Argentina

Isn’t that exciting but I found it entertaining! Every bus driver gave the same mirror image huge friendly wave to every other bus driver they saw on the road, and sometimes truck drivers! Leaving Bariloche for a day trip we must have passed 20 buses in 5 minutes and everyone got the same big wave, hand up out stretched at head level! There was a period where our driver tired of the wave and gave nothing back… (he may have however flashed them unbeknown to me), but when he returned to his waves I gave him a cheer and a wave of my own much to the bemusement of my fellow bus passengers. Anyway I just thought that was a nice custom they have. 

First stop in Argentina was Mendoza that looked underwhelming below grey skies and strong cold winds! I noticed a few Boca fans were in town and it transpired their QF versus Quilmes, another team from BA, was being played in the local stadium at 10pm, some 1,050 km from their stadiums and on a Wednesday night! Boca brought maybe 20k to the 3k of Quilmes! I tried getting into the game but thankfully was denied entry… it was a cold night and when Quilmes brought it back to 3-2 a portion of their fans started rioting which delayed the game 20 minutes and brought out the water cannons! Very strange behaviour from their fans, they then had the momentum but threw it all away to riot instead! They did well to break through the barb wired fences which I went and inspected later that week!! 

Thankfully for the following days Mendoza was bathed in brilliant sunshine and the city looked far more impressive, the wide leafy streets and Central Park now looked incredibly dreamy! 

The highlight here was the backpacker rite of passage, the Vineyard Bike Crawl! Basically you rent bikes and visit a number of vineyards in the sunshine with the Andes mountain range as the backdrop. In the hostel, having  befriended a lad from Hexham / Carlisle, an Oz lad and an Oz wine conaseuir I guessed it was going to be a big day! We were first to pick up our bikes from the rental spot and were on our way to the first stop by 11am! The first vino tinto was sampled at 11.35am and the generous supply didn’t stop until gone 6pm! 

The day was fantastic! We visited three vineyards returning to our favourite and first stop for a final glass (well bottle) of their delicious reserve wine! Reserve wine is their top tier stuff and even with my basic wine knowledge I could taste the difference! By now members of our small group were certainly on the wayyyy… Clay (Oz) and Scott (Hexham) both came off their bikes as I led us back to the rental place in the best straight line I could manage! Back at the rental spot we caught up with friends made throughout the day as we enjoyed bottomless vino tinto… I had one small glass and decided I could no longer drink anything other than Reserve wine from now on, something which may have been my saving grace! The others ploughed into it which made for a fun taxi ride home! Clay had his head out the window the whole way… motorway included and at one point forced us on to the hard shoulder for a “Pitt stop”. He was duly fined £6 or £12 by the driver for the unwanted red paint job he gave to the exterior of the car door… 

Wanting more bike time I spent my last day here renting a bike and passing the whole day in and around their Central Park. Sunset was particularly impressive with the orange sky poking out behind the huge tropical looking trees and the Andes in the distance. 

Moving on to San Carlos de Bariloche I was feeling a little exhausted from the constant on the go style of my trip but that didn’t stop me doing a whole load of long day trips in the much cooler southern weather. Sitting on the edge of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche is a picturesque town famous for its cuisine, chocolate and outdoor activities. 

Jumping straight in I managed to catch one of the last days of the ski season on the deserted Cerro Catedral ski resort, unfortunately given how quiet it was only a handful of slopes were open despite the majority of the mountain still being covered in snow! I managed 5 of a possible 7 hours then decided it was time for a rest. 

Another highlight there is the 7 Lagos Route to San Martin some 200km away, you drive through the most stunning scenery stopping as you go to enjoy the seven lakes you pass through. It is just a day to sit back relax and enjoy all the nature around you. The route itself was far more quiet that I expected once we had left Bariloche, incredibly peaceful.