Unfortatunately the first hostel we try to go to is closed for redecoration (at least thats what we think the guy said!). But, fortunately, or second choice turns out to be great. The hostel is fairly small but our (double ensuite!) room was great and if you put your face right up against the window, you could see snow covered mountains in the distance! Other highlights were that they were showing all the world cup games and that there seemed to a number of other english people there too, which was great with the England vs T&T game coming up. We decide to head into town for a late lunch and find a great irish bar that was to become our second home while in Bariloche! Apart from a bit of shopping, the next day is centred around watching the footy (at the irish bar, where else?) and having a few beers. Have a great pasta meal in the evening with a group from the hostel. The next morning is Argentinia vs Serbia & Montenegro and we come down to breakfast to discover loads of local argentinians sitting in the common area! It was great fun to watch them supporting their team, but it got a bit boring by 3-0! After the final whistle we head to the town square where the whole town seems to congregate waving their flags and blowing whistles! It was quite a sight. After all that excitement we decide to get out of the town and take a bus to the nearby naitonal park to walk some of the circuito chico. The walk takes us around the Llao Llao peninsular and we see yet more lakes and snowy mountains and even manage to have a picnic by the lake. Bus back to town and then we decided to treat ourselves to the famous Bariloche chocolates - yum yum! That night we join in with the hostel BBQ night and eat more fantastic steak. Some how end up playing "guess the TV theme tune" until about 3 am. We have a couple of pretty lazy days after that, strolling around town and doing a bit of window shopping. We were waiting around for the ski season to start so that we could enjoy a couple of days on the slopes before heading east. Finally the ski field open and we make it onto the mountain! We take what must be the longest ever chairlift to nearly the top of the mountains, which passes over loads of untouched snow with little mountain rivers winding their way down the mountain. At the top of the lift we are treated to awesome views over the lakes, with the Andes in the distance. Some of the pistes at the top havent been marked out properly but we manage to find our way to some tricy blue runs. The pistes hadnt been bashed either so the snow was pretty deep in places, but fortunately was also very powdery and light. We spend a good few hours doing a few runs before heading back down to catch the England vs Sweden game - we had our priorities right! Stu heads out to the mountains again the next day with some other from the hostel, but Amy decides to pass as she is feeling unwell and doesnt want to make her cold any worse. On our final day in Bariloche we just sort out a few chores before catching our first South American overnight bus east to Puero Madryn. Well, what a great experience! The seats were huge (think business class on a plane) with loads of leg room. On top of that we also got a two course dinner in the evening and breakfast in the morning! Didnt get a whole lot of sleep, but its the experience that counts right?!