We left San Martin and headed out into the middle of the Patagonian pampas and before night fall, we watched as the landscape changed from the high mountains to the flat lands characteristic of the pampas. After "so long" (of after what felt like that) in the high mountains and lakes of the Lake District, it was novel to see that there was another type of landscape to travel through! Here was that land that makes Argentinean beef the best in the world. ...

To get to San Martin de los Andes you need to take what is called "The 7 Lakes Route" billed as the most beautiful drive in the world. Really. But if you are heading for Argentina's most expensive town, then the road has to be more than just a scenic drive! What was surprising was that it looked like how Bariloche was described. Here was Switzerland in Argentina. Maybe this was Bariloche before their town planners lost all sense of perspective? This pl...

HER 1 Step out of tent (OK this should be out of a luxurious bed, but our budget´s tight!) after wonderful dreams of Brad Pitt and Robert Downie Jnr (did I say that or just think it) and feel the heat of the suns rays on your skin. 2 Step into bikini and slap on the suncream.3 Take a 2 minute stroll to the local lake for a quick dip in the gorgeous crystal clear waters.4 Eat liquid caramel on hot, oven fresh, home-made bread (served to you by Brad, sorry, I mea...

What is very surprising about Bariloche is that it does not take much to actually get out of town and into, what feels like, the back of beyond. A short local bus ride later, a short spate of gravel road, and another awesome lake, and we were in the tiny little village of Los Coihues. Dusty roads, a tree as a bus stop and locals who rode horses to chase their cows from one side of their paddock to the other; it was hard to believe that Bariloche was only 15km d...

Not quite knowing what to expect when we arrived, but with a reservation somewhere, we decided to play it by ear. We had no plans, a whole lot of time, a little bit of money and a whole lot of gumph and wonder and a desire to extract as much experience as we could! Perfect! Once we had decided that we were heading west, then Bariloche was the logical place to head for. It is the capital of the Lake District after all, but it was the place where we could hunker d...