Ms Hertz arrives late to open up shop for our second car hire, deals first with a woman who arrived after us, hanging on long after it is clear nobody will answer her phone calls. Despite computer and photocopier the paperwork drags on. Finally Mr Hertz takes us to their small lot. Our pre-booked car is a monster truck. I will need a step ladder to get in, Martin glazes over as the 4x4 controls are explained, the ritual inspection of the dents. The large rear fla...

We arrive in Salta in the northwest via Buenos Aires, this time collecting baggage, walking a half kilometre corridor to the other airline's check-in, then all the way back to the gate, but Aerolineas Argentina consistently take off and land early and LAN took off on time so no rush. Aerolineas is spacious, friendly, relaxed. LAN feels more like BA etc, smart uniforms, heavily made up hostesses, cramped seats but both have same minimal snacks and passengers clap ...

Our first rainy morning gives lakeside San Martin the air of an English Bank Holiday. Our small historic inn has the usual eclectic mix of old furniture, the door falls off my bedside table, the switch on the end of my bedside lamp at the end of a long hanging wire I've not seen since my brother got a shock from one 50 years ago. He still has a scar from the burn. I use it cautiously. Another pharmacy visit for lingering wheezy coughs and Martin's back. The dou...

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. W...

We bypass the rather commercial Bariloche town with its long queue of tourist coaches for the cable car, apart from a visit to a pharmacy to get more paracetamol for Martin's back. The pharmacist is reluctant to sell us much, at a premium, claiming they are the last 2 boxes in town as there is a shortage of supply in the country, along with cotton wool of all things. I begin to wonder if I have understood her properly, if she is having me on to justify the price,...