Bariloche

Bariloche was an easy 4-hour bus ride from Esquel, running parallel with the Andes and through some of the most stunning lake and mountain scenery that either of us had ever seen. However when we got off the bus we noticed a slight chill in the breeze, which we had also felt in Esquel. This was a slight disappointment as we'd come about 250km north and we were hoping that things would warm up a bit!

Bariloche is kind of an odd place - it's pleasant enough and we certainly enjoyed our time here, although it is probably Argentina's biggest holiday destination. The main street was a mixture of naff T-shirt shops and completely over the top chocolate shops (most of which we managed to sample). One even had a chocolate 'factory' attached... check out the look on Hannah's face on the photo below...!

Bariloche's setting is beautiful, on the southern shore of the enormous Lake Nahuel Huapi, with snow-clad mountains all around. Our hostel was perched up above the main street, meaning we could enjoy views of the lake and mountains while eating breakfast, which was a nice touch.

Having failed to do any strenuous 'activities' in Esquel, we hired mountain bikes on our first full day in Bariloche to do the 'circuito chico', a great little loop west of town around the edge of the big lake and past a number of smaller ones. The views were incredible, as was our amazement that despite our general lack of exercise to date on this trip, and general atrophying of muscles, we completed the loop (about 25 miles) in one piece. The leg after lunch in Colonia Suiza (a funny little pioneer village set up by Swiss immigrants - come here for your fondue!) was especially tiring. However at least we got a bit of a sweat on, helping to defeat the chilly wind and hints of drizzle that we could start to feel...

The next day we had planned to go horse riding or white water rafting or something equally daft but upon waking were greeted by a torrential rain storm outside. Phew - at least we hadn't pre-booked a tour, I thought, as we caught the shocked expressions of fellow backpackers who had, and didn't want to lose their money (these trips can be pretty expensive!).

We were moving on the next day, west across the Andes into Chile. Someone in our dorm said they had seen snow falling, and we could see a fresh dusting on the hills across the lake. This was going to be interesting...

Robin