The 3 leg bus journey from Bariloche to El Calafate via Comodoro Rivadavia and Rio Gallegos was to be tiring - and traumatic. We made our way from the mountainous western side of Argentina to and through the flat Pampas to arrive at the Atlantic Ocean and Comodoro Rivadavia in the early, sunny and windy morning. Our connection meant a couple of hours sitting at the bus station so it was good that our bus came in on time. The journey down the east coast was a little more interesting but once again it was good to get to our destination for the night. Rio Gallegos in the far south of Argentina seemed to be a prosperous, tidy and bustling town. Our hostal for the night did not have our reservation but did have a room so we are pursuing the refund of our deposit with HostelBookers. We eventually found a bar, then a restaurant (there were plenty of them although many were a bit expensive), and finally a coffee shop before heading for bed. This being nearly the end of the month it was time to do the 'books' so after breakfast E headed for an internet cafe to do the necessary transactions. Disaster struck when he was locked out of the internet banking system meaning credit card payments would not be met and with low funds in the current account we'd have to sort things out quickly. A few expensive phone calls (£150's worth) to the bank provided no solution other than a need to register. We set off on the 3rd leg of our journey to El Calafate with a heavy heart! Also wondering how Keith & Karen are doing on their Antarctic trip (much grander and longer than ours will be) so looking forward to meeting up with them in a couple of weeks in Ushuaia.fLoLots of love E & M xxxxE