The Route of the Seven Lakes is a bit of a misnomer. There are more than 7 lakes, some we find, some we miss, maybe finding 7 is the average. The map from tourist information doesn't seem to have them in the same order as the guide book, but they are all scenic with a fringe of trees and hills and some with small beaches. We lose count after the first few and they start to look the same. Despite the fame of this drive nothing is particularly well sign posted.

We were advised to detour around Lake Traful to the village of Villa Traful for lunch. Averaging 15miles an hour along a rocky dirt road, with stops to admire the view and check we still have all our teeth, we take an hour and a quarter to drive the 27 km. The battered old chevy clanks and rattles but we reckon we can pick up anything that falls off on the drive back. Frequent 4x4s overtake at speed, kicking up enough dust to ensure the extinction of the dinosaurs and completely clouding our vision for a couple of minutes until it settles.

The village is tiny but growing and will not remain off the beaten track for long as the dirt road beyond the village has just been paved. The tour buses and coaches we encountered at the panoramic photo stops on the main route will soon make their way here too. After lunch the car is wet and shiny and has a clear windscreen for the first time. It seems we had parked within reach of powerful garden sprinklers and it had what Martin calls an Argentine carwash. It couldn't last of course. On the bounce and bump back the dust rapidly settled on the wet car covering it with a thin viscous brown layer, but we make it back to the main road intact.