Moving from the furthest north of the country, back to BsAs in the east, we then travelled to Bariloche, a town in the Lake District near the western border with Chile. Bariloche is in a stunning setting on Lake Nahuel Huapi with a backdrop of the snow capped Andes. Apart from a few days sightseeing this was where we had to make important decisions about our travel plans for heading south. Travel options from hereon become difficult as there are fewer bus companies travelling this much more isolated and rugged area of Patagonia and the only real alternative was flying. But taking a flight would be extraordinarily expensive and would mean missing the experience of seeing Patagonia, visiting El Calafate, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares & the Perito Moreno Glacier, and we would also miss out on the relatively easy overland route to Torres del Paine in Chile from El Calafate in Argentina. So our first task was to find out who went where and when. Luckily we had met a Spanish chap on our Iguacu helicopter flight who had done the trip between El Calafate and Torres del Paine so we knew it was possible. This same company also seemed to do the last leg of the 3 leg bus journey so as soon as we were settled into our very comfortable accommodation (Hosteria Marianas) it was off to find the office of Chalten Travel. This was probably the first time since China where we had a very frustrating experience. First of all the young woman totally denied that the company ran a bus between Rio Gallegas and El Calafate. E however was not accepting this and after much debate he showed her the company's own website where it states clearly that they do run a bus service. Oh yes, she responded we can sell you tickets! Next were the arrangements for the bus from El Calafate to Torres del Paine which she simply refused to sell us until we had accommodation in El Calafate. So M had to head back to our room to book accommodation - not easy as everything was full. She then went back to Chalten Travel - E decided it was better to keep out of the way - where all tickets were booked and paid for. Well done M! The first 2 legs were sorted out the following morning with prime seats on Via Bariloche's services. We'd also decided to hire a car in Bariloche as this would give us great flexibility over our time in this area to get around and pop over to Chile once more. Luckily Marianas had an arrangement with a local company and a week's rental of a Corsa was arranged from the following day.The car was delivered and by late morning we were driving along the lakeside to Cerro Campanario, a cable-car ride which can be thoroughly recommended for it's wonderful views across the lakes and mountains (see Bariloche photo album). We then headed further along the lakeside to Puerto Panuelo where we stopped for a walk through beautiful forest of Southern Beech and Bamboo, past an old 'Roman Bridge' until we reached the end which afforded us a great view of the lake. Once back at the car we continued to drive the circuit past Llao Llao, and the most famous hotel in Argentina with its championship golf course (far too expensive for us), then back via more wonderful views to Bariloche. Sylvia at Las Marianas had recommended a nearby restaurant and booked us a table for that evening. Naan was a bit unusual in that it was run by a husband and wife team from their home, where we sat in the dining room overlooking the garden and fine views of the town, lake and surrounding hills. The menu was also somewhat unusual in that it provided a range of dishes from various different countries (an idea E had once had many years ago when we were thinking about opening a restaurant). We shared Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Serrano ham for starters and neither of us could resist the Spaghetti Marinara for our mains. The food was absolutely divine (such wonderful flavours!!) and would not be out of place in any of London's top restaurants - Gordon Ramsay eat yer heart out!The girl in the Nahuel Huapi National Park office in town had suggested that a must see in the Park was the Black Glacier) and its neighbouring waterfall, about 100 kms from Bariloche and reached along 55 kms of rough dirt road. Unfortunately the day was overcast and wet so we probably didn't see the area at its best, but the glacier was amazing - the black appearance is simply the amount of debris it has picked up en route - and really worth seeing. Tired and weary after the long drive we had little appetite for dinner and eventually settled on Mexican food (E) and a salad (M) before falling into bed. The main reason for hiring the car was to get ourselves over the border into Chile to see a bit of its Lake District and the island of Chiloe, which is noted for its traditional pastoral way of life and its unique churches. Lots of loveEric & Margaret xxx