Next stop after Buenos Aires was the town of Bariloche in the south of Argentina. Bariloche is in the north of Patagonia, a scenic region in the south. After bite to eat we went for a drink in an Irish bar. We got totally ripped off and swore of Irish bars for the rest of the trip. However a few hours later we were enjoying food and drink in the Wilkenny Irish bar.
Next day we headed for Cerro Campanario. At the top we saw what National Geographic has named as one of the top ten best views in the world. We were encircled by snow capped mountains with woods and the Nahuel Huaei lake below. It was an awesome sight. Check out the photos attached. Next day we woke to pouring rain. We checked the forecast to discover heavy rain was given for the following six days. It didn't take us long to decide to cut our stay short. We bought tickets to Mendoza and checked out next day.
Thursday afternoon we arrived in Mendoza, a city in the desert near the Andes. It is famous as the wine region of Argentina. We spent the day checking out the city and the plaza. Next morning we set off on the wine bike tour. This involved cycling from vineyard to vineyard tasting the local produce. The tour also included a visit to a olive oil factory which we saw as a distraction from the main event. That evening we went to Point Break. Laura and Sinead enjoyed champagne cocktails all night long. Not very backpackery!!!
Next day was a hungover chill out day. We hung around waiting for the hostel barbecue. After some tasty steak we drank till the early morning hours. Check out the photo of James doing tequila. They didn't give out shot glasses. You got the bottle directly in the mouth!!! Sunday was spent in the park nursing yet another hangover.
Monday morning we headed out into the desert to go horse riding. The horses were so old and docile and no effort was needed to ride them. They just followed the guide without any instruction needed. It was a lot of fun though and the barbecue afterwards was the nicest one yet. James thought he was John Wayne by the end of the day.
The following day we were up at the crack of dawn to do a tour of the Andes. We were driven to 2800 meters where we would have seen Cerro Aconcagua, (the highest mountain outside of Asia), had it not been for the clouds. We did a short trek of about a kilometer. Myself and James shot ahead of the group but after less than one hundred yards the altitude got the best of us and we had to stop. We quietly followed the group after that.
Next day was champions league final day. Manchester United versus Barcelona. United played shite and lost so I proceeded to get absolutely pissed very early in the evening.
Next day we left for our next destination, Valle Fertile. We travelled six hours north into the desert to reach the base for doing an excursion to Valle del Luna, (Moon valley). We woke next day to rain. Just our luck, in the middle of the desert and it rained!! This caused a short delay to our trip. We visited two parks, Ischigualasto Provincial Park and Talampaya National Park. Ischigualasto Provincial Park was the more enjoyable of the two. Our guide showed us plant fossils in the rocks. Unfortunately they take the dinosaur bones out of the ground when they find them. We did see them in the museum afterwards. The sights were amazing. Definitely well worth the long trip into the desert.
