Holes to Heaven: Patagonia - The Lake District

San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro

16-20th May (Wed-Sun)

27 hours (just over 3000km) is how long it takes the bus to get from El Calafate to Bariloche. Not at all like 127 hour, which is a terrifying movie about how long it takes to cut off your arm. Instead, it's enough time to dip south to Rio Gallegos and then head north on the famous Ruta 40 which runs along the Andes from Southern to Northern Argentina. An amazing drive through the barren landscape of Patagonia which turns into lush countryside in the final few hours only. And I finally caught sight of the wild horses and llamas that roam freely down here! There were only two of us who stayed on for the full journey, a German girl and myself so we'd a choice of seats. They must make enough money during the summer months to support the business because the winter schedule (reduced to 2 trips a week) has to be running at a loss; full food service run by a little an who sits by the driver, a selection of movies and all the seats (remember, double decker) heated for only a handful of passengers.. seems a bit ridiculous. Not surprising so that by the end of the trip I'd thought of a new business plan for them.

Bariloche, which sits right on windy Lake Nahuel Huapi, feels like a Swiss/Austrian town in the Alps; ski rental, chocolate and souvenir shops absolutely everywhere. Wouldn't really expect much from the local ski resorts after seeing all the super old-school videos advertising them in the ski shops. Not the same branding power as Whistler. And the selection of skis and snowboards wasn't the greatest, the widest underfoot was a 98 Volkl so can't have much powder here. Enough snobbery, they are still not to be dismissed after all where else can you find in just one country huge cities, tiny villages and thousands of acres of beaches, jungle, desert, salt flats, geysers, glaciers and mountain ranges suitable for walkers to extreme climbers and skiiers. Something for every Tom, Dick and Harry.. or Tom, Dick and Anne as I'm known to say (doin' my bit for equality).

My hostel wasn't terribly sociable, but the breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs more than made up for it and I finally had a chance to catch up on Home & Away. Poor Romeo, did his ACL in thus jeopardises his surf career. Shock horror. I was up early every morning (not to just for the good breakfast) to fill my days with activities. Busy, bus, busy with a boat trip to Isla Victoria and the Arrayanes Forest and the following day a bus to Cerro Tronador and it's 'Black Glacier', all in the Nahuel Huapi National Park.

Was really happy with some of the photos I took here, wanted to start taking more in black and white but when the colours are just so vivid I feel I'm doing a terrible injustice to them. My favourite photos are the first and last. Onto Córdoba next, right smack in the middle of Argentina where I'll stay for a week and enroll in a Spanish course. It's so bloody difficult to understand the accents in this country, I wish they'd enunciate more. I swear I'm not nit picking and missing the bigger issue here...

Dock on the island where the Arrayanes Forest was.

Being a bit arty under the dock.

The 'Black Glacier' - at the base of Cerro Tronador (a volcano) is what remains of the glaciers (right) which has almost entirely eroded, and is so called due to constant landslides and basalt rock that the glacier picks up along the way. Or so I gather from the strictly Spanish speaking guide. I saw ice break off from the top right and a small landslide on the left occur whilst was there... #globalwarming, #orsomeshit