I am sitting in the sunshine with my back against a tree, overlooking a little beach on Lago (lake) Nahuel Huapi. There is blossom on the trees, and some large birds keep paying a visit to my campsite, such as ruddy-headed geese and buff-necked ibis. It's still cold at night, but spring is definitely in the air. I waved Helen off from the bus station two days ago, and came here to chill out for a bit after a hectic month of sightseeing; but what a great month it has been, and so nice to have had Helen here to enjoy it with.

When we first arrived here after a long bus ride from Buenos Aires we were barely able to see the town, let alone the lake. Clouds of ash have been regularly falling on Bariloche and the surrounding area from a Chilean volcano, which has been erupting since June. And when Helen pulled a calf muscle whilst running across a road to avoid a car, we thought that we were in for a disastrous week here.

Within two days the ash cloud had gone, and Helen's leg seemed to have made a miraculous recovery. So much so that we managed to climb a snow-capped peak called Cerro Piltriquitrón near El Bolsón, passing through an area of sculptures where the carvings had been made out of felled tree trunks. And we also managed to spend a day seeing the country the way the locals do - on horseback. It's hard to imagine turning up at a farm back home with no horse-riding experience, and within an hour finding yourself steering a horse with one hand across rivers and up mountains, wearing only a bandana in the way of safety equipment. What a fantastic experience.

We have been using a hire car to get around again, so that we could explore the area fully. This is Northern Patagonia, but is usually referred to as the Lake District. We drove north to San Martín de los Andes along the beautiful and peaceful seven lakes route. And we drove south to see a glacier, and stay in the hippy hangout of El Bolsón where, unlike much of Argentina, you can actually find vegetables on the menu. They also have a microbrewery, and hence real ale! This is more of the Belgian style rather than English, but very nice it is.

It is back in that direction I shall go next, armed with the lightweight camping gear that I collected from home, the new camera lens that I paid an arm and a leg for in Buenos Aires, and a concoction of barbecue lighter fluid and gin; which, in the absence of meths, seems to burn quite nicely in my little stove.