After Calafate we headed up to the land of lakes, Bariloche.
Also known for it's beautiful surroundings (becoming a bit of a theme in Patagonia) and the major ski resort in South America, the city followed the theme of Calafate and Ushuaia - chocolate shops galore, tourist driven and lots of restaurants and bars.
We planned to be there for three days before heading up to Mendoza.
On arrival we headed to our hostel to find we had been upgraded to the hotel up the road - bonus! Fresh towels, cable tv and gigantic breakfast of eggs and pancakes.
On the first day we just mooched around the city, the centre of which is easy to navigate and had a picnic on the main lake.
Mike convinced me that for day two we should embark on a day out cycling around the hills and lakes in the area, despite blunt warning from my mum that i couldn't ride a bike. Thanks mum. I have to concede that I am not the best of cyclists so was wary but decided to give it a go nonetheless.
The dreaded morning arrived and we headed out on the bus to the pick up our bikes, map our route and for me, prepare for a day of pain.
27km later we were done. Phew! No in all honest it was a great day out with stunning surrounds. The downhills were ace, the flat fun but the uphills - well lets just say I tried but ended up getting off and walking most of them (and if Mike says he didn't join me in this he is lying.)
On our last day in Bariloche we headed back out of the city to the hills to take in the view of the lakes that is supposed to be spectacular. It certainly was. Originally having planned to walk up the hill, our laziness and sore limbs from the cycle the day before lead us to the chair lift. So instead of a twenty minute hike we had planned we were at the top in a flash and enjoyed the sunshine with a picnic overlooking the vista.
That night. We're due to meet up with Kate, from BA who had arrived the night before for dinner. We headed across to meet her and had a good old chinwag while choosing a cheap restaurant to eat in (no easy feat in Patagonia). Unfortunately Kate wasn't well and had to go home but we knew we would see each other on our next stop in Mendoza so no farewell tears that night.
All in all we had a nice, relaxing time in the city. A little overpriced but what do you expect for the party place in Patagonia.
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