After the Circuito Chico, the bus dropped us off at the fabulous Llao Llao hotel. This is a very expensive hotel with a surrounding golf course, private beach, its own internal gift shops, and the air of extreme elegance and expense. We we were there for lunch. We had considered staying there prviously, but the exchange rate had worsened for us since then. However, lunch seemed quite plausible. We arrived before the main restaurant opened so we checked out the buffet, which consisted of ravioli as the main entree. We decided to wait for about 15-20 minutes for the main restaurant to open.
While we waited, we ordered drinks at the bar - a Margarita for me :-) and mineral water for Marga. It came to a total of 22 pesos. We sat near the bar down some stairs from the main entrance in a beautiful room with fireplaces. Soft breadtsicks covered with cheese and candied peanuts were served with the drinks.
When the time came, we entered the restaurant, where we experienced the kind of service you would expect in such an expensive hotel. The waiters were courteous, friendly, and very attentive. Michaela, despite making a mess as usual, was treated graciously while we dined. We first got warm rolls served with a salmon pate that was extremely delicious. Just the warm bread by itself was great. I don't remember what we ate, but I know that we liked it and thought that it was a good deal for such a place.
We were forced to leave a little bit more quickly than we wanted because we had to walk from the hotel to the dock to catch the boat to Bosque de Arrayanes and Isla Victoria.
The walk from the Llao Llao hotel was downhill past the golf course and the attendant waterfowl. We arrived just in time (according to what we had been told) but we ended up sitting aroung waiting for the boat to leave. At least that allowed us to get comfortable seats. The boat was made in Holland and shipped over to Argentina and re-assembled. The original deck of the boat had been covered to provide for more covered seating. There were very few places to spend much time on the deck of the boat.
The first stop was the Bosque de Arrayanes. This type of forest is not known to exist anywhere else in the world. The trees (although I wonder whether they are technically trees) have a thin cinnamon-colored bark and spread through their roots rather than the nuts/seeds that other kinds of tree use. The trees themselves spread out in strange ways that give the forest a magical or spooky kind of appearance. The forest is said to be the inspiration for the forest in Bambi (and perhaps other Disney forests) and it is easy to see why.
After a relatively short stay, back onto the boat for the trip to Isla Victoria. On the boat, we met another couple with an Argentine wife and an American husband with their 18-year old daughter. He was originally from New York and they lived in Salt Lake City. She seemed desperate for someone to talk to and talked our ears off. She continued talking Margarita's ear off while I chased Michaela around the boat.
Posted by mike at May 12, 2003 08:25 AMI'll say it again: it's a pleasure to read your blog. A lot of what you write reminds me of things that I had forgotten.
I was at the Bosque de Arrayanes with an Argentine cousin, and before we entered, the guide emphasized that the trees were unique in the world (the same plant grows only as a shrub elsewhere), and PLEASE not to smoke. During his little introduction, he said that three times, and I remarked to my cousin that once would have been enough.
Well, only steps into the forest (I remember some actual wooden steps at one point), a couple of people lit up! Those darn Argentines!!!
Thanks for the comments on your lunch at the Hotel Llao-Llao. I have only seen it from the outside, and wondered what it was like inside.
Posted by: John Cisarik at May 12, 2003 11:55 AM