The closest town to Mendoza city where many of the vineyards are is called Maipu (yes that's right!) and after we were picked up from the hostel and taken to the bike shop, we were soon cycling away. For some reason I had visions of riding through lush country roads surrounded by vineyards but once again my imagination was way off (I think i left it somewhere in France). Mendoza and surrounds are basically in the middle of the desert but with innovative irrigati...

Arriving back in BA felt a little different than I expected. When I left the first time I was almost glad to leave but this time I was looking forward to coming back. Maybe because it would be familiar now or maybe it was because I was meeting up with a mate who finally made his long overdue visit to BA and I could share the experience with a familiar face. I think it was a bit of both. Finally got down to La Boca and immediately loved this place. It was more co...

Flying with LADE (a local airline managed by the air force!) from Bariloche to El Calafate ended up being a good choice. Sure it was 45 minutes late but I was expecting worse. I was waiting for a propeller plane to land on the tarmac to pick us up but what arrived seemed like a large private jet. It wasn't of course but it was a Fokker-28 (yes that's right!),a relatively old Dutch made aircraft. Although the ride was a little bumpy, it was all good and they...

I actually looked forward to getting on the bus to Bariloche even though I knew it was going to be for 20 hours. The hustle and bustle of BA was getting to me and I just wanted to get into my little haven of a fully reclining seat, kick back and watch the world outside fade away. Just in time too as it started to pour outside. The journey was not as comfortable as the one from iguazu but I welcomed the change in landscape and driving through the Lake District...

I met a girl in the hostel in Foz do Iguacu who told me she 'got stuck in Buenos Aires'. At first I thought she was just enjoying the nightlife too much and one day blended into another but I didn't realise that I too would get 'stuck in BA' for longer than intended but for ever so slightly different reasons. BA has a few very distinct areas but basically divided between then north, centre and the south. Palermo is very cool and relaxed during the day an...