Nicole_Ramirez said:
There are also A LOT of tourists that stay outside of town or I wouldn't be here building cabins and there are piles of ashes all along Bustillo which is the street the tour buses go on (don't even get me started with the the fact that they must be what, waiting for a bus of tourists to drive off the cliff before they decided to put some asphalt back on Bustillo).
I do think it is great the community got together to help out the center. But is the rest of Bariloche supposed to be covered in ashes for the rest of it's life? The least they could do is come and pick up the piles of ashes people are putting out in front of their houses. Perhaps it doesn;t matter to you because you don't see the mess everyday. Where I live their is no difference whatsoever from 3 months ago.
Tourists do go other places than the center, so just letting them know what to expect.
Poco a poco, starting with the most densely populated areas first... maybe it will stop there (?) hopefully not, but again it goes back to money/taxes.
I'm not saying tourists don't go outside the centre. Quite of opposite, the reason for visiting Bariloche certainly isn't for the ugly city; but the Centro Civico is the heart of Bariloche, the home of the information centre & where the Snow festival take place etc...
There is nothing to stop property owners hiring skips and removing the ash from their own property, I have a friend who did just that (4 skips to be precise). From what I see the vast majority of people living here don't take pride in where they live. The day following the ash I was outside clearing the building entrance & the pavement/sidewalk of both the buildings where I have an apartment, nobody came out to help me, nobody even said thanks as they entered the building....
I'm saddened to see such a beautiful area (the reason for living here) in such a bad state but closing Bariloche because there are piles of ash on the side of the road isn't the answer and there will be piles of ash on the side of the roads for years. Welcoming every tourist that comes here and helping them get the most out of their stay is my aim, my website has a update on the ash situation and when someone enquires about my apartment, the first thing I say it that I don't expect to see the airport open any time soon...I never hear back from them... Those that do arrive by bus have received up to 40% discount on my apartment.
Yes it does effect me, My apartment rental is my only source of income and I lost 70% of my winter income this year & I only have u$s 240 (two hundred & forty) of reservations for the rest of the year. My business is dead!