Days 16-18 Bariloche and Argentine Lake District

Bumpy flight over the Andes to Bariloche. Very touristy town, but stunning location on the south shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi. The main street is full of restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops etc all very tacky, some nice architecture by Argentine architect Bustillo (designed some fine buildings in Buenos Aires)


Cathedral built in 1946

General view of the lake with the Andes in the background

Cerro Campanario 20km west of Bariloche on the lake. Chairlift up side of mountain to get some great views.

On way up. The good thing about this time of year is that the tourist ares are fairly quiet at the moment....we're just in to springtime here; busy time is Dec/Jan.

View from the top....one of my favourite views so far. The weather, like most days so far, was perfect.

Another view from the top

At top again.

On way down

Typical architecture around main square in Bariloche....note lovely block of flats behind.

Another 1930's Bustillo building influenced by earlier Swiss and German settlers

Next day a trek through Park Municipal Llao Llao (pronounced show show as in cow)

Saw loads of these birds...would someone get their twitcher's book out and find out what they are called, and let me know? Ta

Hotel Llao Llao....most expensive hotel in South America according to a fellow hiker

It's now sunday and I'm getting a bus to Mendoza at 1pm, via Neuquen. Get in to Mendoza at 7am tomorrow morning. Supposed to be a bed on the bus....don't hold out much hope of a good nights sleep. Anyway, so that will be the Patagonia part of the trip finished. You could spend months travelling around this part of the world. Argentina is such a vast country.......beautiful

After Mendoza, it's a trip across the Andes to Santiago, then a flight to New Zealand on 3rd Nov, which arrives on the 5th Nov.....trying to get my head around crossing the international date line

Days 13-15 Now that's what I call a glacier!

Dear All,
Please read this from the bottom up.....too much Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
This covers the period from leaving Punta Arenas, staying at Puerto Natales
and going back into Argentina from Chile and 2 days in El Calafate


19 Another view....stunning



18 Well Mikey, what do you mean I can't be like David Attenborough....look at these two photos

17

16 Not so beautiful

15 Beautiful

14 Viewed along the front edge

13 Back on land walking towards the glacier

12 Approaching glacier by boat

11 Approaching glacier by boat

10 In National Park first glimpse of glacier in the background

9 On route to park and glacier

8 Reception to the hostel

7 My room for 2 nights

6 My "lodge".....bit like Butlins without
the sex. Comfortable, clean, and 20 quid a night with breakfast

5 On bus between Puerto Natales and El Calafate

4 Typical street scene in Puerto Natales

3 Puerto Natales

2 Look what I found!

1 On route from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales

As I said in previous post, Punta Arenas wasn't that interesting, so left after 2 nights and got on a bus for a 3.5 hr journey to Puerto Natales. As you can see from the photos not, the most interesting of places. Stayed in a really cheap hostel. A bit of a scruffy town, natives not that friendly. Reminded me a bit of East Cowes. So, took a 5 hr bus ride back through the Argentine border to El Calafate. Bit touristy but friendly people, especially at the hostel.And set in some of the most stunning scenery I've ever seen. I booked a day out to Los Glaciares National Park, in particular to see Perito Moreno Glacier. 10 of us on the bus; nice and comfortable...5 Spanish, 4 Dutch and yours truly. Have the British stopped travelling? I don't think Al Quieda operate down here. Anyway saw my first condor hovering over the park....glorious site. By the time I got the camera out, it had gone, of course. In El Calafate tomorrow until afternoon, then getting evening flight to Bariloche on The Argentine Lakes....heard good reports. Time is getting a bit tight. Got to be in Santiago on 3rd Nov to get flight to Auckland.

Days 11-12 Punta Arenas

Arriving in Punta Arenas is the last photo.
Spent 2 nights and 1 full day here. That was long enough.
It's not that close to anything interesting and you can see everything
in one day



If you kiss or rubbed the toe of one of the figures at the base of the Magellan stature in the town square, it would bring you luck and you would return. Thought I'd rub it. The dog wasn't very interested in what was going on.

Just photos of the old sheep owners mansions (late 19th century) around the square

Cathedral across the road from the hotel

The hotel where a crowd were gathering for a march

Statue to Bernardo O'Higgins....son of an Irish father and Chilean mother who kicked the Spanish out of Chile and was the first president. Loads of streets named after him

Coming in to Punta Arenas

Days 8-11 (Part 4 Penguins)

The Best Table on the last night of the trip

Early start to see the penguins on Magellas Island, not far from Punta Arenas

It's the breeding season
so thousands of pairs back at the colony

Difficult to see, but there are hundreds of burrows which the peguins dig to make their nests