Zach's Adventures In Bolivar

Recently I posted a blog entry about Bolivar, a small town outside of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Here's an update. My spouse and his best friend, Franco, whom you may know from this article, went on a week-long vacation to Bolivar: Franco was there to visit his mom, and Zach went to explore.

After the 13-hour bus ride from Cordoba, they were dropped off at the terminal in Bolivar. It's not as big as the Retiro terminal in Buenos Aires, but it's sufficient. When you arrive, you are greeted with welcome silence, that is, if you like to escape the loud city life once in a while.

This is a typical Monday morning in Bolivar. Timestamp: 8:41 a.m. As you can see, you won't have to worry about getting hit by a car while crossing the street.

Most mornings Zach was graciously treated to these delicious pastries. What made it better for him was that Franco went and got them while Zach stayed home like a queen on her throne waiting for her meal.

The town may be small, but you can still get lost. Fortunately, you have signs like this one to direct you where you might need to go. They are mainly found in the center of town by the plaza. Zach made his way by foot towards the center of town and these were some of the photos he took.

And just like Dorothy, he found himself his own Tin Man

One of Zach's favorite Argentine dishes just so happens to be chicken empanadas. Fortunately, this restaurant called Antonia, had the best chicken empanadas he had ever tried in Argentina.

Central Park was one of Zach's favorite places to go to in New York. When Franco's mother introduced him to one of the main parks, Zach was happy because it was sort of like a mini-Central Park. The name of the park is called Las Acollaradas.

The park is basically about half the size of Bolivar. Families go there at night to drink mate, have barbecues, and play games. You'll find tennis courts, soccer fields, many playgrounds, lots of greenery, and a local indoor swimming pool.

There's a big lake that's a bit like a swamp that has a little island that is home to birds that the locals called Tordo Ojos Rojos. They're tweeting sounds very demonic, and Zach ran across this wooden bridge to leave before it became a "Supernatural" situation.

Swamp Thing, you there?

Our faces after we ran across a bridge full of spiderwebs. Mind you, we're both arachnophobes!

There are many other park areas. So, if you're a tree hugger then this is definitely the place to go. Zach said he had never inhaled air as fresh as in Bolivar. The weather was amazing and for once in five years since he's been in Argentina, he hadn't sweated.

After all that walking, which was new for Zach, something bad happened. He couldn't find a McDonald's or a Burger King anywhere in Bolivar.

Luckily Franco came along and saved the day. He treated Zach to a nice meal at one of Bolivar's well-known restaurants, Firpo.

The following day, Franco's mother took Zach to an abandoned train station. To his surprise, she didn't leave him. He took some photos, and tell me it doesn't look a bit like the backdrop of "Smallville".

Zach also learned the hard way not to call someone the B word in Bolivar after running into this place.

You see, this is where Franco learned how to speak English. So even though the people of Bolivar aren't 100% fluent in English, it doesn't mean you can get away with saying whatever you want. Some of them might understand you!

All in all, Bolivar is a small quiet town, but with great company, energetic feet, and wandering eyes, you can have an adventurous experience. So if you plan on visiting, bring comfortable shoes, batteries for your cameras, and lots of water bottles!

Until next time, Bolivar!