#skypage

Today was a day of relaxation :) With the weather still iffy and crazy rain showers throughout the day, it was the perfect excuse to have a leisurely morning. We had a big breakfast and then settled in to follow the final F1 of the season and to have a Skype with Char (and her fabulous hat). We ended up doing a supermercado run to cover both lunch and dinner and enjoyed eating with the view from our balcony until it bucketed down again. Cue another long Skype with mes parents, a bit of life admin, an early dinner and an early night! Off to Pucón tomorrow...

27 November - Puerto Varas, Chile

We had been treated to three bluebird days in a row so we couldn't really complain when the day dawned to mist and rain. But Olli did have to drive back through the lakes down to Bariloche in it, so it wasn't entirely ideal. Luckily we had stopped at a million miradors for photos on the way up to San Martín so we didn't feel the need to stop multiple times on the way back. The one place we did stop was at Arroyo Partido, a bridge over a river that splits in two, with one branch of the river ending up in the Atlantic and the other ending up in the Pacific. Pretty cool! In theory, anyway. The reality in the pictures is a graffitied bridge and small stream that splits in two indiscernible directions. But that is not the point. Once we got back to Bariloche it was cold and hammering it down and so we were glad to get the car parked safely at the hotel and to head into our cosy room. We flopped (well, Olli, having driven 150 miles, flopped; I did the classic Victoria/Rebecca/Mama thing of sorting and unpacking) and then had a long ol' Sunday Skype with mama and pa. The lounge at home looked so cosy with the fire and cushions and pots of tea - starting to get very excited about Christmas! Bariloche is famous for its chocolate so we had to try it out before we left the region. We headed to Mamushka and had the thickest, most rich and delicious hot chocolate ever. Heart attack in a cup! The chocolates on display looked too good to miss, so we restrained ourselves and bought three each. We had a really good dinner at La Casita and enjoyed the chocolates as our dessert back in the hotel. Incidentally, Bariloche is also famous for its Nazis. Scary stuff: it is said that many escaped justice after the Second World War by fleeing to Argentina and settled here. In fact, there are theories that Hitler himself faked his own death and fled, living out his remaining years in the mountains of Bariloche. Now if all that is true, that truly is scary stuff.

13 November - Route of the Seven Lakes, Bariloche, Argentina

Despite the mild hangover, we were up bright and early to fit in a hike before the start of the rugby matches. We headed through the town and beyond to the trailhead, then started to climb. The trail took us through woodland and then suddenly opened out to show a stunning view over the lake and a sheer drop to the left of the path. Eeeeeek! Up and up, until we started winding round the peak like a corkscrew, making our way to the top where we were treated to a beautiful view of the lake and of the town below. Exercise done: time for rugby and alcohol! Being three hours behind the UK, the England vs. South Africa match between started at 11.30am so we watched it in our little apartment and broke out the wine and snacks at the respectable time of 12pm. A solid performance from England (the first 20mins of ill-discipline aside) and hurrah for finally breaking the ten year curse against South Africa. We headed out for lunch in fine spirits and then on to the "Irish" bar we found yesterday. The rugby was showing, as promised, tick. But there was practically no one else there. Boo. So much for watching Argentina in a bar full of Argentinians! We settled in nevertheless and made it clear to the bar staff at least that we were here to support Los Pumas and NOT Wales (never Wales). It was close: a 24-20 win for Wales, gutting. Wanting to make use of our little kitchen once again, we bought more supplies (read: more spag bol ingredients and more wine) and returned to our apartment. Despite terrible wifi, we managed a long ol' Skype with Char then headed back in to the jacuzzi before dinner. Another marvellous evening; could get used to this traveling thing!

12 November - San Martín de los Andes, Argentina

We were glad that we only paid for a pants hostel the previous night, because we were drunk and definitely wouldn't have appreciated anything fancier. That said, it would have been nice to have a decent breakfast (it was pants), good wifi (utterly pants) and for the card machine to work in order for us to check out and be on our way (pants pants pants). After so much palava that it is frustrating to even document on here, we got in a taxi to take us to Viñas de Cafayate, a luxury wine resort set on a vineyard about a mile outside of the town. Excitement! A beautiful hotel room, a terrace overlooking the vineyard, a swimming pool and a welcome drink. We felt better already! The wifi was good enough to Skype and so we got to speak to Rebba and Simon and then with Mama and Pa. The rest of the day we spent sipping wine, eating lovely snacks from the restaurant and putting the world to rights. Oh, and doing our punching impressions of the cacti we have come across on our trip. We had dinner in the restaurant at the resort. At last, the absolute perfect Argentinian steak, paired with a wonderful bottle of Malbec. Hello, Argentina, we have properly arrived. Followed by cake de volcán. Naturally. Bliss!