we rent a car or take the public transportation?

cmcfong

ttt

avrooster

You know what my answer would be, dear fan club President.

cmcfong

I am sorry, AVRooster, I don't know what your response (on which I will rely) would be. Please give me your opinion. Thank you.

avrooster

As I have often said, I feel a car is essential, in order to properly enjoy the Bariloche area.

cmcfong

Thank you, AVRooster. I will go with your advice.

avrooster

Dear fan club President: I will ask forum member Manenita, who recently rented a car in the area, to comment on this subject.

owlwoman

cmcfong, don't worry about driving in the Bariloche area, we rented a car for 3 days, driving was no problem, it's not like BA where I'd feel like I'm taking my life in my hands. And, I live and drive in NY, so I'm used to lots of traffic. The roads were very good around Bariloche and the city is no problem to drive in/out of. In fact, since you have the lake on one side, it's hard to get lost!

cmcfong

Thank you, Owlwoman. I had reserved a car, but started seeing posts about the traffic being too much for North American drivers (and I live in rural North Carolina!) and was having second thoughts. Your reassurance and the always good counsel of AVRooster have convinced me to stay with my original plan. Thanks for taking the time to post a response.

manenita

Sorry for the delay. I had actually sent a reply a few days ago, but for some mysterious reason, it did not go through. I'll write it again.
Following AV's advise (which you must always do if you want to stay alive), I rented a car to travel through the lake area. AV knows about a good company in Bariloche but I rented at Villa la Angostura with a different company. I don't know the name of the company because I was lucky to contact an extremely efficient young lady at a travel agency ([email protected]). She was awesome! I don't know what the travel agents do in Argentina, but the two I used actually get prices cheaper than what you can get yourself at the internet. The fact is that Ana arranged for the driver to wait for me at the bus station with the car. This same man was waiting for me at the airport when I got ready to leave the lake area.
The car was in good shape and I had absolutely no problems. It was a VW Gol
The roads were fine. I even went through the ripio road for a short while without problems.
AV is right. Having a car allows you to stay wherever you want, rather than close to downtown. I stayed at El Faro. A truly beautiful fancy hotel at a reasonable price (through Ana).
Once you have a car, you decide where and when to go. You are not dependent on the tours that carry you in old, crowded vehicles, picking up passengers from hotel to hotel.
In terms of money, it is a lot cheaper to rent a car than to pay for tours. I paid about $30/day or maybe a little less.
I can say that I would never go to the lake area again without renting a car.
Yes, I have to admit for this time that AV was right.

avrooster

Manenita: as you know, or should know, cmcfong is the President (and only member) of my fan club.

Even though your appreciation of my advice sounds rather reluctant, I can offer you the vice-presidency!!!

LOL!!!!

cmcfong

I quite agree, following AVRooster's advice is essential. He is such an incredibly helpful resource, very generous with his time and expertise.

Thank you very much for the helpful information, Manenita. I enjoyed reading your posts on TA as well. Cheers.

avrooster

Manenita, we all expect that, in between surgeries, you'll be able to post all about the rest of your trip, Buenos Aires, the Teatro Colón, the Iguazú falls, etc. etc.

How about it, TM?

Arielbrc

Hi. The public transportation in bariloche is too bad, and if you are going to stay in Aldebaran, you donīt have public transportation without wolking 2kms. So, in my opinion, a car is the best choise. Is not difficult to drive here, you only have to pay atention and be carefull.
here everything is too nice and too far, so, i repeat, the car in my opinion is the best choice.

cmcfong

Thank you,Arielbrc

manenita

I am honored and proud to accept the vicepresidency of avrooster's fan club.
However, it is time for a woman president.
So, I postulate myself for next term. I will be the first Señora Presidenta!

I have been working on my trip report. Where do YOU want me to post it?

cmcfong

Ah, Manenita, soy una mujer. I will gladly share the duties and benefits of the presidency with you!

Please post your trip right here where I am sure to find it.

avrooster

In BOTH forums, if it pleases you, dear vice-president.

avrooster

Furthermore, dear vice-president, considering the great relevance we expect from your report, I feel it should have a thread of its own.

cmcfong

Of course, AVRooster is correct. Your trip report should have its own thread on both boards. The broader the audience the better. That's why he has such a fan club.