Una Noche en Bariloche

Actually we are back here for two nights. The title comes from a deeply strange conversation we had with Pablo two of the staff members at Rey Sol a.k.a. Little Israel. I suspect they had been indulging in a little of the herb. Well, Pablo at least. Jonah is only 14 so hopefully he is studying hard at school and not curing his brain in depressants. Up until this moment I had assumed Pablo was a sweet and quiet Argentinian boy who spoke no English. My only contact with him had been when I was washing dishes next to him in the kitchen, and he muttered, ¨Tu nombre?¨

¨....lina,¨ I said, since it is easier for Spanish people to pronounce.

Then he said something quietly and I could not quite make it out. ¨Ahhhh... lo siento,¨ I said embarrassedly, ¨no entiendo, mi español es patetico.¨ He kindly offered, ¨Ahh, mi ingles es patetico tambien,¨ and we smiled shyly. These were the only words I heard him speak in my first couple of days at the hostel.

Anyway, on Tuesday night we ran into Pablo and Jonah down the bottom of the stairs, who began to giggle wildly.

Jonah: ¨El trabajo es triste!¨
We supplied him with blank looks.
Pablo and Jonah: El trabajo es muy muy triste!¨
I look at Ro in confusion. ¨Are they just saying, the work is sad?¨
Jonahs sweet little face lit up. ¨Si si si! The work is sad!¨
Ro and Lion: ¨What? Es triste... para tu?¨ Para tu means, ¨for you¨.
Jonah: ¨No no no!¨
Pablo: ¨Es triste para TODO!!!¨ Which means, it is sad for EVERYONE! We still had no clue what they were talking about. But they found it very amusing.

Jonah: ¨Where do you go next?¨
Ro: ¨Bariloche¨
Pablo, gleefully: ¨Una noche... en Bariloche!¨ Jonah found this extremely amusing.
Lion: ¨Oh wow, that could be the title of a really great song. Una noche...¨
Everyone, singing: ¨...en Bariloche!¨ At which point Pablo and Jonah collapsed at the hilarity of it all. It was quite funny actually. There is a terrible Chileno band called ¨La Noche¨ and ¨Una Noche in Bariloche¨ sounds like something they would call a live album.

I am looking for a picture of them but I can not find one. Which is a shame because Kate at least would appreciate it.

Anyway, that was a prelude to a most magnificent evening, which I intended to write about before I got distracted by recording that ridiculous conversation. But Ro is pestering me to go to the pub with her. Classic Ro; truly a lady of the sauce. So perhaps you will hear about it later. Here is a teaser: I conquered one of my deepest fears. Far out!

Tonight we take Bariloche; tomorrow, Pucon.

Love love love
Lion