Villa la Angostura (Thursday January 13--Day 65)

I know I say this a lot, but this time I really mean it (at least until next time I really mean it). This is certainly one of the prettiest places I have ever been. The pristine Villa la Angostura, located about two hours north of Bariloche, is nestled between a series of tree covered mountains and blue calm lakes. As far as the eye can see, there are blue skies and snow capped mountains. Clearly, I am not the only one to notice its beauty. Some of the wealthiest people in the world, from princes to Shakira, have houses here. ´Picture-perfect´doesn´t come close.
And it isn´t just the surroundings that are beautiful. The buildings and houses are just precious, in every meaning of the word. The main commercial street--nicknamed ´The Crossroads´ because it lies at the major intersection of three large roads, one heading West to Chile, one heading South to Bariloche, and one heading North to San Martin de los Andes--has managed to hide the fact that it is essentially one major throughway. Traffic strolls through town at snail speed, giving up power to pedestrians, parking cars, dogs, and signs that say ¨Traffic laws are not optional´ (that´s a first...). The streets are divided by a median of rose gardens and the sidewalks are wide walkways lined by storefronts and cafes. Everything--from the town sponsored Christmas decorations to the architectural unity of the buildings--is in its right place. Maybe ´movie perfect´ is a more appropriate description.
Once you succesully take in the beauty of the environment and the mainstreet, then you meet the real challenge: the houses. Villa la Angostura isn´t really a ´town´ per se because the majority of the residential neighborhoods (with the exception of the older, smaller houses) are located three to seven kilometer from the center. These homes are set apart, hidden down unnamed roads deep within tree covered hills. I found myself wandering through these areas for hours, getting lost in the beauty and feeling like I was in a different (much wealthier) world. Every single house--and I mean EVERY SINGLE HOUSE--is built to perfection in a unique, artistic, purposeful manner that complements and blends into the surrounding environment. At first, I couldn´t even begin the imagine what life would be like here.
But then I tried, and slowly the fairytale faded. The first thing I noticed is that not all of these houses are homes. Nearly every house in Argentina has a name: waterfall, butterfly, grandma, red flower, lakeside paradise, blue river. But attached to these names were the words cabañas, hosterìa, albergue. TNearly a quarter of these houses were independently run mini hotels, which doesn´t exactly provide that ´neighborly´ feeling I´m looking for. The second things I noticed once I wandered deeper into these areas is that these neighborhoods are growing and growing fast. Suddenly, I turned onto a road and sunlight pierced through the thinning canapy of trees. The calming silence of chirping birds was replaced by the hum of hammers and saws. Rather than welcome signs with the names of houses, there are large industrial signs with the names of architects and the pictures of building plans for future condos. It isn´t hard to formulate an image of what Villa la Angostura will look like in five to ten to fifteen years. After all, there is no one to stop this growth. This is the third thing I noticed. The people who live here either work in the hospitality industry or they live here part-time. Growth is in their economic inteest. The rest of the people are transients: foreign tourists and porteños  from the capital. They have no voice.
Villa la Angostura is like a beautiful young woman who wears too much make up; with each passing year, her natural beauty fades and her painted facade becomes repulsive and obvious. My fear is that in time, the precious pristine beauty of this place will be lost for good.